Many times mamas want to increase their milk supply. Maybe you are going back to work and so baby isn't nursing as much, maybe you are going though a stressful time emotionally and this may affect your supply. Or maybe you are wanting to starting pumping breastmilk, and want to increase your supply for this.

The number one thing that will affect your breastmilk production is demand. Never forget this. The more your baby nurses, the more your body makes milk. When your baby's going through a growth spurt, it may take a few days for your body to catch up and start making more milk. Just nurse, nurse, nurse. But it certainly won't hurt to make a batch of these yummy cookies too.

Brewers yeast, hops, and oatmeal are just a few ingredients that come to mind as galactagogues, or foods that are supposed to increase your milk supply. This explains the old adage that drinking beer will increase your milk supply. There are also a plethora of herbs that are purported to increase your supply. Of course, you can also just eat oatmeal on a regular basis, or make these cookies often. Each lactation cookie recipe that you find will vary in its ingredients and its healthiness, but they usually have one or more galactagogue in them. These are the magic makers in lactation cookie recipes. The recipe below calls for brewers yeast. This is different than yeast used in baking, and different from the cheesy tasty nutritional yeast. Brewers yeast is a whole different ingredient. You can order it online or buy it in certain grocery stores, like Chico Natural Foods. Some stores like Raley's may carry it as well.

Here is a sample recipe for Lactation Cookies I found on Food.com

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies by Noel Trujillo
Yields 4 1/2 dozen
Ingredients:

    1 cup butter
    1 cup sugar
    1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
    4 tablespoons water
    2 tablespoons flax seed meal
    2 eggs
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    2 cups flour
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon salt
    3 cups oats
    1 cup chocolate chips
    2 -4 tablespoons brewer's yeast
 
Directions
    Preheat oven to 350°.
    Mix the flaxseed meal and water and let sit for 3-5 minutes.
    Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar well.
    Add eggs and mix well.
    Add flaxseed mix and vanilla, beat well.
    Sift together flour, brewers yeast, baking soda, and salt.
    Add dry ingredients to butter mix.
    Stir in oats and chips.
    Scoop onto baking sheet.
    Bake for 12 minutes.
    Let set for a couple minutes then remove from tray.
 
If you are having trouble establishing or maintaining your milk supply, making an appointment with a International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) is one of the best things you can do. There is no substitution for the information and guidance they will provide. So grab that baby of yours, stick them on your breast, munch some of these cookies, and make an appointment with an IBCLC.

Have you heard the term "optimal fetal positioning" before? What exactly does this mean? In a nutshell it means that your baby is in the best position for both of you to have an easier birth. The traditional most optimal position is head down, back forward. This position is called occiput anterior. The occiput is the back portion of the crown of your baby's head, and so when the this is facing forward (anterior), baby's face is facing towards your back. This is the opposite position of when baby's are born "sunny-side up."

The exercises and postures you can do to encourage your baby to get into the best position are never too early to begin. Sometimes babies lie in your womb in a breech position. This means that their feet are pointed toward your cervix, and their head is toward your head. This is not an optimal fetal position since the head is the best part to be pushed out first. Breech babies usually end up being born by cesarean, as many hospitals and homebirth midwives are not comfortable doing a vaginal breech birth. However, there are lots of things to try to get baby into a better position before birth.

 There are some simple exercises and habits you can start doing to help the chances of your baby being in the most optimal fetal position. A huge one is to watch your posture. When we're sitting we're often slouching, whether it's leaning back on the couch or driving in our car. The problem is when we sit like this, our back is curved, which allows more room for the heaviest part of your baby's head, the occiput, to move towards your back, hence their face will be facing forward. This position is called occiput posterior, or "sunny side up." When a baby is in this position, and their spine is towards your spine, it can sometimes cause you to have back labor. Back labor is when contractions are felt in your back and it can be very uncomfortable. When pushing, it can also sometimes be harder to push baby out when they're in this position. As far as pushing, it's very individual and some women won't have trouble pushing a baby out that's in this position. But some women will have a harder time.

