The Real Life RD

helping you find peace with food and your natural body size

  • the RD & NP
  • Online Courses
  • Women’s Wellness
  • Speaking
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
Breastfeeding, Motherhood

Establishing & Maintaining an Adequate Breast Milk Supply

May 13, 2020 By Robyn 22 Comments

This is a two part series on breastfeeding I’ve been wanting to write for a long time. This is part one on milk supply. There is a good bit of evidence based articles on the internet full of helpful breastfeeding information. My goal with this series is to provide information that’s a little harder to find when you start digging around on the internet. I don’t know everything about breastfeeding and I am certainly not an IBCLC. What I’m sharing in this series is a combination of my nursing knowledge, a lot of time spent researching, and my experience as a mama. I hope you find it empowering & encouraging!

As a culture, I firmly believe there needs to be a lot more support for breastfeeding women. Our maternity leave policies suck in the US. I think expecting a mom to return to work after only 12 weeks (or often, much less) with her baby and still exclusively breastfeed is a lot to ask. It can be done, but I think maternity leave policies are a huge barrier for women and certainly aren’t supportive of a long term breastfeeding journey.

Moreover, I think our diet/wellness culture is another huge barrier – the pressure to eat x way or x much and lose the baby weight and “bounce” back and blah blah blah is extremely harmful when it comes to mental health and establishing + maintaining an adequate milk supply. There are of course many more barriers, but those are two big ones that stand out in my mind. I’m going to focus more on the latter in addition to touching on a few other things in this post because unfortunately, maternity leave policies aren’t changing any time soon and we don’t have as much control over that. But we can control how we care for ourselves!

In addition to maternity leave policies, there are also other things out of your control when it comes to breastfeeding. This list is not exhaustive, but factors such as retained placenta, insufficient glandular tissue (IGT), baby’s latch & ability to suckle, mental health, insulin resistance (research is emerging with this) can all impact breastfeeding. If you’ve experienced any of these issues, big hugs to you. I want to note these here (and there are surely more reasons out of your control) before we talk about things you have more control over.

**I am going to miss things in this post and there is always exceptions given individual circumstances. Breastfeeding is such a vulnerable, touchy topic. My hope is that this post is a source of encouragement for you no matter what your history or current circumstances are with breastfeeding. You are doing the best you can with the information & support you have. Remember that! You’re doing great.

Things More in Your Control

  • nutrition
  • exercise
  • nursing frequency
  • pumping (and most importantly replacing bottle feeds with pumping)
  • sleep & stress (to some extent)
  • support & access to evidence based information

Nutrition

Adequate energy & macronutrients (carbs, proteins and fats) is pivotal when it comes to maintaining an adequate breastmilk supply. Again, there are things out of your control leading to low milk supply – but to make sure you are doing everything you can to begin with, nourishing your body so you can make milk is essential.

We live in a culture that emphasizes smaller body sizes and doesn’t respect postpartum women and give them the space and freedom to be in whatever body size they need to be. We have to create space ourselves for this. We have to swim against the cultural current. The postpartum period is so vulnerable. So many things feel out of control (hello sleep deprivation and a crying baby and ALL the life changes) that it makes sense that many women turn to food and exercise to gain some sense of control. And with the pressure to get your body back (whatever that even means, you never lost your body) it’s no surprise that many women find themselves pursuing weight loss.

Ignoring hunger cues and restricting calories can be quite harmful. We often hear, “your body needs 500 additional calories during breastfeeding” but really, that is such a generalized statement. It has some validity – it’s based on the assumption that breastmilk contains about 65-67 calories per 100 mL or about 20 calories per ounce. And it’s based on the assumption that most exclusively breastfeeding moms produce around 25 ounces of breastmilk per day if feeding on demand. But there is so much fluctuation from mom to mom.

The amount of calories you need while breastfeeding will be dependent on several factors:

Basal metabolic rate (BMR)

This is how many calories you burn at rest, which depends mostly on your body weight, height, age and gender. Genetics can play a role here too.

Physical activity level (PAL)

This is how much you move throughout the day, which includes your daily life, not just structured exercise or daily walking. It’s cleaning and showering and cooking and all those things …with a toddler, my PAL is much higher than it used to be when I sat working mosts of the day.

Breastmilk production

If you’re exclusively breastfeeding – meaning baby only gets breastmilk and no formula or solid foods, this is around 25 oz/day, but it can range from anywhere between 19 to 30 oz/day depending on your baby  – if your baby eats some formula and/or solid foods they probably take in less than this, but not significantly less.

