For me, one of the hardest parts about being a new mom wasn't the delivery or the lack of sleep or the baskets and baskets of laundry. It was breastfeeding. Before I had my now-5-month-old son, I never really thought too hard about nursing. I knew I wanted to do it, but I had no idea how mentally or physically taxing the actual act would be. Exhausted, sore, and anxious, it was the most challenging aspect of motherhood so far. And while I'm STILL trying to figure it out, I will say one thing that has really helped me in this breastfeeding journey is the free pass to snack . . . all. day. long.
Think of it this way: each ounce of breast milk is 20 calories. So if your baby is eating 30 ounces a day (like my chunker), then that's an additional 600 calories! Not to mention the sheer amount of energy you expend while breastfeeding. Once I started nursing I was having more cravings than I ever did while pregnant. I wanted sweets, chocolate, and Goldfish next to me at all times. That being said, while snacking is definitely encouraged, I realized there were healthier, more filling options out there. When looking for breastfeeding snacks, I wanted options that were healthy or nutritious, easy to prepare, and convenient to buy in bulk from Amazon — because let's face it, there is no time to go grocery shopping anymore. Aside from staying hydrated (I chug a glass of water before and after nursing in addition to my normal water intake), I started incorporating these snacks into my daily routine. I eat one of these every two to four hours to keep my energy up and prevent me from getting overly hungry.
