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I’ve had great success nursing all three of my baby boys, and I believe part of that is due to the steps I take before my little one arrives! Believe it or not, there are some small things you can get started on now, while your in your last month or so of pregnancy. Don’t you just love the last couple months?! I am such an impatient person, that the last few weeks seem to drag on and on! And my babies have NEVER been early! The earliest I got was my middle child, who arrived like a speed racer the the night of his due date. My other ones took me after my due date, which makes for one frustrated, pregnant mama!
Anyways, let’s give you some tips to get you started on creating an abundant milk supply. This is important because you want your body to be ready to make the colostrum as quickly as possible right after your baby is born.
If you are working on being as healthy as possible during pregnancy, I have an awesome, FREE clean-eating challenge for you!
I didn’t do this with my first one, because I did didn’t know, but with the second and third babies, I had them try to nurse IMMEDIATELY upon arrival. My skin-time also involved greatly encouraging my nipple in their mouth, and I just didn’t stop. I believe this is super important to getting your colostrum to come in quickly. All of my babies never lost a pound after birth. It is very common for babies, especially larger ones, to lose some weight while they are learning to nurse, so don’t worry if yours does! Aside from forcing my little ones to nurse and practice latching five seconds after coming into the world, here is what I start doing a month or so prior to my due date.
Make sure you are prepared for a natural birth too! I was NOT, and ended having to go natural because the epidural didn’t work the first time, AND my second and third labors were too fast! So grab this and you will be ready to go natural if needed!
Start Drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea:
This stuff is pure magic in my opinion. Its been proven to help boost milk production, as well as strengthen your uterus. Red Raspberry Leaf Tea is super high in vitamins and minerals, including Niacin (a B vitamin), which are all great to get your uterus thinking about contractions, as well as producing milk! The two go hand-in-hand, so this is a great way to prepare before your baby arrives. Now, its not recommended to drink this prior to the 36 week mark, and remember I am not a doctor, so I am only telling you what’s worked for me personally. If you have any concerns or questions, don’t hesitate to ask a medical professional. I personally believe that this tea helped strengthen my uterus for quick deliveries with my second and third babies, as well as encourage my body to start producing the colostrum and breast milk abundantly. If you are pregnant in the summer, this makes a great iced tea! Sweeten with a little stevia or sugar and you can sip on it all day if you want too!
Reduce Sugar Increase Natural Sugar:
This one is really hard in your last few weeks of pregnancy, BUT low milk supply has been linked to Insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is developed from eating a lot of sugar (put in the simplest forms possible!). Basically, blood sugar levels need to be kept normal and stable to ensure your body and hormones are stable for producing milk. This article is a great one if you want to learn more in what causes insulin resistance. It’s basically eating too much sugar and fat, but for me, I am more of a sugar person. I’d rather have ice cream than a chesseburger, so I like to replace with natural sugars in fruit
The fruits I love while pregnant are blueberries, strawberries and raspberries! If you sweeten them a bit too with my favorite stevia or honey, it’s like heaven, and way healthier. I let myself eat as much fruit as I want. I will also sprinkle some dark chocolate chips in because dark chocolate actually doesn’t have that much sugar in it. If you make a fruit medley that is slightly sweetened with dark chocolate chips, you will be so happy! All that fruit provides the vitamins, water and fiber your body needs, while helping you keep your blood sugar and insulin in check.
Take Liquid Chlorophyll:
I love this stuff! If you aren’t a big meat eater, yet you get worried about Iron or low on Iron, this is one supplement to really help. Chorolphyll is basically the pure gold of plants. It helps the body build red blood cells and increases oxygen availability. It will help you with energy (totally necessary in the last few weeks!), prepare you for labor as well as build up your red blood cells and strengthen your body to produce milk! I found this amazing mint flavored one, to drop into water and sip on through the day. I’ve had two summer pregnancies, so the cool mint water was so refreshing. High levels of chlorophyll, some lactation experts believe, is particularly conducive to building milk supply in addition to building healthy blood. I personally noticed a difference with my second pregnancy taking this, as to when I didn’t with my first. But, there is also a huge difference between your first baby and second baby in general, so I recommend giving it a try. It can’t hurt to ensure you provide the most milk possible when baby gets here!
4 Comments
Thank you for the tea tip, it really helped.