Writers block and Procrastination.

If you look at my blog, it seems as though it has been over a month since I last wrote a post. If you could see my  dashboard, you would see I have too many ideas on the burners. A post about my parenting influences. More notes from the LLL conference. A post I hope to submit about family traditions.

Short story explained: I am busy with my life, and get scatterbrained by the time I sit down to write. I need to do it, it feels good. But, I have holiday presents to make, decorations to put up, bake sales to help with, cooking to do. You know how it goes.

Le Leche League of Washington Conference 2010: Herbal Galactogogues

LEGAL STUFF: I am not a Doctor, Naturopath or any other person of the sort. This is just information I gathered at a class. These are my notes, so that I can have access to the information later, and share it easily. I welcome any corrections or information I might have missed.

Maximizing Milk Supply With Herbal Galactogogues: Sheila Kingsbury, ND, RH

This was a great session, in that she listed the information simply, and kept the same format throughout the presentation so I could easily gather the keypoints and have them to utilize in the future. However, it doesn't make for good blogging, just lists of herbs, doses, and preparation. Here goes!

Necessary elements should be checked before resorting to supplements. These include:

LATCH:

• Position
• Wide Mouth
• Good Suction
• Active Suckle
• Outside interferences
• Oral Anatomy (tounge tie)

HORMONES:

• Good Gland Funtions (thyroid, mammary, ect.)
• Good Signaling (feed on demand)
• Adequate mammary tissue

Best to address any issues in the first 2 weeks, after that isn't impossible, but it gets much harder as time goes on. Herbs should not be the only tool utilized, all aspects of the breastfeeding relationship should be looked into and adjusted in conjunction. 

Galactogogues fall into 4 categories:

True Galactogogues: Actually increases milk supply.

• Fenugreek (Trigonella fenum-grecum): 1500mg 3x/day. Should work within a few days. Generally a base herb to which others are added, but is usually the only supplement needed. Capsules seem to work better than tinctures. Also works to lower blood sugar.
• Goat's Rue (Galega officinalis): Range of effective dose can vary greatly, but generally 500mg 3x/day. Also works to lower blood sugar.
• Blessed Thistle (Cnicus benedictus): 4g 2x/day, but high doses are hard to find so 2 capsules 2-3x per day. Generally used in conjunction with others.
• Fennel Seed  (Foeniculum vulgaris): 50-150mg 3-4x/day. Not as reliable, but used frequently in culinary purposes. Major player in Mother's Milk Tea, not just as a galactogogue, but as a carminative- it increases digestive enzymes, reducing cramping and gas. For this purpose, it also works well for mother's of babies with colic. 2-3 tea bags a day.

Carminatives/Digestive Aids: thought to increase lactation by way of relieving stomach issues.

• Anise Seed (Pimpinella anisum): Similar to fennel, traditional use around the world. 50-150mg 3-4x/day.
• Caraway (Carum carvi): Usually combined with true galactogogues.
• Milk Thistle (Sylibum marianum): Traditionally taught as "Makes waters flow", it helps detoxify as it is known for its ability to regenerate liver tissue. Transference is difficult, and best taken as a capsule. 500-1000mg 2x/day. 
• Hops Flowers (Humulus lupulus): Of course makes people think of BEER! Really, beer was created to help with digestion. Usually better brewed in a tea than extracted in alcohol. Also helps as a Nervine- calms and relaxed aiding in the release of oxytocin.

Nutritives: Adds nutrients when combines with other supplements to aid in mother's overall health. Never used alone, but combined with other galactogogues.

• Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis): Nutrient dense. Great for relieving clogged ducts. Best in a tea, but brewed with cold water: 1/4c whole cut in 1 qt water, let sit overnight, drain and drink.
• Oat (Avena sativa): Use whole pod, not just the straw or oatmeal. Strongest nutritive value. Calming, and a supportive ingredient.

Nervines: Calms the body to allow it to work.

• Lemon Balm  (Melissa officinalis): Dried or fresh, best in combination with others. Also mildly lowers thyroid hormones for hyperthyroid conditions.

Inhibitors: 

• Sage (Salvia officinalis): As little as 8mg a day can affect milk levels.
• Raspberry Leaf  (Rubus ideaus): Though useful in readying uterus pre-labor, care should be taken continuing use postpartum.

Suggested Sources:

Oregon's Wild Harvest

Mountain Rose Herbs

Le Leche League of Washington Conference 2010: Food Edition

This last weekend I attended the LLL conference with my family in tow. There were SO many GREAT speakers to hear, sessions to attend, and information to learn. It was also an awesome opportunity to spend time with friends and meet other like minded people. 

Because of the amazing array of topics represented, I am having a little difficulty processing it all, so I have given myself permission to start with the easy stuff, and work into the more technical and then emotional aspects. So, this first post is about the 2 sessions I attended that spoke about food.

Foods for a Healthy Hormone Balance: Michelle Babb, MS, RD, CD

This was my first session of the conference, and while interesting, I think the information was a little hard to follow. Only because she tried to explain too much for the time limit we had. Eating for healthy thyroid is different than eating for insulin help or over all hormonal health. Much of it was common sense: more whole foods, less process and refined foods, exercise. I didn't get any good resources, aside from her personal site, but that is not short of some great information!

Eating Like a Locavore: Ami Karnosh, MS, CN

This was a very fun, light class. We discussed how the Puget Sound is a great area to eat a locavore diet, because we have such an array of possibilities open to us. Using the idea of "Local" being within a 200 miles radius, we have an abundance of fruits, veggies, seafood, honey, grains, and proteins. Food grown in their optimal environment, allowed to grow in their seasonal times are able to fully process their nutrients, and require less fertilizers/pesticides. They tend to grow better, on their own accord. Also, plants that have the chance to ripen on the plant have fully developed flavors that aren't possible when they ripen off the plant. Food also tends to take on the flavors of the areas they are grown in, so native soil better accompanies the taste of the food.

It was also interesting to talk about food native to the area being nutritionally appropriate for the consumers of that climate. Warmer climates are abundant in fruits and leafy greens, cooler for dense grains and dark greens. This allows for better fat retention to keep warm or moisture rich to keep cool and hydrated. 

Canning, drying, preserving foods at their peak is the best way to enjoy your favorite flavors throughout the year, when out of season. Also, everything has a peak season, even meat and eggs taste better and offer better nutrition when given time to naturally traverse their life cycles and grow to their optimal range for butcher.

Some of the suggested sources for more information:

Country Natural Beef 
Nash's Organic Produce

Local Harvest

Environmental Working Group

PCC Natural Markets

These were fairly straightforward sessions, with little to now emotional processing to do (though I suspect I would feel otherwise a few years ago...)so this post was fairly simple. I hope the others go as well!