Saag Daal for the Lactating

Almost two months ago I gave birth, two weeks earlier than expected, to a beautiful 7.5LB baby boy. I am exclusively breastfeeding and this being my first experience as a mother I have come to learn many things, naturally, but there is one subject where I assumed would be rather simple but of course, it isn't. The subject is breastfeeding. The list of things one learns about breastfeeding when having a child is an endless list, an endless list I'm definitely not going to go through point by point as this is a food blog, but there is one thing that is food related which I would like to discuss.

For most mothers who opt to breastfeed the question of whether you are producing enough breastmilk for your baby is a question that is forever hanging in the air, well it was for me anyway. I was pretty sure I was producing enough breastmilk for my little baby but there are times when I am not too sure. Because of this question that had me doubting my breasts and whether they were fulfilling their part in my role as a mother I decided to do a little bit of research (via web) on foods to stay away from and foods to eat in abundance to up my milk production just a little bit. Many of these sites make you wonder whether the foods actually work to help increase milk production as 99% of them are unfounded untested.

Brewers yeast is one ingredient that came up very often, I even looked up a recipe for lactation cookies that included brewers yeast, many of the reviews from this site regarding the brewers yeast came out positive. And while I will try to make the lactation cookies sometime soon (and will post on it for sure) this is not the ingredient I am posting about today. Moving on, on a list of GOOD EATS for lactating women was spinach. And the other night Mr. Borscht and I just happened to be sitting down to indian takeout where I decided to order Saag Daal, a spinach puree with yellow lentils, very flavorful and packed with spinach. Needless to say, my breastmilk production has increased, unless by some coincidence it just so happened on its own around the same time. While my baby had recently been sitting down to breastfeed only to be somewhat squirmish and frustrated (which led me to believe I was not producing enough or perhaps my flow was simply to slow) but after having eaten the Saag Daal he was gulping away, not even being able to drain both breasts before falling back full and happy.

Couple of other foods I have been munching on that is said to promote breastmilk production:

Hummus
Dried apricots
Dried figs
Spinach