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Being pregnant with Ulcerative Colitis (UC) has nothing on postpartum. Once my child was born the massive change in hormones was quite the rollercoaster. We weren’t sure if I was having a flare, or if my stomach was just upset. Needless to say, I stuck to a strict low-FODMAP diet at the beginning of my breastfeeding journey.

Once things started settling down and I was able to focus on my milk supply, I started digging into what I could consume to help make sure I was able to produce enough milk for my baby.

First things first, I still take my liquid vitamin from Mary Ruth’s, but I did switch my probiotic to Mary Ruth’s Postnatal Probiotic.

Throughout my breastfeeding journey with my second child, I learned more about nutrition, and what ingredients may help or hurt your milk supply.

Food Ideas for Breastfeeding with Ulcerative Colitis

There are a lot of products that you can purchase for breastfeeding. I see them advertised all over, on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest ranging from healthy to sugar-packed options. However, what I have learned about wanting to increase your milk supply is that sugar hurts your supply.

I did try a few, but my food sensitivities did limit my options. Also, I like to be able to be in control of how much sugar is in my food. As I reviewed articles and product ingredients some ingredients that always stand out are flax seed, brewer’s yeast, and oats. So I am going to go through some quick on-the-go store-bought options and a few of my “go-to” homemade recipes that I like.

Store-bought Foods (quick to-go foods)

Boobie Body Shake

• Easy for on-the-go
• 4 flavors
• Lactation support

I like this option because it is organic, gluten-free, and has zero sugar.

I don’t love the taste, but I find that this is great for when I’m busy. Particularly during work as I’m running between meetings.

My favorite flavor is chocolate of course 😉

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Boobie Bar

• Easy for on-the-go
• 3 flavors
• Lactation support

I did try this bar, and it’s good… but I never could get used to the taste. I did not notice if it helped boost my milk supply, but I did only purchase one box.

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Ritual Prenatal Protein Powder

• Easy for on-the-go
• 1 flavor
• Lactation support

The flavor of this protein powder is similar to the vanilla from Boobie Body.

It states that there is zero sugar, but listed in the ingredients are Organic Monk Fruit and Rem-M. Both are sweeteners. For me sweetener equals sugar. Real sugar, artificial sugar, it’s all the same… it’s sugar. Sugar is not a deal breaker, but something to note when you take into account how much sugar you consume in a day.

Honestly, I used this powder the most. It was the most versatile. You can use it in shakes, or bake it into muffins, or other things such as banana bread (Check out this Gluten-Free Banana Bread recipe by North Side Blonde). This is nice because you can add in other ingredients like flax seed, or brewer’s yeast for additional lactation support.

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LARABAR

• Easy for on-the-go
• 8+ Flavors
• Few ingredients

These are an easy choice for me. They’re easy to grab and go. There are flavor options that don’t have peanuts, so win for me.

There are many other Easy-to-digest protein bars on the market. I also really like the thinkthin bars. Of course, Target doesn’t sell my favorite flavor anymore which was ‘smores’.

Nature’s Bakery now has a gluten-free fig bar option. Also, Annie’s is another brand that I look for when I’m at the store as they usually always have gluten-free alternatives along with better ingredients.

Made Good is another brand I like, even though I can’t eat everything they offer, they do have good ingredients.

Lastly, newer to the market is BelliWelli, their bars are pretty good, but are a little but pricey in my opinion considering how small the bars are.

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Overnight Oats – Great for when I can warm it up. I do not like cold oatmeal.
For my overnight oats, I take a wide-mouth mason jar, add 1/4-1/2 cups of gluten-free oats, then add some flaxseed, brewer’s yeast, chia seeds, and salt. Last, I add oat milk or almond milk in the jar until it reaches the top of the oats.

• To warm up the oats, I put the mason jar in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, watching it carefully because sometimes it overflows the jar. Once warmed up, I’ll take a spoonful of sunflower butter and mix it in the jar.

Overnight oats are nice because you can make a few in advance. So you don’t have to think about what to have for breakfast.

