Chest/Breastfeeding
Robin Kaplan
Common Concerns While Breastfeeding - What is ...

Dealing with a plugged/clogged duct? While this condition is often painful and frustrating, it’s usually manageable with some self-care and support. So, what exactly are plugged (clogged) ducts, why do they happen, and what can you do to resolve them? Let’s break it down!

Common Concerns While Breastfeeding - What is That Knot in My Breast?
Chest/Breastfeeding
Robin Kaplan
Treating Cold and Flu Symptoms While ...

Battling a cold or flu while chest/breastfeeding can be overwhelming, especially if symptoms or dehydration cause a dip in your milk supply. Fortunately, there are safe remedies to help you recover while maintaining your chest/breastfeeding journey and milk supply.

Treating Cold and Flu Symptoms While Chest/Breastfeeding
Chest/Breastfeeding
Robin Kaplan
On-Demand vs. Scheduled Feeding: Which is Best ...

When it comes to chest/breastfeeding, parents often wonder whether on-demand feeding or scheduled feeding is best. Explore the differences and find what works for you.

On-Demand vs. Scheduled Feeding: Which is Best for Baby?
Chest/Breastfeeding
Robin Kaplan
Breastfeeding the Older Baby - What to Expect ...

Wondering what breastfeeding/chestfeeding look like when your baby is 6-9 months? Get tips for nursing an older baby from our team of San Diego lactation consultants.

Breastfeeding the Older Baby - What to Expect at 6-9 months
Bottle Feeding
Robin Kaplan
Help! My baby won’t take a bottle!

Is your breastfed baby refusing bottles? Don’t panic! Dive into some reasons a nursing baby rejects the bottle and some tips to remedy bottle-feeding aversion.

Help! My baby won’t take a bottle!

Managing a Toddler and a Newborn

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.

Laid-back Breastfeeding: Physically and Mentally

Breastfeeding has gotten way too complicated!  As mothers, we second guess everything and voraciously search for advice on the Internet, in books, and from friends and family.  Sometimes we receive unsolicited advice, which is a whole different story!  But, when it comes to breastfeeding, there is so much information out there about what to do and what NOT to do, it can drive a mom batty!

Which pillow should I buy?  
Should I use the cradle hold or the football hold?  
Do I need to start pumping in the hospital?

Does Breastmilk Have Nutritional Value After a Year?

Continuing the conversation about unsolicited advice, a friend of mine wrote me an email a few days ago, sharing with me the latest unsolicited advice she received, from a ‘friendly’ neighbor!

“So I have to tell you this because you're a lactation consultant.   I just had someone tell me today that breastfeeding my son at 17 months has no nutritional value for him.  She also told me that I should have stopped at six months, because after that they don't need it and that I'm only doing it for me. 

I was thinking WOW! She doesn't think breastfeeding has nutritional value.  How crazy is that?”

Common Concerns While Breastfeeding - Sore Nipple Therapy for the Breastfeeding Mom

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! 

5 Ways to Get Rid of Postpartum Visitors without Offending Anyone: Advice for the mom-to-be

Birthing classes, breastfeeding classes, baby showers, etc.  Everyone wants to be prepared for the arrival of a new baby, especially when it is your first.  But, there is one IMPORTANT point, one DETRIMENTAL point, which most of your class instructors and friends with kids will neglect to tell you. 

Limit the number of visitors you are willing to see each day!

“Why would I do that?” you may ask.  “Don’t I want to have everyone share in the joy of having a new baby?”  “Won’t my family members get upset if they can’t spend every minute with the new baby?”

Let me describe my postpartum scenario for you.  If it not unlike most of my friends’ experiences after the births of their babies as well….that is, until I shared this advice with them.

The Breastfeeding Basket: a little advice for the mom-to-be

A few months ago I came across this ridiculous article written by a very self-righteous mom.  In all of her judgmental glory, the author scorned moms who watched TV and read books while breastfeeding their babies.  She claimed that the act of breastfeeding was a mom’s time to bond with her child and should never be used to catch up on things like Facebook or Oprah.  GIVE ME A BREAK, LADY!!!!  I don’t often comment negatively on other people’s blogs, but this one made my blood BOIL!

