Easy No Bake Lactation Bites Recipe for the Busy Breastfeeding Mom
If you are a mom, you’ve likely learned to do many things with just one hand, including laundry, cooking, and eating.
Whether you are holding or nursing a baby, finding time to feed yourself nourishing foods can be tricky.
Postpartum nutrition is especially important to support recovery, healing, and maternal mental health.
Breastfeeding mothers in particular have increased nutrient demands in order to produce breast milk for their baby and maintain an adequate milk supply.
But finding the time to grocery shop, prepare food, and eat can be overwhelming tasks, especially if you are a new mama.
How Can You Meet Your Postpartum Nutrition Needs While Caring for Your Baby?
Navigating early motherhood doesn’t mean your nutrition has to take a back seat.
With some tips and strategies, you can ensure that you are getting enough to eat throughout the day to support your health and healing.
Being intentional with your postpartum nutrition will also help promote a healthy milk supply if you are breastfeeding your little one.
Yes - being in a sleep-deprived season that demands all of your energy and effort to care for your baby is exhausting. I totally get it, mama!
Finding time to eat when you’re taking care of a baby is difficult.
However, prolonged times without eating or an overall inadequate nutrition intake can have many adverse effects on your own health.
Putting some intentional effort into prioritizing your nutrition can help prevent many physical and mental postpartum difficulties.
Please hear me out when I say that this doesn’t mean you need to become rigid with eating or around food whatsoever.
That isn’t what this is about.
This is simply a gentle reminder that you are important, too.
So many times, when a baby is born, a mother’s needs are forgotten or discarded as the baby’s needs are prioritized.
You can care for yourself while caring for your baby.
It doesn’t have to be perfect by any means, because when it comes to food (and everything, really), there is no such thing.
You matter, too. Your needs are equally as important.
And when you can take the time and effort to find ways to care for yourself, you can put yourself in a better position to also care for your baby.
There may be many times where you will have to make food choices based on convenience and practicality, because that’s what’s easier in the moment. That is OKAY.
What’s most important is that you are eating what you can and not going without food or stressing that what you’re eating is not “good enough”.
Improving your nutrition as a busy mom is not about eliminating foods but rather, including more nutrient-dense foods in your diet as frequently as you can.
So with that in mind, let’s talk about some tips and strategies to help you support your postpartum nutrition during a busy season of caring for baby.
Whether or not you are breastfeeding - your body needs nutrient dense foods whenever possible to help replenish nutrient stores that may have been depleted during pregnancy and delivery.
Keep in mind that breastfeeding does put additional nutrient demands on the body.
Tips to Make Eating Easier While Postpartum and Breastfeeding
Here are some tips to help you simplify eating while postpartum and breastfeeding so you can give your body the nourishment it needs:
1.Get your groceries delivered:
The thought of going grocery shopping with a baby and/or multiple kids can be deterring.
Make it simple on yourself and have your groceries come to you!
Even if only doing this for a short-time, it can help free up your time to focus on other things while ensuring you have the food you need in your home.
2. Stock your home with one-handed foods:
For new moms that are holding/nursing babies, food needs to be easy and something that can be eaten with one hand.
The good news it that there are many nutritious foods that fit the bill, including these yummy lactation energy bites (recipe below). Other nutrient dense one-handed foods might include:
fresh fruit
cheese with whole grain crackers
grass-fed beef sticks
hard-boiled eggs
Nuts and dried fruit
date bars
nut butter packets
Smoothies
Fresh chopped veggies with hummus or guacamole
3. Set Reminders to Eat Frequently:
During the busy season of caring for your baby, it can be hard to take the time to meet your own basic needs.
It’s not uncommon for hours to go by before you’ve realized that you haven’t fed yourself or drank water.
Setting reminders or timers on your phone can be an easy way to help yourself remember to eat and stay hydrated.
Try not to go more than 3-4 hours without having something to eat, like a snack that includes a combination of healthy fats, protein, and carbs.
This will help keep your blood sugar and energy levels stable. Having small frequent meals throughout the day can be easier for you to meet your nutrition needs, especially if it’s just too difficult to sit down for full meals.
4. Keep Snacks and Water in Multiple Places:
Make sure you have some water and one-handed snacks ready in the different areas you might be, including the car, your purse, and any areas around the house where you might be sitting with your baby.
This can also serve as a reminder for you to feed yourself as you’re caring for your baby throughout the day. It’s also good to have food in easily accessible places, so you’re not caught without food when you need it.
