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Create a Feeding Sanctuary With These

Create a Feeding Sanctuary With These

by | Jun 1, 2019 | Postpartum

Have you spent hours on Pinterest designing your baby’s nursery, choosing a pram and buying cute little baby outfits? Have you given much thought to creating a feeding sanctuary? A place where you can retreat to with your baby. A place where you’ll feed, rock and cuddle your baby, read, eat, watch netflix and perhaps fall asleep too.  

Here’s a few things you can use to design your Feeding Sanctuary:

FEEDING CHAIR

In the early days, you’ll spend a lot of time feeding and settling so make sure you have a comfy chair in your Feeding Sanctuary.

I love my Ollie Ella Mo- Ma Glider with the ottoman that glides in synch and the lumbar pillow to support your lower back. It takes the effort out of rocking your baby to sleep.

A feeding chair is a good investment as you can use it for subsequent children, as a reading chair or sell it on Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace (they have really good resale value). 

Create your Feeding Sanctuary where you think you’ll spend most of your time with your baby. Maybe in the nursery, your bedroom or in the living room. 

Breastfeeding Sanctuary

Source: Kiddie Country

SMALL TABLE

Put a small table (a bedside table will do) in your Feeding Sanctuary so it’s in easy reach of your chair in for your snacks, drinks and other essentials.

LAMP

Use a lamp in your Feeding Sanctuary with a low voltage globe or one with a dimmer instead of turning on the room light in the middle of the night. Blue light (light emitted from screens, fluorescent bulbs and LED lights) can make you and your baby more alert so you’ll both struggle falling back to sleep after an early morning feed). I love my Himalayan salt lamp which gives off a beautiful orange glow. 

DRINKS

Keep a water bottle on your side table in your Feeding Sanctuary so it’s in easy reach and top it up before each feed. 

Breastfeeding can cause dehydration so drink more than the standard 8- 10 glasses of water to make up for what your body uses in producing milk. Staying well hydrated increases your energy, reduces hunger, promotes digestion and boosts your milk supply.

Herbal Tea is also very hydrating. A warm cup of tea is like a hug in a mug. It boosts oxytocin and makes you feel warm, loved and cared for. This “breastfeeding tea” by LOVE TEA helps with milk supply and digestion (for you and your baby). Don’t let your tea go cold (which is easy to do as a new mama) drink it in an insulated reusable cup with a lid to keep it nice and hot. 

SNACKS

Keep some snacks on your side table in your Feeding Sanctuary so they’re in easy reach.

Instead of counting your calories, use your hunger as a guide. Breastfeeding works up an appetite and can make you ravenous. Whilst it’s tempting to grab a packet of Tim Tams or a block of chocolate, they won’t leave you feeling satiated. Instead, stock up on snacks that are nourishing and will keep you fuller for longer like nuts and seeds, fruit, cheese, yoghurt and bliss balls.

Include a plan for snacks in your Postpartum Plan. Things like bliss balls, banana bread and slices can be frozen ahead of time so you can make them on maternity leave or allocate to friends or family that feel at home in the kitchen. Do some research to find some recipes you like and share them. My Apple and Cinnamon Lactation Bliss Balls are yummy.

Otherwise, ask friends and family to make you snacks instead of buying you a baby gift. Or put your visitors to work when they stop by so you can get some rest and enjoy the fruits of their labour later on.

Lactation Bliss Ball Cookies

ENTERTAINMENT

The days may seem long and the nights even longer when you’re feeding your baby so you may like some entertainment in your Feeding Sanctuary.

KINDLE: Load it up while you’re on maternity leave. Some books that I really enjoyed are The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, Buddhism for Mothers by Sarah Napthali, Happy Mama by Amy Taylor- Kabbaz, Mindfulness for Mothers by Rebecca Ryan and SLOW by Brooke McAlary. Keep away from all the dreaded baby books- they’ll just mess with your head. Hard copy books can be a little awkward when you’re trying to juggle a newborn so audiobooks are a good option.

PODCASTS: Some of my favourites are The Goop Podcast with Gwyneth Paltrow, The Motherly Podcast, The Motherkind Podcast, Newborn Mothers Podcast with Julia Jones, The Slow Home Podcast with Brooke and Ben McAlary and the Happy Mama Movement by Amy Taylor- Kabbaz. Use the Podcasts App on your phone and search for topics that you’re interested in. 

NETFLIX: Add the shows you’d like to watch to “your channel”. Use your headphones so  it doesn’t overstimulate your baby and mess with their sleep. When choosing movies or series, go for romcoms. Research suggests they’ll give you an oxytocin boost. 

HEADPHONES

Keep your headphones in a drawer, a basket or on your side table so they’re in arms reach in your Feeding Sanctuary. Use them to listen to podcasts, music, chat to friends or watch Netflix. Iphone headphones are easy to get all tangled up when you’re juggling your baby and your cuppa so invest in some wireless ones.

PHONE CHARGER

No doubt you’ll be using your phone a lot for taking baby photos and texting friends and family, so keep your charger plugged in close to your feeding chair in your Feeding Sanctuary. Don’t get stuck under your sleeping baby with a dying battery not able to move.

Are you pregnant? Get your free Guided Deep Relaxation (Yoga Nidra). Fill in your details HERE and I’ll send it to your inbox for you to download.

