breastfeeding recipes pls

Posted by ghie (829 days ago)

I intend to breastfeed my baby and Im looking for recipes that may help pump my milk. As far as I have researched, papaya, ginger and milk/cream may help produce more breast milk. I would greatly appreciate your recipes. Thanks.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

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Posted by Ruth at Clifford (829 days ago)

Milk doesn't make milk, dear. In fact, if you drink too much of it, some babies are fussy.

In Canadian culture, just regular eating is fine, but increase your fluid intake. Some women drink special teas, but in general, the more your baby breastfeeds and swallows properly(the latch on is important), the more milk you will make. DO go to a LLL Meeting before your wee one is born. And you can borrow the books from the LLL library to help you. The web site has some info in different languages too.
www.lalecheleague.org

What is your home country?

cheers from Ruth

(I am based in Guangzhou)

Posted by ishigawa (829 days ago)

Drumsticks and good leafy vegetables are good for lactation.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by ghie (829 days ago)

Thanks Ishigawa.

Ruth, my home country is HK with Filipina and British parents. I've browsed LLL website and it's generally informative. As I have visited most of the bookstores in HK and surfing the net looking for breastfeeding recipes, I was just hoping that certain dishes/recipes exist. Even traditional/ethnic/native recipes that is "believed" to help lactation would be great to try dont you think? Can you share the "special teas" to drink? Thanks...

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by beancurd (829 days ago)

I think the best way to improve breast milk is for the mother to drink plenty of nutritious and hot soup.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by Ruth at Clifford (828 days ago)

If you look up galactogogues on google, you'll find there are all sorts of herbs that women make teas of for their milk supply. Some are fenugreek, blessed thistle, fennel etc. There are special mother's milk teas that are sold in health food shops as well. If you are diabetic, then watch fenugreek as it can effect your readings.

I find that many mothers' confidence in their ability to produce milk is undermined by other people saying "Do you have enough milk?" So the mother stresse about not having enough milk, and then the stress causes a reduction in milk supply. Yes, stress can cause that and new mothers don't always handle stress very effectively! And so the cycle goes that mother gives baby a top up of formula because she thinks baby is not getting enough, and as a result, baby is full longer and her breasts don't get stimulated enough so they produce less milk! And then more supplementation..

The best way to make sure that you have enough milk is to feed your baby effectively...baby is latched on properly, nurses actively and swallows, and mother drinks lots of fluids and gets enough rest. Baby needs to nurse every 1 1/2-3 hours day and night for the first while. That timing is from the start of one nursing to the start of the next.

The hot soup idea for Asian mums seems to be fish and papaya soup. Sounds good, it's more fluids and warm and nutritious. Some mums find that keeping on taking their prenatal vitamins helps. Some mums find that small meals more often is good. A big bowl of cooked oatmeal in the morning is said to be helpful as it 'sticks to your ribs' as it were. I know that when I have porridge for breakfast, I'm not so hungry later in the morning. Cutting back on very fatty foods and fatty dairy is a good idea...too much of these foods can cause blocked ducts in your breasts. Taking lecithin capsules can help prevent them. It's an oil from soyabeans..have a couple a day.

Good luck and believe in yourself.

cheers from Ruth

(I am based in Guangzhou)

Posted by ghie (828 days ago)

Thanks for the informations Ruth.

We will be scheduling my induced labor next Monday and I just want to have as much informations as I can for my first baby's arrival. Stress is a part of my normal life so I got to know how to handle it already. Plus with my chilled-out, experienced father, southern French partner, I'm confident that things can run smoothly :D

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by exyogi (820 days ago)

ghie>

For information on traditional diets you MUST become familiar with the work of Dr. Weston Price. Please see the link on Diet for Pregnant and Nursing Mothers:

http://www.westonaprice.org/splash_2.htm

http://www.westonaprice.org/children/dietformothers.html

http://www.westonaprice.org/children/babies.html

http://www.westonaprice.org/children/saga.html

http://www.westonaprice.org/children/nourish-baby.html


Suggest you do further reading of the site.

(I am based in Unspecified)

Posted by Taps (817 days ago)

Is your mom a Filipina, she would know about the magic of Filipino-style chicken soup.

(I am based in Guangzhou)

Posted by Meiguoren (817 days ago)

I have to agree with Ruth! Milk is produced from whatever nutrients are circulating inside your blood. It takes just good nutrition and plenty of fluid (be sure to drink a lot of water)! When your baby is first born, don't expect there to be milk, but BF anyway every hour and a half or so. For a few days, your body will produce colostrum which is extremely valuable for baby. Then, on about day 3, your breasts will become flooded with enough milk for twins! Because, your body will make enough for twins at first! The trick is to keep from getting too full and engorged, to keep the nipple soft enough for the tiny baby to latch on with his weak little mouth. Use hot compresses, express a bit, and don't worry about "wasting" milk -- there is always plenty! (A home remedy for engorged breasts is compresses made with steamed cabbage leaves!) BEWARE that lots of people who say they "couldn't" breastfeed really just didn't WANT to breastfeed or else didn't get enough information, but they say they couldn't because it's more socially acceptable than just saying "I don't want to." Almost any woman can breastfeed if she wants to, although some things like inverted nipples might make it a bit more of a challenge. As Ruth says, LLL is an invaluable support. BF is not just about reading in a book, it's a way of mothering that is best learned from other mothers. Often our own mothers and friends didn't BF and so can't help, and that's where LLL becomes your best source of support. The other mothers and leaders in LLL will provide your most valuable resource for successful BF, plus friendship and support. Cheers and many wishes for happiness with your tiny little new one! Oh, one final thing to beware about . . . hate to say it but . . . most doctors have so little training in BF that they do more harm than good. A study in the USA once showed that the most significant factor in whether a pediatrician had a lot of successful BF mothers in his practice was not related to his medical training, but whether his own WIFE successfully BF! So, it's really worth it to make it to an LLL meeting! And don't worry, just eat healthy and as Ruth says, make sure the baby gets a good latch.

(I am based in Guangzhou)

Posted by ranjv (807 days ago)

Hi,I am a new entrant.But as someone who has breasfed my kids esp my second one for long ..I guess I can give you some tips.A good amt of garlic and spinach intake in your diet really works when you need to ensure that the baby gets enough...Do try it out

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by Ruth at Clifford (804 days ago)

There is anecdodal evidence that if a mother eats garlic, the baby nurses more vigorously and so her supply goes up.

It certainly can't hurt to get more iron from spinach or other leafy greens, but make sure you have a vitamin C rich food with it so your body can absorb the iron.

I think it must be much more interesting for babies to have breastmilk...think of all the flavours!

(I am based in Guangzhou)