Pumping

If you’re exclusively breastfeeding plus pumping 1 or more times a day to build up a freezer stash or donate milk you’ll be making more milk than just what your baby drinks which means more energy your body expends. If you’re exclusively pumping it will be easily to know your milk output per day – I know some moms who could produce 60-70+ ounces of milk per day when exclusively pumping – that’s 1200 to 1400 calories of milk production alone! Equate that to running a half marathon every day. 

The couple of times I traveled for a day or two and exclusively pumped for Cal during his first year, I’d pump around 35 ounces/day – that energy demand is going to be higher than days where I just exclusively breastfed him.

Energy needed for the metabolic process of milk production 

This is around 20% of the energy produced since our bodies are around 80% (literature states up to 90ish%) efficient at producing breastmilk. So if you make 25 ounces of milk per day that is ~500 calories of energy in the milk alone (25 x 20 cals/ounce = 500) and 20% of 500 is 100. Therefore if you produce 25 ounces/day of breastmilk your body would need an additional 600 calories on top of the energy needed to support your BMR and PAL.

To put this in real life perspective, Cal was exclusively breastfed up until six months when we introduced solids. So let’s say he ate the average of 25 oz/day. I pumped 1-2x a day in addition to his feeds to build up a stash and provide milk for an adopted baby at our church. My pumping output was anywhere from 7 to 11 oz most days. So between breastfeeding and pumping I was probably making 32 to 36 oz of milk per day. So 34 ounces on average. That’s 680 calories right there. And 20% of 680 (for the metabolic process) is 136. Add 680 to 136 and you get 816 calories. That’s 60% higher than the catch all 500 calorie recommendation!

I know I’m getting nitty gritty and science-y, but I point all this out because for a lot of women, that 500 calorie recommendation is actually too low. Moreover, because we live in a diet ridden culture, most women don’t have an adequate picture of what normal eating looks when not pregnant of breastfeeding. As a whole, we underestimate how much food our body’s actually need on a daily basis. Couple that with an inaccurate perception of increased energy needs during lactation and it’s easy to see how a new mom could be consciously or subconsciously not meeting her energy needs.

To simplify, think of breastfeeding as, on average, running 6ish miles a day. That’s a lot of daily energy output on top of your normal life! NO WONDER you feel intense hunger postpartum and throughout breastfeeding. I can remember feeling like a bottomless pit most days. I could eat anything and everything and never feel overly full. If you’ve struggled or are strugglin with disordered eating or an eating disorder in the past, this increased hunger can be very challenging to navigate. You are not alone, I assure you. Get the support you need and deserve to care for you physical and mental health. Whether that’s from an RD, a therapist, both or a supportive partner or friend. You need cared for too, not just baby.

Most importantly, don’t get caught up in the numbers I’ve provided here. The point of me spelling out this in so many numbers is to give you perspective. And to empower you with some knowledge of why you’re so dang hungry. If you’re an intuitive eater, follow your hunger cues. They will lead you. I have many mamas who message me saying, “but I am eating more than my husband!” and that is normal. Even if you’re not breastfeeding that is normal. Your hunger can be trusted. Biology is trustworthy. That person’s opinion or what you read on the internet is not always trustworthy.

**I won’t go into hydration here for brevity’s sake, but know that drinking to thirst and having water on hand will usually ensure adequate hydration. A good sign of hydration is pale yellow urine. Note that drinking excessive water (urine is totally clear) does not increase milk production.

Exercise

When I searched the literature, I couldn’t find anything conclusive on exercise itself impacting breast milk production. From the research we do have, moderate intensity exercise doesn’t seem to effect breast milk production, quality, etc. High intensity exercise (meaning you’re out of breath and cannot talk) does cause lactic acid level to increase in the short term, but there is no known harmful effects on baby. So although exercise itself doesn’t seem to significantly effect breast milk quantity or quality, if you’re unable to nourish your body adequately to cover the energy expenditure from exercise that is when you will see a drop in milk supply due to insufficient energy intake. Especially if you ramp up exercise quickly and aren’t eating enough, your body will experience a more sudden drop in energy availability which impacts milk supply more. Go slow. Listen to your body. Do what feels good physically and mentally (and that might be nothing at all!) and be mindful of nutrition.

boston weekend

Anecdotally, I found that when I exercised and then nursed right after – which was usually after a long bike ride since I would always nurse before exercise to make my boobs lighter – I found that my let-down was much slower. It was back to normal by the next feed, but short term, something had to be going on. Even though my bike rides were low intensity, perhaps there was still cortisol production in my body that inhibited my let-down reflex? Just some thoughts! Even if the exercise feels good mentally and physically, if you notice that when you do certain exercises or a certain duration or frequency of exercise your supply drops – make sure you’re meeting your nutrition needs and/or ease up on the physical activity.

