Hey everyone! Thank you for taking time to listen to Fresh Focus, my name is Lauren Hocking and I will be your host today.

Today we will be mixing it up again and doing another Fresh Focus Rewind episode!

So let’s take a moment to turn back time…..Since our previous episode on lactation a big change has happened personally as our family has welcomed a new baby and I am now in the middle of another breastfeeding journey with my third baby!

Even though I worked on this episode originally and have heard it many times now it all hits more closely to home, because no matter whether it is your first baby or your fourth or more each breastfeeding experience is different and has its own set of challenges and triumphs.

So maybe you are like me and now have a new baby and breastfeeding relationship that you’re navigating or maybe you know someone or have someone in your family that maybe didn’t need lactation information when the episode originally aired but now you do so this rewind is for you! Please feel free to share this episode with anyone you know!

As a parent in the trenches with you I know how helpful it can be to have reminders and reassurance that you are doing a great job and I feel like that’s what this episode brings.

So sit back, and enjoy a trip down memory lane with us today, and please stay tuned for more great episodes.

Don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast rate the series and leave a review.

Hey Everyone! welcome to Fresh Focus, a podcast where we are giving you nutrition tips and tricks in between our visits. I’m Lauren, one of your Marion VA healthcare system Registered Dietitians. I’m SO EXCITED to have Caitlin, a new mama of 2 join me today in an interview, but first we will answer common nutrition and breastfeeding questions.

Before we dive in, as a members of the Marion VA Health Care System, we will pause to recognize the empty chair. Acknowledging an empty chair in the room reminds us each and every day that we not only serve the Veterans that walk through our doors but the ones that are no longer here to speak their voice.

Breastfeeding can be an awesome bonding experience with your baby. Although it provides them with great nutrition, we understand it can also be overwhelming, frustrating, and bring up many questions for mamas and their support systems.

So whether you are thinking of breastfeeding, a seasoned breastfeeding mama, or a support system, we are here today to answer five common nutritional breastfeeding questions.

1. Do I need to maintain a specific kind of diet while breastfeeding?
The short answer is no, but eating healthy is important all time as we learned in this series. Eating a balanced diet is especially important when we are growing a new life inside of us and it is equally important when breastfeeding, but maybe not for the reasons you may think.

Eating healthy does not really affect the quality of our nutrients in your breast milk but it is so important for new moms to be eating healthy to maintain energy levels (hello lack of sleep from midnight feedings). In order to take the best care of your baby, we have to take care of ourselves as well which includes eating a well-balanced diet. Listen back to our previous series on the Healthy Plate Method for balanced diet tips.

Typically it is recommended that nursing moms continue to take the prenatal vitamin they have taken during pregnancy as kind of and insurance policy in case they aren’t able to get adequate vitamin and mineral intake. However, that isn’t a replacement for trying to make sure you get in lots of fruits and veggies. If you have specific supplement questions it is best to discuss those with your primary care provider or a Registered Dietitian near you!

In general, you should simply listen to your body and eat when you are hungry. Ideally, you would follow the healthy plate method which will provide you with the nutrients and calories that you need. When exclusively nursing a young baby, it is very common to feel hungry much of the time. Moms of older babies may feel hungrier when baby temporarily increases his or her milk intake (for example, during a growth spurt). During these times feel free to incorporate more frequent meals and snacks, while trying to include lots of nutrient dense foods like fruits and vegetables

2. What do I need to eat to maintain a good milk supply?
You may hear about supplements and foods that MAY assist in increasing milk supply, but the bottom line is we don’t have solid evidence that these actually help. So the best plan of action for would be to consult with a Lactation consultant to discuss your specific case before trying any supplements. It may be surprise you, but the most important things you can do ensure a good milk supply aren’t even foods, and I have three tips to help with establishing and ensuring a good milk supply

Before diving in, I want to remind you that sometimes moms may think their supply is low because of pumping output or if baby is fussy. It is important to remember these things do not always indicate a low supply. So if you are concerned with your supply try these tips while you look for a lactation consultant in your area.

