After learning a lot over the years from nursing four babies, this seasoned mom shares with you the single most helpful piece of advice that was given to her during her child-bearing years. In fact, I personally think that it is one of the best breastfeeding tips you can give a new mom ever, especially when it comes time to start weaning your baby. Unleash the power of pineapple so that you too can have the best and least painful experience possible with pineapple juice and breastfeeding.
How I discovered the best breastfeeding advice ever
The reason Why I Pack Pineapple Juice In My Hospital Bag (when it’s time to give birth to a baby), is probably going to surprise most of you.
I didn’t have my mom or sister near me to help when I had my babies, I had married (have since divorced)…and moved about three hundred miles away from my family.
So, when I started having babies it was tough being all alone without that much needed support.
Luckily I still had a really good support system around me, a couple of great friends, and what I learned from them, made all the difference in the world.
Like I said before, I’ve delivered, and nursed, four beautiful babies(for about a year each), so I do consider myself a bit of a Veteran mom when it comes to nursing.
Let me tell you something I have learned along the way…
Breastfeeding can be a totally different experience with each and every child, so when you’re in the throws of those moments that you just want to give up, remember that it doesn’t always have to be so hard.
It doesn’t always have to be super painful, but this tip remained true and helpful and steadfast through all four of my babies so it very well may help you too.
You’re probably even going to want to keep some handy for the duration of breastfeeding (especially when weaning baby from breast), not just immediately postpartum/after delivery.
When I was pregnant with my first baby, my amazing friend Denise gave me some advice to make my experience with breastfeeding much more pleasant.
She told me that when having problems with blocked milk ducts or engorgement, many women drink Pineapple Juice.
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Pineapple juice postpartum
I must admit that I was a bit skeptical at first after Denise told me about it (that is the understatement of the century by the way, I thought it was totally nuts, the hoakiest thing I had ever heard)…
Before I tried it, I had to do some research of my own before I started drinking pineapple juice while breastfeeding, and I discovered that it is actually helpful/beneficial because Pineapple Juice is a natural anti-inflammatory.
So I drank some Pineapple Juice every day for a couple of weeks starting just after I had my first baby, as a preventative measure, and never had a single problem with nursing.
No clogged milk ducts, no engorgement, nothing!
Weening advice
Fast forward about a year after I had my first kid, when I decided I needed to start weening my baby.
I was a total idiot and decided to just ween the child cold turkey…something I definitely DO NOT recommend doing…EVER!
Really, don’t do it! DO NOT WEEN COLD TURKEY!
By the second day after I went cold turkey, I was in so much pain (because my boobs were massive, hot, and rock hard…all my milk ducts were clogged), that I just sat there and cried and cried.
It’s easily the worst pain I have experienced that is not actually giving birth to a child (you know, because when you ween cold turkey your boobs are literally so swollen to the max and they feel like they are going to explode).
Then I remembered about pineapple when breastfeeding.
Immediately, I had my now-ex husband go to the store and pick some up.
When he got home, I chugged a whole bunch of it and within about three hours, the pain was at a manageable level.
I couldn’t believe it!
I thought that the pain would be that unbearable for several days until my milk dried up enough for me to feel like I wasn’t going to bust out of my bra, but luckily there was a natural method for relief.
Tips for using and buying pineapple juice
While at the hospital after just having had a baby, I prefer the individual little cans so that I can just drink one a day. That seems to be enough to do the trick, at least it was for me.
If you decide to try some just make sure that you buy the kind that says 100% Pineapple Juice ‘Not From Concentrate (and make sure to shake well before you open it so that it mixes properly. It tends to settle on the bottom).
Pineapple Juice tastes about a million times better when it is cold, so when I’m at the hospital I usually just asked a nurse or significant other to get me a cup of ice to pour it over, or using one of those freezable mugs is a good option too.
You can also buy it in the large cans and keep some in your fridge at home for any time you need it handy.
You can buy your pineapple juice at most grocery stores…but I personally prefer the convenience of getting it in bulk on amazon, and the prices are usually quite decent.
Conclusion
I am now officially done nursing all of my babies, (being done with that season of my life has been really tough on me) and I definitely don’t think I would have had such a good experience with breast-feeding had I not known this tip about Pineapple juice.
Thank heavens for this knowledge!
So please, if you’re struggling with painful breastfeeding (and probably thinking about giving up on breastfeeding altogether too).
Think about giving pineapple juice a try, it could very well the the thing you have been needing too.
This information was a God-send for me, so I thought that I would share because it could help someone else out there, too.
I made sure to have some Pineapple Juice handy at all times while nursing babies two through four as well, and I never had any further (other than my cold-turkey weaning fiasco) issues with blocked ducts or engorgement.
FAQ’s
Keep in mind that pineapple juice is just fruit juice, and there is no warning on the food label, or on the actual fruit at the store… I have checked…lol.
However, as with anything you find on the internet, please do make sure to ask your own personal Doctor about it first if you have any concerns for adding this to your diet while you are nursing.
Personal opinion here, but I think that pineapple should be consumed in moderation when pregnant.
I have even read somewhere that it can help induce labor, so I don’t really recommend going crazy with the Pineapple juice until after delivery/after giving birth.
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Check out my other articles
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*Reposts: Please note that this idea/post was originally posted to this website on 03/26/2013, but it was in great need of a refresh so it now is more user friendly/shareable & will periodically be updated to remain relevant.
**This helpful nursing tip for moms is mainly to help ease the pain and frequency of blocked/clogged milk ducts, it can also be helpful while trying to ween a baby.**