Weird Breastmilk Hacks

While riding the breastfeeding mommy train you may end up with extra baggage. What kind of baggage? Bags of your milk! Since we are not cows it is apparently not socially acceptable to pour a glass for our significant others. So what else can we do? The answer is, surprisingly A LOT! Check out these weird, but amazing, breastmilk hacks! 

Baby Colds & Stuffy Noses

There is nothing worse than your baby being sick. (other than you both being sick) You look at that precious, snot covered face and hope you can make them better very soon. The typical answer is to use saline drops. Saline is another way of saying salt water. These drops work, but sometimes it can sting your baby. Think about scratching your arm then throwing salt on it, yes it can sting. Well, you can use breastmilk instead of saline drops! Breastmilk has a lot great antibodies that help fight sickness. When your baby is sick it is best to breastfeed them of course. But you can also use breastmilk to help fight the mucus!  

1. Take a dropper and drop a couple drops of breastmilk in each nostril. The milk can be freshly expressed or thawed from the freezer. 
2. Use a bulb syringe or "NoseFrida" to suck out the milk and mucus. 
3. Make sure not to stick the bulb syringe too deep. The "NoseFrida" typically prevents this. 

Pink Eye

Pink eye is an issue where your baby may develop redness and irritation. It can produce a mucus like substance that you will have to wipe out of their eye. If your baby develops pink eye you can use breastmilk as an instant remedy or relief. Again, why breastmilk? Think of breastmilk as a liquid with a bunch of superheroes floating around in it ready for battle. 

1. Take a dropper and drop a couple drops of breastmilk in the infected eye. 
2. Baby will blink out any excess milk so have a soft cloth handy. 
3. Always wash your hands well before and after. 

Eczema & Cradle Cap

Skin rashes, flakes, and redness, oh my! Often these pests can be a problem whether you try to prevent it or not. Luckily you had the special ingredient to fight them the whole time. You guessed it, it's breastmilk! 

1. Apply to the skin or scalp of the infected areas a few times per day and let dry. 
2. For eczema you can apply to the known area to prevent flare ups. 
3. For cradle cap, you may want to also look at purchasing a cradle cap brush. 

This cradle cap brush is from Safety First. 

Sore & Cracked Nipples

This one is for YOU Mama! Are your nipples sore from breastfeeding? Well one of the best "creams" around is actually your own breastmilk! If you have not heard this before, it may seem silly. But a GREAT way to get some relief after you feed or pump is to not wipe off your nipples. When you're done, express a drop or rub them with the milk still on. The antibodies in the breastmilk will help heal any irritation or cracks. You can still use lanolin creams but may want to try this first and then use the other cream an hour or so later. 

-Happy Feedings-

Jennifer Fletcher- Founder- Mother of 2 @NurseMeMama

Note: None of these remedies are meant to replace a doctor. These are remedies to use after speaking to your doctor or baby's pediatrician about any medical concerns. 

REFERENCES:

https://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-eating/breastfeeding/why-breast-is-best/benefits-of-breastmilk 

https://www.parenting.com/article/breast-milk-as-medicine

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6798576 

https://www.breastfeeding-problems.com/using-breast-milk.html