I’d love to hear your comments and questions in the COMMENTS below.

Why I Wasn’t Prepared for Breastfeeding

Why I Wasn’t Prepared for Breastfeeding

by | Mar 1, 2019 | Postpartum

Whilst I felt prepared as I could be for birth, I didn’t feel prepared for mamahood. I assumed breastfeeding would come naturally. I didn’t realise it’s a skill and it takes time, practice and perseverance.

As a pregnancy yoga instructor and doula, I read all the books and attended birth education courses but from my experience, the focus was on how to get the baby out with little information on what to do once I brought my baby home. 

I laughed at a suggestion to put lemon juice on my nipples and lay in the sun to toughen them up. After all, when would I possibly fit it in? Before or after I massaged my perineum, pressed on my acupressure points, rubbed my belly with clary sage, drank raspberry leaf tea and did my hypnobirthing relaxation?

I figured that stuff could wait until after the birth when I’d have more time on my hands. For now, I just needed to focus on my drug free water birth.

But I soon realised that for me, birth was the easy part. There’s no epidural for breastfeeding. 

I WASN’T PREPARED FOR:

How painful breastfeeding can be to begin with. I was baffled as to why women openly shared with me how painful labour and birth can be but failed to mention how sore my nipples would be.

How useful the breastfeeding information session was at the hospital. Pre- baby I thought it was a waste of 1.5 hours of my precious maternity leave. Post- baby I realised that the lactation consultant and her fake boob were a godsend. You can’t learn how to breastfeed from a book.

My small breasts not affecting my ability to breastfeed. Pre- baby I feared that I wouldn’t be able to breastfeed because of my A cup breasts but they proved me wrong. The ability to produce milk and how much you produce has nothing to do with size. Phew!

Breastfeeding being a 2 person job in the early days. When Banjo woke for a feed, I’d jump in the shower to massage my engorged breasts and prepare my Feeding Sanctuary while my husband made a warm compress to put on my breasts before Banjo latched on, propped me up with pillows and grabbed refrigerated cabbage leaves to my overheated breasts afterwards.

How lonely I would feel feeding my baby at all hours of the night. My only companion, my phone which connected me to the outside world.

The challenge of breastfeeding in public. Breastfeeding covers are clumsy and Banjo hated being covered. So I resorted to throwing him on the boob so as to not reveal my breasts but he didn’t latch properly which resulted in;

Grazed nipples. Despite the pain, I had to grin and bear it and continue feeding to avoid mastitis.

How crucial support is. I was at breaking point and as a last resort, I went to see my Acupuncturist ,who was also a Lactation Consultant, who gave me the confidence to keep going. 

Side- lying being a godsend. I called the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) 24 hour hotline in tears because sitting and feeding was exacerbating my after- birth pains. They suggested lying on my side to feed. At first it was awkward because my breasts are so small but we got the hang of it and as a sleep deprived mama, it enabled me to nap while Banjo fed.

Banjo rejecting formula. Around 4 months I was exhausted. I was up feeding every 2 hours and was so tired my bones hurt. My husband tried giving Banjo a bottle of formula before bed so I could sleep for a solid few hours but he spat it out. 

Pumping being hard work. I went back to teaching yoga 1 morning a week at 6 weeks postpartum. To get home for his next feed, I’d have to pump in the car as I drove home. Dangerous? Yes! But it was the only way I could get a good 150 mls. Otherwise it was like trying to get blood from a stone. You can imagine how devastated I was when I dropped a full bottle as I got out of the car.

Breastmilk being the cure for everything. A stuffy nose, gunky eye, ear infection, nappy rash, eczema and more. Not to mention reducing the risk for breast and ovarian cancer for mum and creating antibodies to protect your baby from illness. 

Feeding only from one side. At 2 years old Banjo started feeding exclusively from my left side which didn’t affect my supply. 

How much I’d love breastfeeding. Banjo and I eventually found our rhythm and my nipples toughened up. It’s been incredibly rewarding being Banjo’s source of food and nourishment and I’m honoured to be able to give him the gift of breastmilk. Nothing quite beats this special bonding time. 

How long I’d continue to breastfeed. I feed Banjo on demand and I’ve said I’d take his lead on weaning. I assumed he’d stop by 1 but at 3 he’s still going strong. There’s been many times I wished he’d wean himself but there’s also plenty of times I’ve been thankful that he hasn’t. Like when he’s had a fever and won’t eat or drink or his ears have trouble equalising when flying teething or when he’s hurt, over- stimulated or inconsolable.

How controversial breastfeeding is. Just like every birth is different, so is every baby. What’s right for one, isn’t for another. If you choose not to breastfeed for one reason or another, it’s your choice and none of any one else’s business.

I’ve shared my breastfeeding journey not to discourage you but to tell you you’re not alone if you’re struggling. If you need support, reach out to a Lactation Consultant or give the Australian Breastfeeding Association or La Leche League a call or go to one of their Support Groups. It takes a village to raise a child.

If you’re pregnant, create a postnatal plan and consider how you’ll approach breastfeeding.

Are you pregnant? Get your free Guided Deep Relaxation (Yoga Nidra). Fill in your details HERE and I’ll send it to your inbox for you to download.

I’d love to hear your comments and questions in the COMMENTS below.