Ok, so we had a baby over here! That’s my rock-solid excuse for not blogging for most of December and January: lost in baby-land.
(For those that are curious, it’s a girl, 3,78 kilos/8 lbs. 5 oz., healthy, and adorable–see right)
Relatives and friends have arrived in droves to coo over the new little one. Babies are popular excuses for a visit in Brazil. It’s been great fun to hang out with everyone and talk baby, even more fun to eat all the traditional foods that come with births. I was looking forward to it since 8 months!
In the USA fathers hand out cigars (or the candy version–does anyone still hand out the real thing?). In Brazil dads offer you a celebratory shot of infused cachaça rum infused with losna (absinthe?) herb.
A few foods are made to help strengthen the newly breastfeeding mother and help her to produce more milk. They’re delicious, though, so everyone else gets in on the action–lactating and non-lactating alike. Vats of canjica and pirão sit on the stove at the ready to serve mama and the arriving hoards of visitors.
And then I have heard the rumor that drinking dark beer also aids milk production–good grains and extra iron, they say…They strongly refuted it in my prenatal classes. though. Something about alcohol not being good for baby? Just a nitpicky trivial detail, that.
Darnitall, because I was looking forward to that one!
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Fotocrônica: Wheelbarrow boys
N
February 1, 2014 at 12:11 pmCongratulations to the happy parents ! Long live to the new baby girl ! Hurray ! 😀
In Germany they have a kiddy version of dark beer with very little amount of alcohol. What actually helps the milk production is the brewers yeast (and oatmeal, and flax seed too). No idea how it’s called here or where to find it in Brazil. Here is a yummy recipe I did many times when I was breastfeeding the twins (and later too, because it’s THAT good).http://www.food.com/recipe/oatmeal-chocolate-chip-lactation-cookies-by-noel-trujillo-192346
(Though you don’t seem to be lacking any food around your place ! — Great to be surrounded by family, isn’t it?)
Malvina
February 2, 2014 at 8:38 amThat recipe looks great! Thanks! I think flax seed is linhaça, which I’ve found in multiple natural food sections. How essential do you think the brewer’s yeast is? I think that’s the only ingredient that would be hard to locate…
Now to find that kiddy version of dark beer…. 😉
N
February 2, 2014 at 10:40 amYes ! LINHAÇA! You are right !
I think brewer’s yeast is one of the key ingredient, but as oatmeal and flax seed are already supposed to help, you could try without ! (Another of my problems here would be finding the chocolate chips! In a town that produces cacao… Can you believe it ? You might not have that problem where you are.) 🙂
Malvina
February 2, 2014 at 10:55 amNo chocolate chips here either; I buy a bittersweet Garoto chocolate bar and chop it into small pieces. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!
N
February 2, 2014 at 7:23 pmHa ha. Yes, I’ve discovered the bittersweet Garoto chocolate (the one with almonds, right?) myself a few days ago. I was in serious chocolate withdrawal before that ! 😉
Malvina
February 3, 2014 at 6:41 amThey also make a larger plain 50% dark chocolate bar (yellow wrapper?); around here it’s usually in the candy aisle of the supermarket. That’s the one I buy for making chocolate chip cookies.
N
February 3, 2014 at 10:05 amOk. thanks for the tip. I’ll check it out ! 😉