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Food is Fuel: Nourishing Your Body During Pregnancy, Postpartum and Beyond with Aloha Nutrition · Twin Mom Life

• Jessielee Sittig: Hello and welcome to the Twin Mom Life podcast. I'm your host, Jess. I created this podcast to help build community, connection, and most importantly, friendships among moms of multiples. Being a twin mom can be amazing and magical. That twin bond is unlike anything I've ever witnessed, but it can also be isolating and overwhelming. I'll be chatting with other twin moms, diving deep into the twin experience. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy twin mom life to listen along. I hope this podcast shed some light on a topic that's been on your heart and gave you more confidence as a twin mama. If you know a twin mom, please send this her way. If you like what you heard today, please subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Check out the show notes to be connected with today's guest and get discount codes for brands I love. See you next Thursday. Until then. Hey, welcome to the podcast. How are you doing? ⁓ Allegra: Doing great! Thank you so much for having me. Jessielee Sittig: Yes, absolutely. So today we have Allegra. Thank you so much for coming on. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Allegra: Yeah, so I'm Allegra. I'm a registered dietitian and IBCLC lactation consultant in private practice. I started my practice Aloha Nutrition when I lived in Hawaii, and now we help moms all over the world. And I have four kids. I have a seven-year-old, four-year-old, and then two-year-old twins. So I am in the toddler stage of twins, and it is busy. Jessielee Sittig: giving advice on what works for us so you don't have to learn the hard way. Juggling two babies at the same time is challenging, but I'm confident we can learn from each other and figure out how to raise these babies together. You are made for this. Fame, fame, my boys are also too and keeping me on my toes for sure. Okay, so before we really hop into it, because I can't wait to talk about that, I feel like being a lactation consultant and a dietician, you are like a dynamic duo. So I can't wait to talk about all of that. But before we do, how did you fill your own cup today? Allegra: I did some stretching. I mean, to be honest, I haven't done a lot for myself today. feel like, you you wake up whenever the kids wake up. I plan on going on a nice long walk. ⁓ live ⁓ of out in the middle of nowhere. There's a lot of trees and trails and we're not too far from the beach. ⁓ I try to do some daily walks and just like take a breather, especially. ⁓ kind of break up my day from working, consults, to mom life. I feel like even just a five minute, like get out of the house, like brain refresh, helps me come back to the home a little more prepared to tackle dinner time and the kids and all that. Jessielee Sittig: Yes. Well, a walk sounds so nice to be outside and get some fresh air. And are you able to walk to the beach? Allegra: Yep, it's about like a 10 minute walk. Jessielee Sittig: ⁓ that's fantastic. We are like several hours from any kind of well, I mean, we're close to lakes, but to the ocean we are several hours. So that sounds amazing. That's so fun. Okay, so for me on Fridays, my husband and I do a date night in. So we always try to make like a fun dinner, like something special, like a steak or something, and have a glass of wine and watch a fun show. So I'm looking forward to that. Allegra: ⁓ that's so necessary. Jessielee Sittig: yeah, I'm excited. I feel like it's been a busy week and we haven't had like a ton of time to connect. So I'm looking forward to that. And this morning was just like such a nice morning with my kids. My daughter is in kinder, but she has Fridays off. And normally we try to like go to the park or something. And today we just stayed home ⁓ and we like baked muffins and ⁓ They got some craft kits and sticker books, so they were just happily playing. And it was just a really peaceful morning. That doesn't always happen. Yeah. So that filled my cup. It was really nice. And then looking forward to filling my cup and spending some time with my husband later. So yes. OK, so I love that you already answered this. I was wondering where the aloha in aloha nutrition came from. Allegra: That's the best. That's awesome. Jessielee Sittig: you got that inspiration from living in Hawaii. Allegra: Yep. Yeah. I lived in Hawaii. That's really where I found my passion with lactation. So I was already a dietician when I moved there. I worked at WIC, Women, Infant and Children. And it was at WIC where I learned that breastfeeding isn't easy. know, it doesn't just... Jessielee Sittig: Hmm. Mm-hmm. Allegra: You know, even though it's natural, is very much a learned skill and just seeing the other lactation consultants at the clinic, I was like, wow, I want to help moms too. And this was all before I even had my first kid. And so I was, I started my, I left WIC cause I wanted a little more one-on-one support and really, you know, helping moms outside of the clinical aspect of things. So I left WIC and started my private practice, Aloha Nutrition. I had my first baby and I was like, wow. Jessielee Sittig: Hmm. Allegra: breastfeeding really is hard and she had a really bad posterior tongue tie. had cracked nipples, vasospasms, like all the things. And I was like, you know, as a lactation consultant, I knew what to do, but you can't always control your baby and just like figuring things out together. It was a huge learning curve, but I feel like it really set me up to, you know, be a better lactation consultants and really empathize with moms and like, yeah, it is a struggle. Jessielee Sittig: Mm. Allegra: My husband was the biggest cheerleader, just really supporting me, especially when I was in pain or just feeling touched out or she's cluster feeding. But we were able to continue nursing for three and a half years. And I nursed during my second pregnancy and I tandem fed them for 15 months. And then I continued nursing my second one through my twin pregnancy. And at one point I was feeding three babies. Jessielee Sittig: Mmm. Wow! ⁓ That's incredible. Allegra: ⁓ I tried to wean so hard with my second one when I was pregnant with the twins and we weaned and he was probably weaned for two months but then once the twins came he just had so many big feelings. He was only two years old when the twins were born and that really was his comfort nursing and because I had this robust supply, I'd just given birth. Jessielee Sittig: Mm. Allegra: He was like, ⁓ my goodness, yay, milk. And so, yeah, that was kind of an unexpected part of postpartum with twins was now nursing three. Jessielee Sittig: Well, that's all, ⁓ yeah, I can't, I really can't imagine that is so incredible that you were able to do that and that your body was able to supply enough milk for everybody. That's so fantastic. And I also think it's really, yeah, absolutely. And I'm just really amazed and impressed that you became a lactation consultant before you had children. what an incredible thing. And then, Allegra: Yeah, I'm always amazed with what our bodies can do. Jessielee Sittig: to be a first time mom and be like, am a lactation consultant and this is still so hard. I think that was one thing that was like shocking for me when I had my daughter. So I had my Singleton first and then my twins and we ended up being able to breastfeed for about 15 months. It was really special, but the beginning was really hard. It was very hard and I thought it would come naturally and I had similar issues. She had tongue ties. Allegra: Mm-hmm. Yep. Yeah. Jessielee Sittig: She was also born with a swollen salivary gland under her tongue. And