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Breastfeeding my babies has always been one of those aspects of being a mommy that I’m truly grateful for. Grateful that I can. Grateful that they have latched. Grateful for it all. And now with twins, I wanted to make sure I was doing the best for my self-care and my new babies… so I could continue with breastfeeding them BOTH. I was on a hunt for a healthy lactation smoothie recipe that would make it easy to take because it tastes great.
I ended up designing a breastfeeding shake recipe from some of my favorite ingredients that are known to help with milk production. Read on for my 5 Breastfeeding Tips and Lactation Smoothie Recipe that will help make breastfeeding your babies easier.
Table of Contents
5 Breastfeeding Tips and Lactation Smoothie Recipe
1) Do I Need to Take Vitamins While Breastfeeding
This is a loaded question, and you can find information that is supportive of the pro and the con. When it comes down to it your baby will get what he needs from your body.
But perhaps at your expense.
Taking vitamins is not a requirement to produce milk, but it does have benefits for you and your baby. Some women already have issues with receiving enough calcium. Being pregnant and breastfeeding is a drain on calcium stores in the mother’s bones.
Not eating enough calcium potentially leads to bone density issues later in life. Taking a calcium supplement will help prevent this issue and also helps baby as he relies upon the mother’s stored calcium to develop strong bones of his own.
In addition to calcium, vitamin D is essential to take while pregnant or breastfeeding. Vitamin D is necessary for the body to absorb calcium and produce strong bones.
You can even sneak in extra calcium by adding leafy greens to a lactation smoothie.
2) Do I Need Extra Calories While Breastfeeding
Yes. A woman’s energy needs are scientifically proven to be higher during pregnancy and lactation. You absolutely need to eat those extra calories.
It equals about 500 calories per day but varies person-to-person due to your physical activity and your baby’s age, size, and feeding demands. These factors will affect your need for more calories differently as time passes. Add in the demand to breastfeed twins or multiples and the need for calories could be significantly more.
I find that an easy way for me to get those extra calories is by drinking them in a lactation smoothie.
Ps. I’ve been LOVING the HALO Bassinest Twin for our twins. I used the HALO Bassinest Swivel Sleeper before for Aria, and it made keeping baby close and breastfeeding at night so much easier. The same goes for the twins! The Bassinest turns a full 360 degrees so that whichever little one needs me, I can pull them close, making breastfeeding and nighttime feedings that much better.
3) Should I Drink More Water While Breastfeeding
Drinking more water than necessary will not help you produce more milk, but beingdehydratedwill most definitely have an effect.
Don’t wait to drink water only when you are thirsty. That is the first sign of being dehydrated. Try to be proactive and take drinks throughout the day.
You can find added hydration in other liquids throughout your day such as, you guessed it, a lactation smoothie.
4) Should I Eat a Lactation Snack
Certified Lactation Consultant and Post Partum Doula Joy Saley says, “Self-care is very, very important for the mother’s wellbeing and her baby. It is extremely important to have a stock of healthy foods. Time management with a “Lactation Shake” is an optimal way to get the calories and nutrients for mother’s milk. It includes important values for healthy breast milk and most importantly, time management.”
Saley emphasizes that happy mothers make nutritional breast milk for happy babies. Keep yourself as well-rested, stress-free, and fed as possible. Having a healthy and easy lactation snack such as a breastfeeding shake can take care of your needs as a busy, tired, new mommy.
Having simple, planned snacks will help you reach nutritional and calorie goals.
Pro-tip: Have snacks ready before you sit down for a breastfeeding session. While you are sitting, is the perfect time to catch a much-needed lactation snack.
5) Nutrient-Dense Food For Breastfeeding Shake
There are a few foods I would like to recommend putting in your breastfeeding shake.
One of the best foods for boosting milk supply is oatmeal.
Since low iron levels can reduce your milk supply oatmeal is a great source to throw into your breastfeeding shake.
As previously stated, leafy greens are a natural source of calcium. Spinach is my breastfeeding shake go-to leafy green.
Coconut water is loaded with vitamins and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, sodium, vitamin B and phosphorus. And if all that goodness wasn’t enough it has electrolytes and is more hydrating than regular water.
Bee pollen is another thing I add to smoothies, especially my morning lactation smoothie, because it boasts so many health benefits that the German Federal Board of Health even catagorizes it as a medicine. From relieving inflammation and speeding up healing to reducing stress and strengthening the immune system, why not add it?!
These are only a few of my favorite foods I add to my lactation smoothie. The recipe includes other important supplements and foods that improve the nutrients, texture, and taste.
Lactation Smoothie Recipe
(Scroll to the bottom of post for printable version)
1 cup of coconut water
1/2 cup of spinach
1 serving vanilla protein powder (according to package)
1 serving collagen powder (according to package)
1 teaspoon bee pollen
1 serving MCT oil (according to package)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup frozen tropical fruit (for flavor)
1 banana (optional)
Conclusion
“Breastfeeding is the most natural and beneficial activity for mothers & babies. Breast milk is the only complete complex nutrition for human infants,” says Joy Saley. And it is the purest expression of love between mother and baby.
As we hold our infant close listening to their every little sound, each tiny breath holds our hopes for their future. So why wouldn’t we try to make the most out of every breastfeeding session with the help of a good lactation smoothie?
I hope these tips help you with your breastfeeding journey and I especially wish that you enjoy this lactation smoothie recipe as much as I do. Check out the blog for more great baby tips.
Do you have a lactation smoothie recipe that you love? Let me know in a comment below!
Lactation Smoothie Recipe
Yield: 1
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 1 minute
Total Time: 6 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup of coconut water
- 1/2 cup of spinach
- 1 serving vanilla protein powder (according to package)
- 1 serving collagen powder (according to package)
- 1 teaspoon bee pollen
- 1 serving MCT oil (according to package)
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup frozen tropical fruit (for flavor)
- 1 banana (optional)
Instructions
- Toss all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth!
Did you make this recipe?
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