Lactation Breastfeeding Articles
Talking about Fed is Best
You are not being troublesome or problematic by wanting to feed your baby in the way you choose. Regardless of whether it is breast, bottle or a combination you should have support to feed your family in the best way possible that will work physically, economically, mentally and emotionally for all of you. No matter how your breastfeeding journey begins and ends it should be supported throughout.
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Caring for Newborns
Newborns and new mothers are a specialized and vulnerable group of patients within a healthcare system. Newborns have no voice to advocate for themselves or their care and the responsibility to care for them as well as possible is placed on healthcare providers and systems.
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Temporary
Breastfeeding can be exhausting, exasperating and seem never ending. I’ve been thinking more about this lately as I've returned to work and am witnessing new babies and families figuring out the early days of breastfeeding. I'm on the other end of my breastfeeding journey now and it's a very different place.
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The Nipple Shield Question
When and how to use a nipple shield can be a confusing topic for healthcare providers and for parents. There are cases where a nipple shield can be helpful for breastfeeding but there is a right time and reason to use one. It’s also important to be aware of the potential complications to breastfeeding when you introduce a nipple shield. So how do you know when it’s the right time to shield?
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The first 40 days
Everyone who has had a baby knows this to be true: It will turn your world upside down and nothing you could have read or studied could have prepared you for the stressful, joyful, sleep deprived haze of early motherhood. There is an expectation to come back to “normal” very quickly following the birth of a baby. If you are trying to successfully breastfeed it can seem like you are doing things completely wrong and that you are totally out of sync with the ‘picture’ of motherhood you imagined.
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What to Say
How do we talk about breastfeeding, formula and facts without making parents feel stressed or guilty about their infant feeding choices? This is something I still struggle with when working with families who are trying to figure out how to feed their babies.
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Why Hire an LC
In our community, we have a lot of great resources available to help new parents with breastfeeding challenges. These include doctors, midwives, nurses, public health, la leche league, doulas and the drop-in breastfeeding clinic. With these resources, many of them free, why would you want to look at hiring a private practice lactation consultant?
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A Tale of Two Babies
When first studying breastfeeding I learned to look at it as a relationship that involves two people, mom and baby. Having now been personally involved in this “breastfeeding relationship” with two different people I begin to understand more about how important it is to remember that breastfeeding isn’t just about the mom, it’s about the baby too.
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Quiet Time on the Maternity Ward
Implementing a period of quiet time in the afternoon each day where interruptions are minimized and there are no visitors allowed would help promote rest and healing for families who have just had a baby.
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Superpowers
How do we promote breastfeeding and spread the word about its benefits in a positive way, that doesn’t make those women out there who couldn’t or didn’t breastfeed feel badly and defensive about it? This is something I have found difficult to navigate since I first started working in this realm of healthcare. I am still working on an answer but wanted to share a story of why I feel strongly about promoting and protecting breastfeeding in a constructive way.
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Why our babies are more like kangaroos than cows – and what that means for your breastfeeding experience
All mammals produce milk to feed their young. This is where the word “mammal” comes from. Not all of that milk is the same though and mothering styles vary along with the different types of milk. You can actually connect different mothering styles to the different types of milk animals produce.
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World Breastfeeding Week: What is it and How Useful Is It?
World breastfeeding week has been educating communities worldwide since 1991. This initiative was designed by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), a global organization made of up individuals and organizations working to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.
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