Ashling Drew, Author at Joyful Messes

5 Important Nutritional Needs For Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding mamas need specific nutrients to ensure they are able to produce a healthy milk supply, as well as take care of their body postpartum. Nutrition is so important during the postpartum period, and most of the nutritional needs for breastfeeding mamas can be solved with a healthy, clean diet. As a Pre/Postnatal Fitness Specialist, I am a firm believer in food and fitness for postpartum mamas. I LOVE food, but my love for food transcends cravings for icky chemicals and artificial tastes. I LOVE nourishing my body, so it can function properly. This takes time, and I’ve learned the importance of nourishing your body while breastfeeding after breastfeeding three babies for over a year each. Proper nutrient intake can make all the difference in your breast milk supply and your weight loss, which is why I created my full, nutrient-dense program with a meal plan, grocery lists, recipes for…

Post-Pregnancy Protein Diet For Healthy Weight Loss While Breastfeeding

A diet high in protein for post-pregnancy weight loss is super effective for breastfeeding moms. If you are breastfeeding, your body requires extra nutrients and protein to help sustain milk production. This is a large topic on my blog because mamas like you are coming back to me time and again for new smoothie recipes, information on choosing protein powders, and which ones are the best for breastfeeding, workouts and more. There are thousands of readers a day coming here for this information, and the one thing I haven’t gone into detail about is why a high-protein diet is perfect for post-pregnancy weight loss. Now, I don’t focus on weight loss as fast as possible. For me, I was able to lose it all by 6 weeks postpartum, but that is because my body was used to shedding the weight. I felt great, and had an over abundance of milk…

5 Tips To Lose Weight After Baby Number 2 Or 3!

I’ve lost the baby weight after both babies 2 and 3 with all my pregnancies being very close together. Losing the weight, only to start gaining it again can be a little depressing. Having a baby, not losing the baby weight, then getting pregnant again is even less fun! My boys are 2 years and less apart, which doesn’t leave a whole lot of time to bounce back before getting pregnant again. I’ve finally started running consistently again after taking years off. I’ve also just started repairing my core and pelvic muscles. Since writing this post, I’ve become a Pre/Post Natal Fitness Specialist and created The Postpartum Cure. This is a holistic program that focuses on a diet for breastfeeding mamas to keep their milk supply while losing weight, an ab rehab program, and workouts to repair and rebuild your body after a baby. There are a lot of factors…

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Caesar with Home-Made Croutons and Vinaigrette

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Mazola® Corn Oil. All opinions are mine alone. #SimpleSwap #CollectiveBias This recipe post is super exciting because it is one of my all-time, favorite salads. I am obsessed with roasted garlic cauliflower, and it is AMAZING on a Caesar salad. It’s got chicken for protein, and homemade croutons…they are so good! It’s all very simple, and totally satisfying. If you love a strong Parmesan and garlic taste, this is for you. I like strong flavors, so I make the Caesar vinaigrette to drizzle on top, which is the final step to all the garlic goodness. This recipe features the Mazola® Corn Oil, rather than the usual olive oils or butters you might see in this type of recipe. I’ve got three healthy swaps for this post, including swapping the olive oil Mazola® Corn Oil in the Caesar vinaigrette recipe, adding…

The 5 Magic Foods To Stop Sugar Cravings While Breastfeeding

Sugar cravings can come on so fast while breastfeeding, and before you know it, you’ve eaten 12 pieces of licorice and 5 packs of your toddler’s gummies (please tell me someone else does this too!). There are many reasons we breastfeeding mamas crave sugar. I wrote a whole post on it that I encourage you to read and save. It is super important to understand how mineral deficiencies, sleep deprivation and lack of protein play a role. If you are struggling getting enough protein, here are 5 quick ways to get some in, or I HIGHLY, highly recommend Ora Organics to make yourself some nutritious shakes that are fast and easy. Read this post for all the ingredient information and how it increases milk supply. Back to the foods list. These are foods that can really help (and help me!) with sugar cravings. They are healthy, so you can scarf…

