Kiddipedia
Having already breast-fed four babies, you would think ex-Olympic athlete and doctor Jana Pittman, would be cruising when it comes to her now 10-week-old twins Quinlin and Willow.
However, for Jana, breastfeeding has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs – with her milk supply abundant for some bubs, and scarce for others. Here Jana, now a mum of six kids under 15, shares her journey and tips.
A breastfeeding struggle leads to a breakthrough
Breastfeeding for me has always been a mixed bag. Sometimes it’s gone on for a good amount of time, and others it’s ended pretty quickly. There is medication you can take to help promote milk supply but it’s only something you can take for a short while. Breastfeeding Charlie, who’s now 18 months, wasn’t working well, so I researched galactagogues – food or herbs that may help increase supply. I found the Lactation Tea from The Breast Feeding Tea Co. on their website which contains amazing galactagogues such as Blessed Thistle and Nettle. It tastes great and worked for me immediately – I was so relieved!
Keeping up breast milk supply with a cuppa
Now I make a big pot of the tea in the morning and drink cups throughout the day. About three hours after drinking a cup I have a good letdown. In the beginning, when it was really tough with the twins, I was feeding eight times a day and expressing eight times a day into bottles – it was horrible! I topped up with formula as well, but now my milk supply is really good, and the babies have been exclusively breast-fed for three weeks.
Try new a range of things if you’re struggling
If things aren’t going well, give yourself a break, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Talk to your doctor, then try a range of things. That may be lactation tea and lactation cookies – the ones from Franjos are good – it may be more pumping or medication. I know it’s a challenge hunting down what may work for you, so be open-minded. I’ll be appearing at 2022 Naturally Good Expo – on June 6-7 – encouraging more retailers to stock the tea so it’s available in more chemists and stores. I passionately feel when it comes to this area that women need to have accessible options to try.
Don’t be hard on yourself
I think one of the issues is that all new mums expect breastfeeding to be easy and come naturally. That your baby will just suck, feed, and fall asleep. So often it’s not like that. Sometimes you just have an undersupply – while others have an oversupply! Expectant mums should know that breastfeeding can be a challenge.
If you are really struggling, you can also engage a lactation consultant. I began working with one when I had Charlie and have been in contact with her about the twins. Sometimes it takes a team to raise a baby.
Jana Pittman is an athlete, doctor, mum to four, author and speaker. Working as a doctor in women’s health whilst wrangling the kids has given her such purpose. She has represented her country at three Olympic Games and is the first Australian woman to compete in both a summer and winter Olympics. A two-time World Champion and four-time Commonwealth Champion in the 400m hurdles, she is recognised as one of Australia’s greatest female athletes.
