Apricots Are A Delicious Feeding Food

Juicy, delicious apricots are full of beta-carotene and fiber. One of the first signs of summer, this happy orange fruit is a fabulous addition to the balanced diet of a breast-pumping mama.

The University of Wisconsin’s School of Health and Public Medicine recommends apricots as a natural galactagogue. Apricots (especially dried apricots) contain phytoestrogens, which help to balance the hormones involved in lactation.[1]

But wait. If you’ve been following our blog closely, you’re likely confused. The last post included apricots on a list of foods that may cause dehydration and should be avoided for breast-pumping mamas. So what’s the real deal with apricots?

Balance is the key.

Byram Healthcare and Breast Pump Accessories

You probably know that Byram Healthcare is a leading supplier of premium breast pumps. And thanks to the Affordable Care Act, breast pumps are covered under most insurance plans.

We carry five of the market’s most popular and user-friendly breast pumps: Medela’s PIS Advanced, the Ameda Purely Yours Ultra, Spectra’s 9 Plus Advanced, Freemie’s Freedom Hands Free, and Hygeia’s Q Model.

Ordering your breast pump through Byram is simple. Start here.

But you might not know that Byram Healthcare also offers a variety of accessories used and loved by throngs of breast pumping moms.

Hummus is Delicious and Nutritious for Breast Pumping Mamas

A food promoting or increasing the flow of a mother's milk is known as a galactagogue. While the term isn’t exactly appetizing, many of these lactogenic foods are. Rich legumes like chickpeas, lentils, lima beans or green beans all fall into this category.

Hummus, which is simply made by combining chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic (another galactagogue) serves up a complete protein, dense in nutrition. It’s a fabulously smart and delicious choice for nursing and pumping mamas.

Here are a few recipes: one to create your own homemade hummus and another in which to incorporate the delectable spread.

Pumping On an Airplane

Much attention—pushback and advice—has been poured over breast pumping in airports recently. And it’s true. Pumping in an airport is difficult. But it’s nothing compared to pumping on the actual plane.

If it can, pump before you take off. Find tips and information about pumping in the airport in our earlier post here. 

However, If may be unavoidable. If that’s the case, here are some tips to help you pump happily in the friendly skies.

Packing for a Winter Get Away?

You deserve a vacation!

You have earned the right to sit on a Caribbean beach in the deliciously warm sun and just be. You merit every second at an amazing spa with a butler and a personal masseur and a private (5 star) chef. You should be on a yacht headed for the Riviera with the rest of this world’s most beautiful people.

Okay, maybe we overshot that one a bit. But a girl can dream, can’t she?! At the very least, you deserve a vacation. You’re a breast-pumping mama, after all.

After you book this most deserved vacation, it’s time to consider packing. So you have one less thing for your concern and coordination, we offer you a list of items you will need as a sun-bathing, spa-going, yachting-lounging, breast-pumping vacationer. 

Storing, Preserving and Using Breast Milk

Storage

• It is safe to store breast milk in either plastic or glass bottles, with sealable tops, or in sterile sealable bags. If you prefer plastic look to ensure they are BPA free.
• In order to prevent any waste, store breast milk in amounts equal to your baby’s feedings. If your baby east 4 ounces at a time, store 4 ounces per container.

Storage Location

• In order to be saved, breast milk must be stored in a cool place – a cooler or refrigerator for short durations or a freezer for longer periods of time. 

Carrots are an Awesome Feeding Food

Much like super food spinach, carrots are rich in Vitamin A, which promotes lactation and increases the quality of your breast milk. In fact, one cup of 8 oz. carrot juice provides 686% of your body’s Vitamin A requirements.[1] As with all elements of your diet, it’s best to eat everything in balance and moderation. Carrots are no exception.

Here are a few recipes to help you incorporate carrots into your balanced diet and improve your lactation for breast pumping:

2016 Changes to the Affordable Care Act

Although insurance talk isn’t exactly engrossing to most of us, it sure ain’t cheap. In other words, it’s important to be familiar with the Affordable Care Act legislation and the evolution of its impact on you—yes you—the new mother.

