There’s a million things to worry about as a new mom, feeding your baby being the most important. No matter what you choose to feed your baby, having confidence that they are getting what they need is stressful. Thanks to Lactation Lab breastfeeding mama’s can lift some off that stress off by learning more about the quality of their breastmilk through a simple an non-invasive test. By sending my milk off for testing with Lactation Lab I was able to not worry as much about Taylor’s eating habits and feel more confident in my breastfeeding journey, ultimately improving the experience for both us us.
After dealing with infertility for years I wasn’t going to be shocked if my body decided breastfeeding wasn’t something it wanted to do. Luckily despite how long it took to bring Taylor into our lives I’ve been blessed with a relatively easy breastfeeding journey, even having oversupply early on to help make sure that we didn’t need worry about feeding her.
Since Taylor spent time in the NICU a big part of coming home was ensuring she had enough weight gain, and maintaining that weight once she was home. Upon her release from the hospital we were instructed to ‘fortify’ several bottles per day, giving her just a bit of extra calorie count to help support that early weight gain as a premie. After a few weeks were were able to drop the fortification but it didn’t totally lift the worry off my shoulders about being the sole provider of her nutrition.
How Lactation Lab Works
There are several options for testing your breastmilk, outlined in the chart below, but all involve the same easy process. Within a few days from ordering the kit arrives at your house with everything you need to prepare your milk sample, including a freezer pack for transit back to the testing facility.
Using the sample vial you’ll consolidate expressed breastmilk from pumping sessions throughout the day. If you aren’t pumping yet intentionally you can use milk from Haaka sessions or hand expression as long as you have enough to fill the vial with one ounce of milk.
Toss the vial and your freezer pack into the freezer and you will be ready to send off for testing the following day. Using your prepaid label, ship the frozen milk back off and in just a couple of week’s you’ll receive your results.
Understanding your Lactation Lab Results
I received back my results in just two weeks from when I sent off the sample. Along side the comprehensive report I had a personal email from the founder of Lactation Lab explaining how to interpret my results.
The report itself is super easy to read but it was amazing to have that additional personalized touch. Everything in my testing came back within the optimal ranges [even having a smidge higher calorie count that formula!]. Stephanie (Lactation Lab founder) provided a few additional takeaways for how I could improve a few of the areas like eating a bit more red meat to improve Iron and adding a vitamin C supplement.
Lactation Lab Review
Anything that will take a bit of stress of a new mom’s shoulders is amazing, and Lactation Lab is the perfect tool for just that. Getting my personalized ‘Food Label’ gave me the confidence to feel comfortable in my breastfeeding journey. The science of breastfeeding and the human body is truly amazing and seeing the data behind my breastmilk provided peace of mind I didn’t know I needed until I experienced it myself! Being able to intentionally work to improve the quality of your breastmilk by knowing what vitamins or supplements you needs takes a ton of stress off the plate of a new mom. I love that Lactation Lab is covered by your FSA/HSA as a medical expense as well because feeding your baby isn’t something you should have to worry.
Lactation Lab Discount
As a Lactation Lab partner I’m excited to share 20% off your Breast Milk Test kit using the code ROCKYMTN. If you decide to test your milk I’d love to hear about your experience! Shoot a note in the comments or send a message over on Instagram to tell me how it went!
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary Lactation Lab Kit to facilitate the review of this product and am an affiliate partner of Lactation Lab receiving compensation for kits purchased using the link above. All photos and opinions are my own.
Disclosure: I received reviewer copies and was compensated to share my review of the Last Lumenian series. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Every year I challenge myself to read a minimum of 50 books. As a fast reader It’s pretty ‘easy’ to get through a book per week when I set my mind to it. Last year I read a decent amount, but I didn’t come anywhere near my goal. With a new baby, finding time to read is harder and distractions are easy to come by.
Accomplishing my goal for 2021 means picking books that hold my attention and are relatively fast reads. Fantasy books and YA novels are a core part of my reading menu over the last few years and the Last Lumenian by S.G. Blaise hits all my requirements as a book that will help me get closer to my reading goals.
The Last Lumenian series follows 19-year-old princess Lilla as she joins the rebellion to help free her people from a lifetime of hard labor in the diamond mines. When Lilla discovers her magical abilities that thrust her into a war she is forced to accept her destiny as the Last Lumenian. The second book of the series, The True Teryn continues to follow Lilla as she embraces her role as general to the Archgoddess of the Eternal Light and Order.
