Written by Robin Kaplan, M.Ed, IBCLC
Is your baby having a difficult time latching? Is breastfeeding incredibly painful? Do you have a cracked nipple that just won’t heal? Then most likely you have been recommended to try a nipple shield. While the nipple shield can often be a terrific temporary tool to help with these situations, it is important to know how to use them correctly, as well as have an exit strategy for how to discontinue usage as soon as possible.
Written by Ashley Treadwell, IBCLC
In the beginning, breastfeeding can feel somewhat awkward and uncomfortable as new moms learn how to get their baby properly latched on. As an IBCLC, I see a lot of new moms breastfeeding their babies sitting straight up or hunched over, looking very uncomfortable. Heck, I did this as a new mom myself! I remember the constant aches in my neck and shoulders from sitting in contorted positions for long periods of time. Breastfeeding is something moms do very frequently in the early weeks and months - it should be comfortable.
Written by Ashley Treadwell, IBCLC
Google can be an amazing resource - but it can also provide WAY too much information for a first-time mom. One of the questions we get often from our clients is what is the best way to feed a breastfed baby - let the baby demand when to feed or try to shape their feedings into a structured schedule? Moms hear a lot of differing information about when to feed their babies in the early weeks - every 2-3 hours, 8-12 times in a 24 hour period, etc. It can be confusing to know what this means exactly - is it every 2 hours or every 3 hours? What if baby goes longer than 3 hours? What if baby seems hungry before 2 hours? What if baby wants to feed 15 times a day, or maybe only 7? How do you know when you should feed your baby?
Here’s the short answer:
Ever wish you could actually watch a mama breastfeed her baby in a laid-back position because you couldn't picture it in your mind from the blog article you just read? Wonder how you can tell if your pump flanges are fitting correctly? Well, look no further!
Today, we are beyond excited to annouce our newest baby, DIY Breastfeeding!
On our DIY Breastfeeding YouTube channel, you will find 2-3 minute instructional videos about different breastfeeding topics, ranging from positions to latching to pumping and more! Each video was recorded with one of our lactation consultants and some super cute local moms and babies.
A few months ago we started collecting video topics from all of you and your ideas were AWESOME! We are proud to say that today we are launching our channel with 10 stellar videos fitting into 5 different categories. Here are our current categories:
Lastly, we would like to share a HUGE amount of gratitude to our DIY Breastfeeding partner, New Mommy Media! Without Sunny's awesome video shooting and editing expertise, these videos would look completely amateur and out of focus! Sunny, we adore you to pieces and we cannot wait to create more videos with you!
So head on over to DIY Breastfeeding! Let us know what you think about the videos and share your ideas for additional topics/categories you would like for us to include.
Which other topics/categories would you like to see included?
Written by Ashley Treadwell, IBCLC
Going back to work can be a very stressful time for many new moms. It’s difficult to leave your baby for the first time. You may feel nervous about returning to a job you’ve been away from for months. Your schedule/routine may have changed due to child-care arrangements. Plus, if you’re anything like me, none of your work pre-pregnancy work clothes fit yet! A concern that often adds to this stress is the fear that you may not be able to pump enough for your baby’s bottles while you’re at work. Some moms find that they are constantly playing a game of catch-up, trying to keep up with their baby’s intake while with the caregiver. Below are some things you can do to improve your ability to keep up with your baby’s needs.
Written by Ashley Treadwell, IBCLC
Welcome back to our series, I’ve Had My Baby - Now What? This is a guide with basic information to help you navigate the first days, weeks, and months of breastfeeding your new baby.
Today we’d like to talk about months 2 through 6 of your baby’s life, and what breastfeeding looks like. What can you expect for normal behavior from your new baby, and when do you know there’s a problem that you should seek professional help for?
Duh Nuh Duh Nuh………….Duh Nuh Duh Nuh. (come on, you know you just read that out loud).
You know they’re coming. You’ve heard all the severe warnings from well-intentioned friends and family. You’re scared of what’s to come, but know you’ve gone too far to turn back. Shark-infested waters, you ask? Noooooo - a breastfeeding baby who has grown TEETH!
Somewhere around 6-8 months (sometimes earlier, sometimes later), your baby’s first tooth will erupt. This is most likely an event you will celebrate, both because of the milestone that it is, but also because it may be a temporary break from the cranky, drooly, mouthy baby who replaced your own sweet one a couple of months back. There are lots of symptoms that point to teething, but the most common ones are: red and swollen gums, increased irritability and drooling, sleep disturbances, and low grade fevers. Your baby has most likely learned that chewing or gumming on items helps ease the pain and will try to cram everything within reach into his/her mouth. As that tooth begins to emerge, there may be some small worries creeping in on your excitement about this next stage. What will it be like to breastfeed a baby with teeth? Will my baby bite me? Some moms will find that they do start to feel the baby’s teeth while nursing - baby may scrape teeth across nipple when latching or delatching. And yes, sometimes the baby will bite.
All rights reserved by PRAM Consulting
Having a cold or the flu while breastfeeding can be a complete drag, to say the least! Not only are you responsible for taking care of a little one (which means that there is only a very slim chance that you can just crawl into bed and rest all day), but your milk supply might temporarily decrease a tad with your lowered immune system or if dehydration sets in. Plus, many of the over-the-counter medications that relieve some of these uncomfortable cold/flu symptoms might reduce your milk supply even further.
What are some cold/flu symptom remedies that are safe to take while breastfeeding?
First, let’s consider ways to boost your immune system to prevent and fight colds/flu
Welcome back to our blog series…. Common Concerns While Breastfeeding. These aren’t the complicated, ‘come-to-my-house-immediately’ phone calls we receive. Rather, these are the questions that come from clients and friends in the middle of the night, by text or by email, that don’t necessarily warrant a lactation consultation. They can often be easily resolved with a few simple tricks. So, we would like to share those tricks with you!
Many moms know the pain associated with a shallow latch during the early days, but have you ever had nipple pain suddenly begin after weeks or months of pain-free breastfeeding? After checking nipples for signs of a poor latch, you notice a white spot on the nipple in question - you pick at it for a few seconds, but it still remains. What is it? What caused it? What can you do to resolve it and get back to pain-free breastfeeding? This is what’s called a “milk blister” or “milk bleb” and is not cause for great concern, but it can be an uncomfortable and unwelcome guest!
Mom and partner get home from a much-needed date night to find out that grandma gave their 4-month old two 6oz bottles in 4 hours.
Mom picks up her baby from daycare to find out that her 6-month old took three 5oz bottles, plus the backup 5oz bottle in the freezer, in 8 hours. She pumped 12oz at work and thought that would be plenty for the next day. (which it is!)
Mom comes home from getting a haircut to find that her partner gave their 3-month old a 5oz bottle. The baby only ate 3oz, so her partner threw the extra 2oz away.
Who ever said there’s no crying over spilled (or wasted) milk never pumped breastmilk for her baby!
It’s hard work to pump… who has extra time when taking care of a newborn to pop on some plastic milk-extracting contraption and just sit for 15 minutes? Um… no one! So when a caregiver over feeds a baby, or throws away breast milk that could have been used at another time, it can be very frustrating and defeating for a mom. And as that extra freezer stash starts to dwindle because of misuse and over feeding, moms might feel their stress levels spike to an uncomfortable high.
So how can a mom ensure that her baby’s caregiver isn’t overfeeding, or unnecessarily throwing away, that precious liquid gold she spent time to pump out?
