Wondering what breastfeeding/chestfeeding look like when your baby is 6-9 months? As our little ones continue to grow physically {begin to roll over, sit up, crawl} and developmentally {sleep longer stretches at night and interact more with the world around them}, we notice the impact of these changes on their feeding patterns.
So your breastfed baby is refusing bottles. Isn’t the typical concern that a breastfeeding/chestfeeding baby may prefer bottles over nursing and not the other way around? While breastfeeding refusal can happen as well, any type of feeding rejection is your baby’s way of communicating that something is feeling challenging. So let’s dive into some of the reasons why a nursing baby rejects the bottle and some tips to remedy a bottle feeding aversion.
Did you know that lactation consultants not only help with breastfeeding, but can also help with bottle feeding? It’s true! We are here to offer guidance with all aspects of feeding (introducing solids, as well!) and know a ton about bottles and how to balance them with breastfeeding.
Breast milk storage guidelines can be incredibly complicated to decipher. With each pump company and breastfeeding website having its own storage and handling recommendations, how's a mother to know which one to follow? Plus, throw in whether the baby is full-term, pre-term, healthy, or in the NICU, and we have quite a confusing situation.
After delving into our lactation consultant guidelines for human milk storage, I think I have the definitive list for you….at least for this year!
Oh, those sweet little newborn hands. Such a love/hate relationship we breastfeeding mothers have with those hands. We love to hold and kiss those sweet-smelling hands, yet when it’s time to breastfeed, those annoying little clawing paws won’t get out of the way! The minute our breast is out and ready to feed, those newborn hands are like defensive linemen, blocking any entry into our baby’s pecking mouth.
So, what’s the deal with those hands?
When I read a policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics stating that exclusively breastfed babies need to be supplemented with iron starting at 4 months, I have to wonder…
Are they saying that my perfect nutrition for my baby is no longer PERFECT?
Are they saying that what my body produces is suddenly SUB PAR?
This caused me to do a little research. What IS the deal with iron in breast milk?
Welcome to our blog series…. Common Concerns While Breastfeeding. These aren’t the complicated, ‘come-to-my-house-immediately’ phone calls I 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, I would like to share those tricks with you!
Check Out My Cleavage!
I remember the first time I knew my milk had ‘come in.’ It was 4am. My son was 4 days old. And I woke up to my breasts looking like I had visited the local plastic surgeon a few hours prior. I immediately woke up my husband and announced with pride, “Take a look at this cleavage!” Even without a bra I had cleavage! It was amazing!
Several hours later, those taut, perky breasts had become quite sore and I was searching for any remedy to help soften their powerful fullness. I knew that they weren’t engorged, but I also didn’t want to get to that point of challenging return.
Foremilk vs. hindmilk seems to be quite a popular topic among breastfeeding mothers. If I switch the baby too soon to the other breast, will he get the hindmilk? How do I ensure that my baby is getting all of the fatty milk that he needs? Sometimes I feel like too much breastfeeding information can add stress to a new mom. And this is why….
All breastmilk, whether it is 1 minute into the feeding session or 25 minutes into the feeding session, has both foremilk and hindmilk. As your baby drinks from the breast, she/he gets both the low-fat milk (foremilk) and the cream (hindmilk.) The better your baby drains your breast per feeding, the more hindmilk she/he has access to, as this creamier milk hangs out back further in the milk ducts, so it has further to travel.
Here are some ways to know that your baby is getting enough breastmilk in the first few months:
Every time I meet a mom with twins, I am completely in awe of how she is functioning on a day to day basis. While my boys were practically Irish twins, I still had mastered breastfeeding and sleep by the time my second son arrived. So when I stumbled upon this article, 10 Tips for Breastfeeding Multiples, I just had to share with my readers.
All rights reserved by viernulvier via FlickrFor those with singletons, there are a few gems for you, like ‘find your breastfeeding cheerleaders’ and ‘set up a nursing station’…which, by the way, I like to refer to as the Breastfeeding Basket.
For those with multiples, I love that this article breaks breastfeeding down into a few critical tips to get breastfeeding off to a great start.
How am I supposed to breastfeed my newborn, 8+ times in 24 hours, if I can barely keep her awake?
Why does my newborn fall asleep as soon as he starts to breastfeed?
How can I keep my newborn awake while breastfeeding?
These are very common questions that I get asked from moms on a weekly basis. Newborns are so sleepy. And if they've had a long, challenging journey into the world, they are often even sleepier!
So, what is a new mom to do to keep her little one active and efficient while breastfeeding?
This is Kim, Robin’s sister-in-law. I have three amazing daughters, one which was just born 4 days ago. In my 4.5 years of being a mom, I’ve read a fair amount about parenting and have gotten some really great (and some really terrible, uninvited, and/or borderline-criminal) advice along the way. I thought I’d share some of the highlights with you from time to time.
When my second daughter was born, my first was 22 months old. Like most moms adding another child to the family, I was concerned about how I would manage two little ones and how my first would react to a new baby joining our family. I sought out tons of advice and suggestions, and I’ve included the ones I found most helpful below. Now, as a caveat, I think these suggestions are great when the older sibling is a toddler. Some of them probably work no matter what the age, but obviously some will not apply if you have a preschooler or older, or if you’re having your kids super close together. So, try what makes sense to you, and disregard what won’t work - which, incidentally, is my approach to all parenting advice.
Help! I Think My Nipple Just Fell Off!
Welcome to our newest blog series…. Common Concerns While Breastfeeding. These aren’t the complicated, ‘come-to-my-house-immediately’ phone calls I 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, I would like to share those tricks with you!
A close friend of mine was at a breastfeeding support group recently and was told that many moms see a dip in their milk supplies when traveling with their babies. My friend speculated that this may be a reaction to the stress of traveling with an infant. I told her I would look into this, since I couldn't fathom why traveling would make a mom's milk supply decrease. A mom's milk supply could surely decrease when traveling WITHOUT her infant, but why WITH her infant? After some internet and article searching, I couldn't find any scientific reasons that would cause this phenomenon. But, since a few moms have seen this happen, I thought I would offer some advice on how to make sure that this doesn't happen to you.
Sleep deprivation, diapers, feeding, crying.....sound a little familiar? And not just describing your baby??? All within a matter of minutes, your life has completely changed and sometimes all you want is for it to go back to the way it was.... pre-baby! But then, that sweet little baby of yours (or your three and four year olds, in my case) just look at you with those adoring eyes and you are brought to tears as your heart fills with so much emotion that it is impossible to describe. Welcome to motherhood... the most rewarding and, definitely, the most difficult job you will ever have in your life!
So sit back, put your feet up, lay your baby (infant, toddler) on your chest, and smell his/her sweet scent while he/she sleeps for a few moments. It is all about being present, in the moment (if you will), and taking a deep breath. For it is those moments you will remember the most. Hey, if we remembered all of the difficult times, we would never have any more kids.
