Breastfeeding has always been and probably will always be such a big topic. Every woman is different but I feel that deep inside most women’s hearts there is a wish to be able to breastfeed their babies. The problem is that it can be damn hard and especially hurtful at the beginning. It demands a lot of commitment and you become your baby’s little slave, 24/7. This is an even greater commitment if you breastfeed on demand. I did that for the first 3 months but then I started to follow a schedule to be more organised, so I was able to know what to expect. Of course, this won’t always go as planned as there are always lots of things that can happen in-between, such as baby becoming ill, teething, going through phases/leaps, growth spurts, viruses, etc.
Aside from typical problems such as latching, sore or cracked nipples, sore breasts, blocked ducts, mastitis, thrush, etc, one of the main issues encountered is not having enough milk to satisfy a hungry baby. The amount of milk that a woman can have varies tremendously in everyone but it is well known that a good and balanced diet along with a lot of water will normally help you with the quantity and quality of your milk.
This is where I would like to share my little secret with you. When my sister had my niece, she was told by someone who used to help us at my parents house about a well known tale that she should be drinking Quinoa. She told my sister that where she came from (in the mountains near Cuzco, Peru) the people used to eat or drink Quinoa to help them to have more milk flow. This is something that has been happening for centuries since the time of the Inca’s (an ancient South American civilisation)! They were very strong people because Quinoa is an excellent food with lots of nutritious elements very beneficial for your body. It should be part of your 5 a day – it is a Super Food!
Anyway, for the Quinoa to be able to help your milk flow you should be drinking a glass of it just before and during breastfeeding. It is magical, at least for me, because for some reason it fills all your conducts from where the milk should come and increases the amount of your milk and your quality because it is full of vitamins. Honestly guys, Quinoa is amazing!
I’m still breastfeeding my 10 month old daughter and I intend to keep doing so until she is one year old. Quinoa has helped me to keep my flow up, and although I’m not sure if it is psychological or not, every time I forget to drink it I feel like my milk supply is getting lower – it’s so weird!
Now, I will explain how you can prepare it:
Preparation of Quinoa
- Weigh 100 grams of quinoa
- Put the quinoa in a pan
- Weigh 300 grams of water
- Add the water to the pan
- Bring to boil
- Once boiling, simmer for 20 minutes
- If water reduces too much, top up with boiling water from kettle so just covers the quinoa
- After 20 minutes, repeat this a final time if the water has completely reduced (again so it just covers the quinoa)
- Now blend it (a hand blender works fine) into a smooth thick runny paste.
- Poor this into a small container with a lid, and leave it in the fridge
- You can then serve a few spoons of that into a mug, like you are preparing a coffee.
- Add a little milk and then pour boiling water (stir it with a spoon so it gets dissolved with the water), and add sugar or sweetener to taste if desired. Of course the amount depends on each person’s taste.
That’s it! It is ready to drink. It tastes nice and is good for you!
I hope you try it and that it helps you too! If you do try it, please leave me a comment to see how it went.
Thanks for stopping by,
Love you all ❤️
Franca 💋
Linking up with:
I have never heard of this before. Hope it helps for some 🙂 Thanks for linking up #bigfatlinky
I hope it helps other women too, it would make me very happy 🙂 Thanks for hosting Al, have a great day, xx
I hope this post helps women out there who have milk problems. Even if it is psychological, it doesn’t matter as long as it works 🙂
Thanks for linking up to #AnythingGoes
Debbie
http://www.myrandommusings.blogspot.com
I really hope that too!! Fingers crossed!! It could be good. Thanks for hosting and being so supportive! Have a nice weekend, xx
What a lovely piece of information to share. I breastfed all 3 of my babies and even though I experienced mastitis 3 times, and my nipples were literally of fire the first couple of weeks in I still loved the experience and bond with my children. I was lucky and produced so much milk a day that I had to pump because my breasts would get so full in between them eating. Thanks for sharing this with us at #foodpornthursdays.
Yes I think it is always a special bond, that is why I wanted to help other women. I had a lot of milk too, that much that my poor little daughter was always shocking lol thanks for hosting. You have been amazing so far!!! Have a wonderful weekend, xx
I used to eat lots of quinoa but haven’t in a while. Will get some soon! 🙂 #BreastfeedingandI
Yes you should get more, it is very good for you and for your baby as everything that you eat goes to your baby so you are giving he/she a great food full of vitamins!! 😉 xx
There are definitely many challenges to breastfeeding, and getting up supply can be a problem for many. Quinoa is so good to eat anyway, so glad to hear it helps with breastfeeding too!
It is very good. I hope this tip can help other women out there. Thanks for stopping by, xx
I’ve never had trouble with milk supply but this is a fasinating read. It’s some thing I’ve never heard before but it’s defiantly worth a try #sundaystars
It really worth a try. I’m so happy you like this post. I really hope other women know about it. Thanks for stopping by from #sundaystars, xx
Oh wow that’s amazing. I wish I had known this 5 months ago. That really is a super food. Thanks for linking up with #MaternityMondays
Yes it is a super food! Thanks for hosting, xx
I’ve never heard of quinoa until now; thanks for stating that it tastes good. The questions in my mind as I read was about the taste. We had a very rough time at the beginning and we’re so glad we made it in the end. I’ll keep this in mind for next time round.
Yeah, it’s hard to know the extent of the psychological impact of things like this. I was willing to try anything to help sort our breastfeeding problems and I’m not sure what actually worked or didn’t. I’m glad it’s working for you and all the very best with your breastfeeding goal. 🙂
Thanks for linking up to #BreastfeedingandI.
Thank you! Quinoa is an amazing food for so many things and it happens to be great for breastfeeding. It tastes good because you mix it with water, milk and sugar/sweetener like preparing a coffee really. Thanks for hosting! Xx
Never had quinoa like this before I like it as an alternative to rice thanks for sharing on #sundaystars x
I know not a lot of people know about this tip I actually really like drinking it, it tastes nice! Thanks for hosting, xx