I recently posted on my breastfeeding journey and advice by a certified Lactation Consultant. Since then, I have been a little MIA with a few side projects going on. The breastfeeding post and podcast have received very positive reviews which I am grateful for. I wanted to add another important element to this journey, food! Specifically, foods that boost your milk supply.
You might have come across several well-wishers who swear by a certain home remedy and how it made them overflow (literally). I was lukewarm to this idea till I ended up seeing a lactation consultant who prescribed some supplements. Then with my younger one, I reassessed the diet part. Hence, I came up with a list of the most practical meal plan for new moms.
I dislike meal planning with all my heart, but I tackled it for this post because I believe in eliminating the brain load for new moms. Enjoy and share!
Before moving forward, I need to mention that this advice is not meant as a treatment for issues related to breastfeeding. It is meant to be a guide to help you select from some informed choices. The number one method to boost your milk is to feed your baby on demand. If you are not sure about your baby’s feeding, please talk to your baby’s doctor for evaluation and treatment,
Meal plan for new moms: Hydration
Breastmilk is 88% water. Mamas can relate to feeling thirsty while breastfeeding. One of the most important factors is to drink water every time you sit down for a feeding session. I would suggest keeping a bottle or cup specifically for this purpose next to your feeding area.
Breakfast
Morning time usually is accompanied by more milk volume naturally. The good news is that many breakfast foods are also great ways to boost your milk supply in the morning.
Oats are well known for this purpose. They contain a lot of beta-glucan which stimulates an important hormone for breastfeeding called prolactin. Barley is also rich in this.
How to add oats
I recommend this easy pancake recipe that can be modified by adding other ingredients to it as well. I call it my 1 2 3 recipe.
Simply mix one banana, two eggs, and 1/3 (a third) cup of oats (either rolled oats or instant ones) in a food processor. I used my small Ninja bullet. You will end up with a batter. Then make pancakes on a simple girdle or pan. You can also double or triple the recipe and make it all at once. Then you can throw the extra ones in a storage bag to keep in the freezer. Microwave for a minute and breakfast is ready.
You can also make a breakfast smoothie using 1/2 (half) cup of oats, one banana, and almond milk. Blend together. You can also add spinach greens and some flaxseed meal for an additional boost.
Morning Snack
You will be surprised at the pangs of hunger that might come on without warning. I recommend keeping a few of these options on hand to get the boost in milk production as well.
Nuts
There is so much variety that you can choose from. Nuts contain tryptophan which again is helpful with the breastfeeding hormone prolactin production. In addition, they contain healthy fats that improve the fat quality of the milk you are making.
You can take a big jar or container and mix up a lactation mix. A simple recipe would be two or three nuts and dried fruits along with seeds from the list below.
- Almonds
- Cashews
- Macademia nuts
- Sesame seeds
- Dried apricots, figs
- Dates
- Saunf (fennel seeds)
Just take a cup of whichever ingredient you have on hand (except maybe just a spoonful of sesame seeds) and keep it at your bedside for the time you are too tired or sleepy to get to the kitchen.
Lunch
When you have healthy fats in your diet, you might feel that you are not so hungry come lunchtime. That still gives you the chance to have a salad or some form of leafy green meal that helps keep you going and regular. (we can all attest to the importance of relieving ourselves regularly).
You can choose any leafy greens, add some flaxseed meal, some chopped carrots or beets (boiled beets are my favorite) and then top it off with a healthy drizzle of cold-pressed Olive oil. I also loved fresh Mozarella cheese on the side for extra calcium.
The key is to keep the ingredients simple but healthy. Add more vegetables if you want. I love adding boiled egg and avocado on the side.
Legumes
I have to say daal is a gift for new moms. It’s quick to eat, healthy, and also boosts milk production. You can make it thin so you can eat it like soup. Do not forget the Tarka with desi ghee and zeera for an extra boost.
I really love making a quinoa salad that can be customized with more healthy lactogenic foods. For that, you just make a cup of quinoa according to the boiling instruction. (I just use my electric pressure cooker to cook it for one minute on high). Then in a bowl, add a cup of boiled chickpeas, some spinach or other greens, mushrooms, fresh lemon juice, olives, dressing of your choice (I use a tamarind date chutney) then add the quinoa to it and add a ton of olive oil. Mix it up. My kids love it too.
You can add a side of grilled fish or chicken and call it a complete meal.
Afternoon snack
Afternoon snacking is incomplete without tea. According to guidelines, for breastfeeding moms of healthy babies you can consume 200-300mg of caffeine which comes out to 2-3 cups of coffee. Black tea has about 50mg of caffeine in one cup. I would err on the side of consuming less as it can be a stimulant that has a low chance of affecting your baby.
Here is a link to the most common drinks and their caffeine content.
Tea goes really well with cookies. Lactation cookies are a quick way to add a small boost to your snack. Brewer’s yeast is known to have beneficial effects on milk production. Here is a link to a recipe that tells you how to make it from scratch.
My hack
I am too lazy for that, so I would cheat by getting store-bought cookie dough (find it near the butter section) and then soften it at home. Add two tablespoons of brewer’s yeast and flaxseed meal, a tablespoon of Chia seeds (optional) and Fenugreek powder (optional), and then make it into cookies then bake them.
You can do this with a store-bought brownie mix as well. I suggest replacing the oil in the recipe on the box with butter or coconut oil for better taste and a boost to your supply. You can also add M and Ms or dark chocolate (just remember to watch the caffeine).
Ginger is good for milk as well, so simply add it to green tea or get some candied ginger to add to your trail mix.
Dinner
This is a great time to add protein. I suggest keeping it simple and find ways to add some greens (Spinach, Brocolli, Asparagus) on the side.
Sweet potatoes can be baked in the oven for a filling side.
You’ve got this!
I hope this information helped you understand how you can make small simple changes and get a boost.
One thing that I did not mention here is my homemade Panjiri recipe. I will share it in a future post but it basically changed my life after I tried it with the second one. I have been making and sending it to some new moms and they love the taste. They say it’s like eating mithai.
If you want to know, I would love to share the recipe along with some ingredients I added to it for quicker postpartum recovery.
Let me know in the comments below. How did you like this meal plan for new moms?