 During birth, your body will likely want to move into various positions of its own accord. Try to tune into your body and pay attention to what feels right. There's no telling what will feel right for you during your labor. Some women are surprised that positions they were positive would feel good actually didn't, and they ended up in a position they never planned on using. This is absolutely fine- just go with it! Across the board, there are a couple positions which can help baby get into the best position for birth- try to do these even if only for a few contractions and even if they don't feel great. On the other hand, if something absolutely feels wrong and hurts, don't do that position, it all comes down to listening to your body. The yoga pose 'cat cow' is great for labor. You get on all fours on your hands and knees. If you can put your rear as high up in the air as possible and your head down low, that's the ticket to this pose. When you're in this position, it allows your baby to move towards your head, out of your pelvis a little bit. This gives them the room to move into a better position. It's pretty amazing but our babies will usually want to get into an optimal position before birth if you help them a little bit. Here's a great elaborated explanation of this position.

Do you know your baby's position? Have you done anything to encourage them into an optimal position? Please share!

Maybe this has happened to you- you're walking down the street, already feeling so pregnant when a stranger chimes in to give you such helpful comments as "Wow, you're big" or "Are you carrying twins?" Hopefully you were able to just smile and not engage further. Because, yes, you are already aware of how big you are, and, no,  you are not carrying twins. Or maybe it's the opposite situation where your belly doesn't look that big and people comment on how small you look. Comments like these do nothing but instill doubt that are going about your pregnancy in a healthy way. Why is it that people feel the need to comment on your appearance when you're pregnant? There are not many other instances in life where people so unabashedly give their opinion to you. But if you are pregnant, it seems there's no shortage of comments and stories that surround you. It can be hard to know how to react to some of these comments and not take them personally. But surrounding yourself with loving, supportive people that reassure you that you are doing everything right is paramount. Having a supportive care provider who is also willing to take the time to listen to your concerns can go far in appeasing any thoughts that might be provoked by these comments.

Birth stories are another area where, if you are pregnant, people often feel the need to share their opinions and ideas. Sometimes, this is wonderful. The sharing of tales and experiences is an ancient tradition and it is often how we develop deep relationships with each other. But, these stories are not always what you should be listening to as you prepare for the birth of your child. Sometimes, women and families are still processing their own birth experience. The act of talking about what they went through can be therapeutic for them, but an anxious first time mom is not the right audience for their harrowing tale. Have you noticed that many of the stories about birth that women tell are scary? We don't often hear the stories of awesome, rock-star, empowering births. This is not because the scary stories are the only ones out there- rather it is because the women who had a hard time are often more vocal than the ones who had a joyful birth.

 Our words are so powerful, even a slight shift in our mindset can be powerful. When we reframe how we think of birth, the results can be huge. What you feel during childbirth is part of a normal physiological process. Maybe try to frame your mind that your contractions will be intense, strong, wavelike, but not necessarily painful. There are women out there that will say they have experienced a pain-free birth. Ask them what their secret was, and they will all most likely reply that they had an open mind that it was possible. Our physical sensations are intricately connected to our thoughts. Start to notice the words that are being said around you and your upcoming birth. Are there certain people that always seem to have something negative to say, even if they are not conscious they are doing this?

 How have you dealt with negative words during your pregnancy and birth? Did you find words to have an impact on your experience of giving birth?

We are all teeming with bacteria. By the time your baby is a few years old their entire body will be inhabited by thousands of different kinds of microbiotic species, both inside and outside. These teeny tiny invisible guys do a lot for us, they are in fact, an essential component of our healthy bodies. Each microbe plays a different role, from helping us form immunities, digest our food, and combat inflammation. We have a complex symbiosis with all of these microbacteria.
 
But, before your baby is born, they are in a sterile environment inside of your bag of waters.  There are no bacteria present in the amniotic fluid, and so your baby is practically void of all bacteria. After your water breaks, this sterile environment is broken. This is why it is a good idea to not have too many vaginal exams after your water breaks, and if it's been broken for a long time, your OB or midwife may want to get things going. Once the barrier of your bag of waters is gone, there is an opportunity for bacteria to travel up and reach your baby. This is not what we want.
 