the pediatrician, yeah, I had never seen anything like that. She would cry and there was almost like, it looked like a bubble under her tongue. So I noticed it immediately after she was born. And they were like, that's a swollen salivary gland. It shouldn't affect breastfeeding, but if it does, let us know. And I just didn't know what to expect with breastfeeding. And it was so painful. Allegra: interesting. Jessielee Sittig: I got mastitis and then finally she was evaluated and they were like, ⁓ she's got tongue ties. We should release the swollen salivary gland because like we don't think she's getting a good latch. And then once all of that healed, I'm so thankful because we really did have a good breastfeeding journey. And then the twins came. Allegra: Yeah. ⁓ Yeah. Yeah, that's amazing. I know I always tell moms like it's a rocky start, but if you can get past those like six weeks, even sometimes eight weeks, like, you know, there are those hurdles, but then, you know, it can just come a lot more easily once you get over that hump. So I applaud you for sticking with it. Jessielee Sittig: Mm-hmm. Yeah, absolutely. Well, I will tell you, I was very stubborn. there were so many times that my husband was like, you are in pain, you are clearly uncomfortable. Let's switch to formula. Nothing is wrong with formula. I just wasn't ready. I wasn't ready to do that yet. And with the twins, I feel like we had to pivot a little bit quicker. Like we had a toddler, we had two newborns. So with my twins, I did exclusively pump for about seven months, which is ⁓ also difficult in different ways. Thank you. You are too, feeding three babies at the same time. That's so incredible. I love that. your... Allegra: Yeah, wow, you're amazing. Yeah. Yeah, wow. It was just like once a day that I would nurse the toddler. It was really just like around his afternoon nap, so. Jessielee Sittig: Well, still! Still absolutely incredible. and I would love to talk more about your twins So before I even heard Aloha Nutrition, which is such a great resource, I had heard your birth story on the Birth Hour podcast. And ⁓ that was incredible also. could tell us a little bit about your twin birth story? Allegra: Yeah, yeah. So they were my third pregnancy, so baby three and four. And this was honestly the best pregnancy I had. And that's like crazy to think because, you know, my singleton, my first one, I was nauseous all the time. I vomited at one point. Like I was just not doing well. And I realized with my third pregnancy that nutrition was actually just like crucial. Jessielee Sittig: Hmm. Allegra: And so I really tried to prioritize minerals and make mineral mocktails and really prioritize protein. And I just went into that pregnancy a lot more healthy than my first. So with my first, I was actually vegan and not eating a lot of protein, not taking a quality prenatal vitamin. and you know, I was a dietician, so I knew about healthy eating, but ⁓ not important it was to prioritize certain minerals and certain foods, especially protein-rich foods, fiber-rich foods. And so with my third pregnancy with the twins, I really prioritized that. I prioritized yoga, weekly yoga, which really helped with my growing body because it's growing so rapidly. I saw a chiropractor. I just did a lot of work and honestly it was not an easy pregnancy. really realized that nutrition was really important ⁓ in pregnancy, ⁓ And so it was a lot of work. I I was taking higher amounts of magnesium, having a bedtime snack before bed, and I had the best sleep. Like, you know, that's not heard of during pregnancy. I slept like a rock. I didn't have any like, Charlie horses or muscle spasms like I did with my previous two pregnancies. And so ⁓ I always tell moms like, your body speaks to you via symptoms and it's important to listen to those symptoms. So if you're craving certain foods, kind of ask yourself, well, why am I craving that food? Am I deficient or, you know, do I need a certain amount of those minerals? Like if you're craving a burger, sometimes it's you need more iron or if you're craving dairy products or ice cream, maybe you need more iodine or calcium. If you're craving pickle juice, maybe you need more sodium. And so, know, really listening to your body and even just like, you know, those muscle spasms or sore muscles, like your body is growing. And so even just doing some stretches, doing prenatal yoga, like that all has a huge impact on how you feel in your pregnancy. And so that's something I really try to advocate and encourage on my Instagram account, aloha.nutrition. So yeah, I had a really good pregnancy, even able to have energy chasing my toddler and my four year old at the time. And I carried these twins to 39 weeks in four days. I actually went longer than my singleton. So I could not get these babies out. I really wanted to have a spontaneous labor. Jessielee Sittig: Incredible. Wow. Allegra: but I did all the natural things, everything that you Google online to induce labor naturally, nothing worked. I did primrose oil, vaginally and orally, chiropractor, massage, reflexology, and I'd never even done that before, acupuncture, walking, the circuit, literally everything, ⁓ ⁓ didn't come. ⁓ so I ended up being induced at 39 weeks. Jessielee Sittig: Yes. Allegra: And my OB had told me throughout my whole pregnancy, we typically induce at 37, 38 weeks. And I was, you know, very healthy, had no swelling, no blood pressure issues. I was taking beetroot and there's some research supporting beetroot and blood pressure and preeclampsia. And, you know, I just had a really healthy pregnancy that I was like, do I need to be induced? Like if everything is medically fine, let's let these babies cook. Jessielee Sittig: Sure. Allegra: And she was like, I'm with you. Like, I'm fine to do that. She said, my ideal to induce that 38 weeks, ⁓ I'm to let your body keep going as long as everything is fine. Your babies are growing. You know, I did the NST appointments and everything was fine. ⁓ But my came to town. She lives across the country and ⁓ she already her flight. ⁓ to because the babies weren't here by 38 weeks and she was leaving that weekend and I was like, I cannot give birth and not have my mom here. So I ended up giving birth ⁓ via induction at 39 in four days. So they broke my water, gave me Pitocin, but we're able to cut off the Pitocin once my body ⁓ over. So it was really just like my body needed a little kickstart, a little nudge, ⁓ then it took over. ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: ⁓ sure. Allegra: So I was able to give birth to them vaginally. Yes, unmedicated. Yeah, it was painful, but you know with my previous two was unmedicated too, so I knew what to expect. ⁓ My husband, I say he's like the best birthing partner. ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: Unmedicated, right? You have to add that part. Hmm. Allegra: He does the counter pressure. He knows like what I need Changing positions. I did also have a doula just to help me Just not necessarily better advocate because I had a great OB and we were very much on the same page Which I really appreciate But just the doula helped with getting in different positions trialing different things So she was really great. So I labored in the labor room for about probably like five hours and then once I felt like it was ready to push they did require me to go to the OR and I knew that ahead of time. They typically recommend that just in case something goes wrong ⁓ that wasn't my preference. I would have preferred to obviously deliver in the room but I knew that ahead of time so we went to the OR and ⁓ Baby A came out, pushed him out, and they were both originally head down. And once Baby A came out, he was head down, Baby B flipped and went breach. And I had heard stories like moms having to have both a vaginal and a C-section. And I was like, ⁓ I don't want to do that because then you're healing from both sides. But my OB was able to do an ECV. Like she was able to... Jessielee Sittig: Mm. Mm-hmm. Sure. Right. Allegra: flip him from the outside as well as the inside. So she did go inside of me and try to like flip him. was pretty uncomfortable. ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: ⁓ that part unmedicated. so my baby bee was transverse and there was like some flipping involved, but I had the epidural. So I'm like, I can't feel anything. You're good. I can't imagine all of it, but especially that part unmedicated, you are like a warrior goddess. Allegra: It actually was not painful. It was uncomfortable, but wasn't painful after just giving birth to baby A. So I felt like, you know, with the ring of fire and like that pain, like that was more intense for me than what she did. ⁓ So maybe that's why, like, obviously it wasn't comfortable, but it wasn't painful because I just given birth to baby A. ⁓ But then yeah, baby B. ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: Okay. Okay. Allegra: and he was a lot smaller than baby A, so I didn't feel like I went into as much pain. But one thing that was interesting about just having twins is, you know, baby A came out and they put him on my chest, and we did skin to skin. But as I was trying to push baby B out, I kept pushing baby A on my chest, and the pediatrician was like, ⁓ I think we need to take him away. Like, you're kind of squishing him. ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: Yes, that should. Yes, I feel like that should just be like part of a protocol and twin pregnancy is like, I loved having skin to skin with my baby a was fantastic. And then I was like, I have to push out baby B and I'm still holding a baby and I've never pushed out two babies at the same time. So I had to ask the nurse like, Can you please take my baby so I felt kind of awkward asking but I knew that I couldn't like I was still in like go mode I knew I couldn't Allegra: I don't know if that was the case with you. Hehehe. Jessielee Sittig: push out baby B while holding my baby. So that's funny. When I was listening to your birth story on the Birth Hour podcast, I was like, literally talking like, yes, yes, I had the same the same experience. And yeah, I feel like I wish that my doctor or the nurses would have offered to take that to take baby a a little earlier. But yeah, I had a very similar experience. So Allegra: Mm-hmm. You Yeah. Well, that's good for you for like mentioning that advocating, like even just acknowledging like, okay, this is a lot, a little harder to push baby B with baby A on my chest. But I was thankful that we were able to do delayed cord clamping with baby A. So they kept them on my chest long enough to do that delayed cord clamping. And then once I was ready for baby B, then they cut the cord and took baby A away and then pushed baby B out and then brought him up to my chest. Jessielee Sittig: Yeah. Allegra: And one thing I regret about my whole birth and that I will encourage all of your followers, all of your listeners to do is look at your placenta. Like why didn't I think to advocate and to look at my placenta? Like two placentas and especially if you have like a mo dye, like if you have one placenta, like just take a look at that. so like if you can take a look at your placenta, I just think that's so cool. So that's my one regret is not getting a good look at both placentas. So I had di-di twins. ⁓ And a big thing to add to my birth story is I had di-di twins. So that's a little more ⁓ lower than like mo-di and mo-mo. So ⁓ just to, you know, mention. So yeah, that's one thing I regret is not looking at my... placenta, but once they came out, they placed both babies on me. We were able to do skin to skin and then they wheeled me back to the recovery room and it was like just a special really amazing time. Like they ⁓ cried afterwards, whereas with my first ⁓ was actually taken to the NICU for about five hours. ⁓ then my second one, he had shoulder dystocia and I had to have an episiotomy. ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: Mmm. Allegra: And it was just a more traumatic birth. so like having the twins was actually a very redeeming birth. feel like I was, my OB really worked with my wishes. I had a great pregnancy, great delivery. Obviously I didn't want to be induced, but sometimes just things are out of our control and, I even did castor oil and nothing worked. Yeah, but yeah, it was ⁓ my redeeming birth and baby A was seven pounds, eight ounces and baby B was six pounds, three ounces. So no NICU stay, no blood sugar issues. so, ⁓ I think because they were bigger, there was no NICU time ⁓ I think just. Jessielee Sittig: Wow, incredible. Wow. Allegra: being able to breastfeed them, you know, because oftentimes with preemies, it just takes a little more work. You know, they need to grow and get stronger. And so I think that was one thing that also benefited our breastfeeding journey is they were full term, just had, they were bigger babies. ⁓ obviously I still had to work with each one. And that's a big thing that I do encourage as a lactation consultant. If you have twins is to work with each baby separately. Jessielee Sittig: Mm-hmm. Allegra: just to make sure that they're both competent feeders and every baby, every journey is so unique and different. So just making sure that you feel comfortable, they have a good latch, they're transferring milk. So I did each baby separately for at least a few days before attempting tandem feeding. Jessielee Sittig: Yes, okay, I love all of that. And like, want to rewind back on the birth for just a minute. So incredible, the placenta thing, so incredible also. With my daughter, I didn't see the placenta and I remember like thinking about that for a really long time. Like I wish I would have seen the placenta, it was a regret I had. With the boys, I did see the placentas and it was so incredible because I also have die-die twins. ⁓ so we have just a lot of similarities there and I really wanted to see both placentas. I was so curious. So I did get to see them and they were still encapsulated. Like the, like the sacks were still on. I'm not sure the exact medical terminology, but I remember my OB being super happy. Or it was like, no, the boys were encapsulated. It was like the, the placentas were like nothing had been because she was a little bit worried about. Allegra: The in cow. Jessielee Sittig: retained placenta because there were two and I have a blood clotting disorder so I'm already at higher risk for like hemorrhaging and things like that. but she was just like happy with how they looked ⁓ and I had another mom on the podcast who had mo-di twins and had twin to twin transfusion. Allegra: Mmm. Jessielee Sittig: surgery. there were actually, you know, like the placentas looked or the one placenta looked very different. And because it was split from that surgery, she was also so sad that she didn't see the placenta where she was like, should I call and be like, could I find it in the in like the toxic waste or you know, wherever it might be. And her husband was like, please don't do that. You got to let it go, you know, but I thought that was so cute. Allegra: That's so funny. Jessielee Sittig: What an incredible birth story and how many minutes apart are they? Allegra: They're four minutes apart. Yeah, so born at 10 32 in the morning and then 10 36. And it was perfect timing because by the time I was out back in the recovery room, it was lunchtime and I was so hungry. I ate all the food that the hospital gave me. And then I also