Recently I have been receiving questions about how to boost milk supply naturally. As I have previously written about, I struggled with breastfeeding my son when he was born due to an upper lip tie that went undiagnosed until he was 3 months old. (Read my previous post here.) During those crucial first three months, I was breastfeeding him around the clock and supplementing him when needed with my sister-in-law's breastmilk and later with my own homemade goat milk formula. Once we finally discovered the lip tie and finally got it revised, my milk supply had dropped and was not enough to fill my little guy up. I felt devastated by this, and was willing to do whatever it took to boost my supply.
*Please note I am not a doctor, midwife, or nurse. I am just a mama who has done her research and has had success using the following methods. Always consult your healthcare provider before starting any new herbs, supplements or treatments. 

10 Ways To Boost Your Milk Supply Naturally

1. Pumping - Pump after nursing until your breasts are completely empty, and then for an additional 5 minutes after the last drop of milk comes out. Milk supply is based on demand, so the more milk out, and the more stimulation to your breasts, the more milk you will produce.
2. Essential Oils - Essential oils can be a very effective, natural way to boost your milk supply.The two essential oils I recommend for boosting milk supply are Basil and Fennel. When used correctly, you may begin to notice an increase in supply within a day or two. You can discontinue use once your supply gets to where you'd like it to be.
     *Basil - Apply 2-3 drops topically on your breasts after nursing (avoiding the nipple area) 3-4 times per day. If you have sensitive skin, I recommend diluting the basil oil with a couple of drops of a carrier oil such as fractionated coconut oil, sweet almond oil, or jojoba oil.
     *Fennel - Take 2-3 drops of fennel essential oil internally 3-4 times a day to increase milk supply.
*Please note, I do NOT recommend taking just any brand of essential oil internally. If you choose to take an essential oil internally, be sure that it is a Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oil.) For my recommendation of the brand of essential oil I use and trust to take internally, click here. )    
3. Water - Making sure you are well hydrated is important when it comes to milk supply. Drink at least 3-4 quarts of filtered water daily.
4. Eat Enough Calories - Aim to consume an additional 500 calories daily. When breastfeeding, your body is burning additional calories and therefor needs the extra fuel to continue to produce milk effectively.
5. Feed On Demand - Nursing on demand helps to stimulate your breasts which in turn signals your body to produce more milk.
6. Galactogogues - Eat plenty of milk boosting foods (known as galactagogues) such as oatmeal, quinoa, dark leafy greens such as kale, spinach and broccoli, fennel, garlic, chickpeas, almonds (preferably raw or soaked and sprouted), ginger, and certain spices such as turmeric, anise, and cumin can all help to boost supply so eat them often!
8. Take Extra Zinc - While you are breastfeeding, your daily zinc requirements are higher in order to meet the needs of your growing baby. The recommended daily amount of zinc for a breastfeeding mother is 12 milligrams a day. Nutrients in breastmilk are pulled from your own nutritional stores, so not getting enough essential nutrients can increase your risk of becoming deficient, especially in zinc and iron which can hurt your milk supply. Taking an additional zin supplement and/or eating foods high in zinc such as oysters, spinach, beef, kidney beans, flax seeds, and pumpkin seeds will help to keep your zinc levels and you milk supply up.
9. Fenugreek - Taking Fenugreek daily has been shown to increase milk production in as little as 24-72 hours.  It can be taken in capsule form, as a tea, a tincture, or as a powder that you can add to smoothies. I found the capsules to be easiest and most readily available. The recommended dosage is 7-14 500mg capsules daily. Ideally you want the level of Fenugreek  to remain constant in your bloodstream, so I recommend starting with 2 capsules every 4 hours during the day, then working your way up to 4 capsules 4 times per day. 
10. Avoid Milk Suppressants - Peppermint, sage, and wintergreen can all decrease your milk supply so avoid foods containing these ingredients, teas or tinctures made from them, as well as essential oils of peppermint, sage and wintergreen.

The placenta is an amazing organ that plays the role of a baby's life support system during pregnancy. The placenta is located within the uterus and is connected to the baby by the umbilical cord. It provides blood, nutrients, and oxygen to the baby while filtering out waste. Blood from the mother is filtered through the placenta and through the umbilical cord into the baby. As the blood from the mother passes through the placenta, it acts as a filtration system, weeding out any harmful substances before it reaches the baby. After a child is born, the mother then delivers the placenta. Humans are one of the very few mammals who do not always consume their placenta after giving birth.

