I thought we could chat MILK today and some tips I’ve learned and tried in the past three months.

Before even beginning this, let me just say: Fed is best.
I never understood the mom shaming or opinions around breastfeeding and the pressure to nurse before I had the twins and I REALLY don’t understand it now. (and additionally, don’t understand opinions on pumping instead of breastfeeding — it’s the same milk?! I am now exclusively pumping and feeding them breastmilk by bottle but I’ll share that for a pump post….) 

People will send you articles in the mail – with HIGHLIGHTED areas – about the importance of breast milk for the first 6 months.  WHAT?! Breast milk is GOOD FOR BABIES?!  EARTH SHATTERING.  Thank you SO much for informing me of this! I somehow made it 32 years with a college degree before having these babies and had NO CLUE that breast milk was a good thing for babies!!!   dripping with the most extreme sarcasm….. and a tinge of annoyance and pissed-off-ness…… but I’ll move on…

…. wait before I move on….. don’t get me started on the comments about weight gain with pregnancy…. and CARDS IN THE MAIL ABOUT WEIGHT GAIN WITH PREGNANCY…… perhaps I should save that for a special sarcastically dripping post….. 

I’m extremely lucky that my milk came in and came in quick and came in with plenty to provide.  Those early days, especially with the NICU days,  would have taken a much bigger toll on me mentally if this wasn’t the case.  I felt like I was able to “do something” by bringing in my milk stash to the NICU and pumping at their bedside when they were in full time care of nurses for the first month of their life.  I would feel so proud of myself when the nurses were amazed at my milk supply, but it also made me realize: what if this wasn’t the case? How terrible would I feel if my preemie babies weren’t able to get this? What would the lactation consultants or nurses be saying to me and how would they be making me feel? It really made me realize how this is one of A MILLION things that can affect the fragile hormonally crazed mindset of entering motherhood.

There are so many reasons I now know why nursing just doesn’t happen – and great reasons.  I have friends whose babies don’t latch.  I have friends who have multiple visits with lactation consultants and it just doesn’t work for mom or baby for one reason or another.  I have friends who have had breast reductions or implants and the milk just never comes in.  I have friends who choose simply not to nurse.
For example, it’s freaking exhausting and it hurts like a betch…. that seems like reason enough to me!

In addition to this, the time frame of nursing is a whole ‘nother conversation.  “3/6/9/12 months is best.”  I now ALSO understand the mental toll that the amount of time you nurse and the opinions people have regarding that can take.  I’m taking it day by day at this point and no matter how long I last at least I lasted that long!

It’s 2019. Formula exists for a reason.  And PAH-REACH for that.  No matter what your baby or babies are being fed, it doesn’t matter.

so….. IF you are wanting to nurse – slow clap for you.  It’s exhausting to be a milk source and to always have a baby attached to your boob or to be tethered to an electrical outlet with a pump squeezing something that doesn’t even resemble a nipple when it’s in that damn suction cup from here to 50 yards away….. but IF you are wanting more milk, I have 3+ months experience of trying to keep up a supply for two.

and as always, I know nothing about nothing. These are just tips from scouring the internet, tips from friends, and what has helped me.

Water – number 1 over anything else is water.  Water water water.  You need ALL the water.
ALL. THE. WATER. Prepare to pee like you’ve never peed before.

Lactation Cookies – I have shared my homemade cookies here on the blog and I love them.  They are SO good and you can make a big batch, store the dough, and bake them off from frozen.  You need ALL THE FOOD when producing milk so DIG IN!
If baking isn’t your jam or of course you have no time,
or if you want THE MOST DELICIOUS COOKIES EVER, I can’t recommend Miracle Milk Kookies enough.

These taste 10x better than my yummy homemade treats and are truly so insanely delicious.  They also have come out with a Clean Kookie that I want to try…. but I also don’t know if I can venture away from the insane goodness of the original.  I put these in the microwave or warm them in the oven and DAMN are they good.
When I have cookies I DEFINITELY see an increase in my production.  It has all those important milk producing ingredients!

ALSO, the company is run by the cutest Texas mom ever, Whitney, and she also recently came out with a mom focused podcast called Message for Mom.

Oatmeal – a fellow twin mom friend recommended the Cranberry Almond Protein oatmeal and I love it.  I try to have it once a day.  “They” say oatmeal for breakfast is the best time of day for it.
Supplements – there are tons and tons of supplements and teas out there you can take.  I hate the teas.  No thanks.  I got these Honest Supplements where you take 2 pills a day instead and boom, no more teas needed.
Power Pumping – the lactation consultants in the hospital recommended power pumping.  There are a couple different ways to do it (google for lots of options) but I did one session daily for 3 days where it’s 20 on, 10 off, 10 on, 10 off, then 10 on.  When I had a huge drop in supply I did this and it helps.
Warm Compress and Massage – to help get things moving, heating pads or a warm shower will help things flow.  Massaging the boobs also helps get it all moving. These are a must if you are working to unclog ducts which I always, always have.
Gatorade or Guiness – a nurse told me about the Guiness and the Gatorate and I have seen it online, too.  I have heard the blue gatorade specifically but have not tried either of these!

Cookies – did I already say that? It’s the best. Just eat more cookies 🙂