Nursing Frequency

Breast storage capacity varies from woman to woman. Some women have a smaller storage capacity and some women can store a whole lot of ounces of milk in their breasts at once. Whether you have a small or large capacity doesn’t affect your ability to produce enough milk for your baby. If you have a smaller capacity, baby will likely nurse more often to get the amount of milk he needs over 24 hours. Breastfeeding is supply and demand. Empty boobs produce milk much faster than full boobs. So the more often your boobs are emptied of milk, the quicker they will fill with more milk.

If you are trying to feed your baby based on a schedule vs on demand that can affect milk supply. Your baby knows how often to nurse (aka how often to empty your boobs) so your body can make sufficient amounts of milk. But if you’re someone with a small storage capacity and feeding on a schedule, your boobs might not be emptied frequently enough to make adequate amounts of milk. So in short, feeding on demand is really important (especially in the early days!) for establishing and maintaining adequate milk supply.

Pumping

It was so helpful for me to learn that my pumping output wasn’t an accurate reflection of my milk supply. A baby is far more efficient at extracting milk from your boobs than a pump – you’ve also got more oxytocin flowing (which makes the milk come out) when you nurse your baby vs pump. You could pump 1 oz in a 30 minute pumping session, but your baby could suck out 4 oz in a 10 minute nursing session. So don’t let your pumping output get you down – especially if you don’t pump that frequently! The more often you pump, the more used to the pump your boobs get and you will likely (but not always) see an increase in output – as long as you stay as relaxed as possible while pumping. Look at pictures of baby and don’t look at how much milk is coming out.

Most importantly though, if you feed your baby a bottle (or someone else does) you have to replace those ounces of milk in the bottle with a pumping session because of supply and demand. If you don’t pump out those ounces to replace the feed, your body doesn’t know your baby ate those ounces and therefore doesn’t know to make more milk.

Sleep & Stress

I found “sleep when the baby sleeps” to be such unrealistic advice. But I tried as much as I could. Lack of sleep can affect milk supply due to increased cortisol levels. Now, our bodies are quite resilient in that biologically they are prepared for broken sleep (you have a baby after all who needs you often) but even if sleep is broken, try to get as many night time hours and naps as you can given your situation. Easier said than done!

Stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine) can inhibit your let-down reflex. And if your let-down is inhibited or blocked, it’s very hard to get the milk out of your boobs which would then decrease the amount of milk baby is eating or how much you pump. The less milk that comes out, the less milk your body will make. I remember when Cal was around 8 months he went on a nursing strike after I let out a loud yell when he bit me while nursing. I became incredibly stressed about him not nursing. Looking back, I’m now so glad I have that experience in my back packet for the future since I know it will pass with time and different techniques. But I was so stressed for those 24 hours and literally no matter how much I pumped, NOTHING came out…because I was so stressed. My milk supply felt shot. I shared that experience and what worked to get him back on the boob in my IG highlights if that sounds helpful for you.

So in short, care for yourself the best you can. Breastfeeding can be so hard and stressful. Your mental health matters. Seek the support you need. Ask for help around the house. And remember, if your mental health is really taking a toll due to breastfeeding, I believe your baby needs you to be emotionally present, attached and well more than they need breastmilk. Give yourself grace.

Support & Access to Information

I think women don’t get nearly the amount of support they need to have a successful, positive breastfeeding journey. There are ups and downs and challenges and without people standing in your corner championing you and telling you, “no, you CAN do this”, it’s really hard to keep going in the face of difficulty. If a mama is struggling and someone she trusts says, “just supplement with formula” instead of really supporting her with resources and referrals and coming alongside her that makes it really hard to continue on with breastfeeding. Formula, certainly has a time and a place – but we need more support as moms! Here are a few resources I’ve found incredibly helpful and recommend to patients, clients and friends.

