Thank you, Oat Mama, for sponsoring this post. I was selected for this opportunity by Oat Mama; the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Nursing is a whole new world. Six weeks into motherhood and honestly, I am still trying to figure it out. Beyond the actual birthing part, I was super unsure about nursing in general. I knew that it was going to be tough, but the definition of "tough" was so unclear to me. I was very fortunate to have an amazing lactation consultant during the time that Oliver and I spent in the hospital. Combine that with a handful of Facebook groups full of super loving people and a few NICU and L&D nurses as friends, I have a list full of people that I can reach out to with any question that comes my way.
One thing that we learned really quick was nursing is far more than just a technique. It is a committed lifestyle that goes beyond just nursing itself. You have to be aware of everything that you are putting in your body, and it does not look much different than pregnancy.
Here are 5 tips I have on staying healthy while nursing:
1. Stay Hydrated
This is a tough one for me. I could probably live off of my one cup of coffee and a can of soda for an entire day, but nursing is all about hydrating, hydrating, hydrating. If you are not hydrated enough, then how can you make milk for your little one? I attempt to drink four CamelBaks full of water a day on top of my normal caffeinated drinks a day. Each CamelBak is 25 oz. which makes 100 oz. for the day. Lack of the appropriate amount of water is proven to increase your fatigue as well and can I just say as a new mom, you don’t need another thing adding to your fatigue.
2. Get Energy
Energy is something that I giggle a bit to myself while thinking about it. Babies definitely reduce your nightly sleep and overall energy; however, nursing is just as much about self care and it is baby care. Although some people stray away from caffeine during the nursing months just as with their pregnancies, I may be a bit caffeine dependent. I am still watching how much caffeine and including things like exercise and good ol' sunshine to keep my spirits and energy up.
3. Medications
Just like your pregnancy, medications are just as important with nursing. Some medications can hurt your milk supply and less milk supply means less nutrition for your little one. It is also uber important to make sure that you are taking what you need when you need it. Getting relief from headaches, backaches, muscle pains, and aches from feedings will eliminate any type of discouragement that these uncomfortable pains may cause. Keeping the pain and aches down will help you stay positive about your entire nursing experience. Also, keep up your prenatal vitamins! They are just as important to take now as they were during your pregnancy!
4. Calorie Intake
Similar to hydration, I struggle on a day-to-day to make sure I am eating enough. Many postpartum moms are eager to lose the weight they gained during pregnancy (myself included). However, breastfeeding is not necessarily the time to cut calories, especially when you start working out! Cutting calories too much could impact your health and lower milk supply. Good rule of thumb: if you’re hungry, eat! Keeping easy, one handed snacks around is super important. My house is stocked with Oat Mama lactation granola bars! These wonderful granola bars are jam-packed with wholesome superfoods to help you power up your energy, your mood, and your milk.
5. Nutrition
Baby Ollie eats everything I eat. Making sure I am getting a good amount of protein, vitamins, fruits and vegetables each day is super important. We are a fairly healthy household, but I definitely struggle when it comes to snacking. Keeping my nutrition under control while increasing my calorie intake is just plain hard. Snacks like almonds, cashews, and dried and fresh fruit along with my Oat Mama bars are super important to have on hand to make sure that I am not grabbing for a cookie or ice cream sandwich instead!
If you can’t tell, I love my Oat Mama bars. At Oat Mama, they designed a granola bar that supports our specific breastfeeding needs, so we can better support our little ones. I cannot wait to share with you a giveaway from these gals next week, but until then, you can try them out using the coupon code AUGUST10 for 10% off all orders through the end of August! The code will expire on 8/31 so I would highly recommend putting your order in now and stalking up on them for your diaper bag and around the house!
