You guys, breastfeeding is so hard! Not just physically hard, but mentally. Not knowing how much milk baby is getting or if they are truly getting the right nutrition from what they are drinking was my biggest struggle!
To compound that fear when I went into my son’s 4 month appointment we got the news that he was not gaining the way he needed to. His pediatrician said that my milk did not have enough calories to sustain him and that I needed to supplement. However, I knew that it is rarely true that moms milk doesn’t have enough I was still very fearful and anxious over it. I also knew that I wouldn’t have peace in the decision to supplement unless I had tried everything possible to continue our breastfeeding experience.
When I talked to my husband after that appointment, it was actually his words that got me searching for a solution. He told me “There has to be a way to test your milk to know how much fat is in it.” and I agreed! So off to google I went! I then found the company Lactation Lab. They make testing your breastmilk so easy. All you need to do is order one of their kits, pump 1-2 oz of milk throughout the day, freeze it and then mail it back in the provided envelope. Then your results are sent back to your email. The hardest part was waiting for the results.
The results I received were so reassuring. The test showed that my milk contained 24.3 calories/oz (for reference formula typically contains 20 calories/oz). It was so nice to know that my calories were actually where they needed to be. I also loved how in addition to giving my results they gave diet suggestions to improve any areas that I wanted. Knowing that what I eat can affect my milk nutrition was also very reassuring!
You can grab your own kit here, and use code FARMSTYLE to save 20% on your own kit.
Checkout what my results looked like!
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