Thursday, March 3, 2011

Breastfeeding

So first let me give my disclaimer- if you choose not to or can not breastfeed, this post isn't intended to make you feel bad. I recognize that there are a lot of reasons that someone would use formula and I am grateful that in this day and age we have that option. Also, if breastfeeding isn't a topic that applies to you, keep reading! I promise that you can benefit too! That being said, I really wanted to breastfeed my little guy and thankfully everything worked out so we were able to...but I am definitely learning a bunch of things!

First off, every single thing I eat goes to my milk and thus my baby. This more than anything else has helped me to change some of my eating habits...only the best for my boy! :) Now I know that there are plenty of people these days that breastfeed and don't really change their diet, but I wanted to make the best/most nutritious/easiest to digest milk that I could and that required some definite changes.

I am not eating any foods that would be super acidic or gassy, spicy or garlicy, etc. To say the least it is a fairly bland diet. Oh and one more thing- no chocolate! It is said that chocolate is hard to digest in babies (like in dogs) and can give diarrhea....and since I would rather be safe than sorry, chocolate is out along with tomatoes, onions, beans, anything in the cabbage family, etc.

So what is the point? How is this relevant to you? Well I have been finding that meals are a struggle for me- just what exactly do I eat? I am hungrier than ever and it seems like everything has at least one no-no on the ingredient list. So I am here to share some recipes that I find that would be good for breastfeeding mothers...and everyone else!

The first recipe is for "fluff"...maybe it has a real name, but my grandma always called it "fluff".

Fluff

1 container whipped topping
1 container cottage cheese
1 small box jello
fruit

Put all ingredients in a big bowl and mix! Serve chilled. So easy that I can do it with my baby in my arms! :)

Now my favorite is orange jello with mandarin oranges in it, not only because it is delicious but because it is a year-round go-to with no fresh fruit needed. Other favorites include raspberry/strawberry/cherry jello with strawberries/raspberries/blackberries.

This recipe helps me eat cottage cheese which I definitely am not a fan of plain. But it is a great snack as it is high in protein and calcium. Plus if you get the fat free cottage cheese and cool whip and sugar free jello, it is about as healthy as a sweet treat can get!

I will be back next week sharing more recipes and ideas!

*Side note: Altering your diet while breastfeeding is seen as old fashioned...however I am just here to say that I can count the times on one hand that my baby has spit up, diaper changes are quick and painless, and he is hardly fussy at all. I would much rather have an easy baby than deal with spit up or a gassy baby!*

4 comments:

Jenny said...

It seems to me that my food goes through quite a bit of filtering before my baby drinks it as breast milk. My baby had no trouble with diarrhea or spitting up, and I ate chocolate, garlic, onions, curry, (not all together, of course) and anything else I was used to eating. I think the nutritional content of my diet makes a difference in my baby's health, but it isn't necessary to overhaul your diet in order to breastfeed (lactose intolerance and other allergies excepted).

Suzanna said...

I love orange fluff! that's what we call it too! :)

Kathy Haynie said...

So glad that breastfeeding is working out for you and your little guy. It's great for burning calories, especially when you are eating a healthy diet.

Katie Lewis said...

I agree with Jenny. I ate the foods that were normal to me and Olivia never had any problems. That being said, if breastfeeding is a good motivator for you to eat healthier foods, then that's awesome! :)

Give that sweet little guy a kiss for me. I miss you!

We'd love to hear from you!

Want to write a guest post for The Skinny? E-mail Katie at kathleenann08 (at) gmail (dot) com.