As many of my friends know, I spent countless hours watching episodes of Sex and the City in the middle of the night while I breastfed my son.  30 minutes of pure, mindless entertainment saved my sanity during those long middle-of-the-night feedings.  By the time the show was over, I had breastfed my son, changed his diaper, and burped the little puker.  Sure, I could have fed side lying in bed, but Sex in the City was my guilty pleasure and I am not ashamed to admit it. 

Clearly, the author of this infuriating article was a self-imposed martyr (too bad for her kids!) or completely lying.  Either way, her article did nothing to support breastfeeding moms.   Instead its purpose was to initiate ‘mother guilt’, which I definitely don’t need a complete stranger to do for me or for the women that I love. 

 

Hence the breastfeeding basket….

Since you will be breastfeeding for 30-40 minutes at a time, 8 or more times in a 24 period, don’t you want items near you that will help you pass the time and make you self-sufficient?  I hated yelling down the hallway to my hubby to bring me a snack while I was nursing.   I wanted everything I would need during those breastfeeding sessions to be within arm’s length. 

Stuck on creative ideas?  Here is a list to get you started.

 

Top 10 Things I Put in my Breastfeeding Basket

  1. Diapers – babies poop while breastfeeding, so it is good to be prepared.
  2. Wipes – self explanatory
  3. Burp cloth – my kids spit up all of the time, so this somewhat guarded my clothes from being covered in it all day.
  4. Klean Kanteen – so thirsty while nursing!
  5. Snacks – you burn 500 calories a day while breastfeeding….you will be starving!
  6. TV remote – DVR all of your favorite shows and enjoy.  This is your time to relax as well.
  7. I Pad, cell phone, etc. – catch up on phone calls, texts, and anything else to keep you connected to your pre-baby life. 
  8. Camera – sleeping babies are so adorable!
  9. Magazines – I never had time to read People, Lucky, and In Style before I had kids.  Now I knew what all of the celebrities were doing and the fabulous outfits I would buy when I lost some of my pregnancy weight.
  10. Receiving blanket – many babies will fall asleep after breastfeeding.  When this happened, I would just cover my babe up and let him sleep on my chest for a while, soaking in the sweet scent of his little body and enjoy our ‘bonding’ moment.

Ladies, you don’t have to lose yourself once you become a mom!  Bonding with your baby happens continuously throughout the day.  So, take a little time to yourself when you have the chance and NEVER feel guilty if you take a little personal time while breastfeeding your little one!

Also, check out one of my breastfeeding student’s blogs, Hank and Lucy, for wonderful ideas and photos of her breastfeeding basket.  She has much more style than I do!

Our readers would love to know what items will you put (or have you put) in your breastfeeding basket? Please share in the comments!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It’s Off to Work We Go…

The time has come. Your maternity leave is slowly coming to an end. Whether you are sad to be leaving your little one for a portion of the day, excited to have some adult interaction, or a combination of the two, it is now time to consider how and what you will feed your baby during this time of separation. I remember feeling somewhat overwhelmed about this whole process. What was my son going to eat when he was away from me? How was I going to stockpile enough breastmilk before my first day back to work? Where was I going to pump while at work? The list went on and on in my mind and made me a little crazy. Yet, once I sat down and made a plan for myself, everything seemed less daunting and more feasible.

Well, ladies, my plan for the next few blog postings is to help make your 'back to work transition' easy and manageable. Are you ready?

Gentle Weaning: What is the Process?

Gentle Weaning: What is the Process?

In this second article in our Weaning series, we will start the conversation about how to gently wean your baby and why pacing is so important in this process.  If you are wondering when you will know when to begin weaning your child, check out our last article, What is Weaning and When Should I Wean my Baby?

At what pace should you wean your child?

Very slowly.  The weaning process can take several months, as you want to make sure that both you and your child are adapting well to this new pattern of breastfeeding.  Drop one feeding at a time (for example, from 6 times a day to 5 times a day) and try this out for a week or two. This will give your breasts time to acclimate and hopefully not become too engorged.  This will also allow your child to get used to doing something else, or get his/her nutrition from another source at this time.

This process will most likely take a month to several months; depending on how many times your child is breastfeeding in a 24 hour period.  Remember, weaning can affect you and your child physically and emotionally, so it is best to take your time and wean very slowly.

Does traveling cause a dip in milk supply?

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.