Can’t Get Away?  Turn your home into a Personalized Breastfeeding Suite complete with all the luxuries of a fine hotel.

1. Let’s start with...the bed.  Fresh clean sheets and comforter cover, and oh so many pillows, gather them from all around your house. Prop yourself up on your breastfeeding throne...all the better to support you and your baby and keep both of your spines straight from head to butt. Your bedside table has grown to be able to accommodate all your dearest items. A humidifier, complete with an aromatherapy attachment to soothe your senses...Try a lavender scent as a relaxing sleep aid or peppermint and rosemary to revive your energy. Your breast pump, a plentiful supply of burp cloths, computer and phone, anything that you want is close at hand. And...a small vase of colorful, fresh flowers. Make sure there’s at least one rose...See #4.

2. A roaring fire in the fireplace is so soothing...what? No fireplace in your home?   Here’s one; complete with crackling sounds.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fYL_qiDYf0

Make your suite as warm as you like; turn up the heat, be comfortable with your baby skin-to-skin. You may find that you and your baby have kept each other so warm that you’ll need to open a window.

3. The mini-bar menu is chockfull of choices, healthy choices. Go nuts with pecans, munch peppered chickpeas and air popped popcorn for antioxidant rich, stomach filling whole grains. Get a hefty protein boost with a hardboiled egg, Greek yogurt or if you like to bake, here’s a simple, healthy indulgence using ginger which can increase your body’s metabolic rate while reducing your appetite. http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/cranberry-walnut-power-bars  or try Mommy Knows Best Lactation cookies...

Specialty cocktails are also available for your milk boosting pleasure.  Your blender is your friend and you can whip up lactation smoothies in an instant using ripe or frozen fruit, think bananas and berries.  Using nut milk or cow’s milk, blend with 2T of Brewer’s yeast and 1T of ground flaxseed; known for their milk boosting properties. Mommy Knows Best Lactation Drink over ice with a twist will keep you hydrated and happy. Don’t forget the straw. Keep a pitcher in your bedside mini-fridge with freezer... http://www.slamoc.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13_10&products_id=588  - totally luxurious and I bet it’ll come in handy in the future when your baby goes to college.

4. The spa, otherwise known as your bathroom...has become your rain shower, your soaking tub, your steam room.  Indulge yourself by filling the bathroom with steam from your hot shower and sit comfortably and breathe deeply. Warmth, relaxation, time to yourself...all de-stressors to help your milk to flow.  Fill your tub with warm water and float rose petals in it.  See # 1.  Eucalyptus oil on a cotton ball near your steam source is a soothing scent for your lungs and is helpful in reducing inflammation. Not ready for a bath? Save those rose petals for #5

5. Keep up the romance...if it’s been a while, get back into the groove slowly, but only if you are ready. That spa can be shared, using showering together as a way of loosening up. Massages, kissing and snuggling, as well as discussing intimate feelings can help you and your partner reconnect with your pre-baby, sexual selves.  Not ready for sexual relations? Put those rose petals on the bed and watch a favorite movie together. See #1. Show your affection with simple acts of loving kindness and you will receive them in return.

Take the time for healthy indulgences to refresh and revitalize in a room designed just for you, a breastfeeding woman. Indulge yourself.. you deserve it. Be healthy, nurture yourself, your baby and your relationship. With a little preparation, you can create this cozy breastfeeding luxury suite in your own home.  Sweet.

While we think of luxury...please remember those less fortunate than we are by making a donation to your favorite charity. Mine is https://www.operationsmile.org providing life giving surgery to babies and children born with cleft lip and palate.