- Make It Yourself Lavender Heart-Shaped Bath Bombs!
- 20 Things You Never Knew About “Down There”
- 12 Best Foods For Those Suffering From Arthritis Pain
- 12 Personal Hygiene Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes (Mom Never Told You About #4!)
- 15 Medicinal Plants And Herbs From The Cherokee People
- 12 Mind-Blowing Benefits Of Drinking Coconut Water During Pregnancy
- 12 Outstanding Winter Foods That Won’t Fatten You Up Like A Christmas Turkey
Got A New Baby? Try Our Nursing Mother’s Nipple Balm Recipe!
Photo credit: bigstock.com
Whether this is your first baby or your fourth, there are a few things you can count on: Relatives taking pictures, friends giving you lots of advice, and a few problems when it comes to breastfeeding.
This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t breastfeed! The benefits are endless and well documented, however, this doesn’t change the fact that, especially in the beginning, and perhaps the first minute or so, it can be downright uncomfortable.
We might go so far as to say even a bit painful. Getting the baby to “latch on” correctly helps immensely, but no matter how easy a time you might have getting the baby to “get a good grip”, your nipples often become sore. Of course, everyone has great advice when it comes to breastfeeding. Many new mothers enjoy those breastfeeding pillows but not everyone is a fan.
Another common solution is to rub the nipples with lanolin. This is ancient advice but it is certainly not the best advice. First, many people are allergic to lanolin. Hopefully, you find out before you try it! Second, although you might think that lanolin is OK because it is a natural oil from the wool of sheep, there are a few things you should know first. Lanolin is not like coconut oil where you simply “squeeze” the wool to get out the oil. Lanolin needs to be processed.
Also, sheep are often fed antibiotics and other hormones. Let’s also not forget that sheep eat just about anything, including pesticide laden feed. Also, ranchers sometimes spray the animal to prevent insects from making that wool their home. All those pesticides end up not just ON the wool of the animal, but IN the very fibers and this would include the lanolin that comes from wool as well.
As of this writing, there are no organic sources of lanolin that we could find. Although many women use it, we wondered if there wasn’t another way of helping mom and baby that does not include the use of lanolin. When you consider that whatever you put on your nipples is going to be your baby’s first “food” you want to be 100 percent certain that it’s natural and safe, right?
There are a few commercially made organic creams for new mothers, such as Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter, but why not make your own completely natural nipple balm? It’s easy, safe to use, and you know EXACTLY what is in it. Let’s not forget that it’s inexpensive as well.
One of the things every new mother worries about is that their baby might be allergic to certain ingredients. This is why this particular recipe skips almond oil (nut allergies are common), coconut oil, and beeswax.
Continue to Page 2
Photo credit: bigstock.com
By using olive oil instead of the above oils, you greatly reduce the risk that your baby will have an allergic reaction. This recipe also uses cocoa butter, but if you prefer, you could also use mango butter or shea butter. Are you ready to get started?
Ingredients:
- ¼ Cup of Calendula flowers
- ¼ Cup of Chamomile flowers
- 2 Tablespoons of marshmallow root
- 1 Cup of olive oil
First, you will need to infuse the olive oil with some herbs. Your method of doing this will probably rely on how much time you have.
1. Solar Infusion: To use this method, put everything in a pint sized or larger Mason jar and leave in a location where the jar will get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. Shake the jar once each day. This will take 4 weeks and only works in warm weather.
2. Time Infusion: This works exactly the same as the solar method, but it takes longer. Leave the jar on the kitchen counter and shake it once each day. The oil will be ready in 6 weeks.
3. Heat Infusion: When you need the oil ASAP, this is the method to use. Put all ingredients in a double boiler and heat on low for about 3 hours or until the oil changes color slightly. All of the above methods will work just fine, it’s simply how much time you have available.
Once you have the herbs infused into the oil, strain out the herbs, and put the oil in a clean jar. Now, put the cocoa butter (or whichever butter it is that you have decided to use) and ¼ cup of the infused oil into a double boiler. This recipe will leave you with leftover oil that you can use to make another batch of nipple balm or use in other recipes such as lotions and creams.
READ ALSO: Top 15 Foods New Mothers Need Plenty Of (#5 is So Easy to Make!)
Stir your oil and cocoa butter together over low heat just until the cocoa butter has melted completely and everything is well mixed. Pour into a jar or other container to store. This balm will never get completely hard, which makes it very easy to apply and gentle to the nipples. Feel free to use this balm as often as you need to get relief and make breastfeeding more enjoyable.
References:
