Disclaimer: I was provided Milky by Need to try out the product. The thoughts and opinions are completely my own.
As I prepared for our new baby, I made sure the crib sheets were washed, the car seat was ready to go, my bags were packed for the hospital and that I had all the breastfeeding essentials for those early days.
I wasn’t exactly ready. My pump needed tubing, though I ended up getting a new pump through the Affordable Care Act and it cost me nothing. I needed a nipple shield, but the hospital helped me out there. I had no lanolin or nursing pads, but one thing I did have was supplements in the form of tea. Milky!, a small tea drink created by Tia and Tamara Mowry with all the herbs needed to stimulate milk production, especially in the early days.
And if you hop on over to DetroitMommies.com, you can enter for your chance to win a box of Milky! (Link will be added when contest starts tomorrow!)
Breastfeeding a premie, who spent several hours in the special care nursery after delivery and received formula a few times to help bring up her sugar levels, was not easy. The nurses were on me the first 24 hours about her caloric intake. She needed the calories to keep her sugar up. If she didn’t, she’d have to stay in the hospital more days and get calories via IV treatments. If there was room, I’d be permitted to stay with her, if not, I’d have to pump and bring it in.
Nursing was hard. She was incredibly sleepy those first two days. We were dealing with her poor little boarded up arm with the IV. Her tiny mouth had a good latch, but she’d wear herself out eating. Visitors were dropping by without a consistent schedule, unaware that I was on a strict pumping/feeding regime with the baby and I felt uncomfortable trying to do it in front of them.
Formula was our best option at that point. My husband and I had a system. I would attempt to latch her on, try for a few minutes and then feed her a bottle of formula. When I was done, I’d pump for 15 minutes on each side (silly single pump at the hospital) and get a bit of rest before doing it all over again.
I discussed my method with the lactation consultant who visited me within the first 24 hours. And there was a method to my madness.
- By attempting to latch her, I was stimulating milk production and giving her a chance to get used to what was still to come.
- The formula provided her the calories the hospital wanted her to have as well as the output to clear herself of any jaundice, another complication that would keep us confined to the hospital longer.
- Pumping would allow me to start nursing whenever she was ready and have a solid milk supply.
The lactation consultant indicated I might be pumping for up to four weeks—her actual due date—and she got more mature. Knowing I was going to be relying on pumping to establish my supply through demand, I was ready to start herbal supplements early. Can’t hurt right?
I brought a few bottles of Milky! with me to the hospital. The lactation consultant looked at it and was impressed. She had never seen it before. She deemed it something I could try, though she recommended I wait to weeks to see what my body would do on its own.
I waited two days—until I was home.
From the moment we got home, I was nursing full-time. I pumped the first few days after her feedings to make sure she was getting enough, but in the comfort of my home with fewer interruptions, I was able to generate a good nursing relationship with the baby.
The next morning, I was determined to follow all the steps I had heard about for making sure I had a healthy milk supply. I had oatmeal for breakfast, drank lots and lots of water and then drank some Milky!
Tia and Tamara Mowry (you know, the “Sister, Sister” costars?) developed this drink after the birth of their children. They wanted a yummy alternative to the herbal capsules and something that could help nursing mothers bring in and maintain a good milk supply. The tea is safe to use even in the early days of breastfeeding.
The strawberry tea flavor is quite good and I’m not a tea drinker. I don’t know whether it’s recommended or not, but I prefer mine on ice. I like it super cold. The directions say to drink it two to three times per day so I enjoy one of the 2.5 oz bottles in the morning and one in the evening.
During my last pregnancy, I drank Mother’s Milk tea, which is a hot tea that tastes like tea. This is cold and has a bit of a fruity flavor to it, which makes it more appealing for a non-tea drinker like me.
Whether or not it has impacted my milk supply is really not something I can judge. There are too many variables. What I do know is that I have a hearty supply. I’m building up a freezer stash already. I can satisfy the baby. My premie was given extra time to gain back her birth weight, but she ended up not needing it, gaining 7 oz in one week.
But it can’t hurt.
The fenugreek and blessed thistle are all things that were in the Mother’s Milk tea and were all things that I have used in the based to stimulate milk production. This time, I’m drinking it in a tasty tea rather than swallowing the capsules.
The Milky! contains:
- Fenugreek to increase breastmilk supply
- Fennel to promote faster let-down to alleviate baby’s colic symptoms
- Ginger help relieve upset stomach
- Chamomile to aid in tension
- Rooibos, which delivers natural anti-oxidants
So are you a nursing mama, expecting a baby with the hopes of nursing or do you know someone who fits those categories? Well, you can win your own case of Milky! From Need. All you have to do is enter the contest at Detroit Mommies.com, wait until Aug. 29 and see if you won. The Milky! will be sent to your home after the contest ends.
And if you just want to pick up a box, head over to the Milky! page on the Need Brands web store or find a local Destination Maternity, A Pea in the Pod or Motherhood Maternity and pick up a box today!