Staying Healthy... Naturally

My collection is growing.

As my days of breastfeeding my son slowly wind to a close, I am finding myself getting a bit uneasy about the seasons ahead, and all of the little bouts of sickness that are sure to come along with it.

You see, that's always been my primary plan of attack whenever Bug gets sick. Nurse, nurse, nurse. And, in all honesty, it's been pretty successful thus far. I know my milk boosts his immune system, and I know that when he's sick, my body responds and produces milk that specifically helps him fight it off. When Bug gets sick, he often loses his appetite for a few days, but I have never really had to worry before since he has always kept nursing, and I know that he's getting enough nutrients to keep him going through the worst of it. (And then his appetite always returns with a vengeance once he's feeling better!) Bug has had a few stomach bugs over the course of his young life, but even those weren't really that frightening to me, because I knew my milk was the best thing to keep him hydrated and nourished. (For the record, one of those stomach bugs was actually frightening enough initially for me to take him to the ER. But we breastfed our way through it; not even norovirus and all of the grossness it entails could keep my Bug down!)

He still nurses now, usually just a few times per day. My supply is pretty low, but I know this is just all part of the process for a three year old. I'm okay with it all, with this process of Bug slowly weaning himself. But next time he gets sick, I'll probably be suddenly less okay with it!

So it will be interesting to see how things go the next time Bug does get sick. And there will be a next time; I have no illusions about that. It will likely be soon. He's small and is still building his immune system, and every little cold he gets is only making him stronger. But I know we will probably need a new plan of attack for one of these next times, whenever it happens.

For now, I'm just focusing on keeping him as healthy as possible. We eat a good, clean vegetarian diet, with lots of veggies and legumes and whole grains and hopefully a good balance of nutrients on most days. He drinks lots of water. He takes a multivitamin almost every day, just as an added safety net. (Do I lose natural mommy points if I admit he loves gummy vitamins? Yep, store-bought gummy vitamins. From Target. One of these days I'd love to try something like this herbal multivitamin tincture from Modern Alternative Mama, but we're not quite there yet.)

I must admit that I do keep some more "conventional" medicine on hand too. Just in case. I have a bottle of children's acetaminophen, just in case he ever gets a fever that is too high for me to be comfortable with. (I can count on one hand the number of times he's ever taken the stuff though!) For stuffy noses, I have saline spray and a warm mist vaporizer (with some "vapopads" that smell delightful and supposedly help him breathe and sleep even better; one of these days, I'm going to try making my own vapopads though!).

And that's pretty much it for Bug's medicine cabinet. I tend to prescribe more to the school of thought that it is always a good idea to promote health, and that when sickness does strike it's generally better to let it run its course as much as possible, rather than treat every little symptom. So yes, I have the acetaminophen on hand, but I would rather just monitor his temperature and let it run its course (assuming it doesn't get dangerously high), since I know fevers serve a physiological purpose. I will give him saline when his nose is so stuffed up that he can't sleep, but I avoid medicated decongestants. (I don't know that there are any I'd be comfortable with that are safe for a three year old anyway!)

So what else is in our toolkit to stay healthy? The basics, really.