Number one is early initiation of breastfeeding. The sooner the better after delivery that you can get baby latching will help signal to your body that it needs to start the milk production! Many hospitals even have lactation consultants available to come see you as shortly after delivery as you would like. They’re a huge help in watching the baby during a feeding and making recommendations different positions or things to.

Number two. Breastfeeding is all about supply and demand. The more often and consistently you are nursing, pumping, and emptying your breasts signals your body to make milk in order to replace what has left. This is especially exhausting in the first 6 weeks of baby’s life because feedings could happen every two hours around the clock, but this can vary based on your milk production and how efficient your baby or pump is at emptying your breast.

Number 3 may be the hardest tip to follow but it is SO important! Try to manage and reduce your stress. I know, I know cue the eye rolls. You have A LOT going on in those first few weeks of a baby’s life and lots of those things can increase stress! Managing your stress is so important because if you are over stressed it can affect your letdown reflex, and if you are not having good letdowns it could affect your milk supply. Your baby can also sense your stress level, so relaxing as much as possible can benefit baby too.

3. Are there any foods I should avoid while breastfeeding?
There are NO foods that a mama should avoid strictly because she is breastfeeding. Now this would only change if you notice a reaction in your baby. Some people might notice their baby spits up more or is gassy when they have eaten a certain kind of food. If you notice this to be the case, you may want to limit that food or reduce the amount you eat. But this is very unique to each baby and mama and is another decision that you as the parent will have to make for your family.

Something I was told as during my journey is moms shouldn’t eat spicy or gas producing foods because this will upset baby’s stomach, but this is not generally true. There are many cultures where spicy food is the norm and there have been no studies to show babies whose moms eat this way have more problems with fussiness or gas.
Breastmilk is made from what passes from mom’s blood not what is in her stomach or GI tract, so even if a food that mom eats gives her gas that will not pass onto the baby

4. What/how much should I drink while breastfeeding?
You will hear varying opinions on how much fluid you should drink while breastfeeding. However, research indicates you do not need a higher level of fluids while breastfeeding. Typically I encourage patients to drink half of their body weight in ounce of water. So if you weight 150lb that would be 75 ounces of water per day. Definitely we recommend most fluids you take in be plain water, but just because you’re breastfeeding doesn’t mean that’s all you CAN drink.

After you have limited things like caffeine and alcohol for almost 9-10 months of pregnancy moms often might look forward to that first glass of wine or non-decaf latte post-partum, only to feel like they aren’t able to have either while breastfeeding. This is not necessarily true. Caffeine will not decrease milk supply but there is some evidence indicating babies can be affected by drinking highly caffeinated drinks like coffee.

This is likely to be less of an issue the older your baby gets. Newborns have a harder time metabolizing caffeine compared to older infants. If you notice changes in your baby after having caffeine, try eliminating it and see if there is a difference for you and your baby. There is no specific limit on how much is too much for caffeine, some sources recommend stay below 300-500mg per day. Watch your baby’s reaction to caffeine, and decide what amount, if any is best for you both.

Now as for alcohol, the American Academy of Pediatrics statement on breastfeeding notes that “ingestion of alcoholic beverages should be minimized and limited to an occasional intake and no more than .5g alcohol per kg pf body weight, so for a 60kg mom (120lb) that would be 2 ounce of liquor, 8 oz wine, or 2 beers. Nursing should take place 2 hours or longer after the alcohol intake to minimize its concentration in ingested milk.” There is no need to pump and dump milk after drinking alcohol other than for mom’s comfort. Pumping and dumping won’t speed up the elimination of the alcohol from your milk. However if you have drank too much to cause you to feel disoriented you should not feed baby until you feel sober, if possible you should pump and dump (this will help maintain milk supply, so you are not skipping feedings) if this happens. Again this is a personal decision for each mama. We recommend discussing this with your child’s pediatrician, lactation consultant or primary care provider.

5. Can I “diet” while breastfeeding?
Breastfeeding moms, on average, burn 200-500 calories per day more than what you needed to maintain your pre-pregnancy weight — so keep in mind that even without a weight loss program you are burning extra calories. Counting calories is rarely necessary unless you are having problems maintaining a healthy weight. Some moms may find that if they cut calorie intake too much that may lead to a dip in milk production so proceed with caution when cutting calories. This is not to say it is not possible to cut calories to lose weight while breastfeeding but you will just need to watch your baby’s wet and dirty diapers or your pumping output to make sure you aren’t cutting calories too low.