made sure to bring additional food and like cup noodles, bone broth, know, beef sticks, trail mix. Jessielee Sittig: Okay. Allegra: PB &J is like just more food, because food is fuel. And after a marathon race, you know, the Iron Woman, Iron Man, it's really important to fuel yourself. And so I had just learned that from my previous two pregnancies. And so that's a huge ⁓ thing I encourage moms do is like, make sure you pack enough snacks and food, because the hospital food is not enough. Jessielee Sittig: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's so true. That was like a big, like I'm like, really all you need is like chapstick and snacks and maybe a phone charger. Snacks are so, so big. And so that was all incredible. I loved hearing your birth story. I'm so unbelievably impressed that you had an unmedicated twin birth. And I love that that was your redemption story because I feel like that's not typical that like a twin Allegra: Yeah. Yeah, thank you. Yeah. Jessielee Sittig: birth is what was like redemptive in your story. So that's incredible. Allegra: Yeah, yeah, my second one, I mean, first and second were not how I wanted it to go. You know, there's that part where you have to grieve how birth did not go as well as you had hoped. You know, the birth plan goes out the window. But yeah, that's where I was really grateful and happy that this twin pregnancy was like that redeeming birth. Jessielee Sittig: Hmm. Yeah, absolutely. Well, and then when you're talking about tandem breastfeeding, I love that you were talking about making sure that you're focusing on each twin individually before you jump into tandem feeding, because it was always my goal to tandem feed. And I made it to 37 weeks. My boys had no NICU time, but they were tiny. They were 4'14 and 4'13. They always had blood glucose issues. they, you know, didn't go to the NICU, but they were always borderline. And what's going to help glucose levels? Drinking milk. So we tried to tandem breastfeed in the hospital and it took me and my husband holding a baby and a nurse holding the other baby. And it was never suggested to me to like try one at a time, or maybe when like when the lactation consultant came in at the hospital, they were like, ⁓ we can try one at a time. Allegra: Yep. Jessielee Sittig: But a lot of nurses were encouraging me to just start pumping so that I could start having a milk supply. And then that's kind of just what we went from there. Like I started pumping and I never looked back. And the guest that I had on this week talked about how her story looked very different. And she didn't tandem breastfeed from the beginning. They were doing bottles in the hospital and then she fed one at a time and then a few weeks and then she tandem fed. Allegra: Mm-hmm. Jessielee Sittig: And I just like was listening to her story. Like that makes so much sense. I wish that I would have like tried again, cause I feel like it's not all or nothing. And I feel like that's the biggest thing in twin parenting is being able to pivot. So I pivoted to pumping and then just never really tried again. breastfeeding. Allegra: Yeah. Yep. Yeah. Yeah, that's a big thing I do tell parents is like you can wait to latch them until they're bigger and stronger and just in the meantime, pump to maintain your milk supply. But you know, you can get your baby to latch down the road. Jessielee Sittig: Mm-hmm. Yes. And yeah, that was really huge. It was so funny. So I just immediately started pumping and like, okay, this is what I'm doing. I kind of just like dove into that. Like I guess I'm an exclusively pumping mom and that's okay and pivoted. And then my husband is a musician and plays shows occasionally. But when the boys were about maybe five or six months old, he was on tour for two weeks. And I was like, help me. Help me. And I just couldn't keep up with like the pumping and my toddler and the twin, you know, infants. And I remember one morning, like out of desperation, just like trying to latch my son Wyatt, because I had had experience breastfeeding my daughter and he did it. And I was like, ⁓ my gosh, this is, this is great. So we didn't really continue that, but there were a couple of times that I did get to breastfeed one of my sons. One of my other sons, Wayland was like, absolutely not interested. He's like, Allegra: Man. Mm-hmm. ⁓ man. Jessielee Sittig: Where's my bottle lady? Again, I didn't really work with him on that, but it is interesting. Like, yes, you can, you can try breastfeeding at any time. So that's such a good tip. And I feel like I don't know why that didn't occur to me. Like it seems like such an obvious, like, yes, nothing is wrong with like, yeah, yeah. Allegra: It's not really talked about enough, I feel like. It's kind of just like that one or the other, or even like formula, ⁓ okay, we gave one bottle of formula, I guess I'm formula feeding. Like, no, you can give that one bottle formula, help the baby get up to birth weight, or help with the blood glucose, and also keep breastfeeding. It doesn't have to be one or the other. Jessielee Sittig: Yes. Mm hmm. Yes, absolutely. And I love that you can like, gradually get there. And by working with one at a time, like that probably gives you confidence before you just try to tandem feed. Because to me, the only the time I tried was so overwhelming and took three adults. ⁓ And I wish I would tried doing that later when they weren't five hours old when they weren't four pounds. When I wasn't sleep deprived and just gave birth to twins, like I wish I would have tried that again. So, yeah, thanks, thanks girl. Allegra: Yeah, it's okay. Yeah, ⁓ I know sometimes hard to go back to the past, but you know, hopefully ⁓ your journey and know, my journey, some things that didn't work out with my second ⁓ pregnancy and ⁓ like what learned can encourage other moms. So I feel like, you know, it's okay to grieve maybe how breastfeeding didn't go as you had planned, but you're helping other moms kind of just bring it to their radar. Jessielee Sittig: That's so true. Like if you're listening, you could do it. Yes. So ⁓ for a mom who ⁓ has twins and is trying to tandem breastfeed, are there any like pointers or tips that you would give to her? ⁓ Allegra: You Mm-hmm. Yep. So obviously, like I said, do each baby separately just to kind of see how is their latch. Do you have more pain with one baby or the other? Sometimes they have a side preference, so they might prefer the right side. And that is due to tension. So if you notice that one baby has a side preference, then I would kind of take note. OK, maybe they've got a kink in their neck the way that they came out. Maybe the way if you had a C-section, the way they were pulled out or whatever. So that can just kind of give you some Jessielee Sittig: Hmm. Allegra: you know, yellow red flags of what might be going on with them. And so then you can work on them individually and latch confidently both sides. And then with tandem feeding, I always recommend getting the stronger nurse or first so that they can stay on the breast with minimal support while you try to work on the baby who has maybe ⁓ a more shallow latch or just a weaker suck. You can give them a little more support. But definitely those early days, I do recommend a pillow. So like the, breast friend pillow, I, as a lactation consultant, actually encourage families move away from pillows. I'm not a fan of pillows with singletons because I believe that your body is that natural pillow, but with twins, obviously you need a little more of that support. Jessielee Sittig: Mm. Allegra: with twins, I do recommend pillows, ⁓ like the breast friend twin pillow. I think that is super helpful just to get one baby position. They're well supported. They're on the pillow ⁓ while you work the second one. I had to try different positions. So, you know, that's where breastfeeding is very unique. Everyone is different. ⁓ I tried the football hold with each baby and that kind of worked. And then I tried one, the cradle, one, the football. So kind of like see how that is. I tried stacking them on top of each other to see how that felt. So just kind of like play around. There's no perfect position. But then what I really moved into was the V holds. So that's kind of like the cradle holds and you have both of them on the breasts and then their feet. ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: Hmm. Allegra: going towards like touching each other. So that was one hold that I found very comfortable. So that's called the V-hold. So just making sure that you're well positioned. So I like to lean back and then it's your body that is supporting them. And then if you can get pillows to put on either side of your elbow, then that can take some of the pressure off of your shoulders. And now you're well supported and babies are well supported as well. That can get that Jessielee Sittig: That's great. Allegra: Position is hard to get into sometimes alone, because you're trying to get one baby and you're trying to also scoop up the other one while making sure that's ⁓ on. maybe using your elbow to kind of keep baby A at the breast while you're working on baby B getting at the breast. ⁓ have some videos on my Instagram ⁓ ⁓ followers, your listeners are visual learners. ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: Hmm. I was just going to say, feel like, yes, yes, you have such good visuals on your Instagram and great tips. I know that you mentioned your Instagram earlier, but if people want to see these videos and connect with you, can you say your Instagram in any other way people can connect with you Allegra: Yep, so it's aloha.nutrition and I have a highlight called Twin Postpartum and I have a whole bunch of my videos and those early days and ⁓ know, the newborn trenches. So you can check out our journey there. Jessielee Sittig: That's perfect. Allegra: But yeah, I also had my husband help me latch them. So at one point, like I would hold baby A and he would hold my boob while I was trying to get baby B on. So it's, you know, it's a learning curve for sure. hardest part was when we were at the store and they were like both crying and my husband's trying to soothe one with like the pacifier while I'm quickly nursing the first. And then ⁓ kind of just give. Jessielee Sittig: Hmm Allegra: that first baby a little snack, you know, just kind of to hold him over while I quickly then get the second one and nurse him. And so in a way you're sometimes just kind of forced into tandem feeding because they're like both crying. They both need to be fed. And so that's where then I did tandem feed and my husband just was a rock. Like he was amazing. Just really helping me get in good positions, helping support my breast or the baby. So, and now we're at two years and still tandem feeding. So. Jessielee Sittig: Yay, that's incredible. Allegra: They sit on either side yeah, it's, mean, not been easy, but ⁓ at this point they're just like boob monsters and I'm like, ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: That's hilarious. That's fantastic. Well, how incredible to be able to offer breast milk for so long and for all of your children. It's just such an inspirational story. Like you were saying earlier, it's hard. You don't have to do all or nothing. It can be gradual. And hopefully, this is the encouragement that moms need to hear to be able to try again if it didn't work the first time. I wish I would have. So ⁓ Allegra: Yeah, and finding support is huge. you know, I did have a friend who's an IBCLC lactation consultant. She has twins. Shout out to her Instagram, TwinMomGuide. ⁓ was a great friend, great resource, and still is. And she breastfed her twins who are now, I think, like five years old or six years old. ⁓ so, you know, taking a prenatal breastfeeding course that is twin specific is going to be huge, as as working with an IBCLC. So, ⁓ Don't be ashamed if you need professional help. Like that's why I have a job. That's what we're here for. I think it's helpful for, ⁓ work with an IBCLC that even has experience. So I've been able to help a lot more twin families with their breastfeeding journeys, cause I've been through it, but also just like working with now a bunch of twin families, maybe their babies have been in the NICU. So we do a pump, but like we've been talking about, like it's okay to wait several more weeks before we latch them. So yeah, everyone is so unique. Jessielee Sittig: think that's such good advice, like being able to offer twin specific help. I feel like a big theme of the podcast is that a lot of things for singletons just don't work for twins. And it's so nice to have like twin specific guidance. Because what worked for my singleton like we had a pretty great breastfeeding journey. Like I said, the beginning was kind of rocky, but overall, it was great. And then the twins came and I was like, help. Allegra: Yeah. Jessielee Sittig: a lot of the, you know, ⁓ consultants in the hospital, like, I don't think they had any experience helping twin moms ⁓ you know, what they said was, was ⁓ not helpful and kind of discouraging. So ⁓ they were like, ⁓ they're having trouble latching. They're so little. That's okay. Allegra: Yeah. Sorry. Jessielee Sittig: Both of my postpartums with my daughter and my sons, I did end up hiring lactation consultants and doing like virtual, which was so helpful. And even the second one, some tips on but I really wanted specific tips on pumping because I had never done that before. I feel like with my daughter, I pumped like quote unquote for fun, like maybe three times, but. She was a COVID baby. Like I never went back to work like I was supposed to right away. And I just didn't need to pump. So then when I pumped for twins, like every two and a half hours, I was like, how do I do this? So it was helpful to have that help. And I wish that I would have had the resources of twin specific lactation help. So I love that that exists and it's, yeah. So thank you. Allegra: you Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, it exists. Yeah, a lot of what I used to tell moms, like with singletons, are so different for twins. Just because you've got two babies and, you know, they don't have any head control. Your breasts, if you have larger breasts and a smaller baby, like that's going to require a little more support and kind of like, you know, juggling. It's a whole juggling act. Jessielee Sittig: Yeah. Yes. ⁓ yeah. It's so funny. The beginning of my podcast, like the intro says, know, juggling two babies at the same time is hard, but we can do it together or something like that. And my daughter always is like, when she hears that she's like, you're not supposed to juggle babies. Allegra: Aww, that's so funny. Jessielee Sittig: That's true. Yeah, it's very cute. know, six-year-olds take things pretty literally. okay, so throughout our discussion, we've had lots of talks about nutrition and the importance through these different stages. So would you be able to provide us tips through each kind of stage of like twin pregnancy, twin postpartum, and then, you know, with older kids, like how do we help them? One thing that stuck out to me when you were talking about Allegra: Yeah. Jessielee Sittig: that with your twin pregnancy is I was so sick and had a really hard time like eating meat. I was really like adverse to things like that. So I know you talked about the importance of like protein and like you can get protein not just from eating meat. And it was interesting. I had intrauterine growth restriction with the boys and I asked my doctor like what can I do to fix that or to help that? And she was like, there's not a lot you can do, but you can try to have more protein. I was like, OK, incredible. So I did try towards the end, but it was hard in the beginning. So any tips for ⁓ who are pregnant? Allegra: Yes. Yep. Yeah. First about the IUGR, there actually is a study. It's done on mice, so it's not humans, ⁓ they gave the mice beet roots, so more nitrates. And what nitrates do ⁓ it creates nitric oxide in your body, which allows better blood flow. ⁓ if there's better blood flow, it helps your blood pressure, but it also... ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: Mm. Allegra: provides more nutrients in the blood to your baby. So when they gave these nitrates to the mice, it actually improved their IUGR babies to grow better because there was better blood flow. And so obviously we're not mice and hopefully we have some, you know, human, more human studies, but it just makes sense that if baby, if you can provide better blood flow throughout your body and you incorporate more nitrate rich foods, so a lot of, Dark leafy greens, beets are a great source of nitrates. And so if you can incorporate more of that, that can possibly help with ⁓ baby's growth and development. So I took beets throughout my entire journey, my entire pregnancy journey. And then definitely protein is also super important. So a lot of people think protein is just for like muscles and like athletes need it. but proteins make enzymes, they make hormones, they make neurotransmitters, like proteins, the amino acids, which are the building blocks of ⁓ have thousands of different bodily functions. And so if have a lot of meat aversions, ⁓ and know, I was vegan with my first, and I obviously didn't eat meat, I had a lot of beans and tofu aversions, and I was like, this is not possible, I can't keep. ⁓ You know, I'm sure there are some vegans out there that have a great pregnancy, but for me, I did have to start adding like some eggs in and dairy. And then at that point, I started eating meat towards the end of that pregnancy. But if you are having meat aversions, I would recommend higher protein carb options. So like Kodiak pancakes, they're going to be higher in protein. Chickpea pasta or like Barilla, the brand Barilla pasta, they have a protein rich option. ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: Hmm. Allegra: waffles, even bread, choose a higher protein option. ⁓ even have ice cream that has extra protein in it. So, ⁓ know, I don't recommend that necessarily, but like, yeah, but even like crackers, like don't just do saltines. You can do some of those like seed crackers that are going to be a little higher in fiber and protein. ⁓ fiber is very important as well as it keeps blood sugar steady, but it also helps with that constipation. ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: I like that. Allegra: So constipation is a big thing in pregnancy. So incorporating more ⁓ carb options can be super helpful ⁓ getting more of that protein. And protein can also help with that nausea and vomiting. Just once again, kind of going back to those amino acids, making enzymes like digestive enzymes, also keeping blood sugar steady. yeah, ⁓ encourage at least ⁓ 20 to 30, maybe to 40 plus grams of protein per meal. So I would say a minimum of 100 grams of protein a day. I also did like collagen powder. So I'd add collagen powder to my coffee or if I made like ⁓ electrolyte mix, which I highly strongly recommend you incorporate electrolytes during pregnancy and postpartum. ⁓ I would add like some collagen to that just to give me more of that protein. Jessielee Sittig: Hmm. Allegra: And so with twins, there's not a whole lot of like research, especially with the RDA, which is the recommended dietary allowance, which are the different milligrams for different nutrients. So I usually encourage just not necessarily doubling, but really being mindful of how much you're eating. So during during pregnancy, it's usually recommended to have 200 to 300 extra calories. But for twins, I would say at least 500 plus calories. And then when breastfeeding, maybe an extra 1,000 calories. So, you know, really being on top of your game of eating. And it's not always calories that's important, but more like the macronutrients. So are you getting enough carbohydrates in the form of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, potatoes? Are you getting enough, protein and then healthy fat? ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: Hmm. Allegra: So sometimes we might track our calories in an app and we're like, oh, we get 200 extra calories. I'm going to go eat a brownie. Like, no, that's not the point. So it's more like, I encourage more so be mindful of, you know, are you getting a good amount of protein with your meals and fiber and healthy fat? so like with my first, I would eat cereal for breakfast with like granola, which, you know, sounds healthy granola with almond milk. Like there's no protein in that. Jessielee Sittig: Hmm. Allegra: So that's not a good breakfast. ⁓ Oatmeal, we hear that a lot in breastfeeding moms postpartum, like here, eat oatmeal, but that is very carb heavy to very little protein. So it's not that I would tell moms avoid oatmeal, but let's just try to add some protein to it. So maybe chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, Greek yogurt. Maybe you do sprinkle a little bit of like protein powder. So, you know, kind of just. ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: Hmm. Allegra: I'm a huge proponent of adding to your diet. even mac and cheese, like say you're making and for your kids, ⁓ can we add maybe some peas to it or even like do tuna or like canned salmon to our mac and cheese or maybe an egg. You like crack an egg and just kind of mix it in. Jessielee Sittig: Mm. Mmm. Mmm. Allegra: So it's not like I'm taking away the mac and cheese from you. I'm just ⁓ we add things to it, ⁓ know. Jessielee Sittig: or Well, I think those are all such really practical tips. And quite honestly, I wish that I would have found your page when I was pregnant with my boys, because nutrition was really a struggle. Like I mentioned, like I was so sick, the high protein carb idea, I was like, Oh my gosh, that is such a good idea. Because that's all I was craving was like, all I could stomach was like a piece of toast. So I wish I would have had those like options. That's why I really enjoy your page is you give practical tips and then you show people like what to do. Here's an example of all the things you were just mentioning. How can we make this meal better? Like by adding things not taking it away is really, really helpful. And those are all great tips for twin pregnancy. And then you were talking about for postpartum for a breastfeeding mom. ⁓ I was Allegra: Mm. Yeah. Jessielee Sittig: when I was pumping with the boys. It was unreal. I couldn't get enough food. So you were kind of mentioning like for your hospital bag, make sure you're packing a lot of snacks and then for postpartum twin moms who are breastfeeding or just postpartum in general, what are your recommendations for that? Allegra: Thank ⁓ eat so a lot of like diet culture and like the bounce-back culture tells you to restrict and I am like no you are Already nutrient going into pregnancy and then going into postpartum They say 90 to 95 percent of our population is nutrient deficient. ⁓ And so is not a time to ⁓ further restrict ⁓ eat so a lot of like diet culture and like the bounce-back culture tells you to restrict and I am like no you are Already nutrient going into pregnancy and then going into postpartum They say 90 to 95 percent of