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Baby, Review

Make More Breast Milk with Snappy Snacks

January 26, 2015

[This post contains gifted items. Read full disclaimer here]

Did you know eating certain things will increase milk production? These things are called “galactagogues”. Don’t ask me to pronounce that in real life. Foods like oatmeal, sesame seeds, fenugreek, flax and ginger will all help milk supply.

Did you know eating certain things will increase a mother’s milk production!? Find out which…

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Snappy Snacks is a Canadian company that sells dry mixes which contain all those awesome ingredients all in one convenient package. This means a new mom can grab a package of Snappy Snacks, dump the dry mix in a bowl, add a half cup of butter and an egg and make either cookies or brownies. It’s really so simple. If someone asked me to bake from a recipe in the weeks following the birth of my son I would have laughed in their face! You can read my review of Snappy Snacks here.

My dear sister-in-law welcomed a tiny little peanut into the world just before Christmas. She was determined to breast feed her little girl from the moment she got pregnant. She read books and asked me for advice but nothing could really prepare her for breast feeding like the experience its self. Luckily Robyn had the whole line of Snappy Snacks on hand for that first growth spurt. Between a week and 10 days old, babies usually go through a growth spurt that is very noticeable when you are breast feeding. The baby will be super hungry sending your body into milk making mode. Not only will you feel super tired but you’ll be very hungry, too. Making milk burns a lot of calories. BONUS!

So Robyn got in the kitchen and made up all her cookies and brownies and filled her freezer up. I know she had a rough go in the beginning but Snappy Snacks was there to keep her fuelled with things that help to naturally encourage milk production. She’s now successfully feeding her little one exclusively with breast milk. It wasn’t easy but she got through the hardest part with the help of Snappy Snacks and she couldn’t be happier. Sometimes all we need is a little helping hand.

My go to gift for baby showers is now Snappy Snacks dry mixes. They will last in the pantry for up to a year so whenever a mom runs into supply issues she can bust out her mix. You can find Snappy Snacks in these stores across Canada! They make Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix, Raisin Spice Mix, and Double Chocolate Brownie Mix.

How was your breast feeding experience? What would you do different if you had a do over?

PS: I’ll be sharing this post on these amazing blogs!

Baby

Exclusive Pumping Must Haves

February 16, 2015

[Asterisk denotes an affiliate link. See full disclaimer here.]

Exclusively pumping means you provide milk to your baby by way of pump or hand expression (OUCH) instead of your child eating straight from the breast, even if you supplement now and then with formula.

I’ve been exclusively pumping for 8 months and still going strong. Our first month of breast feeding was difficult, painful, and both physically and emotionally draining but I felt like we were making progress. But at my sons 1 month check up he had only gained 4 0z. Cue the water works. I was heart broken but I wanted what was best for my son so I supplemented. He slowly lost his latch (turns out he had a tongue and lip tie…more on that in a future post) and I began pumping more and more to keep providing him with the milk I was able to make and he was actually GAINING! Fast forward to 6 months when we added solid foods and we were able to drop the formula supplementing completely. Now I am able to provide 100% of the milk he drinks! AWESOME!

It has been the opposite of easy. There’s been moments where I’ve questioned my sanity and wanted to give up. But I persevered and I’m so happy that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

It wasn’t easy finding information about pumping because majority of moms only pump to build a little bit of a stash, not to exclusively feed their baby bottled breast milk. I’ve learned so much along this journey and I really want to share it with anyone going through what I went through. Without further ado, here are my must haves to make things easier on you if you decide this is the route that’s best for you and your family.

If you plan to exclusively pump, check out these must haves!! #normalizeit

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1. Double or Single Electric Pump

For the first 6 months I used a manual which was time consuming and a pain in the butt! Save your sanity and start your journey off right with a good electric pump. You can buy them used (make sure you sanitize!) and if you buy new, they have amazing resale value! I use the *Medela Pump In Style Advanced.

2. Manual Pump

There will be times you want or need to leave the house for longer period of time and your breast will either start leaking, feel like they are going to explode, or both. Having a manual pump in your diaper bag or in the car for emergencies is great. I use the *Philips Avent Manual Comfort Breast Pump and it’s very comfortable and easy to clean!

3. Nursing Tops & Bras

Just because you aren’t breast feeding, doesn’t mean these aren’t extremely handy. I don’t leave the room to pump when my family is around because why should I? But I still don’t want to have to take my t-shirt off so I opt for button down tops, cardigans, and nursing tank tops.These *Milk Nursing Tops are great for discrete pumping sessions, (not that you can really be desecrate with an electric pump). A nursing bra to go with this is imperative. Easy access will make your life a whole lot easier.