Under this landmark legislation women are granted progressive benefits with regard to maternity and postnatal care and supplies. Specifically, breastfeeding care and support are considered.

Forget Resolutions

If you’ve ever made a New Year’s Resolution, you’ve undoubtedly broken it as well. While we don’t think there’s anything wrong with setting positive goals for personal growth, we don’t like how these benign little bits can get the better of our self-esteem. For when we sit down to assess the ways we could improve our lives, we also open ourselves up to severe self-criticism.

The salve for these unnecessary floggings is often a lofty and completely unrealistic “resolution.”

Rejuvenating Ideas for a Pumping Mama

You are a mother. You’re radiant. Nurturing. Alluring. You’re bosomy. Curvaceous. Buxom. Yes, you are sexy.

But odds are—with all the pumping and feeding, pumping and feeding, pumping and feeding—you don’t feel sexy. These days, most likely you feel more like a sweaty, pungent, engorged cow.  

We know.

So here are a few tips on bringing your sexy back in the New Year.

People Say The Oddest Things

Kids do the darndest things. People make the oddest comments. Strangers overstep the boundaries of obvious propriety. If you don’t agree with these statements, odds are you haven’t been a breast-pumping mama.

Just for fun (and as a way to commiserate through the awkward) we compressed versions of the best/worst breast pumping stories we have recently heard.

Spinach is a Good Feeding Food

No doubt you’ve heard that spinach is a “super food.” It is one of the most affordable vegetables and it’s protein-packed—supplying the same daily values as meat, fish, eggs, and chicken. It’s integral in skin, hair, and bone health. It delivers essential irons, vitamins and minerals. Spinach has shown to improve blood glucose control in diabetics, lower the risk of cancer, improve bone health, and lower the risk of developing asthma.[1] It is a true super food.

Spinach is also a fabulous dietary element during pregnancy and lactation due to its rich content of folic acid. It’s even suggested to improve the quality and taste of your breast milk.[2] Now that’s what we call a good feeding food!

Here are two spinach recipes that we love – one for the morning and one for lunch or dinner.

A breast pump is a tool. Used by many. Loved by lots.

Opinions. We all have them. We all seek them. And we all become offended by particular ones. But if we can resist the urge to become defensive when a family member, colleague, a store clerk, or a blogger starts spouting his or her truths, we could actually benefit from connecting with one another through our opinions.

Breast feeding always seems to be a topic rife and reeking with opinions—from experts, physicians, celebrities, third cousins, vaguely familiar around-the-block neighbors, that “judgy” mom-friend who always knows what’s best for you, even our own usually well-meaning but terribly vocal mothers.  And by extension, breast pumping gets a healthy corner of the now all-too-public conversation on how moms should best feed our babies.

Thankful for Breast Pumps

Yes, we know breast pumping is hard work. We’ve done it. We are doing it. Likely, we will do it again in the future. It takes time, dedication, and perseverance. We know.

And we are thankful to have our breast pumps, to best nurture and feed our precious little ones.

So in the spirit of this Thanksgiving holiday, we’ve compiled a list of ten reasons we most love our breast pumps (in no particular order).

12-Week Benchmark

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: every woman’s nursing experience differs—whether it’s your first child or your fifth, if you’re exclusively pumping or just supplementing with expressed milk, regardless if you’ve read every book on the subject or rely solely on first-hand experiential learning. Your experience and your timeline will be unique.

But just as a guideline, here’s an overview of the first three months—what you might expect, how to prepare, and how to augment your breast pumping routine as you reach the 12-week mark.

Two Phases of Breastfeeding

According to researchers, babies’ instinctual sucking switches between a first and second phase to optimize the milk output from a mother’s breast.[1]

The first phase is termed the Stimulation Phase, with the purpose of “stimulating” the breast for output. When a baby first attaches to his mother’s breast he will suck with a faster pace and quicker intensity to pull the nipple out and commence the milk flow.

Once this stimulation is rewarded with milk flow, a baby switches to the second phase, termed the Expression Phase. During this phase, the “letdown” has occurred, milk is flowing to her (or more precisely, being “expressed” by her) and she sucks with a slower but deeper rhythm.