Kellymom.com

LLL – their books are great, especially The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding 

A supportive pediatrician  (I think a doc who is in line with the WHO recommendations can make such a difference!)

Legendary Milk on IG

IBCLCs – you can search for ones in your area here

Additional References 

Brown, A., & Arnott, B. (2014). Breastfeeding Duration and Early Parenting Behaviour: The Importance of an Infant-Led, Responsive Style. PLoS ONE, 9(2). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083893

Kominiarek, M. A., & Rajan, P. (2016). Nutrition Recommendations in Pregnancy and Lactation. The Medical clinics of North America, 100(6), 1199–1215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcna.2016.06.004

Megan A McCrory, Laurie A Nommsen-Rivers, Paul A Molé, Bo Lönnerdal, Kathryn G Dewey, Randomized trial of the short-term effects of dieting compared with dieting plus aerobic exercise on lactation performance, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 69, Issue 5, May 1999, Pages 959–967, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/69.5.959

Rosenberg, K. (1994). A randomized study of the effects of aerobic exercise by lactating women on breast-milk volume and composition Dewey KG, Lovelady CA, Nommsen-Rivers MS, McCrory MS, Lonnerdal B N Engl J Med 1994;330:449-53. Journal of Nurse-Midwifery, 39(3), 169–170. doi: 10.1016/0091-2182(94)90104-x

Tiedje, L. B. (2000). The Effect of Weight Loss in Overweight, Lactating Women on the Growth of Their Infants. MCN, The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 25(4), 222. doi: 10.1097/00005721-200007000-00018


YOU MAY ALSO LIKE...

  • How to Get Your Period Back Postpartum & Conceiving While BreastfeedingHow to Get Your Period Back Postpartum & Conceiving While Breastfeeding
  • We’re Moving to….We’re Moving to….
  • Teddy’s Birth StoryTeddy’s Birth Story
  • Self Care in the thick of MotherhoodSelf Care in the thick of Motherhood

Filed Under: Breastfeeding, Motherhood

« What I’m Reading as a Non-Reading Convert
How to Get Your Period Back Postpartum & Conceiving While Breastfeeding »

Comments

  1. Maggie Getz says

    May 13, 2020 at 2:22 pm

    Thank you for this post, Robyn! I’m still nursing my almost 14-month-old, and I’m so thankful to have been able to nurse him this whole time. He never took a bottle, which used to stress me out but now I feel completely at peace with it! I agree we need better information on breastfeeding, especially in our diet-obsessed culture. Thank you for paving the way!

    Also that last pic of Cal is just too cute 🙂

    Reply
  2. Beth says

    May 13, 2020 at 6:54 pm

    Great post; just wanted to note that you have an error in your math for the energy required to produce milk. It looks like you did 20% instead of 80%; 80% of 500 is 400, not 100. And 80% of 680 is 549, not 136. So if the energy required to produce the milk is 80% of the caloric yield of the milk, the mom’s energy needs are significantly higher than the catchall 500/day especially for moms producing these very high milk volumes.

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      May 14, 2020 at 8:09 am

      Hi Beth – the math is right. It’s a bit confusing to understand – I’ll go back and reword it better to clarify. Breastmilk production has an 80-90% efficiency range – meaning our bodies can produce 80-90% of it without expending extra energy. So you’re multiplying the energy cost of the milk itself (the 500 cals) by 20% or 0.2

      Hope that makes sense!

      Reply
      • Beth says

        May 14, 2020 at 8:32 am

        Thanks for your reply! That sounds quite different than the original wording and makes much more sense with the math as you provided in the original post. Thanks for updating. Which of your references provided the info on 80-90% efficiency range? (I have had a hard time finding a professional reference for this information despite intuitively knowing that if an individual is producing X calories worth of milk, that individual must be expending X+ some unknown amount to produce so this reference would be super helpful to have). Thanks again.

        Reply
        • Robyn says

          May 14, 2020 at 1:26 pm

          I realized I wrote it as 80% vs 20% even though the math was 20% which would make that confusing! The Handbook of Nutrition & Diet has this information in it – it’s info I’ve known so I probably didn’t reference it (I wish I had that kind of time of my hands to reference every source I’ve read!)

          Reply
  3. Tricia says

    May 13, 2020 at 7:12 pm

    Thanks so much for sharing! I’m 13 days out from my due date as a first time mom and this was very helpful on what to expect. Especially understanding that I won’t get the same volume from pumping vs a baby feeding. Can’t wait to read part two.

