How to get the birthing experience you want (in Bangkok)

I haven't been able to find much time to start writing again, but then I realised that life simply isn't going to give me a few spare hours a day anymore, pa ha ha. So I've promised myself that I will focus on short (and hopefully sweet) posts for a little while. Hope you like them and find them useful...

Here are my top five tips on how to get the birthing experience you want. This is from my experience at Bumrungrad earlier this year.

Ensure you have discussed your wishes with your Doctor

Emergencies happen,

and its important to listen to the professionals when they do,

but at the very least your Doctor should know your basic wishes

before you get into the labour room

Use your partner to be your voice

(they listen to dads more)

Hire a Doula

She will empower you to have a voice when it matters most to you
Article: Doulas - a friend in an hour of need
Article: Doulas Do More

Attend an Antenatal Class

Article: Knocked up.....Now What? Private Antenatal Classes in Bangkok

Politely insist on anything and everything you want

You will ultimately get it if you stick to your guns

We insisted on skin to skin, which admittedly was more of a long awkward cuddle but we got some ✅

We insisted that dad went with bubba to the nursery for her basic checks, and that it was as quick as possible ✅ (they had her back to me before I’d even left the labour room) 

We insisted that bubba came back to me for her eye drops and vitamin k injection ✅ (as above, this was done in the labour room) 

We insisted that she stayed with us ✅ (in fact she stayed with us so much that they almost forgot to do her hearing test and BCG) 

We insisted that I was with her for her hearing test and BCG ✅ (we threatened to not pay if they didn’t allow me to have physical contact with her for her BCG)

So, other than a very quick trip to the nursery with dad, I was with her for everything. We had to be politely forceful, but it’s your child, and no one should/can dictate to you.

You've got this mama!

GET INFORMED, GIVE TRUE CONSENT!

Booby Biscuits

Otherwise known (to grown up people) as Lactation Cookies

You may be like me and think that all the talk about eating things to make you produce more booby milk is hocus pocus but I found out it wasn’t simply by accident.

I was attending a BAMBI playgroup at Steps with Theera one Sunday morning and happily munching on a plate of biscuits, they were gorgeous, oaty, crunchy yet soft, sweet but with some background bitterness, they were so yum I ate at least 4 of them. Then I found out they were so called ‘lactation cookies’, I rolled my eyes and thought nothing of it. Until I pumped later that day and, to my surprise, pumped 30mls more than I normally would….since then my husband has been making booby biscuits (as they are called in our house) every week and he’s getting rather good at them.

He uses a well known recipe from www.bellybelly.com.au which he has tweaked a little, and I provide links below of where to find the less than obvious ingredients. We try to find the best quality products possible, but I appreciate this isn’t always possible. I’m also quite certain that there must also be a placebo element to this, but if my placebo is a yummy cookie, then hey ho, bring it on! The raw dough is meant to be a bit more potent than the cooked cookies, but obviously be careful about raw egg products and definitely don’t eat raw cookie dough if you are pregnant.

Prep time: approx. 15 minutes

Oven temp: preheat to 170C or 338F

Makes approx. 14-16 cookies

Ingredients and Method:

In a large mixing bowl, cream together

½ cup butter 

¾ cup of brown sugar

Add

1 egg 

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Mix well

In a separate bowl, combine

2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal 

2-3 tablespoons of water

Let them sit for a few minutes before adding to mix

Add the following dry ingredients

1 cup Flour 

½ teaspoon Baking Powder 

½ teaspoon Himalayan salt 

1-2 tablespoons Brewers yeast

Mix well again

Finally, stir in

1 ½ cups of oats 

½ cup of chocolate pieces 

½ cup of raisins

Make the biscuits (roughly a dessert spoon as a rough size guide) and place them onto a lightly greased or lined baking tray

Flatten them a little with your fingers or a spatula – if you like a soft centre, don’t squash them down too much

Bake for around 10-12 minutes, depending on how well cooked or crunchy you like your biscuits

What is so special about Lactation Cookies?

Some of the key ingredients in these cookies are individually believed to help increase milk supply i.e. they are believed to be Galactagogue’s

Oats: Although there is no scientific evidence regarding oatmeal and milk supply, oatmeal does seem to work for some (myself included). Oatmeal is a source of iron, and low iron levels can result in decreased milk supply, so it makes sense that eating something high in iron might increase milk supply. It is also thought that there may be a link between decreasing cholesterol levels and increasing milk production. Oat bran, which is in oatmeal, is also known to help lower cholesterol. (1) 

Flaxseed: Flaxseed meal has been included as an ingredient in the lactation cookies recipe because it's high in omega-3 and dietary fibre. It contains calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and potassium (2). However please note that there have been studies (in rats) that suggest flaxseed can affect the adrenal glands of offspring if taken by the mother during lactation. It might be worth noting that the rats had consumed the equivalent of what would be 9 spoonfuls (200g) a day and this recipe only calls for 2 spoonfuls (30g) for approx. 14 biscuits (3).

Brewer’s Yeast: This contains protein, iron, and B vitamins, as well as chromium, selenium, and other trace minerals. It comes from a fungus called Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It can be used for baking, brewing beer, and making wine, is thought to be a galactagogue and increase energy levels, and elevate mood. I haven’t found any specific studies to explain why (or even, if) brewer's yeast increases lactation but I also haven’t found any studies that disprove this. Many women (including midwifery and lactation specialists) report that it helps. But, it might not work for everyone. It is also worth noting that it has been proven to reduce the incidence and duration of the common cold, so if nothing else that has to be a good thing (4). Some studies show that it may help lower cholesterol levels (5), which again might explain the link to improving breast milk supply.

You can tweak the amount of brewers yeast if you would like to try to better results, although it does add a bitter taste so you may need to adjust the sugar or chocolate and raisins to accommodate.

The bottom line for all lactation queries is your lactation professional.

Speak to your Doctor or your lactation specialist.

If you live in Bangkok I highly recommend attending Bangkok Breastfeeding Café and speaking with Lia Segall

Click here for Lia's Top 6 Breastfeeding Tips

(1) kellymom.com
(2) www.bellybelly.com.au
(3) www.nutraingredients.com
(4) www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

(5) www.verywell.com

Personal Notes on Ingredients and Where to get them - Click on the links below:

Quantity	What	Notes
1 cup	Cake or All Purpose or Wholemeal Flour	If can get Self Raising you don’t need the Baking Powder
½ teaspoon	Baking powder	Not needed if using self raising
½ cup	Butter
¾ cup	Brown sugar	We like to get the best quality soft brown sugar we can
2 tablespoons	Flaxseed meal	We grind flaxseed’s in a coffee grinder
1	Egg
1 tablespoon	Vanilla extract
½ teaspoon	Himalayan Salt	Any good salt would do, but I don’t think table salt would be nice
1 ½ cups	Oats	We use Rolled Oats, but I’ve been told that there are healthier Oat alternatives like Steel Cut etc.
½ cup	Chocolate broken into pieces	Good quality is best. We use Green & Blacks from back home.
½ cup	Raisins
1-2	Brewers Yeast	DO NOT SUBSTITUTE for any other type of yeast We use Solgar powder.
2-3 tablespoons	Water	Mix to get the right texture