Namastè!
Happy Tuesday, all! I hope you're experiencing copious amounts of namastè this morning, and that it carries over into the rest of the week!
I'm sitting here with my oatmeal, sandwich, gatorade, and water bottle. I've begun eating breakfast every morning after a few weeks of not taking time to do so. I googled some recipes for overnight oats using steel cut oatmeal and lo and behold, came across information that my beloved breakfast food is also a storied galactagogue.
A glactagogue is a food or herb (in some cases, a medication) that can improve (or help induce) lactation.
I began reading a bit more into these galactagogues. As I mentioned before, I am a milk makin' mama who churns out 60 ounces a day. However, I have never used a galactagogue, except apparently oatmeal. I was under the impression that they were medicines or teas, and I haven't needed them.
I asked a couple moms about their idea of a good supply and the most common answer was, having enough milk stored to bottle feed when Baby is with a sitter or going through a growth spurt. That's all good and well, but that's also where supply doubt creeps in.
According to KellyMom there are simple ways to be assured your little one is getting enough milkies. If baby is making at least 5 wet diapers, and at least 3 dirty ones, per day, you are fine. The urine should be pale and have a mild scent. The bowel movements will be yellow, and vary from very runny to curd like.
As with everything else, babies can vary greatly within the scope of a norm.
Note: ALWAYS speak with your doctor or lactation consultant if you feel something isn't right. You know your baby best.
The most popular galactagogue is fenugreek, an herb that can even be used to stimulate lactation in adoptive mothers! It can increase milk production by 900%. It smells like pancake syrup. (It is also used in maple flavoring.) If you take the right amount, so will you--and baby, and your milk.
Other popular galactagogues are blessed thistle, fennel, anise, and caraway seed. They all work the same way--the phytoestrogens work to stimulate milk production.
For those who don't care for capsules or tinctures, there are several teas on the market. I was given the opportunity to examine a few tea bags and they all smelled of either black licorice or the base aromatics for pasta sauce. Pretty appealing to me, as I am a tea lover.
In case herbs don't do it for your palate, there are foods which act as galactagogues too.
Whole grains (like oatmeal)
Leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach, alfalfa, broccoli)
Fennel
Garlic
Nuts and seeds
Papaya
Ginger
I was pleased as punch to see things I already eat included in the lineup, especially almond milk. (I don't consume much dairy.)
The important thing, and I cannot stress this enough, is to understand these three points.
1. It is difficult to tell exactly how much a baby fed exclusively at the breast consumes. Unless you weigh them at every feeding and track every single dirty or wet diaper--and only for a preemie or medically fragile baby would that be feasible.
2. Every baby varies in how much they need. One baby may thrive on small frequent feedings, while another baby may space his noshes out.
3. A breast pump cannot express milk anywhere near as efficiently as a baby. Period.
Even though galactagogues could very well be a godsend if you are truly experiencing low supply, please remember to be patient and gentle with yourself. Having bottles and bags of milk in the freezer is wonderful, I will not lie--but having a healthy, happy, thriving baby is truly all that counts.
Also, even with galactagogues, you still need to make sure you are emptying your mammaries regularly. Breastmilk is supply and demand.
I hope this serves to soothe some nerves, inform some minds, and pad some grocery lists!
Namastè!
-- Tayè K. ♡
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