our population is nutrient deficient. ⁓ And so is not a time to ⁓ further restrict Jessielee Sittig: Hahaha Hahaha Hmm. Hmm. Wow. Wow. Allegra: I would encourage more so adding more foods, especially cooked vegetables that's easier for you to digest, protein rich foods, but also eating double, maybe triple portions. So I know that sounds crazy, but your meals should keep you full for about three hours, three to four hours, maybe two hours in those early months. But if you're constantly hungry, then you're either not getting enough protein and fiber or not eating enough in that meal. Jessielee Sittig: Mm. Allegra: So I encourage going back for seconds, maybe even thirds and going three hours versus trying to limit yourself and then being hungry an hour later. So, know, I am a huge believer that food is fuel and just because your baby's waking up frequently, like you shouldn't feel like a zombie. And I'm actually working on a course right now called the Energy Reset. And it's just like how to support postpartum moms with their energy. Jessielee Sittig: Mm-hmm. love that. Allegra: So even with the lack of sleep, how can we use food as fuel to provide you that energy to keep up with your twins and older kids? ⁓ know, ⁓ don't mess around with nutrition. That is a non-negotiable start the day with breakfast. Even if you want to make like an egg casserole, you know, maybe you do some like meal prepping a little bit, baby wear your babies. ⁓ I had to try to sneak in some meal prepping when my babies were content. Maybe I had just fed them and they were doing tummy time or they're in the swing. would quickly put something together, like even a PB &J. ⁓ if I knew that I was gonna get nap trapped, I quickly made myself a quick snack, maybe ⁓ mix and a beef stick and string cheese so that once I was nursing them, ⁓ would get hungry because I just breastfed them ⁓ I had those snacks ready to go. know, staying with water, making sure you're staying hydrated. That's huge. Making sure you're adding electrolytes. so even just talking to like my husband and saying like, Hey, watch the kids while I prep this or vice versa. Like, Hey, I'm going to watch the kids. Can you make dinner or can you prep this for us? and then just relying on ⁓ the convenience I think there's a lot of pressure that you to eat healthy, you have to make everything from scratch. And that is not realistic, especially moms with twins and just moms in general, if you're working. Like rely on those frozen vegetables. They're washed, they're cut. It's literally ready to go. You pop it in the microwave or you open up the bag and put it in your pot ⁓ and you've got veggies. doing canned beans. That is a great source of fiber, great source of protein. You literally just open the can and maybe add it to your eggs and add some salsa to it. And now you've got like a Mexican huevos rancheros or a breakfast burrito. you add some beans, you make a bean salad. And just a note, beans do not make your baby gassy if you're breastfeeding. Don't need to worry about that. Jessielee Sittig: Mmm. Allegra: So yeah, and then even just like canned tuna, canned salmon, canned chicken, relying on these pantry staples. ⁓ So really leaning into that. ⁓ Like even a of ⁓ pre-mixed salad, like ready to go. Instant rice, can buy instant quinoa too, that you pop in the microwave and it's ready to go. So ⁓ doing a lot of that. Jessielee Sittig: Mm. Allegra: My twins had really bad witching hour, so from five to nine p.m., they just like cried, and you know, I'd go outside, try to do something else. So we relied a lot on my freezer stash that I had prepped during my pregnancy, so that's another huge tip that I encourage pregnant moms do is like that third trimester, just double, triple, quadruple your meals and freeze it, because you will need that postpartum. Jessielee Sittig: Hmm. I'm sorry, it's not fun. Allegra: So I had about two months worth of food in my freezer. So between our meal know, yes, ⁓ I am grateful myself for that. But then also just pot meals, like rely on a crock pot meal. You know, a lot of times your babies are more content in the morning than maybe the afternoon. So ⁓ don't wait until everyone falling apart to make a meal. ⁓ So ⁓ maybe you making dinners in the morning at lunchtime. ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: Wow, that's so great. Allegra: Maybe you do prep your meat or prep some vegetables in the morning. you know, trying to find what works for you, but really try to make it a non-negotiable. Like, hey, I just need to eat something. If that's a rice cake with peanut butter on it, a banana with peanut butter, or a nut butter, you know, just eat, eat, eat, eat. I know it's so easy to put your needs on the back burner, but you know. baby wear, your baby will be fine if they fuss for a minute, two minutes while you quickly prep something, you pop something in the microwave. So, you know, rely on ⁓ convenience that our country has. ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: Those are all, I just, they're really great tips and they're very practical and they're easy to implement. Like I feel like all moms I'm hoping who are listening are like, yeah, I can do that. And the crock pot is such a good reminder. Like on Thursday, my daughter has gymnastics. It's kind of just like a busy day and we get home at six. And yesterday I kind of failed to plan dinner. So then I'm quickly, like we eat at six and all of my kids are like, hello, it's six square's dinner. And I'm like trying to quickly like throw together some like pasta veggies, chicken sausage thing. And I wish that I would have done a crock pot meal. So it is such a good reminder to yeah, like throw it all in the crock pot in the morning when everyone's relatively chill. Yeah, okay, so can you share some of like your favorite go to crock pot meals or like at least your favorite? Allegra: I live off our crockpot. Yeah, we do chuck roast a lot. You just put your meat in there, cut some, you know, carrots or ⁓ and then that's ready to go. ⁓ do a lot of like taco stuff. So maybe I put the whole chicken breast in. I add some black beans, ⁓ tomatoes, ⁓ maybe some seasoning, maybe ⁓ like canned corn, and then that's ready to go. And, you know, by that evening and then I can shred it up. Jessielee Sittig: Mm. Allegra: I do chili so that I'll just have to brown the meat ahead of time and then I add that into the crock pot. We also sometimes spaghetti too, just kind of like marinate it a little bit longer. So ⁓ I'll have brown the meat and then I add that in. ⁓ But lots like stews type of recipes, hard meat, sometimes we'll do pulled pork in there. Jessielee Sittig: Mmm. Allegra: and then what I do right before is maybe that's when I add a little more vegetables. So that's where I might do like frozen broccoli or peas or green beans or, ⁓ you know, even, like quickly mashed potatoes or something like that. do a lot of cauliflower, broccoli. do a lot, red cabbage. Sometimes I'll make like a stir fry stir fry is super easy. You just need your protein. I do. maybe the rice and the rice cooker, and then a frozen bag of stir-fried vegetables, and then like your teriyaki sauce. So the thing with frozen vegetables is they're picked at peak season and flash-freezed, so all of those nutrients are intact. As opposed to buying fresh vegetables from across the country, how much time has it been sitting in cargo, how much manhandling has there been? lot of times they have to pick it before it's even ripe and then inject it with Jessielee Sittig: Hmm. Hmm. Allegra: ripening agents. So, you know, obviously you're not going to make a salad from frozen vegetables, but if my rule of thumb is if I'm going to cook the vegetable, I might as well use frozen because it's washed, cut, ready to go. So, you know, really just relying on those pantries, staples, and then just using Pinterest or, Google and while you're breastfeeding or pumping, find some pot recipes that way. I really like meal lime. it's meal and then lime. ⁓ So that's a free and it's, ⁓ you build like your plan and you can browse through different recipes ⁓ and then it creates whole grocery list for you. ⁓ I'm not affiliated with but I think they're great ⁓ app. ⁓ so super to like meal plan meal prep, and then it puts all your groceries in a list and then. ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: Hmm. ⁓ cool. Allegra: you can modify it, how many servings you want, if there's any dietary restrictions. So you know, kind of just relying on things that we have in this country. Jessielee Sittig: No, that's great. Well, and I love that you're pointing out and like giving background that like frozen veggies and canned veggies or canned beans and stuff. That's not bad. Sometimes I feel like I've heard that maybe fresh is better. We tend to buy a lot of frozen things because if not, we will waste it. ⁓ And our grocery budget with a family of five is already kind insane. So buying frozen veggies, I feel like we actually save a lot of money. because then it's not like spoiling. So those are all such great practical tips and actually making me hungry. ⁓ Allegra: And it was like lunchtime. Jessielee Sittig: When you're talking about the stir fry, was like, yeah, it's lunch time. I was like, ooh, a stir fry sounds so good. So I'm like, maybe I'll have see if I have the ingredients to whip something up like that for lunch. Allegra: ⁓ Starting your day, just kind of knowing what you're going to make. I think a lot of us as moms, have decision fatigue as well. So if you wait too late in the day, ⁓ hungry, you're tired, you've already had a million decisions you've had to make. That dinner is like the last thing. ⁓ when I'm making breakfast, I'm already thinking, okay, what are we doing? What's our afternoon look like? What ⁓ What are we doing around dinner time? What do I have in my fridge? You know if I need to run to the store I can but usually I try to just work with what I have already But you know I'm already kind of thinking about my meals for today Jessielee Sittig: That's so great. And, you know, obviously, one thing that you're talking about that I think was important for something like mac and cheese that maybe is a more kid-friendly meal, how do you add veggies to that? So what's your kid's favorite meal that's like healthy and that everyone will devour? Because I do struggle a little bit with my kids having some picky eating tendencies, which could be a whole nother podcast. But do your kids have like a favorite meal that's nutritious? Allegra: They love chili. They love spaghetti. And so even with my spaghetti, I'll choose like the chickpea noodles or the lentil noodles to give them a little more protein and fiber. I also will add like diced tomatoes and mushrooms, and sometimes I'll puree ⁓ carrots and celery into the sauce just to help boost a little more of those nutrients. ⁓ So love spaghetti. ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: Mm. Allegra: And then my daughter has told me she loves my shepherd's pie. So that's always nice. So they're actually pretty good eaters. And we weren't always like this, but I think it definitely starts at a young age. So they've always known that I only make, you know, like casserole, like their food is always mixed together. So they're not afraid about foods touching each other. So. Jessielee Sittig: oooo Yes. Allegra: like they've been good about that. If they don't want something, I say, okay, that's fine, but this is what mommy made tonight. This is what's on the menu. We can have mac and cheese another night, but this is what I made tonight. You don't have to eat it. So it takes the pressure off, but there's no other options. And if they refuse to eat it and you know, it's time to go to bed, I save their food or you know, I might have a snack, but that snack is always like a cheese stick. So they know that they can't. Jessielee Sittig: Sure. Allegra: just have like goldfish or you know chips or whatever as their snack. Like their snack is still like a balanced snack. So I think that you know you set the tone, you decide as the parent, but it's up to them if they're going to eat it or not. And you know there are some days that I don't want to eat something. So I do try to at least make something that I know they will eat and then I know that they will like. So if I know if I'm trying like maybe an Indian curry and I Jessielee Sittig: Sure, yeah. Allegra: I don't know if they'll like it. I usually will still make rice and my daughter loves rice and bone broth. So we'll do, maybe I'll make that. Or maybe I do pick out some of the chicken or something. So, you know, you do want to expose them to new foods and new flavors. And obviously this is going to depend on the kid too. You know, every family is unique. Like they actually have dieticians that are feeding therapists that, you know, work with families. So that is just. Jessielee Sittig: Hmm. Allegra: is what works for us. Like I decide my kids will eat it or not. But I would say they're pretty good eaters, thankfully. ⁓ Jessielee Sittig: Well, that's great. And those are all really good tips. So I'm like, can't wait to make a pasta sauce and add some veggies, like, pureed into it. I feel like that's such a good idea. that I want to be sneaky. Mm. Yeah, that's so great. Yeah, I'm like, I can't wait to add these practical tips, like, into my own life. So thank you. It has been so fun to chat. Allegra: We also do smoothies. Smoothies are a great way too. Jessielee Sittig: about your unmedicated twin birth and nutrition kind of like for all stages and tandem breastfeeding. I've really enjoyed it. And I always ask everybody if they could have a heart to heart with a twin mom or give them a piece of advice. What would you tell a twin mom? Allegra: I'd say, I know this is like the hardest season you will ever go through, but you are strong. You will learn. Lean into your village. You're not meant to do this alone. Our culture is very isolating, I feel like, but you know, we're all in this together. And so trying to find your community, you know, trying to ⁓ help. There's no, like, don't feel ⁓ that's a weakness. I actually think that it's something to Jessielee Sittig: Hmm. Allegra: feel proud about is asking for help. So it's okay to ask help. And then the biggest tip is don't forget about yourself. Like you have to meet your biological needs and eat. But it is a hard season, but you're going to make it through. Jessielee Sittig: Mmm. Mm-hmm. Aww, well I love that and it's so true. Like why I want to start the podcast asking how you filled your cup is you can't pour from an empty cup. Like literally if you're not eating then you're not going to be a good mom. If you're not fueling yourself physically and mentally then you're not going to be a good mama. So it's such it's such good advice. So thank you. Allegra: Thank you so much for having me. It's been great. Jessielee Sittig: was so fun. Yes, of course. Absolutely. And I know we said this, but can you say one more time where people can connect with you? Allegra: Yeah, so I'm mostly on Instagram, aloha.nutrition, and then my website is alohanutrition.com. So yeah, we offer breastfeeding and nutrition and just like that support, especially in my DMs and my Instagram stories, like I'm there with you. But yeah. Jessielee Sittig: Yes, I love that. Love the twin specific help. It is so necessary. And us twin moms need those resources. So for providing them. Awesome. Well, thank you so much. Allegra: Yeah, thank you.