I’m drawn to strong female protagonists and love how Lilla develops from rebellious teenage princess to a strong-willed leader empowered to challenge the status quo.The story itself follows a classic coming of age archetype with a science-fiction, fantasy spin.
Both novels are fast reads, making for the perfect weekend reading plan while the baby naps. I’m an extremely impatient reader, preferring to wait until an entire series is released before starting because I know I’ll blast through the current releases over just a few weeks. With just two books released in the series so far I’m hooked and can’t wait to see what other journeys S.G. Blaise takes Lilla on in her next installment.
Check out the series on Amazon.
Interested in winning your own copies of the series? Bounce over to instagram for details on how to snag a copy.
I’m a true believer that vintage looks are timeless, especially on babies. There is nothing I love more than pastels, embroidery and smocking. Especially up against a darling set of baby blue eyes like Taylor’s.
With warm weather headed our way, bubble rompers from Feltman Brothers are the perfect everyday style. Paired up with a bonnet I can’t help but want to gobble up Taylor’s chubby cheeks. Bubble rompers are the best for warm weather, providing easy to care for breathable fabric and snap bottoms for quick diaper changes. The Argyle Smocked Bubble comes in two colors, pastel blue seen here or baby pink. Detailed with hand-made smocking and accented in embroidered argyle and flower rosettes this timeless style is a perfect for darling little girls. No vintage look is complete without a bonnet. Lace trim and hand-made smocking brings this darling look to life.
Feltman Brothers have been leaders in fine clothing for babies and toddlers since 1916, bringing the quality and beauty of babies clothing to life through expert craftsmanship and hand embroidery. A guaranteed family heirloom, your little ones will look beautiful today and the styles will hold up the test of time for the next generation.
When I first found out we were expecting a little girl one of things I was most excited to look forward to was picking out Easter dresses every year. Pastels and bows are iconic Easter looks perfect for attending church as a family.
Feltman Brothers Lavender Smocked Easter Dress features flutter sleeves and a beautiful bow in the back. Accented with embroidered lavender French knots this classic dress will make any little girl the star of your families easter egg hunt. Complete with bloomers underneath this darling look is perfect for infants and toddlers alike.
I finished the styling of this look with a pair of my own vintage shoes, saved back from when I was the same size as Taylor. Hopefully one day she’ll be able to share both this dress and the shoes with a little one of her own one day.
Disclaimer: I received product samples from Feltman Brothers as inspiration for this post. All images and thoughts are my own.
As a breastfeeding mom you get bit of ‘free reign’ to enjoy some treats under the logic that it’s for the baby. Lactating mothers require approximately 500 more calories per day and hearty lactation cookies are the perfect treat to enjoy during a late night feeding session.
I’ve been using the Lactation Cookie recipe from One Part Sunshine. Each cookie is packed with galactogogues like oatmeal and flaxseed that are known to increase lactation. The recipe itself takes only 15-20 minutes to pull together and is perfect for getting a batch into the oven during nap time.
With everything that comes with taking care of a new baby, the last thing you need is dealing with cleaning old bakeware or struggling to lift cookies off a cookie sheet that’s lost it’s non-stick.
A new baking set from Wilton is a must have for new mom’s to will help make her day a bit easier. My favorite is the 9 piece diamond-infused non-stick set. A bold and beautiful navy color this set includes two round cake pans [for future birthday cakes], a cookie sheet, muffin tin, rectangle deep pan and silicone injected spatulas.
Wilton has been the leader in bakeware and cake decorating for over 90 years, and it shows. I have been so impressed with how evenly everything bakes as well as perfect non-stick experience.
I’ve been making a ton of lactation cookies as well has working on some meal prep to create good habits for when I head back to the office after my maternity leave is over. The deep rectangle pan with cover is perfect for tossing together a meal that can be stored in the fridge until time for dinner.
Each pan is fully non-stick thanks to the diamond-infused coating and can be tossed into the dishwasher when everything is done for easy clean-up. No new mom needs to deal with more hand washing than necessary.
I’m going to try converting some baked oatmeal into a lactation friendly recipe by adding in brewers yeast and flaxseed next! What other lactation recipes should I test out?
Disclaimer: I received a product sample to facilitate my review of this item. All photography and opinions are my own.
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