During pregnancy, if the mom takes probiotics, some studies have shown that this can be helpful, especially if the mom has a condition that may get passed down such as obesity or asthma. This affects the baby because when mom's bacteria are healthy, she will then pass on healthy bacteria to her baby when he/she is born.
 
Old school practices dictated cleaning and shaving the perineal area before birth, but this is not practiced many places anymore. Science has now told us that it's not necessary, we actually want the normal bacteria that is present on mom to reach baby as they come into the world. Your baby passes through the vagina, which is located next to the rectum. This anatomical location where birth takes place leads itself to your baby being introduced to bacteria from your gut as it's being born. These bacteria travel into your baby's previously sterile gut and start to take up residence-this is a good thing. The bacteria passed from mom's gut to baby are friendly gut helpers- they will help your baby digest their first meal of colostrum.
 
During a cesarean birth, your baby will not be exposed to the bacteria in your vagina or in your perineal area. We are just beginning to grasp the complexity of our relationships with the multitude of species which inhabit our bodies. The differences in the bacteria present in a baby born vaginally versus by cesarean are big, and may have lasting health effects. To combat this, a practice many hospitals have adopted is to put baby on mom's chest very first thing after they are born. This way all the friendly bacteria on mom's skin will get transferred to baby. But this is still a different set of bacteria than what vaginally-born babies get exposed to. In some hospitals, a piece of gauze will be put in mom's vagina to chill there for a while, then when baby is born by cesarean, the gauze is wiped on baby's face, eyes, and mouth. How interesting is that?
 
Your baby's microbiome is complex and fascinating and we are only just beginning to understand its development.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This blog post was originally published on Supportive Conceptions Surrogacy.
Cultures all over the world have the right idea. Families can be seen wearing their babies on their bodies. In America, there is no shortage of baby carriers. There are moby wraps, tulas, mai tais, ergos, and k'tans.

Your baby attached to your body is one of the safest places for them. You know exactly where they are at all times. This can be especially helpful for new parents who find themselves constantly checking in on them when they're in their crib or bassinet. There are different ways to carry a newborn versus a toddler. What carrier you use will determine the correct way to situate your baby. In general though, you want your newborn to be in a similar position as he/she was in the womb, with knees bent, and in the fetal position. There are some safety issues to keep in mind when wearing your baby. There are also times when you shouldn't wear your baby, like when your working over a hot stove. General rule of thumb regardless of the carrier, you should at all times be able to kiss the top of the baby's head. Not only is this an important safety guideline, but they then have the comfort of your heartbeat.

When you wear your baby, there's no bulky plastic car seat to worry about lugging around. Most baby wearing carriers are super small and lightweight.

Babywearing is of course super beneficial for bonding with your baby, but did you know that is also really great for their spine? Newborn babies' spines are 'C shaped,' and completely flexed, just like they were inside the womb. When they are in a carrier on your body, this allows their spine to maintain this natural curve. This is something that doesn't happen when they're in a hard plastic carrier. Also, when your baby is being worn, there is constant movement in all directions. This constant stimulation helps to form their vestibular system, which controls balance. 

Moms, Dads, siblings, and other family members can all participate. This is a sweet way for everyone to develop a special bond. I remember hearing a story about a dad who, whenever his baby would get upset, would put her in her carrier, and take a walk around the block with her. She always calmed down. The combination of a deep voice, big hands, and the movement which comes along with wearing your baby are great soothing tools.

Have you heard of kangaroo care? This is a perfect name for when parents wear their premature infants on their body, like a little baby kangaroo.  The parents wear their little babies on their bodies while they are still in the hospital. Amazingly, this technique has been shown to be more beneficial than incubators for premature infants. This has been shown to have a huge effect on the baby's ability to regulate their body temperature, and is beneficial to the baby's development. This not only applies to premature babies. Neurologically, babywearing is very beneficial for all babies. Because they are surrounded by constant stimuli, babywearing affects brain development for all babies. They are able to fully interact with their environment, and you are able to have an up close and personal view as your child learns about the world around them.

All IP's have clearly gone to great lengths to have the children they now have forever to hold as their own. Babywearing is a great option for those who wish to hold their precious ones as close as possible, as long as they possibly can