8 Amazing Lactation Snack Ideas For Milk Supply and Weight Loss

Meet guest poster, Katie Pickett, a seasoned entrepreneur and mom of three who has shared her wisdom in crafting this blog post. At joyfulmesses.com, we’re committed to providing you with the latest parenting insights and tips, thanks to contributors like Katie. Stay tuned for expert advice, as we continue to update our blog to support moms like you on your journey. Love, Ashling! As a breastfeeding mama, I am a snacker. I literally could just non-stop snack to my heart’s content if I wanted to. There’s not anything wrong with that if your body likes a constant fuel source. Breastfeeding mama usually crave sugar. There are lots of real reasons behind this, and I think snacking is a great way to tame those sugar cravings. Snacks keep our blood sugar from dropping, which is part of the reason we get sugar cravings. With the expenditure of calories from breastfeeding and working…

The 6 Best Low Carb Foods To Boost Milk Supply and Shrink Your Baby Belly

Protein is so important for your milk supply and losing the baby weight. It literally will keep your muscle, feed your organs and tissues, give your body power to produce nutrient-dense milks (read this for information on fat content in milk), and ultimately keep your body full. Here are some amazing, protein-rich and low-carb foods that will keep your supply up, while you are losing the baby weight. If you are struggling with milk supply, and desperately want to lose the baby weight, check out these amazing milk-boosters to help you! Salmon: Isn’t this on every amazing food list? I feel like it is, but it is especially wonderful for breastfeeding mamas! Here’s why, it is full of DHA, which is so very important for baby’s brain. The fats that we eat actually do enter the breast milk, so it is important we eat foods with the right fats and…

How I Stopped Peeing My Pants While Running Postpartum

I had an embarrassing moment the other day, after a hard run, and I decided to share it on my Instagram stories because I knew there were probably many other moms experiencing the same thing. After running a few miles and doing some sprints at the end, I totally peed my pants. It wasn’t just a small leak, I full on, let it go experience, with no control. I realized how much work my core and pelvis really needed, despite all the time I’ve spent getting back in shape. I’ve talked about my Diastasis Recti and small umbilical hernia, and my plan to repair it without surgery. It was from my Insta strories that Amanda at Empower Your Pelvis reached out to me with her program. Read on to learn about the program, and save the code: JOY20 for 20% if you think it is a good fit for you! …

6 Lactation Smoothie Ingredients That Work

Lactation smoothies are my FAVORITE thing ever!! I talk way too much about this awesome, super clean protein powder that is perfect for nursing mamas because it actually promotes milk supply, and it is a huge staple in my breastfeeding diet, and how I am able to run miles and workout, without losing my supply. You can make so many wonderful lactation smoothies if you have the right essentials. I’m going over them here, so you’ll be prepared to smoothie your mornings away. Protein Powder: I will go over why I love this protein powder, and you can read why protein is essential for postpartum weight loss and milk supply. What a protein powder does for a smoothie, is it creates a better texture, and it adds nutrients you can’t find in fruits and vegetables, so you get a more complete, nutrient dense food. The idea to keeping up milk…

5 Steps to Increase the Fat and Nutrients in Your Breast Milk

Breastfeeding has been a part of my life for years now. I’ve researched everything on keeping the milk supply high, full of fat, and nutrient-dense. I am still breastfeeding my toddler, which is a new experience because I didn’t breastfeed my other two boys into toddlerhood. Improving the quality of your breast milk is just as important as your supply, which is sometimes overlooked because new mothers are more concerned about the amount they are pumping or feeding. I found this resource to be super helpful and informative on breastfeeding in general if you are feeling overwhelmed. I was even surprised at the amount of information I still didn’t know, even after breastfeeding three babies. Understanding The Fat Content In Breast Milk: You can increase the fat content in your human breast milk by eating healthy fats. I didn’t connect the dots between water-soluble vitamins and fat being available to the baby…

Ashling Drew