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      May 14, 2020 at 7:58 am

      Congrats to you Tricia!

      Reply
  4. Meg says

    May 13, 2020 at 8:17 pm

    This was such an excellent read. I have had two very different breastfeeding experiences with both of my children, so I just wanted to point out that breastfeeding can be a completely different experience from baby to baby. With my first I had some PPD going on and baby had a tongue tie (which we didn’t realize until six weeks in). I exclusively pumped for nine months and it was rough. SO many people started to tell me that I looked so happy/better rested/like a happier mom once I stopped pumping. I truly didn’t realize how much it was wearing me down mentally and emotionally. Before my second was born, my husband and I had a long honest talk and we realized I couldn’t put myself though that again (especially with a two year old running around). We decided I’d try nursing with the new baby, take advantage of the six free visits with a lactation consultant that our insurance provided, and find a nursing support group. If nursing wasn’t working a couple months in, I’d switch to formula guilt free. My second baby nursed like a dream right from minute one. It was the most intuitive experience of my life. I’m fifteen weeks with my third and realizing early this time that all I can do is the best I can do and my babies love me regardless.

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      May 14, 2020 at 7:58 am

      Thank you so much for sharing Meg – YES every experience is so so different. I am so much respect for you for pushing through 9 months of EPing. Wow. And I respect you for knowing your limits in order to care for your mental health. If you aren’t in a good place, something’s gotta change. Our children’s love is certainly not dependent on if we BF or not. Love to you!

      Reply
  5. Emily says

    May 14, 2020 at 1:55 pm

    Loved this so much, thanks for sharing! I am due with my first in September in Boston – did you have a pediatrician in Boston who was supportive of your breast feeding goals that you’d recommend?

    Reply
  6. tudy loss weight says

    May 14, 2020 at 3:43 pm

    Wow, your blog really helps me a lot, I always read it and I really like it, but I recently discovered this weight loss recipe and I want to share it with you. Here is the link https://bit.ly/2Lq0Q7v.

    Reply
  7. Raji says

    May 16, 2020 at 9:41 am

    The Real-Life Rd is literally the best blog I have been following from time to time. Thanks for all your great articles which help me a lot in my daily life. Out of all, I am very thankful for this one article https://bit.ly/2WzAgit which has given me the best outcomes.

    Reply
  8. CM says

    May 16, 2020 at 10:29 am

    Hello, I have been following your blog for a very long time and I read it every day and all the methods of losing weight or keeping fit have been very helpful to me, however I also found this solution https://bit.ly/36gr9GV and I would be very happy to share it with others,and I hope to help them too.

    Reply
  9. Megan says

    May 18, 2020 at 4:49 pm

    So so helpful! I’m trying to learn a bit about breastfeeding as I am due with my first baby in October. As always I love your approach to wellness, intuitive eating, motherhood, etc so thank you 🙂

    Reply
  10. Bonnie says

    May 18, 2020 at 8:08 pm

    Thanks so much for this. As a mom in the postpartum period with her second child, it’s still so helpful to hear about how gentle we need to be with our bodies during this time. I was thinking the other day about how much pressure is put on moms to lose weight fast and how we’re made to feel lazy and as if we “let ourselves go” if we don’t start restricting and exercising right after baby. Postpartum is hard without all of that. I feel that breastfeeding, although such a wonderful thing for me and my babies, takes a toll as does caring for a newborn and getting less sleep than our bodies are used to. It’s hard and we need to be more gentle with ourselves. I think there’s a lot to be said for eating a lot of good food, practicing gentle, enjoyable movement, and resting as much as needed (or as much as is possible) during this time.

    Reply
  11. Marie-Eden says

    June 29, 2020 at 7:19 pm

    Hi from Quebec city, Canada! We are lucky to have access to a great maternity leave programm. The longest you can take is 50 weeks with a salary (a % from your salary). It helps a lot for breastfeeding!
    Thanks for your ressources!

    Reply
  12. Ashley says

    July 14, 2020 at 8:11 am

    The Reallife is literally the BEST weight loss community anywhere. I read it every day. And I am also so grateful I found https://tinyurl.com/customsdiet .It helped me not only lose weight but keep it off, hope it helps some others!