4. Snappy Snacks

Snappy Snacks is a line of lactation snacks that can help you increase your supply naturally. There are many reasons for a dive in milk supply, especially when you’re pumping. You can read my full review on Snappy Snacks here.

5. Support From Family

This is huge. My husband would wash my pump parts and bring them to me in bed and he would feed baby while I pumped. Otherwise, you spend a half hour feeding the baby and a half hour pumping. By the time you get back to sleep, it’s time to get up and do it all over again! His support was critical to our success.

PRO TIP: I think one of the most important things is to remember you are feeding your young. Take care of your self. Drink plenty of water, eat lots of healthy foods, and get sleep while you can. Don’t start any new diets and don’t over do yourself! Please be gentle with yourself.

Where are you in your breastfeeding journey? Do you exclusively pump? Let me know what made your journey easier.

PS: I’ll be sharing this post on these lovely blogs

Giveaway, Mom and Baby, Review

Improving Your Breast Milk Supply – Review & Giveaway

December 19, 2014

[Snappy Snacks sent me each of its packages of dry mixes to review but my opinions on and obsession with these lactation products are all min. The items in the giveaway have also been provided by Snappy Snacks]

Every mom has their own breast feeding journey and no two journeys are exactly the same. One thing they all seem to have in common is an element of struggle for some reason or another, whether its a tongue or lip tie, lack of support, or a supply issue.

When it came to breast feeding my son, I thought everything was going on. It hurt really badly but he was latching on and seemed happy. I was thrilled! But week after week he wasn’t gaining any weight. At a month I was told I had two options: 1) I could get a prescription for a drug that ups your supply or 2) we could supplement here and there while I work on my supply. After a quick search, my doctor realized the prescription would have a really bad reaction with my medication i was already on. So there I was sitting in the doctors office with my can of formula: angry, sad, defeated, relieved… too many emotions.

Fast forward 5 months and I am exclusively pumping. Talk about supply issues! Keeping up my supply is a constant challenge and I need all the help I can get.

That’s where Snappy Snacks comes in — a line of dry mixes to naturally increase your breast milk supply. The company was started by Bridget after she attended some mom-focused markets with her healthy snacks and lactation treats but after missing one week, women were trying to track her down! She realized she had a following and discovered there was a need for lactation products for breast feeding women.

Snappy Snacks Lactation Cookies are based on five lactogenic super foods: Oats, Ginger, Flax and Sesame Seeds, and Fenugreek. All these ingredients are blended seamlessly to create a delicious treat that will naturally increase breast milk supply. Snappy Snacks aims to make all its products healthier than the average baked treat, easy to use, and highly effective.

She developed a line of dry mixes that can be bought and stored for up to a year. All you need at home is a half a cup of butter and an egg to add to the mix. At the moment Snappy Snacks sells Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix, Raisin Spice Mix, and Double Chocolate Brownie Mix.

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

So. Good. I’m a huge fan of chocolate chip cookies so I was very impressed with these cookies. I love the oatmeal in the cookies. It gives it an extra hardiness that is so wonderful. There’s also some subtle spiciness to the cookies that is so cookies. It was hard to not eat them all in one sitting! These were also insanely easy to make and I’m usually awful at following directions.

Raisin Spice Cookies:

Amazingly spiced! These cookies are superb and highly addictive. With flax and sesame seeds in the mix, they are as much filling as they are delicious. They go perfect with a cup of tea, a cozy blanket, and your favourite shows.

Double Chocolate Brownies:

These brownies are absolutely amazing. Definatly the best brownies I’ve ever eaten. I’ve never made brownies before but I’d imagine this is the simplest set of directions to follow. Even with my mom-brain turned up to high, I was able to whip these up in less than 5 minutes +baking time.

My results

After eating about 5 Chocolate Chip Cookies one night, the next day I noticed a significant difference in my supply. I was able to pump an extra 6 ounces through out the whole day. That’s a whole extra bottle of breast milk I was able to feed my son instead of having to supplement with formula. I think that’s amazing results!

I honestly can’t think of a better gift to give to an expecting mom. Sometime within those first 10 days of breastfeeding, supply will begin to be an issue. Having a bag or two of dry mixes in the pantry could go a long way to help a new mom on her breastfeeding journey.

Looking to buy Snappy Snacks? Here’s where you can find all the retailers in Canada that stock the dry mixes.

Now it’s your turn to try out Snappy Snacks line of Lactation Dry Mixes. You have until January 2nd, 2015 to enter! GOOD LUCK!

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PS: I’ll be sharing this post with these fabulous blogs!

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