This post is sponsored by Munchkin Canada. All opinions are my own.
I imagined being a mother with my own sweet baby in my arms from a young age. I was the 10 year old at family gatherings that would cuddle all the babies the entire time. I craved the moment I would have my own special baby in my arms all warm and snuggled against my skin.
When my first baby was finally placed in my arms I was filled with LOVE. More love than I ever thought possible. I couldn’t believe that this sweet sweet baby was mine. He was placed on my belly and wiggled his way up to my breast. He latched on and that first moment of breastfeeding was magical. Absolutely magical. And then it felt weird. But then again I had never breastfed before so I remember thinking, “maybe this is how it is supposed to feel?”
As we slept on and off throughout that first night and my sweet baby continued to feed often (which is normal because newborns breastfeed for comfort, bonding with mom, warmth and snuggles!) each time he latched on I felt confused and unsure of my ability. My mommy intuition was telling me that something was off. We called the nurse in a few times and she would latch baby on for me and then leave the room. Leaving me more confused with how to do it myself.
We headed home after 24 hours and our little one screamed and screamed and screamed. “Do you think we could go back to the hospital” my husband and I joked to teach other since we were the ones who begged to leave and be in the comfort of our own home. But we knew there was some truth to that question. We continued to push through knowing that we would be heading to the pediatricians the next day.
It was at that first appointment that it was brought to our attention that we may want to feed more often. We knew it was normal for baby to lose a little bit of weight, especially since we were pumped full of iv fluid during labour, but we were cautioned to keep an eye on it and come back in a few days.
The next few days were a blur as we continued to go back and forth from the doctors and breastfeeding clinics to have baby weighed in between trying to feed and soothe a fussy baby. The days got harder. And harder. We finally decided it was time to seek out the help of a lactation consultant and we showed up at her door with two tired parents and a very hungry baby. Adrenaline is what was getting me through.
Within an hour we had figured out how to establish a proper latch, how much baby was getting from each breast and we had a plan. For my type A personality a plan was exactly what I needed so I could finally feel like I could take a deep breath. We were informed that our baby was getting very little breastmilk because his latch was so poor that I had lost most of my milk supply. I felt down on myself because I second guessed my intuition. I assumed that the medical team knew better than me. I was wrong.
But I had a plan!
The next 6 weeks consisted of skin to skin, breastfeeding, pumping, supplementing, drinking all the fenugreek tea, eating all the oats and flax, drinking all the water. And repeat every 2 hours. Those 6 weeks were truly a blur. Moments that I am so so happy I was able to push forward through and thankful for my network of amazing support.
Eating plain oats in and out every day with all that fenugreek tea (you will permanently smell like maple syrup!) and drinking endless gallons of water (do you know how much that makes you pee and then you are always stuck underneath a cute baby who has JUST fell asleep?!) was my new normal.
What I would have LOVED to have beside me while on the couch for hours with my breastfeeding pillow, phone, tv control and favourite book?
Munchkin Milkmakers Lactation Cookie Bites.
Why? Because YUMMY!
Seriously. I opened up the box and to be honest was a bit hesitant to try them out. I have tried similar ones before and they were always a little “blah.” You know……a little hard to bite, leave a bit of a weird aftertaste in your mouth and super super dry. I may or may not have ate the entire bag immediately upon opening.
Why are they so great for breastfeeding moms?
*they contain powerhouse ingredients that have been proven to help increase milk supply. Flaxseed and oats, oat flour and brewers yeast are all an integral part of these cookies! 1-2 servings per day has been shown to help support your milk supply. What else I love? It’s preservative and fenugreek free!
I know, so you are wondering where YOU can get them too, right?!
YES, they are available in Canada and even better? You can get them at one of our favourite stores! For those local to Ottawa buybuyBaby at Trainyards is carrying these yummy cookies. These #1 selling lactation cookies could help you support milk supply with just 1 to 2 servings a day and are Lactation Consultant recommended. These are also preservative free!
You can win your own Munchkin Canada Prize Pack over on our Instagram page!! Contest ends October 15th, 2018. Check it out!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BozZr08HyxK
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