Successful Breastfeeding Blog
Evidence based advice, support, and education for modern families.
On today’s episode, we hear the wisdom and words from Autumnn Gaines, who is the subject of an iconic and powerful photo taken during a recent peaceful protest following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers.
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Allison got emotional today. There's so many fears about this virus in our community, in the lactation world, and especially with our private clients (Yes, we've had COVID-19 positive clients.)  Congratulations!! You're thinking about breastfeeding and looking for some tips, or maybe you've just had your baby. Either way you've stopped in the right place. If we haven't met yet (I'm Kelly btw) then you probably don't know too much about me and what we do here at Successful Breastfeeding. I'll spare you all the details for now, and give you the short run down. We are a team of lactation experts, and wrote this post based on our almost 20 years of combined experience to help you prepare for your own Successful Breastfeeding Journey! So, whether you're making plans and preparing for your baby's arrival or looking for some tips and suggestions for right now.... click on through and check out our tips that are proven to make breastfeeding as easy as possible!  2/21/2020 0 Comments HOW TO PROTECT YOUR BREASTFEEDING RELATIONSHIP EVEN WHEN YOUR BABY IS NOT FEELING WELL | SERIES TWOSICKNESS BLOG SERIES: #2 RESPIRATORY INFECTIONSRESPIRATORY INFECTIONSThis is an umbrella word for a ton of different illnesses, anything from your basic cold to croup to bronchiolitis and pneumonia a lot in between. Upper respiratory symptoms can include coughing, sneezing, draining from the nose and/or eyes. Lower respiratory symptoms can be chest congestion, coughing, wheezing, belly pain, and fever. They can be scary and labor intensive for parents.  Part of pregnancy is trying to prepare for everything! You research the best car seats, cribs, and even laundry detergent! But one thing you may not have considered researching is your future pediatrician. So many times, we hear from clients that they wish they had known their provider’s stance on breastfeeding before they brought their baby to them. Many pediatric practices offer tours or complimentary consults for expectant parents. Take advantage of these! Take this opportunity to find out in advance how their practice handles breastfeeding challenges and how up to date the doctors are on breastfeeding recommendations. Unlike IBCLCs, doctors receive very little lactation education and are not required to stay up to date on the latest research in the field of lactation unless they choose to seek out that knowledge on their own. It’s not their fault; it just isn’t their area of expertise! Human lactation is an ever-evolving field as new research emerges! If a pediatrician was licensed 25 years ago, their knowledge of breastfeeding might be 25 years old! This list can help you choose a pediatrician who will be an active and supportive member of your breastfed baby’s Care Team!  “Your baby isn’t gaining enough weight because you’re producing skim milk.” First of all, the idea of skim milk comes from cows who produce milk, which is then processed and turned into skim milk, allowing you to enjoy your cow’s milk with less fat. COWS DO NOT PRODUCE SKIM MILK. It is a drink only possible because humans processed that cow’s milk. Nobody is processing your milk; it’s coming out whole human milk. There are a lot of reasons I cannot stand when someone tells a mother she is producing “skim milk,” but the biggest reason is that the person (who is clearly uneducated in lactation) can often invokes feelings of “not being enough” for a mother. This FALSE statement can lead to discontinuing breastfeeding before she is ready. Some mothers will discontinue their journey earlier than they had hoped for and some others will fall prey to products marketed to increase fat content of their milk. It doesn’t even have to be products you find on Facebook or Pinterest. I’ve heard of medical professionals advising mothers to consume a lot of fat (good and bad!) or even to put coconut oil directly in a baby’s bottle (seriously, don’t do this). Before you spend your hard-earned money on a product you found recommended online from someone who is NOT a lactation expert, let me explain to you how the fat content in breastmilk works and the couple of ways you can change it.  Are you going back to work soon? It might not be what you want to think about while holding your precious and perfectly adorable baby, but it’s probably a reality for you if you’re here. You've probably put a lot of time and effort into establishing your breastfeeding relationship, some of you more than others if you're really struggled. You might have JUST FINALLY found your stride so the idea of going back to work might be the last thing you want to worry about. I have some good and bad news for you. The bad being you do need to start thinking about it before you actually go back. The good news is that everything you need to plan for your SUCCESSFUL transition back to work has already been researched and put together for you. You need to start preparing yourself ahead of time because the truth is, 80% of women give up breastfeeding within just weeks of going back to work. Those might sound like really scary odds, but it doesn’t have to be if you prepare yourself and come up with a plan for success.  8/22/2019 0 Comments can you afford not to breastfeed?You've heard it before. Everyone has. "Breast is Best." But what does that really mean? Best for babies? Moms? Better for their physical and mental well being, of course. But what about the environment? Breastfeeding is very green! Society at large? Surely the global economy can't benefit from your breastfeeding relationship, right? Think again! A study completed in 2017 showed that if just 50% of the world's infants were exclusively breastfed for 6 months, it would save 300 billion (yes, billion with a B) dollars and 520,000 children's lives. Those are some big numbers. For every $1 invested in supporting breastfeeding mothers, that dollar generates $35 dollars in economic returns. Talk about a good return! What does that mean for you personally?   When I was just starting out on my breastfeeding journey, I ended up in rough shape just a few days in. I had no idea why my nipples were cracked and bleeding, but I knew I couldn’t go on that way and I was determined to find a solution.
While it was a great, positive mindset and I’m happy I didn’t give up, my search for a solution wasn’t easy. During my unpaid maternity leave, I was stretching every dollar for essentials. Unfortunately, I wasted a lot of time and money trying to troubleshoot a solution on my own. I bought........ *Nipple cream for the pain *A Manual Breast Pump to relieve engorgement *Disposable Breast Pads to catch the drips *Bottles and Pacifiers to give me a break And all of it was a waste and actually NOT AT ALL WHAT WE NEEDED! Great. Here's what those products ended up doing for me....... They wasted my time. They wasted my energy. And I was still in a really rough place with breastfeeding. Are you breastfeeding and have been told to give up dairy? This advice may have come from your doctor, a good friend, or another breastfeeding momma. I hear this advice given regularly as a solution to solve certain symptoms in babies- especially in mom groups! As a lactation expert, this is one of the most frustrating pieces of advice people give to my clients. Gassy baby? Give up dairy! Baby spits up? Give up dairy! Fussy baby? Give up dairy! Giving up dairy seems to be the "cure all" to everything these days- when it's actually usually NOT the answer.  |
AuthorKelly Maher, CLC, CLE Categories:All Advice For Your Partner Birth Bottle Feeding Breastfeeding Twins Child Care Co Sleeping Dairy Free Dairy Intolerance Education Latching Milk Supply Oversupply Podcast Episodes Preparing To Breastfeed Pumping Recipes Self Care Sleep Starting Solids Successful Breastfeeding Stories Supplementing Support Tips! Weaning Working And Breastfeeding Archives
February 2021
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