Is it Normal to Feel Hungry After Breastfeeding?
If you are a breastfeeding mom, you might feel ravenous throughout the day.
Breastfeeding puts increased physical demands on your body to keep up with milk production for your baby.
In order to meet the nutrient needs that your body may have while breastfeeding, you may experience an insatiable hunger that persists around the clock.
You may also feel more hungry if your baby is going through a growth spurt and your milk production is ramping up to meet your baby’s needs.
Especially if you are exclusively nursing your baby, you may feel very hungry all the time. What’s most important is to listen to what your body is telling you, honor your hunger and eat to satisfy your appetite.
Keep in mind that even if your baby is no longer growing inside you, you are still technically growing your baby with your body through breastfeeding.
Your body will adjust your appetite accordingly to keep up with these increased nutrient demands with breastfeeding and postpartum recovery.
Increased or insatiable hunger is not something to fear or be alarmed by - it is simply your body telling you that more nourishment is needed to function properly.
To help curb insatiable hunger while breastfeeding, keep the above tips in mind when it comes to eating postpartum, as well as:
Consider increasing your fat intake: Be sure to include a fat source at every meal and snack. Healthy sources of fat might include nuts, seeds, eggs, whole-fat yogurt/cottage cheese, avocados, coconut (milk, butter, oil, dried), oils (olive oil, avocado), grass-fed butter, and fatty fish. Remember that fat is a crucial nutrient for optimizing your hormones and absorbing nutrients, as well as supporting brain health for you and your baby. Adequate fat will also help support satiety through your food.
Eat more frequently: If you’re going through periods of intense hunger after breastfeeding, you may need to eat more frequently than every 3-4 hours. Consider noshing on a one-handed snack every 2-3 hours or whenever your own baby is nursing.
Eat to meet your appetite needs: You might feel alarmed about the volume of food you need to eat in order to feel satiated. Hear me out when I say that you can absolutely TRUST your body to help you navigate this season of increased hunger while you’re breastfeeding. Your body is the best expert of what you need to eat. This might look different that what you’re used to, but remember that your body is in a different season right now with breastfeeding and postpartum healing.
Lactogenic Foods to Support Milk Production
I love these lactation energy bites because they are an easy way to support postpartum nutrition AND naturally help boost milk supply.
These lactation bites contain ingredients which can help you maintain your supply.
So if your little one is going through a growth spurt, or if you’re worried about a dip in your breast milk, eating adequately PLUS adding in natural galactogogues can help!
Galactogogues are substances which can be ingested and used to induce, maintain, and increase breast milk production. Food sources that can function as galactogogues include:
Brewers Yeast
Coconut Oil
Rolled Oats
Flaxseed (in addition to other seeds/nuts)
These tasty lactation bites also create a nourishing combination of healthy fats, fiber, protein, and carbs and are perfect to eat as a one-handed snack.
I can also attest to the fact that these no bake lactation bites can be made with one-hand, as I’ve easily put these together in my kitchen while holding babies or baby-wearing.
This recipe is perfect for keeping on hand for busy days for you and your family. You can also easily transport it and pack it as a wholesome snack for traveling, taking to work, etc.
These lactation bites can also be frozen, so you can whip up a batch and keep them in your postpartum freezer stash.
Easy No Bake Lactation Bites Recipe
Easy No Bake Lactation Bites Recipe for the Busy Breastfeeding Mom
ingredients:
- 1 cup whole rolled oats
- ½ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- ½ cup ground flaxseed meal
- ¼ cup honey (can substitute with maple syrup)
- ¾ cup almond butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- Optional add-ins: chocolate chips, raisins, or dried cranberries
instructions:
How to cook Easy No Bake Lactation Bites Recipe for the Busy Breastfeeding Mom
- In a large bowl, add all ingredients.
- Mix all ingredients with a spoon until well incorporated.
- Place bowl in refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes or until mixture is firm.
- Using damp hands, scoop out about 1 tablespoon of dough and shape into 1-inch balls. Set aside on a plate and repeat with remaining mixture.
- Enjoy as a snack or store in your fridge/freezer to eat later.
Super easy, right?
Be sure to include this easy and nutritious snack into your routine to stay nourished and to help support breastfeeding.
If you’re interested in more lactation recipes to help naturally boost your milk supply, check out this recipe for the best lactation cookies, full of galactogogues to support breastfeeding.
What have you done to make postpartum nutrition easier for you?
