"I'm Running Late For Work And Don't Have Time For Breakfast" Oatmeal Muffins

Being a working mom is HARD. How many times have we spent the morning running around making sure everyone else was ready, only to forget about ourselves? We have to remember the lunches, the bags, the daycare stuff, the pump parts... our brains are so overwhelmed often times we realize "I didn't eat this morning!" These oatmeal cupcakes (i say cupcake but really they are more like a muffin!) are PERFECT for those busy mornings! You can make a batch ahead on the weekend and freeze, so you can grab and go! They are filled with healthy ingredients like bananas, oatmeal, and flaxseed!

Ingredients: 

3 cups rolled oats

2 large overripe bananas

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

1 cup mini chocolate chips, optional

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

2 eggs at room temperature

1 cup milk at room temperature (Use regular or your favorite dairy free option!)

1/2 cup flaxseed meal

2 tsp vanilla extract 

2 Tbsp coconut sugar 

1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350F and line 24 muffin cups with liners. 

2) In a large bowl mash the bananas until they are in a smooth consistency (like baby food). Add the milk, coconut oil, vanilla and maple syrup. Mix well! 

3) In a large bowl mix together the rolled oats, chocolate chips, flaxseed, coconut sugar, and baking soda. 

4) Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well. 

5) Fill muffin cups with mixture. Note: This does not rise, so you can fill it all the way to the top!

6) Bake the muffins for 25 - 30 minutes, or until they are firm and turning brown on top. Let cool for 5 minutes in the muffin trays before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. 

7) Store in the fridge or freezer. Enjoy!! 

NOTE: If you are egg free, you can replace the eggs with your favorite egg replacement. 

5 Minute "Oh Crap Company Is Coming" No Bake Granola Bars

We've all had that moment. We are running around like crazy, trying to take care of kids and keep the house clean, and suddenly we remember: SOMEONE IS COMING OVER. You have no time to go to the store and only have about 10 minutes before the baby wakes up from the 20 minute power nap she decided to take. Well, we've got you covered! These granola bars can be made in 5 minutes using one bowl. YEP. They really are that simple. And kids and adults alike will love these! No one will suspect that you threw them together at the last second!

Ingredients:
1 cup Shredded Coconut
1 cup Chocolate Chips (use your preferred brand)
1/3 cup Coconut Oil
1/2 cup Flaxseed Meal
1/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup
2 cups Old Fashioned Oatmeal
1/2 cup Raisins
1 cup Peanut Butter (or alternative nut butter or sunbutter)

Directions:
1) Place peanut butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, and chocolate chips into a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 45 - 60 seconds on HIGH. Stir together.
2) Add all dry ingredients to the bowl and stir until well mixed.
3) Pour mixture into a glass or ceramic 13 x 9 baking dish and use a spoon to spread evenly.
4) Place in the fridge (or freezer if you are really running out of time!!) to cool!
5) After the mixture is completely solid, use a knife to cut into squares. ENJOY!

The beauty of this recipe is that you can adapt it to use anything you have on hand!! Don't like coconut? Add some extra oats or flaxseed! No raisins? Add other dried fruit and nuts! You can truly make this using whatever you have on hand, and it will come out amazing every time!

Mother Nature vs Nursing Mother: Preparing For A Hurricane

Hurricanes can be scary. I know. I've lived most of my life on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Here are a few ways you can prepare yourself to weather the storm. 

Power outages are a common concern. Especially for pumping moms. All that liquid gold in the freezer! A full freezer can hold its temp for 24-48 hours if you leave it shut. So you'll want to freeze large containers of ice to fill the empty spaces in your freezer. I also recommend freezing a cup of water and after it's frozen, place a coin on top. This will help you evaluate the contents of your freezer if you leave and return after power has been restored. If the coin is still on top of the cup, then the contents of your freezer are likely fine. If the coin is at the bottom of the cup, you know that the everything completely defrosted and needs to be thrown away. If the coin is in the middle, then you'll need to evaluate each item and determine whether you can save it or not. 
A quick note about dry ice: dry ice needs to be properly ventilated. If you're using dry ice make sure you're using it in approved containers. It is not safe to fill your freezer with dry ice and shut the door.
Pumping during a power outage also requires advance planning. This is especially important if you're exclusively pumping. You'll want a battery back up for your pump, a car adapter, or a manual pump. Hand expression can also be a valuable tool if you don't have access to a pump. Freshly pumped milk can be safely kept in a cooler with ice for 24 hours. 

