4 self care tips while breastfeeding

By Essence Love

Now that you've had your sweet baby, you are entering into a new phase of life to include breastfeeding. While there is plenty of information and talks around the importance of breastfeeding and the benefits for baby, we tend to forget about ourselves. I for sure can speak on this first hand as a mom who has breastfed all five of my children to include my now almost three years young twins! I cannot speak enough about the importance of caring for ourselves first while we care for and breastfeed our children. As much as we tend to focus on the needs of our breastfed babies, all babies and children for that matter but in this case we are focusing on breastfeeding. It is very important to manage our needs first in order to be able to sufficiently pour into our babies. There is truly an interconnection between our own health and wellness and that of our children. I'm going to give you four simple ways to keep your mind body and spirit connected, which will also help to keep your breastmilk flowing, as well as you feeling your best and being in-tune with your body and baby.

1. Get adequate sleep. While this can sometimes feel impossible, especially as a new mom, it’s still important. While we tend to hear frequently “sleep when baby is sleeping”, this is not always possible. In the early days after giving birth not only is sleep/resting important for your body to heal but is essential in producing breastmilk. The golden hour after giving birth is not necessarily over. Did you know that skin to skin contact not only creates a bond between you and baby but also helps release certain hormones that aid in the production of breastmilk?  Oxytocin is known as the life hormone and each time you have direct contact with your baby this hormone is released which triggers another hormone called prolactin which is our milk making hormone! So even if you feel you cannot sleep while baby is sleeping, ditch the choirs and trade them in for cuddles with your little one.

2. Remember, a healthy mom makes for healthy baby. Next to sleep being at the top of our self care list, nutrition is another important factor in your health, well being, and milk production. Sufficient hydration and protein is key. Just like pregnancy during breastfeeding, our bodies need extra calories in order to properly nourish the body as well as fortify our milk. We need an extra 300 to 400 calories daily while breastfeeding. Try planning meals ahead, meal prep and grocery delivery to ease the frustration of figuring out what to eat and when. Postpartum meal plans are a great tool to ease meal planning.

3. Create time to care for your body. Breastfeeding comes with its own ebbs and flows just as postpartum does. Oftentimes, we have all the focus on baby and we forget to tend to ourselves. Make time to spend time alone to journal, meditate or simply sit in silence to quiet your mind and come back to your center. Earthing or grounding outdoors is one of my favorite ways to regain my center as a busy mother and birth-worker. Nothing beats a recharge from the sun. 

4. Last but not least - breastfeed, but make it sexy!! Yes, you read that right. Read it twice if you need to. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, we have to learn a new version of ourselves and sometimes that's not always the easiest. Buy beautiful breastfeeding bras and panties to gain a confidence and a sense of femininity. We can often feel like milk cows and sometimes even not good for anything more. But we are so much more than that and we do not have to lose our sense of self while enjoying breastfeeding !