    Reply
  13. Epigmenio says

    July 25, 2020 at 7:25 am

    Nice blog! Try this natural method with this tea. It’s really work
    https://083c2kiqevawbneoobz7jrcl9w.hop.clickbank.net/

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Establishing & Maintaining an Adequate Breast Milk Supply – Weightlosstogo.com says:
    May 14, 2020 at 3:30 am

    […] post Establishing & Maintaining an Adequate Breast Milk Supply appeared first on The Real Life […]

    Reply
  2. How to Get Your Period Back Postpartum & Conceiving While Breastfeeding – Weightlosstogo.com says:
    May 27, 2020 at 2:00 pm

    […] is part two of a two part series on breastfeeding – you can read part one here. My goal with this series is to provide information that’s a little harder to find when you start […]

    Reply
  3. Recipe: Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies - Wellness with Edie says:
    July 1, 2020 at 6:01 pm

    […] interested in learning more about how the female body produces milk. Robyn Nohling recently wrote a well-researched blog post about breastfeeding, which I highly recommend reading. Kelly Mom is also another incredible website for all-things […]

    Reply
  4. How to Get Your Period Back Postpartum - Hello GHD Hair says:
    May 21, 2022 at 5:19 am

    […] is part two of a two part series on breastfeeding – you can read part one here. My goal with this series is to provide information that’s a little harder to find when you start […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

A non-diet dietitian and nurse practitioner helping women find peace with food, accept their natural body size and heal from hormonal issues and period problems.

More On Lady Hormones

How Birth Control Methods Affect Your Hormones, Period and Fertility

What Your Cervical Fluid Can Tell You About Your Reproductive Health

women's reproductive health

Women’s Reproductive Health 101

I have yet to experience postpartum myself, but I've had many clients and readers that have been through that season of life. Or perhaps you are currently living through the postpartum period. Every woman's body is different, therefore every woman's experience after giving birth will be different. What works for one woman, might not work for the next. While one woman might go through postpartum and adjust to newborn life quiet seamlessly, another woman might find it much more difficult. She might need the support of medication, therapy, extra help and many other things. One way is not better than the other - they are simply two different ways of navigating the postpartum period. I hope this post helps you better care for yourself, whatever that means for you. There's no right or wrong way to care for yourself as a mom or your new baby.

Postpartum Hormones: what’s happening in your body and how to care for yourself

* indicates required

Categories

Get in Touch!

Follow Me!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

I talk a lot about moving, eating, and living intuitively so you can be well hormonally and live a fulfilling life in line with your values

