Nursing Mother/Healthy Snacks

[jennifer1143]

Hi,

At my breastfeeding class, the lactation consultant recommended we stock on healthy snacks as breastfeeding can leave a person very hungary/thirsty. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

Jennifer

[Momof3Labs]

Bananas! I eat tons of them. Yogurt is good, too. Cheese is a good high protein snack, just watch your portion size. Cottage cheese, if you like it (I don't).

[mam615]

raisins, sunflower seeds, apples, carrots & hummus, yogurt. also, try to keep plenty of water handy when you nurse -- it always makes me very thirsty.

[nohomama]

One of the things I loved especially right after Lola was born was miso soup. You can either buy cakes of "fresh" miso or envelopes of dried. Either way, all you have to do is boil water and, presto, you've got soup. If you don't like miso, make your favorite soup and freeze it in mug sized portions. Nuts, hummus, fresh fruits (smoothies are great and can be made and kept in the fridge for a day or two), yogurt, & cheese were other snacks I ate a lot of.

Good luck with the nursing! I've loved it and found it a truely rewarding experience.

[beckyr88]

More than anything else, I've been SOOO thirsty!!! I had never heard how insatiable (sp?) nursing thirst is! I recommend getting a huge sippy bottle (so it won't spill and you can set it on the couch next to you) and filling it often. Immediately after the baby latches on, it feels like you've been in the desert without water for weeks. And then of course, you're nursing and can't get up--so keep the bottle close (or keep DH within earshot!!!).

As for snacks, lately I've been eating baby carrots and a glass of milk (wash it down with a bit of chocolate, though!)

Good luck! Nursing is a wonderful thing!!!

[friedmana1]

Talk about the thirst!!! Everyone thinks that I am nuts because I carry a huge water bottle with me wherever I go, but I am SO THIRSTY!!! I once made my DH stop on the highway even though we were about ten minutes away from home to get some water, because I thought I was going to die of thirst!

As for snacks, string cheese, yogurt, tons of fruit, nuts, humus, pretzels, raisins - can you tell that I don't like veggies?

Aimee

Mother to Leah 10/26/02

[zen_bliss]

lots of dried fruit & nuts from trader joe's and one of those athletic hydration bladder backpacks with the bite tube... so you can drink even in the side-lying position. i noticed that www.sierratradingpost.com has a nalgene one for $19.99

[nigele]

I was always starving in the middle of the night so I kept a can of nuts on my bedside table. I went through them like crazy!

[telewill]

I would have starved without Campbells Soups to Go. I ate the Cream of Chicken ones. You heat it in the microwave for 1.15 and drink it from the same cup. I found yogert pretzels and peanut butter cracker good too. And juice...orange (with calcium) and white grape fruit. These gave me a shot of energy, since I've cut out my beloved caffiene.

Good luck. If it ever hurts, call an LC. I endured a yeast infection much longer than I should have!

[sparkeze]

These are all great suggestions! I think the trick is to think - grab and eat. You can eat a real meal when someone else is around to help! What I did was make a couple sandwiches either the night before or in the morning before DH left for work, and I bought those bags of baby veggies, and crackers.

One other thing that no one else mentioned (or maybe it was just me?) you may want to sneak in a few natural laxative type snacks... Ugh, I still remember how constipated I was after birth. The combination of hormones, system getting back into place, and the fear (I had some stitches) was not good. Is that too graphic? LOL!

Dried prunes maybe?

And if you don't mind room temp water and there isn't going to be anyone there to serve you all the time, I was enjoying my case of bottled water that I placed strategically at my nursing station. It seemed like I was never able to get up off the couch once I sat down so I would set out plates of food, boxes of crackers, bascially anything that didn't have to be refrigerated, and my water. After my DH went back to work 2 weeks later I prepared a stockpile of food and water, books, remote control, phone, magazines, pillows, blankets, nursing pads, burpcloths, and who knows what else all on the couch or end table. I must've been quite a sight! My thinking was if DS falls asleep, there's no way I'm going to wake him up so I had everything I might possibly need within reach of my seat on the couch. Come to think of it, I probably sat on that couch for like 2 months!

[nohomama]

Prunes and the like are a great suggestion. Very dilute Smooth Move tea might not be a bad idea either. I didn't have a BM for days after Lola was born and when I did I felt like I was birthing a turd.

[chrissyhowie]

Dried papaya spears are my favorite. I always try to keep a small bag of them in my diaper bag as well. Papayas have something called papain in them, so they are supposedly good for digestion (hence also often used fresh as a meat tenderizer!).

[chrissyhowie]

Owwwwwwww!x(

[jennifer1143]

Thanks so much for all your suggestions - I'm going to have to make a trip to the store! Is there a good place to order dried fruits/trailmixes online? Thanks again!

Jennifer