If you're evacuating and taking frozen milk with you, pack your cooler as tightly as possible. When you arrive at your destination, any milk with ice crystals can definitely be refrozen. And while many sources recommend using thawed milk within 24 hours, newer research indicates that milk that has completely thawed *may* be marked as thawed and refrozen. Smell upon defrosting and use at your discretion.

Stress and supply is another common concern of nursing moms. And anyone who's lived through a storm knows that your stress level can skyrocket during a disaster. Do your best to stay hydrated. Continue to eat. Get sleep when you can. This means you'll need to stock up ahead of time on essentials. Don't wait until the last minute. And don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it.

Many concerned mommas in unaffected areas want to donate milk to mommas in disaster areas. While this is incredibly generous, there are a few key things to remember: availability of power and access to shipping are sketchy at best after a storm. And most shelters are not equipped to store and dispense breastmilk. If you want to contribute to relief efforts, there are more helpful ways to spend your money than on shipping breastmilk. 

The DQ Admin Team hopes you all stay safe this hurricane season! Nurse on! 

https://kellymom.com/hot-topics/frozen-milk-power-outage/

https://med.stanford.edu/.../hand-expressing-milk.html

https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/milkstorage/milkstorage/

Depressed Moms: What You Need To Know

 Depressed Moms: What You Need To Know

Thomas Hale, R.Ph., Ph.D., executive director of the InfantRisk Center

Today we have a guest blog written by Dr. Thomas Hale of InfantRisk. InfantRisk focuses on research concerning breastfeeding and medication to help moms make an informed choice about the risks of breastfeeding while taking medication. They have the most up to date information and are the go to for questions concerning medication safety and breastfeeding! You can help support InfantRisk by donating here: Support InfantRisk

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the U.S. Research shows us that the cause of depression can be a combination of genetic, biological, environmental and psychological factors. Many women sufferers attest that the onset of depression came without any major life event, but the pervasive symptoms are unbearable.

And, of course, many women also experience post partum or perinatal depression. Often overlooked, this is full-blown depression and potentially very serious. Feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety and exhaustion can be confusing and overwhelming for new mothers, making it difficult to care for their little one and complete every day tasks.

Like with most conditions, pregnancy and breastfeeding do not preclude the ability to safely and effectively treat depression in mothers. Balancing risks and benefits, providers and mothers can work together to create a plan to keep both mom and baby healthy.

This plan might include a range of therapies, including bright light therapy, a strategic breastfeeding schedule, counseling and medications. Despite what many believe, many antidepressants have been thoroughly studied in pregnancy and breastfeeding and are believed to be relatively safe. When making a decision about the safety of a medication while pregnant or breastfeeding, for any condition, it’s important to weight the risks associated with that medication against the risk of the condition being untreated.

For example, while the likelihood of a baby being exposed in utero to drugs like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is high and the dosage the baby receives can be relatively high, the risk of birth defects caused by these medications is apparently very low. Infants might also absorb SSRIs residue in breast milk, but some types were more likely to be absorbed in the breast milk than others. Furthermore, studies have shown that even in cases with the well-absorbed SSRIs, breastfeeding babies frequently display no symptoms and there is little to suggest there will be long-term developmental effects. However, more data is certainly needed and as the use of these medications increases, the InfantRisk Center is working to get a clear picture of what the implications are for babies.

Antidepressants are not the only option for treating depression. But for individual mothers, they may be the best or most-realistic choice. Although, there is some risk associated with the use of antidepressants while breastfeeding, the risk of untreated depression is definitely even greater. Lastly, all risks and benefits must be carefully weighed for each mother. But generally, we must bear in mind that a healthy mom makes a healthy baby.

Guest Blog: “Babies, Breast Milk and Marijuana”

Guest Blog: “Babies, Breast Milk and Marijuana”

Thomas Hale, R.Ph., Ph.D., executive director of the InfantRisk Center

Today we have a guest blog written by Dr. Thomas Hale of InfantRisk. InfantRisk focuses on research concerning breastfeeding and medication to help moms make an informed choice about the risks of breastfeeding while taking medication. They have the most up to date information and are the go to for questions concerning medication safety and breastfeeding! You can help support InfantRisk by donating here: Support InfantRisk

Changing legislation, political rhetoric and pop culture have brought marijuana use to the forefront of life in America. While many remain deeply divided about its use, it’s undeniably ubiquitous in our modern society and the debate over its legalization will likely rage on for some time. And for as many as 3 percent of pregnant women in the U.S., it’s effects on babies’ development and transfer in breast milk is a real concern. Despite the widespread use of this product, we simply do not know about the potential neurobehavioral effects of this drug on unborn and newborn breastfeeding babies.

