This year has been so many things… rewarding, challenging, exhausting, but more than anything… the greatest gift I have ever received. Vivienne turned one this weekend, and although it came far too fast, I am so excited for this next stage in our lives. More importantly, I am finally feeling free of pumping 5x a day and transitioning her to 100% whole milk.
I made it. 1 whole year. I can’t even believe it as I am sitting here typing it out.
My goal from the start was to make it to 6 months, but it was a challenge and I remember wanting to quit after around 5 months. As I am a full-time working mom, I was in the bathroom every 3 hours trying to keep up with the schedule. Sometimes I would miss a session from being too deep into my work and inadvertently be in so much pain by the end of the day. Another factor was the gym. Motivating myself to go was one thing, but then adding a 20-30 minute pumping session before even stepping out the door made it even more unappealing. By the end of it, I found more excuses not to even go. By month 8, I was so over the constant pumping, and although again, I wanted to quit, I sort of became robotic about it all. I didn’t think too much about it and just DID IT. I was giving the ability to feed our daughter in the best way so I thought it was worth every struggle that I felt.
I often received questions about how I dealt with supply challenges, and even took to IG stories from my fellow mama followers when I wasn’t pumping enough. The internet community is truly amazing! So, for those of you going through the first (or second, third) year of breastfeeding your little ones, these are a few tips that I would suggest to keep your supply up and get the proper nutrients your body needs while breastfeeding. I will be adding a blog post soon about how I weaned myself off pumping, and how Vivienne was smoothly introduced to whole milk.
1. Drink tons of water. This will naturally keep your supply up, and since you are pumping out fluids… you need to remember to continue to put them back into your body.
2. Oatmeal. When my supply was looking low, Oatmeal always seemed to help boost my supply.
3. Pump or nurse as often as your baby eats. It’s as simple as the concept of supply and demand. The more you nurse or pump, the more milk your body will produce.
4. Mothers Milk Tea. Like Oatmeal, drinking Mothers Milk Tea was another option that seemed to help boost my supply when I was feeling low.
5. Did you know that only 20-30% of the calcium your body needs is in your prenatal vitamin? That’s not very much, especially since the National Academy of Sciences recommends that women who are breastfeeding consume 1,000 mg of calcium each day. Your baby will get the adequate amount of calcium from your breastmilk, but you as the mama will need to keep your calcium supply sufficient for your own bone health. Why is this important? Studies have shown that women can lose 3 to 5% of their bone mas during breastfeeding. Adding Viactiv Calcium Soft Chews to my daily routine has been an easy way to make sure I’m getting the calcium I need. Two chews have 100% of the daily recommended dose (500 mg in each chew), plus Vitamin D and K which help with calcium absorption. They are individually wrapped for your convenience, so you can easily toss a few in your bag or in a bowl on the counter to remind yourself to take them.
Viactiv Calcium Soft Chews are available in either delicious milk chocolate or caramel flavors. My personal favorite is definitely the caramel. It’s creamy and tastes so good! You can find these chews available nationwide at supermarkets, drugstores and major retails, including CVS, Rite Aid, Target, and Walmart. Learn more about calcium needs at www.Viactiv.com.
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Disclaimer: This is a product-provided, sponsored conversation on behalf of Viactiv that contains affiliate links. I received Viactiv Calcium Soft Chews for my own personal use. This post is not intended to address or diagnose any medical conditions. All opinions, text and experiences are my own. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing or planning on becoming pregnant, speak with your healthcare provider if you have any specific health questions or prior to taking any dietary supplements.
Viactiv Calcium Soft Chews are available in milk chocolate or caramel flavors at major retailers including CVS, Rite Aid, Target, and Walmart, as well as supermarkets nationwide.
This is a product-provided, sponsored conversation on behalf of Viactiv that contains affiliate links. I received Viactiv Calcium Soft Chews for my own personal use. This post is not intended to address or diagnose any medical conditions. All opinions, text and experiences are my own. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing or planning on becoming pregnant, speak with your healthcare provider if you have any specific health questions or prior to taking any dietary supplements.
Viactiv Calcium Soft Chews are available in milk chocolate or caramel flavors at major retailers including CVS, Rite Aid, Target, and Walmart, as well as supermarkets nationwide.