"Mothers are incredible beings. They constantly give themselves generously and without abandon to their families and love doing so. But, that usually comes at the sake of one major thing – themselves. Moms are notorious for fretting over their kids’ nutrition but eating cereal for three meals themselves. Or, chasing their toddlers around with water cups but not realizing they haven’t had a glass of water yet and it’s 3 p.m. Or, being diligent with their babies’ sleep cycles but lying awake for hours worrying well after their little ones have gone to sleep.
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Let’s face it, we work hard all day to give our children the most excellent care we can, but we are often terrible at taking care of ourselves.
This gets especially complicated if you are a nursing mother, as your baby is quite literally draining you of your hydration and nutrition. You know you have to keep up with healthy foods, but when exactly do you have time to do so? And what is best? Nutrition when nursing can be confusing, but companies like Majka are looking to change just that and make nutrition convenient for mothers everywhere.
Let’s face it, we work hard all day to give our children the most excellent care we can, but we are often terrible at taking care of ourselves.
With a team of professional nutritionists, Majka developed healthy and convenient products that have been carefully researched and formulated with the finest ingredients. Each product was engineered to provide optimal lactation support and fundamental nutrition for mothers and their babies. While they are passionate about their products, they are even more passionate about providing mothers everywhere with high-quality, nourishing, and effective products. Majka was made with mothers’ best interests in mind, because, as they say, when you love yourself, you love motherhood even more.
We spoke to Crystal Karges, MS, RDN, IBCLC – a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Virtual Nutrition Coach for moms, and mama of five – to get the details on why it’s so important to keep your body full of nutrients while nursing and how exactly to do so. She gave us seven great tips on what do to maintain nutrition while nursing and how to increase your milk supply.
Adjust your diet
“A breastfeeding mother has significant nutrient demands,” says Karges, “and in order to optimize her health and maintain her milk supply, she needs to be eating a variety of nutrient-dense foods.” There is no reason to restrict or eliminate any foods while breastfeeding unless there is a medical condition or food allergy. Breastfeeding mothers need a combination of carbohydrates, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein, and healthy fats, Kargas notes.
Majka’s Nourishing Lactation Protein Powder was specifically designed by mothers, for mothers. The team worked with professional nutritionists that specialize in whole food and plant-based nutrition, looked at the needs of nursing moms and hand-selected ingredients to provide optimal nutrition for both mother and child, including adding super ingredients known to help increase milk production. Their exceptional blend of vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, and lactation support are there to help fill in those nutritional gaps your body needs to heal and provide.
Keep healthy snacks within reach
As any breastfeeding mother knows, nursing makes you hungry. If you don’t have healthy, nutritious food within reach, chances are you will eat anything you can find. This usually results in bingeing on foods that are maybe not the best for us, and often, in large quantities.
“Ideally,” Kargas tells us, “it’s helpful to have snacks that combine the main macronutrients, including protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates.” This combination of ingredients in snacks can help sustain energy, regulate blood sugar levels, and maintain milk supply. “It’s actually very simple to create snacks that help support nutrient needs,” Kargas says, “It can be something as easy as fresh fruit with nut butter, whole wheat crackers with hummus, yogurt with granola and chopped nuts, or a fruit smoothie with a scoop of the Majka Lactation Protein Powder.”
Majka Lactation Bites are also a great choice for a healthy, convenient snack for nursing moms on the go. Each Bite is packed with super ingredients that supplement your daily nutrition and support healthy lactation production. Because the recipe is made from natural and whole ingredients, every Majka Bite contains all the nutritional benefits without unnecessary calories, added sugars, or artificial ingredients.
Boost milk production
“In order to maintain or increase milk production, it is essential for moms to nurse frequently and ensure that baby has an appropriate latch in order to effectively remove milk from the breast,” Kargas says. When the breasts are being emptied from frequent feeds, this signals to the body to keep producing more milk and maintain milk or increase the supply. “It’s also important for mom to be eating adequately, staying hydrated, and managing outside stressors to help support her milk production,” Kargas notes.
Galactagogues can also help boost your supply, though their efficacy tends to differ from person to person. “Galactagogues are natural substances that can help support and/or increase milk production in breastfeeding mothers,” Kargas tells us. This includes different herbs and some foods, like oatmeal, brewer’s yeast, etc. There is anecdotal evidence that these foods can help increase milk production when included as part of a healthy diet and when combined with increased breastfeeding frequency.
Types of foods that can help boost milk production include oats, fennel, fenugreek, turmeric, seeds (chia, flaxseed, sesame, etc.), and coconut. Lactation cookies or bites, like the Majka Lactation Bites, are an easy and delicious ways to combine several of these natural milk-boosting ingredients into one wholesome snack.
Try a supplement
“Similar to the food galactogogues, some herbal supplements have been shown to help support and/or increase milk production,” notes Kargas, “but this, again, is based on individual experiences.” Supplements that can help support milk production include fenugreek, turmeric, blessed thistle, and alfalfa. Always check in with your health care provider or lactation consultant before introducing a supplement to your diet.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
This is a big one – your body can’t make milk unless it is adequately hydrated. “I encourage nursing mothers to drink to thirst and to try to drink water while she is nursing,” explains Kargas. “There is no need to over-hydrate while breastfeeding, but on average, a breastfeeding mother may need between 8-12 eight-ounce cups of water per day.”
If plain water is not cutting it for you, try infusing it with citrus, fruits, or herbs. Or, make large batches of caffeine-free or milk-boosting teas, and store it in a pitcher in your fridge to enjoy iced or hot whenever you want.
Nurse more than you pump, if possible
“When babies are able to directly nurse at the breast, they will be able to more effectively remove milk from the breast, which in turn, signals to the body to continue making milk,” explains Kargas. “Unfortunately,” she continues, “a pump just does not work as efficiently at removing milk from the breast as baby does, so some women who do exclusively pump may observe a slight decrease in milk production.”
However, even exclusively pumping moms can produce enough milk for their little ones. It does take diligence with pumping sessions, a quality pump with correctly fitting parts, and frequent pump sessions to help maintain milk supply. With a lot of commitment and a supportive environment (both home and workplace), many women are able to exclusively pump for their baby’s first year if they that’s their desire.
See a Lactation Consultant
“I definitely encourage mothers to seek out lactation consultants any time extra help or support is needed,” Kargas says. Most mothers can use some reassurance that they are nursing correctly and making adequate milk to support their baby’s growth, and lactation consultants can help provide this support.
And, you don’t always have to wait for a problem to come up in order to seek out a lactation consultant (LC) for assistance. “Many hospitals and birthing centers will have an LC come to visit a new mother to check on breastfeeding, including how the baby is latching, how mom is feeling, how frequent nursing sessions are happening, and more,” notes Karhas. This is a crucial window of time, as many LCs can help a mother troubleshoot any potential breastfeeding issues before they become truly problematic. When in doubt, always ask for help. Having the professional support of an LC, especially early in the breastfeeding journey, can make all the difference for a nursing mother and encourage her to continue feeding her baby for longer periods of time, if that’s her intent.