•  The aforementioned healthy diet and plenty of liquids. We eat lots of real food, plenty of fruits and veggies. I tend to always have some coconut water on hand (all the better to naturally stay hydrated!).
• If I am worried about dehydration for any reason, I can always make a batch of oral rehydration salts/solution (a natural and completely acceptable alternative to that nasty Pedialyte stuff that Bug won't drink anyway).
• Doing my best to ensure that Bug is always as rested as possible, by encouraging an early bedtime and doing my best to get him to take a nap at least every once in awhile.
• Washing hands before/after eating, after using the potty, and periodically "just because" while we're out and about.
• Trying to minimize exposure to other kids without hiding in our apartment all the time (meaning no daycare, which is absolutely unnecessary for us anyway, and only occasional trips to indoor play areas, as fun as those are!). (Really, what I'm going for here is avoiding spending lots of time surrounded by other children in enclosed spaces.)
• Keeping the stress down by not rushing too much, keeping our schedules open, and, of course, soothing Bug when he needs soothing.
• Keeping our home clean without overdoing it.
• Encouraging exercise; we try to get out and walk or run around every day, and goodness knows toddlers never stop moving!
• The ingredients to make simple, effective remedies at home. Not only can I give my son "medicine" that I feel good about, but I can also avoid last-minute trips to Target.
• Mama's Soothing Homemade Cough Syrup from Mommypotamus is made with just honey, olive oil, and lemon juice, all ingredients I always have on hand. Honey is very effective for coughs; when Bug had RSV, that's actually what his doctor recommended I give him to soothe his throat!
• This Homemade Vapor Rub, also from Mommypotamus, does not contain petroleum or other questionable ingredients. Instead, it relies primarily on essential oils to deal with congestion. There's also a slightly different recipe for babies under the age of two, which is nice, even if my little guy no longer fits into that category.
• If Bug (or anyone else in the family, for that matter) is ever seriously congested, I plan to make these vapor shower discs to help breathe better; they're made of baking soda, water, and essential oils.
• Should Bug ever get an ear infection (hasn't had one yet, and I'm crossing my fingers he never will), I can always make him this Magic Salt Sock to help deal with the discomfort. 
• I keep both kid-friendly elderberry syrup (maybe someday I will make my own elderberry syrup?) and chewable vitamin C supplements on hand for Bug, to help boost his immune system when he is fighting something off.
• I recently picked up a copy of Healing with God's Earthly Gifts by Kate Tietje, author of the blog Modern Alternative Mama, and I'm very excited to try out some of the recipes in it!

And I'm always on the lookout for new ideas. Like this antiviral spray recipe for fighting off the flu, which just might be what gets me serious about starting to really look into essential oils. Or this purification essential oil blend, which has all kinds of different uses; I finally obtained the last of the oils, but I haven't mixed up a batch yet. (Soon!)

Got any ideas for me? What else should I keep in my natural mama "medicine" cabinet? I'd love to read your suggestions in the comments below!

This post has been shared at the Healthy, Happy, Green, & Natural Blog Party Hop on 3/17/2015.

Vegan Pumpkin Cream Pie

Today is Pi Day. And not only is it Pi Day, but it's quite possibly the Pi Day of the Century:

Today: 3/14/15
Pi: 3.1415(9265358979323)

Clearly, this calls for some pie. Because in this household, we celebrate pi with pie.

In this case, pumpkin cream pie! Why? Because I have frozen pumpkin puree galore in my freezer right now, leftover from last fall, and this seems like a good opportunity to use it. Also, because I once tried this AMAZING recipe for pumpkin cream pie, the first time I had ever heard of such a thing actually, and ever since then I've been wondering if it would be possible to make something similar that did not have the Jello pudding mix but still tasted amazing.

It's not that I'm overtly against Jello pudding mix. Well, actually, I might be. I'm not entirely fond of the ingredients list (Carrageenan, food dyes, and artificial flavors? No thank you!), but my issues with processed food are a topic for another day.

So I set out to make my own version. A vegan version. But I was feeling picky about how I wanted to veganize it. I did not want to make something that used tofu, although I know from my own past experience that tofu can make for some pretty amazing desserts. And while that Jello pudding mix technically doesn't have any dairy in it (that I can see, anyway), I worried that simply using nondairy milk to make it would not result in the same rich pie filling that I loved so much the first time around.

The solution? Coconut cream, of course! Canned coconut cream adds that depth of flavor that I wanted, but also didn't add an overtly coconut flavor to the dessert. Make sure you get canned coconut cream; refrigerated coconut milk-based coffee creamer is not what you want. You can get straight coconut cream in cans at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, possibly in other health food stores. Or you can just buy a can of full fat coconut milk, refrigerate it for a day or two, and then open it without shaking it up first; the coconut cream will have separated to the top, and you can scoop it out and use it! But you'll need 2-3 cans, I imagine, to get the 1¼ cups total coconut cream needed for this recipe.)