Side Note: If you’re looking for a lactation booster, I would recommend trying this Milksta Boobie Latte. It’s Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Sugar-Free, Caffiene-Free, and Non-GMO. Believe it or not, it tastes pretty good for a sugar-free beverage. I made mine with oat milk to replace my coffee in the mornings.

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Fruits + Vegetables

I ate lots of fruits and vegetables, which is always a challenge for me since I prioritize giving my kids fresh foods over myself… and I can’t believe I’m going to publish that sentence. Do not come for me about needing to take care of myself. I am a Mom, and it is in my nature to prioritize them over myself.

I tried to eat a variety of fruits, but mostly stuck to what my kids would eat. We have raspberry bushes on our property, so towards the end of summer we ate raspberries in abundance.

Vegetables are another challenge as I am the only one who really eats them in our home. So there were lots of salads and cooked green beans and carrots.

Occasionally I’d have broccoli. I couldn’t stand the smell of raw broccoli when pregnant. To cook it, I would clean up the broccoli, toss it with olive oil, and season with garlic salt. Measuring with my heart of course. Then bake it in the oven until it’s slightly burned.

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Protein

I tried to eat as much protein as I could. Which primarily consisted of leftovers, crockpot chicken or beef, or nut kinds of butter such as sunflower butter or homemade cashew butter. Along with protein bars.

My homemade cashew butter I make in our Ninja food processor (I use a lot of Ninja kitchen gadgets #notsponsored). I usually grab a bag of organic cashews and toss them in a blender with coconut oil. Sometimes I’ll add some walnuts. and blend until butter smooth. The blending part takes a bit of time but is worth it to get the smooth buttery consistency that you have with normal cashew butter.

I’ll usually have my cashew butter in the morning on gluten-free waffles from Target. They taste pretty good and are a decent price for gluten-free.

If I don’t have time to make homemade cashew butter, sunflower butter is my go-to for store-bought. Which you can get it at any grocery store.

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Beverages while Breastfeeding with Ulcerative Colitis

Calorie intake is essential when it comes to breastfeeding, but so is water. Given not all of us can drink pure water all day every day, me being one of those people, I found a few safe options.

Hydromom Electrolyte Drink Mix for Moms

It was perfectly tailored to the breastfeeding mom. These were nice, but kind of spendy ($1.20 per drink packet). My favorite flavor was Green Apple.

I felt hydrated after drinking one and maybe had a little energy. Not as much energy as a cup of coffee would do, but enough to wake up my mind mid-afternoon when I needed a little boost to get me through the evening.

I did not try their other flavors. I picked the one that I thought would have a sour flavor since I tend to like those types of flavor additive packets.

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LMNT Zero-Sugar Electrolytes – Variety Pack – Hydration Powder Packets

These again are great for on-the-go. A healthier option than Liquid I.V. Although I know many people who do like these, they just were not for me.

No joke, I tried every flavor in the sample set that I purchased on Amazon. I did not find a flavor that I liked. Each flavor was kind of dull to me, there wasn’t a lot of it. Given it is a healthier alternative, a duller flavor is what I expected. It had a salty-ish taste with a dull flavor and since having Ulcerative Colitis and drinking broth, it’s difficult for me to stomach that salty taste unless it’s a requirement.

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Greater Than

Again these are marketed towards pregnant women and breastfeeding women. I thought this was a gimmick, but I gave them a try anyway, especially as it got close to summertime. These did help, and they were very tasty.

The price tag on these waters however can make you pause, but for me during those summer months and hot weather, it was worth it for breastfeeding.

Living with Ulcerative Colitis is a challenge, but I’m slowly finding ways to make sure it isn’t all that I think about. I know when I was first diagnosed all I thought about was food. What am I going to eat next? What do I need to food prep? Do I have enough food for the rest of the day or week? Now my food needs are just part of the weekly grocery haul without much additional brain power to think about.

Hopefully, this helps give you a few ideas for navigating Breastfeeding with Ulcerative Colitis. It is a challenge at times, but worth it so you can be the best Mom you can be for the little ones in your life.

Until the next adventure!
– Raye