Recipe - no bake lactation bites

Since Judd's lip tie revision, I've been desperate to boost my milk supply. Not only to meet his new needs, but to replenish the freezer stash we pretty much used up completely.

I really liked these granola bars, but with the baking and cooling, they took too long to make (plus they kinda fall apart).

The recipe I'm sharing today was adapted from this original recipe. 

These are EASY NO BAKE bites. And with the cinnamon, they are TASTY! The recipe makes about 24 bites, which will last you a week. I eat about three a day and I've definitely noticed a difference!

Ingredients
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flax seed (flax seed meal)
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
3 tbsp. Brewer's Yeast
1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions
1) mix all ingredients
2) cover and put in refrigerator for an hour
3) roll into bite-sized balls
4) store in an airtight container in refrigerator

Breastfeeding - excess lipase

When I first started introducing the bottle to Jacob, over two years ago, he strongly resisted it. I tried different types of bottles and had people besides me attempt to feed him, but he just wouldn't take it!

Finally one day it dawned on me to try the milk myself. I followed all the breastmilk storage guidelines, but ya never know! Low and behold, my milk had spoiled after less than 24 hours in the fridge. 

I started doing lots of research on what could cause this and eventually settled on the fact that my breastmilk had excess lipase, which is the enzyme that breaks down fat. So basically my milk was breaking down way faster than most people's, causing it to turn really quickly (like within a few hours).

In order to stop this process you have to inactivate the lipase, which is done by scalding the freshly expressed milk on the stove. 

Sound like a big pain in the a$$? It is. But if it allows  Y O U  to get out of the house for a little bit, you do it. 

So here's the deets...

After you pump, put a small pot on the stove on high heat and pour your pumped milk in there.

 

In the meantime, you can throw all your pumping stuff in the sink with hot water and soap.

Once you see bubbles around the edge, remove the pot from the heat and turn the heat off. You just want to scald the milk, not actually bring it to a boil.

After that, use a funnel to pour the scalded milk back into the storage container and immediately put it in the fridge. You need to cool down the milk immediately, even if you plan on serving it later. 

 

That's it!  From there you can use the typical guidelines for serving, storing and freezing.

I hope this helps someone, as it has really been a lifesaver for me! I've started pumping when Judd goes down for his morning nap to start a little stash! So excited to actually be able to bottle feed this time around!

My breastfeeding story & weaning the bub

Sweet milk drunk baby

How important is breastfeeding to me? Extremely important.

Which is shocking, because if you had asked me that question when I was pregnant- I would've told you that I was terrified to breastfeed and had no clue how long I'd be able to do it. I was more scared of breastfeeding than I was of labor and delivery!

How do you actually do it?! How do I know if the baby is getting enough to eat?! What if he doesn't like the taste?! What if my boobs hurt?! What if I don't produce enough?!

I literally racked my brain over it the entire 9 months I was pregnant.

And with his first latch, I was quickly reminded that God is at work here. Jacob latched amazingly the very first time and we had no issues in that department.

We did, however, have issues with oversupply and a fast letdown. I can tell you during that first month, there were numerous times when I thought I was choking my baby. It was so scary to hear him choke and gag. My solution was to hand express or pump a little bit before each feeding. Enough to ease the letdown, but not start it. In other words, you want your baby to trigger the letdown not your hand. After a few weeks, my body regulated.

Soon after that, we found out Jacob had reflux and a dairy intolerance. I cut out most dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, etc., but I still ate foods that had dairy in it), any food that made me gassy, and spicy foods. It seemed to make a huge difference in Jacob's temperament. I slowly reintroduced those foods into my diet around the 6 month mark, and never noticed a difference.

After the first 3 months, it was smooth sailing. We continued to nurse every 2-3 hours for the first 9 months, then started on an EASY schedule (eat, activity, sleep, you time). I found this to be a huge game-changer. It helped us develop a routine/schedule, and I noticed he slept better with a more rigid schedule- he knew what to expect, etc.

Now, onto weaning...

Around the 10 month mark, I started cutting out nursing sessions. At that point, he was nursing 5x/day- morning, after morning nap, after afternoon nap, bedtime and once at night.

I started by cutting the nighttime feed, for obvious reasons. I was exhausted and he didn't need those calories. I noticed that when we stopped feeding him at night, he ate better during the day. This is obviously a huge transition for the baby and it definitely involved a lot of crying.

At 11-months, I cut the nursing after morning nap. This was super easy- just don't feed him! Hehe! I noticed that he was hungry around that time, so we just started eating lunch then. Sometimes it means that we eat a little early, but it works for us.

Around 11.5-months, I cut the nursing after his afternoon nap. This, again, was super easy.  I introduced snack time at this time, and he didn't even seem phased by it!

So, if you're following...on his first birthday, I was still nursing him 2x/day- morning and night. I was really nervous about these last 2 feedings.

About 2 weeks after his birthday, I cut the morning feeding. I would've done it earlier, but he was teething like a mad man and I felt bad. I suggest doing this over a weekend when dad is around and can help. Josh went in on Saturday and Sunday with this straw cup of milk. Jacob wasn't really drinking much cow's milk at that point, but our pediatrician told us to just keep offering it. Well, just as I was told- when I didn't offer breastmilk, he made up for it with cow's milk! Thank goodness!

Then, 2 weeks after that- around his 13-month birthday, we cut the bedtime nursing. I was terrified, to say the least. We did this over the weekend again, as I expected tons of tears and knew that I could make up for lack of sleep over the weekend. Boy was I wrong! Again, he wasn't even phased! Sheesh! No tears at all. Thank GOODNESS! We did our normal bedtime routine, and when I would typically plop into the rocker and nurse him, I just passed him off to Josh. Josh rocked him for a few minutes (maybe 5) and sang a song and put him down. He literally didn't even cry. AT. ALL. Wow! I let Josh do this for the first 3 nights, and will continue to let him do it occasionally because I don't want Jacob to get used to one of us putting him down. I want him to be comfortable with anyone putting him down.

So, as of now- a few days before his 13-month birthday, he is completely off breastmilk. He hasn't totally replaced the breastmilk with cow's milk yet. My pediatrician told me he should be drinking 16-20oz of cow's milk each day, if he's getting diary elsewhere (which he is). I offer milk every time he wakes up and at meal times. And he gets water throughout the day.

Breastfeeding is such a tough journey that requires dedication and patience. If you are able to breastfeed, I seriously recommend it. You'll grow to love it, you really will.

 

Jacob fell asleep...

...on my boob. Melts my heart every time!

I want to remember this moment forever...