At the birth of my son, I was lucky enough to have one of my dear friends as my doula. One of the things she recommended I do was encapsulate my placenta. Many doulas and midwives are certified to do so, and the benefits can be huge for a new mom. For me, consuming my placenta postpartum helped alleviate the Baby Blues, increased my milk supply, sped up my postpartum healing, and boosted my iron stores to help reverse the anemia I had developed from blood loss during my son's birth. While this topic can be a bit controversial, I personally found it to be beneficial. If you are thinking about encapsulation your placenta, here are some things to think about;

*Please note: I am NOT a doctor, healthcare provider, midwife, nurse, or doula. I am just a mama who has done her research, and is speaking from my own personal experience. Always consult your healthcare provider when making the decision to consume your placenta postpartum. Never share your placenta pills with another person. 

What Is Placenta Encapsulation?
The act of consuming one's own placenta is also known as Placentophagy, and has been practiced in many other cultures for thousands of years. In fact, most mammals consume their own placenta after giving birth. The easiest (and most common way) to consume one's own placenta is through encapsulation. This process usually includes steaming, dehydrating, and grinding up the placenta, then placing it inside capsules. Sometimes placenta tinctures are also made. As long as your placenta is healthy after you give birth, it should be able to be encapsulated or made into a tincture. You must tell your healthcare practitioner ahead of time that you are planning to encapsulate your placenta, and it will them be given to your doula after you give birth to be put directly into a cooler for your doula to take with her. It important that your placenta go directly into a cooler as soon as possible to keep it fresh.

What Are The Benefits?
There are many benefits to consuming your placenta after giving birth. Some of those benefits include

• lessens postnatal bleeding
• helps regulate hormone changes after birth
• increases milk supply
• helps prevent postpartum depression
• boosts energy
• restores iron levels, and helps alleviate anemia
• helps uterus return to its pre-pregnancy state faster
• speeds the healing process
• contains oxytocin which aids in postnatal bonding between mother and baby
• increases CRH, a stress-relieving hormone

Is Consuming One's Own Placenta Safe?
Consuming one's own placenta that has been properly prepared by a certified professional has shown to carry no inherent risks if it is ingested solely by the birth mother. It is not recommended that you share your placenta pills with anyone else, as this can pass on blood borne illnesses.

Are There Any Side Effects?
While there has not been a large amount of studies done on the consumption of one's placenta after birth, the studies that have been done have shown that in 96% of cases women have reported to have experienced positive to very positive effects from consuming their placenta postpartum. Only a small amount of women reported to have had any negative effects, including feeling jittery and moody.

How To Find Someone Who Can Encapsulate Your Placenta:
Many doulas and midwives are also certified to do placenta encapsulation. If you are planning to hire a doula to be with you at your birth, (which I highly recommend doing) be sure to ask them during your interview if they are certified to encapsulate your placenta. You can visit www.dona.org for more information about finding a doula in your area. To read more about the benefits of having a doula present at you birth, read the interview I did with my doula here.

Sources:
http://americanpregnancy.org/first-year-of-life/placental-encapsulation/
http://www.dona.org
www.lovelifedoula.com

My son sprouted two teeth back to back when he was just 4 months old, and started to show signs of teething even earlier than that! He began putting everything he could get his chubby little hands on into his mouth. That included my hair, jewelry, clothing, and fingers. Anything I wore on my body was fair game. This meant that I had to resort to removing all of my jewelry and wearing my hair up all the time. What little effort I had time to put into my appearance as a new mom had officially gone out the window. I began to feel like such a frump!

I had heard of, and seen some other mamas wearing silicone chewbead necklaces so I decided to shop around for one. I looked and looked for one I liked and came up short. None of these brightly colored, silicone necklaces fit my style and I honestly couldn't see myself actually wearing one of them. I started contemplating making my own chewed necklace in a style I would like and would actually get some use out of.

For many years I have worn a sandalwood and moonstone mala that I handmade. I love my mala and it holds quite a bit of sentimental value to me. I even had it on during the birth of my son. I noticed that it was one of the things my baby constantly went for,  always trying his hardest to put it in his mouth. Other babies I had held also seemed to always be attracted to it too. I started to think that maybe I could make a mala that was specifically designed to be worn by me for my little man to chew on and play with. I wanted it to be organic, toxin free, safe, stylish, and possibly even hold some spiritual functionality.

I made my first mala using organic, raw wood beads that I hand finished with organic beeswax and organic jojoba oil, and 100% pure food grade silicone beads. I used organic cotton cording to string the beads and make the tassel. I now had an organic, toxin free, safe chewbead mala that I enjoy wearing and that my son loves to chew on and play with! The different textures of the wood beads and the silicone seem to keep him intrigued and soothe his teething gums in different ways. As soon as I started to wear it, I began getting inquiries as to where I had gotten it. When I said that I had made it myself the requests for me to make one for other mamas began rolling in, and Munchkin Malas™ was born!

