Tummy Filler

As a breastfeeding mother, I get hungry often, and with an in-arms 2mth-old (ah - JR just turned 3 mths-old yesterday!), it's not always possible to get a more decent snack in between meals.

I've found an oatmeal drink to be a quick & easy tummy filler. Just a few spoons of instant oatmeal mixed with a little hot water, and when oatmeal is well-mixed, I add in chilled soymilk from the fridge. I did say it's to be a quick to prepare item, right? That's why it has to be "instant" oatmeal and not rolled oats (to be cooked), and soymilk is the ready-to-drink kind from tetrapacks or pre-prepared.

Oh, and another good thing about oatmeal? It is good for your milk supply!

Keeping Hydrated

As a breastfeeding mother, you might find yourself thirstier than normal. Probably hungrier than normal too! It is important to eat & drink to your demand too, just like baby needs his milky when he's hungry.

On hot days, I like to have something other than water to drink, and I find chilled roasted barley tea to be really refreshing. And it's so easy to make. These are usually easily bought from supermarkets that stock Japanese foodstuff. This tea can simply be put into a tumbler and filled with room temperature water and left in the fridge to chill and would be all ready to drink as & when you feel like it.

Another one of my current faves while out (yeah, I get thirsty so often!) is papaya soymilk freeze/shake! The one from Jollibean is Icy Cold with frozen papaya and ice-cubes all blended into a frothy coolant. The Mr Bean version is creamy and filling. Both are tasty, high in vitamin C, and....some mothers claim that it is great for their milk supply. For me, well, I don't see a significant difference in my milk supply since I nurse baby so frequently, and don't often express breastmilk, but it's a wonderful beverage that I love!

A Cuppa

I like to have my cuppa herbal brew each morning. Not with my breastfast, but generally about 15minutes or so after, as I'm reading the papers, nursing the baby or just getting my things ready for that day. No sugar, just fresh clean & green taste.

I like to make the drink fresh each time instead of a big pot. And I find these fillable teabags that you can buy from most supermarkets very convenient for use with loose dry herbs. I like a thicker brew, so would put 2 teaspoons of the loose herbs in one bag, fill it with hot water from the airpot and leave it to steep for around 10 to 15 minutes.

As for the loose herbs, I like to empty them into an airtight container, as it's easier to scoop the tea leaves from such a container as opposed to the pack that it comes in,

I store my "pot" of herbs in the freezer. Your pack of loose herbal tea leaves come with a pack of food-grade dessicant. Use this together when storing your herbs.


This dessicant pack can be *revived* by just heating in the microwave to dry, and reusing.