Motherhood Archives | Page 16 of 23

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…

How I Survived Morning (All-Day) Sickness With Toddlers: 6 Awesome Tricks

Morning sickness, or all-day sickness is my least favorite experience being pregnant. I had to develop some awesome tricks to survive the icky, terrible headachy hang over that would start hitting me soon after breakfast, and slam into me by evening. I remember laying on the couch, sick and pregnant with my second, not even able to celebrate my first son’s first birthday. The intense fatigue that literally pulls you into a coma is impossible to fight at times, yet with two toddlers (3.5 and 2), I couldn’t just fall asleep whenever I felt like it. With my first, I’d fall asleep in the car on my lunch break. Adding toddlers to the mix is a completely different world, and here are the tricks that helped me survive the 20 weeks it took me to feel better again. Protein at Breakfast: I became obsessed with Starbucks Egg White and Feta…

How I Eat Carbs and Still Lose The Baby Weight

Carbs are a huge part of my life postpartum, even while losing the baby weight. With the keto-craze happening right now, it seems to me that everyone is scared of carbs. Carbs are amazing, and you can totally eat carbs and still lose weight. I am a carb-eater, and with breastfeeding and running, I need them to function. If I switch to low carb, I want to die and scream for days. If this is you, DON’T WORRY! You can eat carbs. Your body might like to run off of carbs, and feel terrible in ketosis, so don’t force it. Let’s go over how to eat carbs and still lose the baby weight. Carbs actually help with weight loss, especially after baby. Carbohydrates are an essential macro nutrient our bodies need, even when losing weight. Eliminating carbohydrates does work for some people, but not everyone needs to eliminate carbohydrates to…

6 Things You Have To Grab in Your Last Trimester To Make Breastfeeding a Breeze

Breastfeeding was a huge priority for me with my first baby, and I was fortunate enough to be able to breastfeed successfully, with a healthy supply, all my babies. I am still breastfeeding my 16-month-old, more because it’s easier than necessity. I even started working on my milk supply in my last few weeks of pregnancy. There were just a few items I really suggest to help you with your milk supply and breastfeeding, that you should have ready to go. If you are thinking about having a natural birth, but unsure, check out this class! If I had this class, I think I would’ve been much more prepared for my unexpected natural births! I was not ready when the epidural didn’t work and my second and third babies came so fast. My friend and labor nurse put it together, and she is amazing. Moving into the 6 most important…

How to Train for a 5K with A Stroller

I finally started consistently running again, after being pregnant or nursing for over 5 years. I had three babies in just over three years, and I am just finishing nursing my third baby now. It is really hard to get into a fitness routine once you have kids. I struggled the most after my first baby, and I really didn’t get back into a fitness routine much. With my second I was a little better, and now I am finally back to running again. I can actually say I’m a runner, and it makes me so happy! I run with my stroller, with two of my kids most the time (the hubby takes one), but sometimes I pile all three in, and rarely I go with one or by myself! If you follow me on Instagram, you will see all my running adventure stories. Sometimes it’s the baby and the…

8 Amazing Protein Powder Recipes For Milk Supply and Losing The Baby Weight

As a breastfeeding mama, who’s gained and lost the baby weight (over 25lbs) three times now, I can vouch for the importance of protein to help you lose the weight, but also keep your milk supply up. I actually have a hard time eating a lot of protein. I just prefer carbs, and I don’t like meat much. Now, carbs get a bad rap these days with the Keto diet craze. I think if that works best for you, do it, but if you love carbs like I do, you can totally achieve your goals by eating carbs. The thing is, our bodies are designed to either use carbs (first choice) or fat (second choice) as fuel. I’ll go into more detail on this in another post, but no matter how you are eating, protein is necessary. If you are like me, you need some quick, tasty protein. That’s where…

5 Fast Ways To Eat More Protein For Postpartum Weight Loss and Milk Supply

Protein is essential for losing the baby weight while breastfeeding, yet sometimes it’s hard to make sure you are eating enough because of all the carb cravings. I would much rather have some chocolate chip, milk-boosting cookies, rather than chicken. That’s just the way my taste-buds are. But, there are some great ways you can get more protein in, which is essential for helping you to lose weight and keep your milk supply up. I talk a lot about protein on this blog because it is so important to maintain your muscles, keep you full, fuel your brain and ultimately aid in your weight loss and fitness efforts. So, let’s talk about how you can get more protein in once baby arrives. The goal is to lose the weight and keep your milk supply up. I have lots more tips on that in this post, which you will want to…

The 5 Best Milk Supply Boosters for Richer Milk

Breast milk production is so important because as a breastfeeding mama, that’s how your baby is surviving! We worry about the amount they are getting, the nutrients we are providing, and if we are producing enough to keep them full and happy. With my first baby, I researched everything on milk production, and I even started working on my milk supply before my baby arrived. I found so much information, as well as some products that actually work really well, I decided to write the ultimate guide to milk boosters. The one I wish I could’ve read when I was 9 months pregnant and obsessing about breastfeeding. I also WISH I would’ve found this gem of a resource! SO MUCH HELPFUL INFORMATION! I also stumbled upon this guide for pumping, if you are struggling like I did. I hated pumping, and I avoided it at all costs in the beginning.…

27 of The Most Important Baby Items To Get You Through The First Year

Shopping for baby items is one of my most favorite things to do while pregnant. It gets progressively less fun as you accumulate more and more with each child, but I remember with my first baby the world of excitement and cuteness as I shopped and researched what to get. Fast-forward to 5.5 years later, and I’ve survived the first year with baby three times. This is a super comprehensive list of the gear I KNOW you need to get through your first year. This is really the only list you need to survive and thrive, as well as grab some cute photos because everything is totally Instagram-worthy. These are also all items I still have and use, or used and handed to my younger sisters, so I they’ve been used for multiple babies in our family. First, if you haven’t signed up for a registry yet, Amazon is a…

5 Proven Tricks To Lose The Baby Weight Without Tanking Your Milk

Breastfeeding and postpartum weight loss are a hot topic for new mamas because balancing milk supply and weight loss can be super tricky. I think it’s safe to say that most mamas would choose a higher milk supply for their babies, rather than losing weight fast, but you can really do both. I’ve gained and lost over 25lbs with each pregnancy, and never had an issue with milk supply because of my nutrition. Nutrients are the key to losing the baby weight while keeping a healthy milk supply. Your body needs the building blocks to function properly. This includes balancing hormones correctly, creating enough breast milk and ultimately using the stored fat as fuel to produce breast milk. This is why we store fat when pregnant. So there is plenty of extra nutrients and fuel to use to create breast milk. We are supposed to lose weight while breastfeeding. When…

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