Cannabis is a psychoactive drug that provides feelings of euphoria, mood changes and even hallucinations. Its active ingredient, delta-9-THC, affects the brain noticeably for only a few hours, but its residue can be stored in tissues for 2 to 3 weeks. In pregnant mothers, cannabis use has been linked to risk of motor, social and cognitive disturbances in babies exposed to cannabis prenatally. Another study found an increased incidence of smaller heads in kids age 9 to 12 who were exposed to frequent or heavy marijuana use during gestation. It’s even possible that cannabis exposure in utero actually cause memory problems and is linked to low birth weight leukemia.

Marijuana use was once viewed as relatively safe for breastfeeding mothers, but numerous animal studies now question this concept. Marijuana is secreted in breast milk, but one study found that of 27 women who used cannabis daily during breastfeeding, the babies experienced no difference in growth, mental and motor development than other babies.

However, breast milk accumulates 8 times more cannabis than plasma. This accumulation might be sufficient to alter long-term neurobehavioral functioning.  And, infants exposed to marijuana through breast milk may test positive in urine screens for 2 to 3 weeks. More and more research is becoming available that indicates that early exposure to cannabis may be hazardous  and could cause long-term changes in an infant’s behavior and mental health later on.

For the mother, cannabis might produce changes in hormones and limit prolactin, growth hormone and thyroid stimulating hormones, as well as corticotropin, which prepares the body for birth. Chronic cannabis use may also lead to depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder in some women.

There’s still so much we don’t know about marijuana and its applications in health care.  There are positive studies showing some effect on controlling seizures, some effect on pain management. So, marijuana appears to be a mix of good and bad. As more states will probably legalize the use of marijuana, mothers might come to believe it’s completely safe. However, the research indicates that it could cause significant mental and developmental changes in babies exposed during pregnancy or and maybe breastfeeding. So, mothers should abstain from its use (at least in pregnancy and breastfeeding) until we have the whole story.

Infantrisk: A Breastfeeding Mothers Best Friend

Dairy Queens Breastfeeding Support is proud to support InfantRisk! Please help them continue their research by making a tax deductible donation today: Click Here to Donate

One of the biggest lingering misconceptions in the breastfeeding community is that when you take any prescription medication you must pump and dump. This is compounded by the fact that many doctors and nurses give moms outdated information concerning medication safety and breastfeeding. Moms are told they must pump and dump for hours, days, or even weeks when taking a medication. This interruption to breastfeeding can have a dramatic impact on the breastfeeding relationship. But how can a breastfeeding mother figure out what the real answer is?

Thankfully there is a place to turn for all your questions about medications and breastfeeding: Infantrisk! What is infantrisk? Infantrisk is the world’s leading research center for medication safety during pregnancy and lactation. It is run by world-renowned researcher Dr. Thomas Hale Ph.D., R. Ph. Their focus is to help moms answer the question “can I take this medication?” They have the most up to date scientific research on medications and supplements and their safety when you are breastfeeding.

There are many ways you can get answers from infantrisk. The easiest way is to simply call! They staff a phone line (806-352-2519) Monday – Friday from 8am to 5pm CT and you can speak to a nurse who will help answer your specific questions and concerns. They also have an app you can download for both Android and Iphone called MommyMeds for Mothers. This app is there to help give you an overview of the medication and tell you the safety of taking it when nursing. This app is wonderful to use with your doctor or nurse if you need a prescription as you can both look together to come up with a treatment plan that supports your breastfeeding relationship. Infantrisk also has a web forum where you can ask questions which will be answered by Dr. Hale and his team! Many times you can search the web forum to find an answer to your question.http://www.infantrisk.com/forum/

If you are ever given a medication and told you must pump and dump or have any questions or concerns about the safety of a medication, this is the first place you should go. Many times mothers are given outdated information and many pump and dump unnecessarily! Many common antibiotics and pain medications are safe for breastfeeding.