Birth Lessons from a Chicken

What a sweet, sweet post from the natural birth blog "Talk Birth"

Birth Lessons from a Chicken

Tainted Breast milk - a quiz!

When comparing to nursing mothers who do not eat meat, how much more pesticide contamination do nursing mothers who eat meat have in their breast milk?

a. Twice as much

b. Thirty-five times as much

c. Ten Times as much


Answer: b. Thirty five times as much!*

To reduce pesticide contamination choose lean cuts of organic meat and low-fat organic dairy products. Or go meat free! Pesticides are stored in fatty cells, so lean and low fat will contain less.

*D. Colbert, M.D.. The Seven Pillars of Health. Siloam, 2007.

My milk supply is a garden.

"Milk supply is not something you can just spontaneously lose, like a set of keys or a pair of glasses. It's more like a garden. Neglect it, by limiting feedings or supplementing with formula, and it will wither. Tend it, by feeding on demand, and it will flourish."

That was a great quote I found on a message board. I have no idea who the poster is, but I wanted to share it.

If you have or plan on breastfeeding it seems all the rage is "will I have enough milk?" or "is my supply dropping?" I just finished reading (probably three times) The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. It is a beautiful, timeless book by La Leche League International. I know a lot of people think the LLL is a little weird, but maybe that is because they have not read the book. It is a beautiful description and comprehensive problem solver on all things breastfeeding. If anyone knows how to nurse, its the LLL. They stress on demand feeding for a healthy milk supply. The hormones that make milk are absolutely amazing. They respond perfectly to YOUR baby. It is supply and demand at its finest. Restrict the demand by watching the clock or substituting yourself with a pacifier and you might have supply problems. The first several months of a newborn's life are crucial to the mother's milk supply for the entire nursing relationship. The first weeks and months "set" the milk supply. Restrict feedings for whatever reason and the mother may not be able to keep up with her baby's need in the months to come. Of course there can be other reasons for a low milk supply than not nursing on demand, there is a good list here. The book covers this and has suggestions for increasing supply. One thing I found very interesting is that, according to the book, more women have an oversupply than undersupply. This is also covered, with suggestions.

The book covers so many subjects, with sections on nursing according to age, starting solids, sleep, weaning, and a pretty good problem solving chapter. But its main point centers around On Demand feeding. It seems that is the only way to keep a baby happily nursing for one, two, or more years. I loved this extremely well written book. It made me happy, it made me cry, and it made my love for my baby bubble up and spill over every time I read it. If you have nursed, are nursing, or think you might nurse, this is the only book you need.

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by Diane Wiessinger, La Leche League International, Diana West, Teresa Pitman

Tasty Wednesday - Creamy Greens Smoothie

Its been awhile since I've featured a recipe, so I thought we could use one, even on a Wednesday! I've added this shake for snacks lately because I have been trying to consume more calories since nursing burns calories like crazy.

This recipe is from the book "The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook" by Cathe Olson. She says "This smoothie surprises everyone because it tastes so good." It truly does. You can not taste the kale, I promise. Coconut milk and pineapple juice is very refreshing! It is good for nursing and pregnant mothers for the Vitamin K and chlorophyll, the nutritional yeast adds protein. This also might be something a pregnant woman can choke down during times of morning sickness, though cold foods can make nausea worse, something to think about.

Creamy Greens Smoothie

1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1 banana, sliced and frozen (I usually only use half)
2 to 3 kale leaves (the kale in the picture is purple)
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast flake (optional)

Place ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

Calories: 292, Protein: 6g, Carb: 51g, Fat 9g, Fiber 5g
High in Vitamin A, Folate, B6 and B12.

I usually do not advise drinking fruit juice because it is so high in sugar and it is much better to eat the fruit than drink the juice. Pretty much all 51g of carbs are from sugar in this smoothie. That is cut down if you only use 1/2 a banana. However, its a good way to get greens, so I'll let this one slide. Just don't sneak glasses of pineapple juice otherwise!