Question for all the momma chickies following SBD
 

and I suppose for all you non-mommas out there as well. The advice will be outstanding either way, per usual.

My question is this:

After I have the baby, I plan on breastfeeding....should I start with a P2 or P1 and just add a bit more protein and calcium?

full phase 2 darling

Dr. A says Phase I is not appropriate for nursing moms. I think Phase II is OK as long as you're getting enough calories, at least 1800. If you take in fewer, you risk decreasing your milk supply. Make sure you get your dairy in or take calcium supplements to equal 1500 mg/day. It's hard to get that amount from food but prenatals don't really give you much either. Otherwise the SBD is so healthy, it's a great way of eating during lactation.

I get between 1500 and 2000 mg of calcium a day between my prenatals (I take Shaklee vitalea with iron - 225 mg. of calcium per pill x 4) and my dairy intake.

Getting enough calories is going to be top priority for me this time around, I was only able to nurse DS1 for 5 months as I wasn't getting enough food and my milk started to dry up....I had to pump for hours just to be able to provide him enough for 5 months.

Phase 2 is where I'll be. I do think I'll avoid ww bread in favor of whole grains (rice, etc.) though. Bread just causes me to be hungry.

I've had success nursing on the Phase 2 plan. Avery's actually still nursing at two years, three months. I did Phase 1 back last summer but she had already turned one and my milk was well established by then.

Eating a good balanced diet is one of the most important things to maintaining your nutrition while nursing, and the Beachy lifestyle makes choices easy.

I don't know how you feel about artificial sweeteners but I tend to avoid them as much as I can, especially for the kids/while nursing. There's just not enough info out there for me to make an informed decision so I figured better safe than sorry.

Good luck!

Kara

Breastfeeding itself always made me ravenous! And thirsty. It also seems to keep an extra few pounds around. Kind of a protective mechanism for the body when it's lactating to have some fat stores. I was never able to lose as much as I wanted to on WW until I had finished nursing.

If your milk supply starts to decrease, the extra pumping will help, but also increasing your fluids and ensuring you have extra rest. Our lactation consultants at my hospital also recommend using fenugreek supplements to increase milk.

Murph - you seem like the one to consult. Unfortunately, the nearest chapter of LLL is an hour away. I'm always thirsty when pregnant/lactating. DH makes fun of me because I always have the same bottle of water with me. He calls it my security bottle. ;) I used fenugreek, but I think it was too little, too late. I was only getting about 500 calories a day (I didn't even realize it) and that just isn't enough to support healthy production.

Kara - I feel the same about art. sweeteners....especially while pregnant/nursing. Honestly, my sweet tooth hasn't really come back since I did P1 all those months ago. If I do get a hankering for something sweet, it doesn't take much before it starts to make me feel icky. I guess that is a blessing in disguise.

Not to try to hijack this thread in any way, but if your milk dried up say, 2 to 3 months ago, is it possible to attempt to start the lactation process again? Or is it a futile effort?

AWE, I wish I could breast feed again!

BEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR A BABY!

you can. contact the local La Leche League chapter for advice.

Amen, Loriann!

Thanks LadyNessa! I've seen them in the phonebook so I'll give 'em a call.