The Purpose Behind Munchkin Malas™
Munchkin Malas™ were designed with the organic, natural, and free-spirited mama in mind. These multipurpose malas are designed to be worn by parents for teething babies to munch on and play with while being held or worn, or while breastfeeding to keep those curious hands occupied, and can also be used for meditation and prayer. While they are not the traditional 108 beads, Munchkin Malas™ can still be used to take a time-out and say a few mantras, meditate, or pray when motherhood (and life) gets overwhelming and you need a moment to yourself to reset and recharge.

Where Can You Purchase One?
Munchkin Malas™ are now available at the following locations:

• Online in my Etsy store - Shop Now
• Pomegranate  Prenatal Yoga and Parenting Center 

More locations will be coming soon!

In the days and weeks following my son's birth, I experienced a range of intense emotions including pure bliss, deep love, exhaustion, sadness, confusion, fear, resentment, and even jealousy. I felt pure bliss when holding my newborn son in my arms, and a deep, ever growing love for him each time I gazed at his face or smelled his newborn smell. I felt exhaustion from giving birth, and from lack of sleep. I felt sad about losing who I used to be before I became a mother and the life and freedom I once had. I felt jealous that my husband could pop up off the couch so easily and walk around without being in pain, that he could come and go from the house with ease, and even that he got to work, while I was tethered to my couch and my son was tethered to my breasts 24/7. I felt a sense of loss for my pre-pregnancy body and pre-baby self. I felt fear when my husband did return to work and I was left to care for this tiny human on my own. What was I supposed to do with him? Was I really responsible for this tiny person's every need? What if I did something wrong? I felt resentful towards other mothers who were out and about just days after giving birth while it was still taking me five minutes just to stand up off of my couch, and another five to walk to the bathroom. In the midst of all of this I also felt proud and empowered. I had just endured days of labor and hours of pushing. I had brought a human into this world and that was amazing. I was utterly confused by all of these cycling emotions.

I had a hard time with breastfeeding for the first few months of my son's life (see my previous post about My Breastfeeding Experience) and I often felt like I was failing him because I was unable to feed him enough. I shed so many tears over our breastfeeding struggles, and spent so much time worrying about what to do about it. It felt all consuming. I felt like no one understood what I was going through, how could they? My husband couldn't understand because he has never tried to breastfeed a child. My mother couldn't understand because my brother and I are adopted and were not breastfed. I felt alone in my struggle in those early weeks, and that ugly green monster called jealousy would rear its ugly head again when I would see or talk to other mamas who's babies were breastfeeding like champs, or who had a huge milk supply. 

The worst of my emotional roller coaster passed after about three weeks. I began to feel more like myself again. I was healing, I was getting used to this new person living in my home, and understanding his cues better. We were really bonding and I was finally getting out of the house. Soon enough I felt more like myself again. Of course, I am not the same person I was before my son was born. I never will be that person again. I am a mama now, and I fully embrace and love that role and everything that comes along with it. 

What I was going through in those early weeks of my son's life is commonly referred to as the "Baby Blues." The baby blues are very common after a woman gives birth to a child. Your hormones are all over the place, you have a little person you are suddenly fully responsible for taking care of, you are sleep deprived, and probably pretty sore. For the past 9 months you have been sharing your body with someone else, and if you are breastfeeding, then you are still sharing your body with someone else. That can be overwhelming at times.

What Are The Baby Blues?

The Baby Blues is a normal, common, short lived period of feeling sad, emotional, and moody. It generally lasts anywhere from 2-3 weeks after giving birth. 70-80% of women suffer from the baby blues after having a child, while only 10-20% suffer from postpartum depression. 

During pregnancy, estrogen and progesterone levels are super high, and after the delivery of the baby and the placenta, these hormone levels plunge rapidly. This normal neurological process is what triggers the baby blues. Luckily, there are some natural ways to treat eh baby blues that will help you to feel better in no time. 

