 Breastfeeding your toddler is the gift for making it through the first year of feedings. It really, truly is.
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 Breastfeeding? Heading back to work or school soon? Need to come up with a super fabulous pumping plan that both fits into your unique schedule AND makes sure your sweet baby continues to get as much liquid gold as you can spare? You’ve come to the right place! When you are busy feeding your baby and changing diapers, grasping for those couple of extra minutes of that oh so precious shut eye, attempting showers and maybe reading a book, taking a walk, or doing some dishes, (or hey, maybe you’ll eat three hot meals today!) it’s really kind of hard to wrap your mind around your return to work or school. It’s not just about the pumping, it’s about the EVERYTHING that is involved with going back. Maybe you are totally pumped to get back to work and do your thing, but you have questions about how (your very trusted and awesome) care provider will soothe your baby while you are gone (after all, you are super good at that). Perhaps you have no idea what to pack in your baby’s daily bag - how many diapers do they need? How many extra sets of clothes? Do they need a pacifier? How will the care provider heat the milk? Should they heat the milk? Should I pack toys? Blankets? There are all sorts of these questions you may be asking about the -how-on-earth-does-all-of-this-work- and on top of that, you have to figure out pumping. EVERYTHING pumping - what kind of schedule do I need? Will I make enough milk? How do I store it? What do I need to pack for pumping? How do I talk to my employer about pumping? How much milk will my baby need? What if I don’t pump that much milk? And so on and so on! There are so many questions. And for every question, there are a thousand Google rabbit holes. That’s where I come in. When we hang out and chat about your work return, we chat about EVERYTHING. Your travel time, things you may need for pumping, things (and information!) your baby’s care provider needs to make sure they are supportive in how you want to feed your baby, your schedule, your pump routine, your flange fit, your needs, your wants, your goals. Everything. This takes so much pressure off of going back to work. It makes it easier to get back to class. You have one less thing to spend your moments focusing on, and you can aim all of that focus towards your absolutely perfect and new human. You can do this. You can do this well and with confidence. And I’d love to help.  If you jump on some Facebook groups or talk to your friends (family, coworkers) about your plans to breastfeed, chances are you will hear one statement over and over.
Breastfeeding hurts so badly for the first couple of weeks (months, entire time you feed your baby)! Good golly. That sounds terrible, doesn’t it? In the grand scheme of things, maybe a couple of weeks or months doesn’t sound like an awfully long time. BUT, when you have just had or adopted a brand new baby, and you are feeding that baby from your very painful breasts/nipples 8-12 times per day, that is a whole lot of pain for a whole lot of time. BREASTFEEDING SHOULD NOT HURT. But for a lot of people, it does! I absolutely believe the people who tell you that breastfeeding hurts. I believe the ones who tell me. I am certain it did for them. and that’s something we want to fix as quickly as possible for you and your baby. So how do we do that? Let’s figure out why. Breastfeeding can hurt for a bunch of reasons. Some reasons are very easily fixable. Breastfeeding can hurt because of an off latch. Sometimes baby is just not in a great position for breastfeeding. They may be latched onto a part of the nipple or breast that causes pain. Their bodies may be turned a certain way during feeding that can make having a comfortable latch difficult. This can be fixed with just some small adjustments to how your baby goes to breast. Breastfeeding can hurt because of supply issues. Sometimes supply issues can cause pain with breastfeeding. If you have an oversupply, your baby may clamp down or vigorously latch in an attempt to control the flow. Or maybe your milk isn’t coming in quite fast enough for your very eager nurser, and they pull and tug and clamp at the breast. Breastfeeding can hurt because of physical issues. Sometimes breastfeeding hurts because of the way your baby’s mouth fits to your breasts. Sometimes babies have a very small mouth which makes it difficult to latch on to a larger (and perfect) nipple. Sometimes babies really want to latch and suck, but it may be difficult for them if mom has short or inverted (and also perfect) nipples. And then there are times when the way baby’s tongue is able to move can make it hard to latch on well to the breast. There are ways to address these situations that make feeding work for you. And there’s more, and more, and more. The point is, yes, breastfeeding CAN hurt. But if breastfeeding does hurt, support that gets you feeling better is right around the corner. I can help.  Did you know that babies (yes, even breastfed babies) need to poop? It’s true!
Your lactation consultant loves when your baby is peeing and pooping well, especially in the early days. Pees are great because they tell us your baby is hydrated. Poops are great because they are one sign that your baby is getting the fat and calories she needs to grow well. We pay close attention to poops ESPECIALLY in the early days and weeks because they are a pretty good indicator of how well feeding is going. How much poop should your baby have? When your baby is newly born, she should have at least one stool per day of life until your milk supply increases in volume, usually around day three or four. Then, she should have AT LEAST 3 - 4 stools per 24 hours. These stools should become lighter in color, and while your baby is exclusively fed breastmilk, her stools will remain loose (and sometimes seedy looking) and yellow. What if your brand new baby is NOT pooping well? Get help! When you recognize something may not be going well early on, it’s usually easier to get support in fixing the issue so that it does not become a problem for either you or your baby. |