In addition, frequent breastfeeding and nursing baby longer than 6 months can increase mom’s weight loss. However, this is very individualized. I know with my first baby while I was breastfeeding I was able to get to my pre pregnancy weight very quickly, but with my second baby while I was breastfeeding I carried 5-10 extra pounds I was not able to lose until I quit nursing. So if the second case is you and you are not feeling so great about your weight remember your body has done some amazing things in carrying baby and now feeding baby!

The old saying “the days are long but the years are short” is completely true for pregnancy and breastfeeding. Even though you feel all 24 hours in the day, at some point your nursing journey will come to an end. We wanted you to hear from someone who is currently nursing, and I’m excited to share with you an interview I did with Caitlin who is in the middle of her own breastfeeding journey and was actually nursing her sweet baby while we chatted. Let’s take a listen…

Interview with Caitlin
Welcome Caitlin! Can you give us a little intro and tell us about yourself?
My name is Caitlin Williford, I am 30 years old. I married my husband 5 years ago, but we have been together for 14 years this year. We have 2 amazing children Waylon who just turned 2 and Bella who is almost 7 weeks old. I am employed at the Marion VA in the cardiac cath lab and have been there for almost 2 years but have worked in a cath lab since 2013.

Great! Thanks again for taking the time to join us.

1. You shared with me you just had your second baby and you nursed with both. Has your journey with nursing baby #2 been different from baby #1?
Yes, this time around has been different. With Waylon not only was I a first time Mom but he was also a preemie and the recommendation at the time was for me to wake him up every 2 hours to eat so that’s what I did and it was exhausting. I felt that as soon as he would finish it was time to start all over again. This time I’m more relaxed and I let her tell me when she is hungry. I don’t try to force feed her every 2 hours like my first child.

Thank you for sharing! I appreciate your honesty.

2. Looking back on all you have learned, are there any tips you could share for a mom who is completely new to nursing or planning on trying?
A friend/coworker at the time told me the first 2 weeks are the hardest, you and baby are still adjusting to each other and this is all new for you but if you can push through those 2 weeks it will get easier and that’s true. I would recommend buying the lanolin cream and apply it every time after nursing to prevent your nipples from becoming sore or cracked at first. If you are wanting to build your freezer stash invest in a Haaka. It’s a silicone pump that you attach to the opposite breast while nursing and it will catch your let down. Then you can freeze it once you get enough instead of wasting it or wearing it.

Great tips! I also used the lanolin and it helped a ton in the early days before your milk comes in. I think these tips will be so helpful for moms.

3. Do you have any advice for a nursing/pumping mom who will soon be pumping at work?
Invest in a good pump, and a cord for the car. I typically pump on the way to work so I can start my day empty and not have to pump as soon as I get to work. If you don’t have a place or the time to wash your parts rinse them off place in Ziplock baggie and place in the fridge. You will also need to invest in a lunchbox and ice pack to keep the milk cold on way home. Target sells a Medela brand ice pack. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water and eating meals/snacks. When I went back to work I wasn’t snacking or drinking enough my supply dropped but once I figured out why I started packing my own snacks that were quick and easy but healthy for me.

These are awesome practical tips! Thank you!

4. Was there anything you did meal planning wise to prepare for welcoming another baby into your home?
I planned on meal prepping, I made my list and my grocery list but due to Covid not all the items I needed were available so I skipped out on that idea. I did made lactation cookies ahead of time and rolled then froze the dough. I did make a list of Easy go to meals that don’t require a lot of prep or time. I also try to cook in large portions now so I can freeze left overs or eat them for lunch the next day.

I love that! The list of easy go to meals and using leftovers would be great no matter where you are in your breastfeeding journey!

Thank you so much Caitlin for joining us and sharing your experiences and advice! And thank you to everyone for tuning in to this episode of Fresh Focus! We hope you will join us again soon!