So yes, this recipe is dairy free, soy free (unless you use soy milk), egg free. Could potentially be gluten free if you found gluten free graham crackers for the crust (or just went with some other gluten free pie crust).

I also wanted there to be more actual pumpkin in here. The original recipe only had a half cup, for crying out loud! What kind of pumpkin pie only has a half cup of pumpkin in it? Surely I could fit a bit more. I do love putting vegetables into my desserts, after all, and it turns out that putting in twice as much pumpkin only made this pie better.

For nondairy milk, I used a blend that was coconut milk and almond milk, but I imagine you could use most any nondairy milk you like. I used a plain variety, but I guess if you like sweet you could probably use some of that vanilla flavored extra sweet stuff.

Next time I make this pie, I may experiment with adding more spices; the original recipe is very lightly spiced, and this is tasty, but sometimes you just want that full autumn spice experience.

Last note: I am not including a recipe here for graham cracker crust, since mine always come out terrible. Meaning, they taste great, but they're crumbly and don't hold together well. (I can make an amazing pastry crust though!) But really, it's super easy to veganize any recipe for graham cracker crust. Just make sure that your graham crackers are, in fact, vegan, and then use either coconut oil (my choice) or Earth Balance (or other vegan margarine, although I'm not a fan of most margarine either) in place of the butter.

Vegan Pumpkin Cream Pie

 Inspired by the Pumpkin Cream Pie recipe from The Pioneer Woman

vegan graham cracker crust (use recipe of your choice)
¾ cup coconut cream
¾ cup nondairy milk
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup sugar
dash salt
pinch cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch ground cloves
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup coconut cream

In a medium saucepan, whisk together cornstarch, sugar, salt, and spices. Slowly whisk in ¾ cup coconut cream and nondairy milk. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring continuously (it might get lumpy if you stop stirring), until mixture starts to thicken (10-15 minutes). Continue to cook and stir until the mixture is good and thick, another couple of minutes. Stir in vanilla extract. Stir in pumpkin puree. Put a lid on the pot and set it aside to cool. When it's cool enough, put the pot in the fridge so that the mixture can cool completely.

When mixture is cool, remove it from the fridge. In a mixing bowl, add ½ cup coconut cream and beat until peaks start to form. Fold the pumpkin cream mixture into the whipped coconut cream until combined. Pour into graham cracker crust.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours, preferably overnight. If desired, crumble additional graham crackers on top before serving.

This post was shared at the Healthy, Happy, Green, & Natural Party Blog Hop on 3/10/2015.

The Days Are Just Packed

Welcome to the March 2015 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Day in the Life
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have given us a special glimpse into their everyday.
***
Life is always busy when one has a toddler!

Busy in a good way, of course. Most of the time.

Our days are filled with all kinds of fun. Breakfast...

Om nom nom.

Baking...

We would probably bake things every day if Bug had his way!

And of course, snuggles. Endless amounts of snuggles. I am so blessed to have a child who is so sweet and loving, who always has hugs and kisses for me and seems to care as much about my happiness (well, sometimes) as I care about his.

I love him so much I can't even.

Bug is an early riser. That means that most mornings, he wakes up sometime between 5:00 A.M. and 6:00 A.M. And no matter how kindly I ask him to try to sleep some more (or grumble at him to get back in bed, as the case may be), once he's up for the day there's no stopping him.

"Wake up, Mommy! It's morning!"

So after we get some food going, we usually have some quiet time at home. Partially because I need time for the caffeine to kick in. Partially because nothing is open that early in the morning. Partially because it's often too dark to go to the park. So we read books, or we color, we do housework, we play Minecraft, or we otherwise just spend time together.