The Real Life RD on Pinterest

Follow Me on Pinterest
A little way I’m learning to enjoy these years o A little way I’m learning to enjoy these years of getting to spend so much time with my kids: aka another way I’m discovering some pockets of peace so my heart & mind & soul don’t crumble under the reality of dependent & emotionally dysregulated tiny humans.  About once a week we go somewhere for baked goods. We drive or walk, buy something buttery & then find a beautiful, relatively quiet outdoor spot where the boys can romp and I can sit and think my thoughts while I watch them play. This past week we were found ourselves at the Wool Factory where the boys threw rocks & whatever else off the bridge while I ate 90% of this almond 🥐 from @coucourachou that will blow your mind. Boys ate the other 10% bc they were busy playing and didn’t ask for more quickly enough 😜  I’m finding *for me* playgrounds have a time & place but they aren’t where I enjoy motherhood & my two toddlers the most. Baked goods & a pretty outdoor spot without high drops my 15 month old could launch himself off of…I’m here for it.
I brought this bag of snacks along when I took the I brought this bag of snacks along when I took the boys to hike out at one of our favorite spots last week and when I ripped it open I was regretting my choice to share them with my kids. @baresnacks randomly sent me a box of snacks and I usually eat free food we receive or give it to a friend/neighbor and move on. But I felt it my duty to tell you about these bc they are THAT GOOD. I’m not getting paid and this isn’t sponsored - I was just shocked at how tasty these were and felt you needed to know. We ate them with some buttery roasted nuts and the combo was 👌🏻 but they are good just on their own.  The boys climbed rocks and swam in the reservoir - leave it to my almost 3 year old to want to strip down naked and fully submerge himself in chilly water on a sixty degree morning. “Mama can I get super nakey?” Sure baby. Sure. This is your childhood.
It’s a hard sell to get me to accept an offer of It’s a hard sell to get me to accept an offer of extended alone time away from the babies to just be. And that isn’t something that’s best for me, it’s an area I gotta grow in. So this afternoon when Nick pushed me out the door and was like - get out of here plzzzz - I walked to my favorite cafe and ordered a thick pastrami sandwich and sat there for a good LONG while before taking a long, peaceful walk in the rain to wrap up the afternoon. Note to self: stop being such a control freak and go be by yourself sometimes.
a girlfriend brought me a 🍪 the size of my face a girlfriend brought me a 🍪 the size of my face from @mariebettecafe this morning when she came to get her toddler who played with us all morning and it is v good. even better when paired with an iced latte 😍
#AlignPartner I left off a few weeks ago sharing a #AlignPartner I left off a few weeks ago sharing about how taking @alignprobiotic regularly has improved my digestive regularity.  And I’m still taking them! I’ve permanently added Align 24/7 Digestive Support* into the roundup of supplements I take before bed (prenatal, vitamin D, choline & DHA - all which help keep me healthy while breastfeeding) so I can keep seeing the benefits.  Just because you see benefits, doesn’t mean you should stop taking your probiotic. Keep taking Align daily (under the supervision and recommendation of your health care provider of course) to keep seeing the benefits!  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - one of my favorite parts of Align probiotics is that they don’t need refrigeration AND they come in a convenient little blister pack that has the days labeled. It’s the little things people! #MyAlignGuutJourney #guthealth  *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.
I realized it was going to be a long, hot afternoo I realized it was going to be a long, hot afternoon (91 and muggy in MAY 🤯) when a toddler nap was refused and a baby nap was cut wildly short ....so my tired mom brain pulled out two plastic storage bins, filled them up with soap & hose water and striped ‘em down naked in the yard. Two hours later, it was almost time for an early dinner and I had magically been able to sit for most of that time and we already had baths checked off the list. 👍🏻 I’m archiving this idea for my future self, hope it helps another tired mama out.
#AlignPartner I left off a month ago sharing about #AlignPartner I left off a month ago sharing about getting better at doing the basics to care for myself which included taking my supplements and @alignprobiotic regularly.  Probiotics take time to work so I wanted to give it a full month to see the full effects of @alignprobiotic. So here are my honest thoughts: it took a few weeks to notice any differences, but near the end of the month I did notice some changes in my digestive balance - even while traveling! I’m not someone who experiences occasional gas, bloating or abdominal discomfort frequently enough to notice a difference, so I don’t feel like I can comment on how well Align works for those benefits.  All in all though, taking @alignprobiotic was a positive experience and I really appreciated how the capsules don’t need to be stored in the fridge, making it convenient to take them with me anywhere #MyAlignGuutJourney #guthealth  *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.
Where we will spend a good majority of our summer. Where we will spend a good majority of our summer. Because the swampy VA summer has already begun (it’s in the low 90s today 🥵 lord help) and creeks are our retreat - not only from the heat but also from the noisy world. I need this just (if not more) than they do! We’ll be at the splash pads and pools too, but the quietness of the creek...my mental health is so about it. And it’s hours of play for them! Win win.  A couple things to note: this scene also included a few toddler reminders on finding another direction to throw rocks instead of at his brother - so not all is serene 🤪 and also, yes I am now that mom who buys the same clothing for both kids bc it keeps things simple & i think i kinda like it too 🤷🏻‍♀️
Things I love about midwifery among many: the appo Things I love about midwifery among many: the appointments, no matter how long, feel so unhurried. 
Just walked in from an appointment with my midwife because I was due for a Pap test + an overall wellness visit. My last pap was during my first trimester with Cal which feels like a jillion years ago, but it’s only actually been three years. Life changes so fast! Pre-baby life feels like a whole other life.  I’m wayyyy overdue for a visit to my PCP bc I’ve been under OBGYN or midwifery care for the majority of the past three years while having babies, but I am pretty good with keeping up with my paps. It seems women often think they need pap and/or HPV testing way more frequently than they do (and providers sometimes perform these tests more frequently than necessary - remember more testing doesn’t always mean better outcomes!)  So if you need it, here’s a quick little reminder on this chilly spring Friday afternoon on how often you need this testing (these are the recommendations from ACOG)  Women aged 21–29 years should have a Pap test alone every 3 years. HPV testing is not recommended.  Women aged 30–65 years should have a Pap test and an HPV test (aka co-testing) every 5 years (preferred). It also is acceptable to have a Pap test alone every 3 years.  If you get abnormal results, this testing frequency could change - but for healthy women with normal results, you actually don’t need testing as frequently as you might think. Which is great news for those of you who hate the speculum.  Ok, off to finish up some things on the to-do list (including cleaning this kitchen) during nap time and then come 5 o’clock, crack an IPA with our neighbors 🍻
#AlignPartner Over the past seven months since bec #AlignPartner Over the past seven months since becoming a mom of two, caring for myself has gotten shoved to the back burner. And it's been a challenge to make it a priority. My routine-resistant personality has upsides and downsides when it comes to motherhood. So I'm starting small this year with a consistent bedtime routine that includes taking my supplements and @alignprobiotic and hoping as that becomes consistent, my mornings will naturally shift too.  In short my bedtime currently goes like this….jammies & face care when putting the babies to bed. Before I go to bed (anytime between 9pm and 12am...) I’ll pump, take my supplements and fill my water. Then I go upstairs and brush my teeth. And then get in bed. The kicker: 70% of the time I find myself finishing up tasks on my phone IN BED. I hate this habit.  Back to supplements. This is something I have been able to stick with. On top of fish oil, my prenatal, choline and vitamin D, I recently added @AlignProbiotic 24/7 Digestive Support*§ to see if it helps with abdominal discomfort and regularity because when I don’t drink coffee or am traveling that can get thrown off.  I’ll be taking it every day for the next 28 days since it takes TIME for our bodies to adjust to probiotics - and I'll be taking you guys along with me as I share my honest thoughts. Many people think if they don’t see changes within the first 7-10 days then the probiotic isn’t working, but that’s not the case. I’m giving myself more than just a week or two and instead a full month to see the full benefits. I’ll keep you posted over the next month. Check out my stories to learn more! #MyAlignGutJourney #guthealth
 