10 Ways To Beat The Baby Blues Naturally:

1. Time - Be gentle with yourself and give yourself some time. You just brought a human into the world, that's huge! And becoming a mother is a major life change. Its only natural you need some time to adjust.
2. Placenta Capsules - If you hire a doula to be with you at your birth, many of them are certified to encapsulate your placenta for you to take after the birth of your child. The placenta contains oxytocin - a hormone that helps reduce pain, depression, and increases bonding with your baby. If oxytocin levels are low after giving birth, a woman is more likely to suffer from the baby blues and even postpartum depression. Taking your placenta capsules can help boost your oxytocin levels and help make the shift in your hormones smoother. The placenta also contains thyroid stimulating hormones which boost energy levels, increase immunity, speed recovery time, and increase your milk supply. 
3. Rest - This can be hard to do with a newborn at home, but getting as much rest as you can will do wonders for you emotionally and physically. How many times have you been told to "sleep when the baby sleeps"? Trust me the dishes, laundry, and other household chores can wait (or let your partner take care of them!) Getting rest is much more important. 
4. B vitamins - B vitamins, especially folate, B6, and B12 have been shown to help alleviate symptoms of depression. A deficiency in these vitamins can also cause depression, so taking a B complex is important both during and after pregnancy.  
5. Acupuncture - Acupuncture can help to balance the hormonal and emotional systems of the body after giving birth and can reign in your hormones quicker. Acupuncture has also been shown to prevent postpartum depression and relieve symptoms of depression both during and after pregnancy.
6. Fish oil - When taken during pregnancy, fish oil can help prevent postpartum depression and the baby blues. Having low levels of DHA has been linked to depression due to lower levels of serotonin and dopamine; two chemicals in the brain that are linked with mood. If you have been taking a fish oil during your pregnancy and are still experiencing symptoms of depression after the birth of your child, you may need to increase the amount you are taking. Eating fish that are higher in DHA such as salmon and halibut can also help. 
7. Eat a healthy diet - By eating a nutrient dense diet high in essential vitamins and minerals that promote brain and emotional health such as zinc, selenium, B vitamins, and vitamin D, you may be able to prevent postpartum depression and speed along any symptoms of the baby blues. Eating a whole foods, healthy diet also speeds recovery time, helps you build a healthy milk supply, aids in losing the baby weight quicker, and will even help you sleep better. Foods to incorporate into your diet daily are dark leafy greens, fatty fish, eggs, whole grains, fruit and veggies, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Do your best to avoid refined sugars and processed foods both during and after pregnancy. 
8. Talk to other mamas - Unfortunately, the baby blues and postpartum depression are rarely talked about, but sharing those experiences with other women can be hugely helpful and even therapeutic. When my son was born it helped me a lot to relate with other new moms who were experiencing something similar to what I was. So don't be afraid to talk it out with other mothers you know. Chances are they know exactly how you feel. 
9. Get outside - It is so easy to get stuck in your home after having a baby. Siting in your house all day can bring you down and cause you to feel more sad and isolated. While the thought of leaving the house with a newborn is terrifying the first few times, getting outside, filling your lungs with fresh air and daylight, seeing other adult humans and interacting with them, and getting some light exercise with a walk will all do wonders for your psyche. And after the first couple of times getting out with your baby, you'll feel like a pro. Don't be afraid to get out of your house alone too. Leave the baby with your partner and take a short stroll around the block, run a quick errand to the store... getting outside alone can provide a much needed break and give you time to reconnect with yourself. 
10. Have visitors - Don't overdo it, but have your mom, sister, best friend, or anyone else you feel comfortable with come over and spend some time with you and your baby. Company can be amazingly therapeutic and helpful, especially if you are feeling overwhelmed or nervous about being alone with your new baby at first. Knowing someone else is there can be hugely comforting. 

Could It Be Something More Than The Baby Blues? Signs You May Have Postpartum Depression:

*Please note that I am NOT a doctor, nurse, or Psychologist. The information in this article is not intended to treat, diagnose or be used in place of medical care. If you think you may be suffering from postpartum depression please contact your doctor right away. 

The baby blues and postpartum depression have similar symptoms. However, the baby blues is short lived (2-3 weeks) with fair mild symptoms, and then you should begin to feel better. Postpartum depression on the other hand, is a serious medical condition that should not go untreated. Postpartum depression (PPD) symptoms are severe enough that they can disrupt your ability to function. Some of the symptoms of PPD given by the Mayo Clinic are ~

• Depressed mood or severe mood swings
• Excessive crying
• Difficulty bonding with your baby
• Withdrawing from family and friends
• Loss of appetite or eating much more than usual
• Inability to sleep (insomnia) or sleeping too much
• Overwhelming fatigue or loss of energy
• Reduced interest and pleasure in activities you used to enjoy
• Intense irritability and anger
• Fear that you're not a good mother
• Feelings of worthlessness, shame, guilt or inadequacy
• Diminished ability to think clearly, concentrate or make decisions
• Severe anxiety and panic attacks
• Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms or think that you may have postpartum depression, please contact your doctor right away. 

Sources:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/postpartum-depression/basics/symptoms/con-20029130
http://www.pullingdownthemoon.com/blog/2012/november/acupuncture-and-postpartum-depression.aspx