Sometimes, coloring will actually entertain him long enough for me to get something done on my own!

I freely admit that Bug does get some cartoons every day. That's the best way for me to get my workout in, and since exercising helps keep me sane... well, sometimes a mama has to do what a mama has to do, right?

What we do during the day depends on all kinds of different factors. What day of the week is it? Do we have a car? Did we make plans with friends? Do we need to pick up more bananas? On Thursdays, we almost always go to the library for story time, and sometimes we go on Mondays as well (for sign language story time, which is twice a month). There are at least 5 parks within walking distance of us, and we try to go to a park of some sort at least once or twice a week. If we need to go to the grocery store, I usually end up getting Starbucks, because... well, Starbucks. Earl Grey tea lattes. Need I say any more?

Them cake pops, though. (And no, he doesn't get them very often. Stop judging me.)

One of the great things about living in San Diego is the abundance of beaches. There are so many beautiful beaches in this area. And since our weather is usually so pleasant, we can even hit the beach in winter.

Regardless of what we do, we try to get outdoors for at least part of the morning, weather permitting. Burn off some energy and be home by lunchtime.

At Sunset Cliffs in San Diego.

Bug is currently in the process of giving up his daily nap. Which makes life all kinds of fun for me, let me tell you. Most days, he does not nap, and most days he does pretty well without it; later in the afternoon, he might get a bit crabby or have small meltdowns over otherwise inconsequential things, but for the most part he has been handling the shift in his sleep patterns pretty well. (I, on the other hand, have been having a bit more trouble with it, but I am slowly adapting too.) But he does still nap once or twice a week, thankfully.

The elusive nap.

In the afternoons, whether a nap happened or not, we usually just hang out close to home. More reading, playing with his toys, doing jigsaw puzzles. Riding his tricycle outside, decorating the sidewalks outside with chalk.

Our neighbors love the brightly colored sidewalks! Right?

Often at some point, we make a trip to the mailbox. Bug loves going to the mailbox! He loves getting to run around outside, he loves seeing if there is any mail for him. (And often, there is; between his Highlights High Five magazine, books I order him from Paperback Swap, and little packages from his grandma, Bug does get mail with some regularity.)

Ready, set, GO!

Even the AAA magazine is exciting when you're three.

Eventually, it's time for dinner! I also feel blessed to have a child who will eat most anything I put in front of him. Whether it's pasta filled with veggies, omelets, tempeh chili mac, chana masala, stir fry, or something else exciting from one of my many cookbooks, Bug usually happily eats whatever D and I are eating.

More noms!

The bedtime routine starts sometime after dinner; the exact time depends on whether or not he took a nap (he goes to sleep earlier on no-nap days), what time D got home from work (sometimes he gets to stay up just a bit later to get some time in with Daddy), and whether or not he needs a bath.

Bug does get a bath (or a shower) most days. The vast majority of the time, it's just regular, clean water he sits in; he likes bubble baths sometimes, but I often don't use any kind of soap if he hasn't gotten particularly dirty. I try to get his hair wet, but I hardly ever shampoo it.

Why yes, that handle is reflective.

The rest of the evening routine consists of pajamas, bedtime snacks (sometimes it's the rest of his dinner, sometimes it's yogurt, sometimes it's an egg or some carrots or some fruit...), brushing teeth, and books, of course! (We read all day, actually; I couldn't even tell you how many books we read in a typical day.)

In our home, we read books about vegetables. Wearing underwear.

Then it's lights out! Nursing and snuggling. Sometimes a few songs.

And then sleep. Glorious sleep.
***
Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• A Day as Mama and Data Manager — Becca at The Earthling's Handbook explains what she actually does as data manager of a social science research study, as well as Mama to a baby and a fourth-grader.
• Pictures of a Day — A photo montage of a typical day in the life of Life Breath Present! You can see how she wakes up and spends her time in quiet, to Baby Boy sleeping at dinner, making natural products, and so much more!
• Escaping a Mekong cityscape for a slice of rural life — It's often necessary for Nathalie of Kampuchea Crossings to escape the heady concrete jungle that Phnom Penh is rapidly becoming, for the calmer environment of rural life.
• Community-schooling — Dionna at Code Name: Mama and her family don't *home*school, they *community* school!
• A day in the Life in La Yacata — Read how Survivor and her family at Surviving Mexico Adventures and Disasters spend their Sundays off-grid in rural central Mexico.
• Day in the Life of the Cole Family — Stoneageparent details the everyday life of her family through twelve photos taken over twelve hours
• The Days Are Just Packed — Holly at Leaves of Lavender talks about the beauty and simplicity of daily life with a toddler.
• A Day In The Life of a Heavily Pregnant Naturally Parenting Mama — At 37 weeks pregnant, Sam Vickery of Love Parenting shares her current reality as she naturally parents her four-year-old and awaits her sweet baby.
• My Life in Pictures on a Random Day — Donna at Eco-Mothering captures a random winter day in Rhode Island through a series of snapshots. What seemed boring at first made her smile in the end.
• How One Book Inspired Our Whole Day: A Day in the Life — How to plan the whole day with a toddler after reading one book together from Rachael at B is for Bookworm.
• A day in the life of an unschooling, work-at-home family — Lauren at Hobo Mama shares a picture journey through a typical day with three little homeschooling boys.
• Day in the Life of a Toddler — From mess making to cleaning up to trying new things, All Natural Katie shows the life of a toddler.
• Things I have done today (and every other day for the past seven years) — Marija Smits shares what a 'normal' day looks like in her crazy world of kids, writing, creativity and household chores!
• Just Another Wednesday — Lactating Girl at The Adventures of Lactating Girl shares a glimpse into a typical Wednesday in her family's life.
• Day in the Life — Dr Sarah at Good Enough Mum gives us glimpses of her life as a British GP and mum.
• Our days, these days — Dietary restrictions and health issues take a lot of time for Jessica Claire at Crunchy-Chewy Mama, but she still follows her passions and tries to show up for her kids.
• A (Typical) Day in Our Life — ANonyMous at Radical Ramblings describes a typical day with two kids, eight cats and two dogs.

Breastfeeding: Tips for a Great Beginning

If you're planning to breastfeed your incoming baby, you are definitely not alone! It is well known by now that breast milk truly is the best thing for your baby, and that anything other than breast milk is, to put it bluntly, inferior and associated with an increase in the risks for various health issues.

And the vast majority of women do initiate breastfeeding immediately after birth. According to the CDC's 2014 Breastfeeding Report Card, which lists statistics for babies born in 2011, 79% of babies born in the United States started breastfeeding. But there are a number of things that can make it hard for a woman to achieve her breastfeeding goals, and the numbers also reflect that: only 49% of babies were still breastfeeding at 6 months, and only 27% at 12 months. And the numbers of babies that were exclusively breastfeeding at 3 and 6 months - meaning they were receiving no supplementation with artificial formula milk - are significantly smaller.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months, and breastfeeding supplemented with solids until at least 1 year of age (at least; "Babies should continue to breastfeed... for as long as is mutually desired by the mother and baby."). The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and "continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary foods up to two years of age or beyond."

Whatever your own breastfeeding goals are, there are ways you can improve your chances of meeting them. Here are some suggestions.

     Educate yourself thoroughly about breastfeeding before your baby is born.
Don't make the common mistake of assuming that breastfeeding will come naturally to you! For some women, it is a very natural and intuitive process, but for many more, initiating breastfeeding is a struggle. But the more you learn about it ahead of time, the more likely you will be to have success. Understand how your body makes milk. Get an idea of what a proper latch looks like, some of the positions you can breastfeed in, and some of the ways you can remedy any discomfort you feel. Consider taking a breastfeeding class, either in person or using a DVD, while you're still pregnant to begin learning. There are also many great books out there on breastfeeding; my favorites are The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by Diane Wiessinger, Diana West, and Theresa Pitman; and Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding by Ina May Gaskin.

     Be informed about how medical interventions during/after birth can impact breastfeeding.
The way you give birth can affect breastfeeding. Medical interventions are not necessarily going to be the difference between successful breastfeeding and unsuccessful breastfeeding, but it is still useful and important to know ahead of time how the decisions you make (or are made for you, as the case may be...) might affect the beginning of your breastfeeding relationship. Here are just a few things to think about:

• Receiving IV fluids during labor may artificially inflate your baby's weight prior to giving birth, which in turn may make it seem like baby is "losing too much" during the first days of life, which can lead to suggested supplementation with formula. IV fluids can also cause baby to have neonatal hypoglycemia, which means a stay in the NICU and being separated from mama, which can make early breastfeeding very challenging.
• Receiving an epidural (which necessitates IV fluids, if you weren't given them already as a matter of course) can mean that baby is sleepier at birth, and uninterested in nursing. Epidurals can also affect the levels of certain hormones that are important in breastfeeding.
• If your baby is born via cesarean section, it could affect your start to breastfeeding in a number of ways (although many women have great success nursing after a c-section!), including: longer delay before trying to initiate nursing the first time (although more and more hospitals are actively working to counter this); breastfeeding is more uncomfortable due to the incision (try different breastfeeding positions to counter this one); if the events leading up to the c-section were stressful, mama's milk may take longer to come in; a c-section necessitates both IV fluids and an epidural (see above points); the antibiotics prescribed after a c-section can lead to an overgrowth of yeast, which increases the possibility of thrush.
• If baby is given antibiotic eye ointment after birth, it can blur his vision and irritate his eyes, which can interfere with that crucial early window for mama/baby bonding, and can make it difficult to get started breastfeeding.
• If you choose to circumcise your baby boy, you should be aware that the pain from the procedure can make it much harder for your son to learn how to nurse effectively; after circumcision, it is common for babies to withdraw into themselves for awhile and to completely lose interest in breastfeeding, and a study has shown that pain relievers don't help counter this. Pain disorganizes newborns, and circumcision is extremely, traumatically painful.

     Initiate breastfeeding within a hour of birth if possible.
Everyone who's anyone recommends early initiation of breastfeeding if possible (that is to say, within the first hour after birth). Why? For one thing, this ensures baby gets ample amounts of colostrum, that delightful golden premilk that is so beneficial to newborns. This kind of early breastfeeding usually comes hand-in-hand with skin-to-skin, which helps baby regulate breathing and body temperature, among other benefits. Possibly one of the most important reasons is that during the first few hours of life, baby will likely be very awake and receptive to bonding with mama; take advantage of this alertness and get baby nursing!

     Nurse on demand. Completely.
This is quite possibly the most important idea in this post. Nursing on demand (sometimes called nursing on cue) will have a significant impact on your overall milk supply. To simplify the idea, breastfeeding is all about supply and demand, so if you want your body to produce enough milk to feed your baby, you need to let your baby eat as often as he wants to. Nursing on demand will help your mature milk to come in. Nursing on demand will help reduce and ultimately eliminate early engorgement. Nursing on demand will regulate your supply; your body will adjust the amount you make automatically from day to day based on how often your baby wants to eat. Nursing on demand will help your baby to thrive.

     Build a support network.
Who do you have to support you as you navigate breastfeeding? Make sure your partner is on board, as it's been pretty well-documented that when dad openly disapproves of breastfeeding, mama is more likely to stop sooner. Gather friends to you who breastfeed their own babies, who will not be uncomfortable when you feed your baby in the coffee shop or who can offer advice when you hit a rough patch. Find local breastfeeding support groups, where you can get questions answered, receive advice on the actual physical motions of breastfeeding, and even weigh baby before/after nursing if you're concerned about the amount he's getting. (La Leche League is the most well-known breastfeeding support group, but also check in hospitals, local birth centers, and baby stores, or ask local birth workers [midwives, doulas, childbirth educators] about independent groups.) Make sure you have the contact information of at least one local lactation consultant, preferably an IBCLC.

     Stay hydrated.
Think about it logically for a second: when you are breastfeeding, you are using more liquid, so doesn't it make sense that you probably need to drink more liquid in order to stay hydrated? Being dehydrated might not always directly influence your milk supply, but it can increase feeling of fatigue and stress, and those will definitely decrease the amount of milk you are making. Try to drink at least 4 extra 8-oz glasses of water per day to make sure you're getting enough. Carry a water bottle with you everywhere. Make it a habit to always bring a big glass of water with you when you sit down to nurse.

     Eat healthy foods to support a good milk supply.
Remember how everyone urged you to eat well during pregnancy to support your growing baby? You're not off the hook yet! It is important to keep eating a well-rounded, whole-foods diet while breastfeeding to ensure an ample milk supply. Don't stress out too much about what goes in your mouth, though; if you have a hard time eating anything other than take-out and frozen dinners for awhile in the weeks after birth, chances are good that your milk supply will be fine so long as you're eating enough. If you are concerned about the amount of milk you're making, certain foods have a reputation for being galactagogues (a substance that increases milk supply), including fenugreek (an herbal supplement, and often one of the primary ingredients of lactation teas), oatmeal (and other whole grains), nuts and seeds, papaya, ginger, leafy green veggies, and garlic, among other foods. The important thing is that you are eating plenty of real foods and eating to your appetite.

     Don't worry about losing the baby weight!
Seriously. No matter how eager you are to get back to your prepregnancy body, trying to substantially restrict your calories during the early months of breastfeeding can really damage your milk supply. Breastfeeding burns about 300-500 calories per day; a nursing woman should be taking in 1800-2200 calories (or more, as the case may be) every day. Yes, breastfeeding can help you lose weight. Listen to what your body asks for as far as food goes, eat what you're hungry for, and that weight will start to come off eventually. Remember that it took you nine months to put on that weight, so it'll likely take at least that long before your body gets anywhere near to where it used to be. Trying to lose that weight too quickly could mean your body is not getting enough calories to make the milk your baby needs.

     Get as much rest as you can.
Everyone and their mom will tell you to sleep when the baby sleeps, and while that's good advice in theory, in reality it's probably not likely to actually happen much. There is housework to do, food to cook, and, of course, a baby to hold and snuggle. But to be honest, the housework can probably wait, and hopefully you'll have someone else around to help you get nutritious food. Because you really, really need to get that rest! Try to go to bed at a reasonable hour, since you'll be up several times every night. Try to take at least one nap with baby during the day. And otherwise, spend as much time as possible just sitting and snuggling; even if you aren't sleeping, simply resting is going to do your milk supply some good.

     Try to relax.
While it's unlikely that you'll be in the kind of truly stressful situation that can actually reduce your milk supply, the normal stresses of everyday life and new parenthood may still take their toll. Perhaps one of the most noticeable ways is that when you are feeling stressed, your milk may be slower to let down. So this is where a lot of the other tips above get tied together. The more you know about breastfeeding, the less likely you are to stress over your baby's cluster feedings, or to worry that a normal growth spurt (and the seemingly unusual frequent nursing sessions that come with it) mean that baby suddenly isn't getting enough milk. Having a solid support network means that you'll have people who you can bring your questions to, people who can talk about their own experiences, people who understand what you're going through. Occasional naps during the day mean that you'll be able to handle the nighttime wakings with, if not poise, then at least with some semblance of acceptance.

Remember that you can do this! And by taking steps now to get breastfeeding off to a positive start, you're more likely to be able to achieve your goals.

This post has been shared at the Healthy, Happy, Green, & Natural Party Blog Hop on 3/3/2015.