*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.
We had an AFTERNOON today. Toddler didn’t care f We had an AFTERNOON today. Toddler didn’t care for a nap. Putting baby down was harder than I wanted it to be. Miraculously, I had a moment of clarity as I was covered in tiny humans and decided I wasn’t doing the nap battle thing a on 60 degree, gorgeous, sunny spring day 🙅🏻‍♀️ so I piled both babies into the car half naked, opened the sun roof, put on white noise for them and an audio book for me and drank a kombucha as I drove a meal to a postpartum mama. Thirty five minutes later we had a sleeping baby and a toddler who at least had a rest. Baby transferred without waking HALLELUJAH and although my toddler didn’t nap today (lord help) at least we got soaked in breezy sunshine 😎🤘🏻💆🏻‍♀️
We veered from our usual Friday night homemade piz We veered from our usual Friday night homemade pizza (minus the dough, we leave that to @albemarlebakingco) because we are eating pizza tomorrow with some friends - instead I called my mom and asked her how she makes her chicken fingers and we fried up a big ole batch of chicken nugs 🙌🏻🤤 along with a sheet pan full of sweet potato fries and a simple arugula salad dressed with parmesean, olive oil and s&p. Oh and my moms honey mustard recipe for dipping. It’s SO DANG GOOD.  Over the past 6ish months we’ve been practicing (and practicing and practicing bc it doesn’t come naturally) unplugging from technology and slowing down and resting and just being for one day a week. Some call it Shabbat. Some call it Sabbath. Maybe you call it something different. All I know is IT IS SO GOOD FOR MY WEARY SOUL and the day I look forward to ALL WEEK. Sundown on Friday to sundown Saturday. Nothing but rest. For us that means hiking (or something outside) and napping and reading and being with friends and eating really good food. And drinking some really good wine or craft beer. Sometimes whiskey. 😛  And because I know I’ll get asked about the chicken finger recipe and also because it’s too good not to share and Momma Coale said I could, here ya go:  Cut chicken breast into thin strips or small pieces (I prefer nug size bc the breading to chicken ratio is perfection). Salt and pepper those babies really well. Then dredge them in all purpose flour, then egg, then panko - just like you would bread anything else. Then fry them up in a light oil - I use avocado oil because that’s our everyday oil. You could also use canola or peanut oil. Just fill a pan with an inch or so of oil on medium high heat. They only take 2-3 minutes per side. You can always temp them to make sure they are at least 165 degrees F to really make sure they are done. Dunk in all the sauces and enjoy!  Happy weekend!

Copyright © 2023 · The Real RD· Blog Design by Little Blue Deer


Terms and Conditions | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy