Help a Mama Out: Overcoming Nursing in Public Anxiety

‘Help a Mama Out’ Topic of the Week: What are your favorite tips for overcoming anxiety about breastfeeding in public?

Sandy: Take along a support person

Melanie: Practice in front of a mirror.  Another thing that helped me was to just focus all of my attention on my baby.  I learned not to look around for a reaction from a stranger.

Miranda: Bring a light shawl to cover up, and remember, you are protected by law to breastfeed in public!

Marie: Have someone with you who is either a) also nursing and has no issues nursing in public or b) is super supportive of you nursing in public.  Also, the first couple of times, go somewhere you are already comfortable, like a local bookstore or Starbucks. 

Sara: So whatever makes you most comfortable!  Practice, practice, practice!  So it in front of people you are comfortable with first, then adjust slowly.  Find your comfort zone and be happy with it.

Kat: I started going to places and having play dates with other moms who nursed in public.

Keep Austin Nursing in Public: Check out The Badass Breastfeeders free e-course: Becoming a Badass Public Breastfeeder.  Know your rights (breastfeedinglaw.com).  Surround yourself, even if it’s only online, with a support system.  Breastfeed in a bubble… I never pay much attention to those around me when I’m nursing.  I’m not looking around for real or possibly imagined dirty looks or sideways glances.

KC: I wore a nursing tank with a t-short on top.  Undo the tank from the top and lift your shirt up from the bottom and use that to shield yourself until baby latches.  Then the shirt just rests on the baby’s cheek.  Second he popped off, I pulled my shirt down and fixed the tank from the top.  It helped me feel like I wasn’t exposing everything to everybody.  My friends called me the ‘stealth nurser’ because no one knew I was nursing.

Lisa: Practice in a breastfeeding support group.  Also, just do it and your comfort level will increase over time.

Raquel: Try practicing breastfeeding in a carrier.  I nursed all 3 of my kids in my ergo.  Not only was I hands free, but no one was the wiser when I had the little sleeping hood over their heads.

Marybeth: Take a buddy – someone who will talk to you, smile and chat with you, and treat you like it’s normal (it is!!!) while you tackle your anxiety.

Amanda: Start gradual.  Start in your car with a cover.  Move to a quiet out of the way corner.  Eventually, you’ll just get rid of the cover (because your baby will hate it!) and feed anytime, anywhere.  I have Momzelle shirts, but you can easily make your own as well.  Keeps my tummy covered and lets me feed discretely.

Brooke: A deep v-neck shirt works great to pull your boob up and out….LOL!

Michelle: I use a muslin blanket when I’m out.  It’s nice and cool and you can tuck it into your bra strap for security.  You’ll be rocking NIP in no time!

Natural Parenting: Just start.  It may be awkward at first, but the more you do it, the easier it gets.  Also, what helped me was to nurse uncovered in front of a mirror at home – once I saw in the mirror what everyone else saw (i.e. how little flesh is really exposed), it made it a lot easier for me.

Stephanie: This video says it all

Help a Mama Out: Surviving Your Baby’s Witching Hours

‘Help a Mama Out’ Topic of the Week: What are Your Best Tips for Surviving Your Baby’s Witching Hours?

Ashley: Wearing the baby during the evening hours.  Prepping dinner earlier in the day so that I didn’t have to do it during my baby’s fussy time.  Setting aside special activities for my then 3-year old that she could do on her own or with little help from me, just in case I needed to be sitting on the couch, constantly nursing the baby.  Reminding myself that this was temporary and would pass!

Karen: Feeding a little at a time, more frequently.  I read when #4 had HORRIBLE colic that there are some cultures where babies never experience colic.  In all of these communities, babies are worn and are on and off the boob all day, so they eat small meals very frequently.  

Kat: Support from my husband was really crucial during this time. I would nurse my son and concentrate on him while my husband got dinner ready.  Holding and wearing baby helped the most.  Also, fresh air worked wonders!

Lori: Babywearing…. I would also batch cook on the weekend when Daddy was home so that come dinner time, all I had to do was heat it up.

Catie: Remain calm…. Baby seemed to sense the angst and it only made things worse.  Often baby and I both needed a breather.  My husband was deployed when my son went through the worst of it so handing him off wasn’t an option.  I would set him down in a swing or bouncy chair with a toy, walk to another room and take 30 seconds minimum to breathe, drink some water, etc.  If baby was happy, I took a break away from him since we were obviously over-stimulating each other.  Then, back to nursing, rocking, wearing, walking, etc…. until we could both get a good nap!

Janina: Babywearing, smaller feedings, burp a lot, white noise, gripe water at the first sign of crying, rocking, and time. 

Christina: Wearing and then walking – close to mom, plus amazing fresh air and rhythmic movements.  Sometimes getting into a warm bath with my daughter helped, too.

Shelly: Lowering my expectations.  Fussy babies meant nothing was getting done except baby care.  Going for a walk helped clear my head and the change of scenery almost always calmed them down.

Kathryn: Bouncing on the exercise ball and the vacuum was a lifesaver.

Grace: Adjusting my diet (cutting out gluten and dairy because those were his colic culprits).  Make the day less chaotic by staying home or no visitors, low lights, soothing music.  Skin to skin.  Take a warm bath with baby on my chest.  Baby massage with some coconut oil and lavender oil.  Colic Calm if it lasts more than an hour.

Turath: Our baby’s witching hour turned out to be a dairy sensitivity, so after I cut out dairy we haven’t had any problems.  Definitely babywearing!  This article has lots of great tips…. It’s sleep related, but I think many of the tips will work for calming a fussy baby.  http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/parenting/fussy-baby/31-ways-get-your-baby-sleep-and-stay-asleep

Rhianna: Try putting them to bed earlier.  Once we instituted a 6pm bedtime, it was MUCH easier!

Kenyatta: Wear them!  Familiarity (routine, music, lighting, smells) and calm.

Here are a few of my favorite articles:

A Checklist of 36 Time-Tested Baby Calmers 

The Phenomenon of Late Afternoon/Early Evening Infant Crying: Part 1

The Phenomenon of Late Afternoon/Early Evening Infant Crying: Part 2

Help a Mama Out: Weaning a Toddler

‘Help a Mama Out’ Topic of the Week: Tips for Weaning a Toddler

Kelly: Take it slow and take cues from your toddler.  We haven’t completely weaned yet, but in order for ME to keep our breastfeeding relationship in a good place, I had to take is down to 3x a day.  While I wanted to distract and push away when the little one wanted to breastfeed, what he really needed was a few minutes of cuddling before he was on to the next thing.  Once I figured that out, taking it down to 3x a day was a breeze and I feel like I could do this forever now (or at least until HE wants.)

Heather: Honestly, let the toddler decide when to wean.  That is what I plan on doing with my daughter.  She is 18 months and still nursing strong!

Heidi: Sit them down and have a little heart-to-heart – worked with both of mine!  It’s incredible how much they really ‘get it.’

Lolis: I got pregnant!  Just cut out feedings by distracting her.  Nursing is a two-way relationship and if you don’t want to do it anymore, then your feelings should be respected, too.  I thought I would end up tandem nursing, but she weaned when I was 30 weeks pregnant and has tried a few times since then, but I just distracted her to take her mind off of it.  I’ve said ‘no’ a few times, too.  Try to also offer a drink when they are trying to nurse because sometimes they are just thirsty.  I also wear shirts that make the boobies inaccessible.  We made it to 21 months and I’m completely ok with that.

Theresa: When my daughter was a little over 2 years old I became pregnant and nursing was suddenly very uncomfortable for me.  We took weaning very slowly and gradually, cutting it back to naptime and before bed.  We had lots of honest talks about how mommy’s body was changing and that nursing was uncomfortable for me (not that she hurt me) because of those changes.  I incorporated giving her a cup of unsweetened coconut milk before going to bed as ‘big girl milk.’  I really emphasized how special our snuggle time was to me and reassured her that it wouldn’t stop just because she wasn’t having mommy milk anymore.  It took several months and, to be honest, a few teary times for both of us.  She breastfed for the last time when she was 32 months and started referring to it as ‘baby milk’ instead of ‘mommy milk.’  Also, once I stopped nursing, I switched from wearing nursing tanks to a bra and T-shirt.  It seemed to make it easier for her to accept a gentle ‘I can’t.  Mommy is not wearing the right type of shirt,’ on the random times when she still wanted to try.

Susan: Just finished weaning my 15 month old and low supply played the biggest role.  Once those first few days of sadness was over (for me), it was a relief to know she was happy as a clam getting a full 6-8 oz of non-dairy milk and I felt great knowing she is healthy and thriving.  I’ve realized we all take a different path in this motherhood and nursing thing and we all do what we can for the well-being of our children.  I totally agree with Lolis that nursing must be a mutual two-way enjoyable experience and if mommy is done that must be respected as well.

Adrienne: Having specific times of the day for nursing helped us.  We loved first thing in the morning, naptime, and bedtime.  Then I could say ‘not now, but we can nurse at naptime.’ This made her actually ask to go to bed.  Of course, there were exceptions for major physical and emotional injuries, but this worked for us.  Distraction, staying busy, avoiding places that reminded her of nursing, offering something else instead (like a book, snack, drink, cuddle, etc.) also helped.

Donna: I use distraction as much as possible and tell him that they are empty when they are.  Eventually they forget and nursing is replaced by cuddles J

Kathy: ‘Don’t offer, don’t refuse’ worked best for me and my son.  Shortly after his second birthday, he just stopped asking one day.  Seems like a lifetime ago and I miss it!

Don't miss our Boob Group podcast episode: Breastfeeding Toddlers: Night Nursing and Weaning

Here are a few more articles on weaning and toddlers on our blog:

Gentle Weaning: What is the Process? 

Gentle Weaning: Techniques and Resources 

Toddler Nursing Part II: Toddler vs. Breastfeeding 

Toddler Nursing Part III: Super Breastfed Baby!

Help a Mama Out: Getting the Most Milk Out While Pumping

Alison: Massaging the breasts!  That’s the biggest helper for me.  Also, leaning over a bit, as gravity can sometimes help.

Nova: Crank it up if you can tolerate it.  If your pump has those little white membranes, change them once a month or so.

Sondra: Relax!

Melissa: Whenever I pump at work, I put a little coconut oil on the inside of the pump flanges.  This way the inside is lubricated and my areola doesn’t chafe alongside of the plastic flanges.

Laura: If I need to increase volume, I get into a pumping boot camp and spend an hour pumping with 10 minute intervals and 10 minute breaks.  Whenever I have a supply dip, this would bring it back within a day or so.  Also, I’ve had great output when I watch a comedy where I am laughing out loud.  And it never hurts to have my hubby give me a back massage just before pumping or during a break.  Also, my supply is related to my water intake, so I make sure to drink a minimum of 100oz per day.

Jen: Pump the full 20 minutes.  I always get a late let down of another ounce or so if I wait it out.  Also, a hands-free bra is a lifesaver!

Jennifer: A picture of my baby always helped when I was away from him.  Focus on him and how much you love him.

Ann: Relax for sure!  Lots of deep breathing and looking at photos of my sweet girl’s chubby cheeks.

Sarah: Staying hydrated (lots of water and coconut water) and pumping at the same times each day.

Stacy: Hands-on pumping (massage and compression), staying hydrated, and changing the cycle speed and angle of the flanges.

Veronica: Watching videos of my little one always made a big impact.

Lydia: Warm compresses, relaxed and comfortable, use the correct flange size and check the suction.

Pumpin' PalsAngelica: Pumpin Pals!  Made pumping so much more comfortable!

Ria: Massaging my breasts while pumping almost doubled the amount I could get!

Carmen: Hands on pumping!  See the Stanford pumping video about maximizing pumping.

Don't miss our Boob Group podcast episode about Maximizing Your Pumping Sessions! 

Common Concerns While Breastfeeding: Why are my nipples white?

Are you feeling a burning sensation in your nipples that creeps up into your breasts?  Does this happen most often IN BETWEEN feedings, rather than during your breastfeeding session?  Have you noticed that your nipples turn white as soon as your baby pulls off?

What you might be dealing with are vasospasms!

Raynaud’s syndrome, or a vasospasm, is a common phenomenon that affects up to 20% of women of childbearing age.  It was originally described as affecting the body’s extremities (hands and feet), but now has been described as affecting many other vessels, including the nipples.  The symptoms are often confused with thrush, as both cause a burning sensation in the nipples, yet they are completely different from one another. 

Thrush is a yeast infection that can be treated with antifungal treatments (see your article Common Concerns While Breastfeeding: Yikes!  Why are my nipples burning?).  Vasospasms are constrictions of the blood vessels that usually occur as a result of exposure to cold and are not an indication of an infection.  Vasospasms will not be resolved with antifungal treatments.

What are vasospasms?

Imagine sitting cross-legged and your foot ‘falls asleep.’  Your foot becomes numb as the blood leaves the area.  As soon as you start banging your foot on the floor and ‘waking it up,’ the blood flows back into your foot, causing a sensation of pins and needles.  This is the same philosophy with nipple vasospasms.  Essentially, as soon as your baby’s warm mouth leaves your nipple, the cold air triggers a vasospasm, causing the blood in your nipple to escape and leave the area.  This causes blanching, or whiteness of the nipple, since the blood is constricted.  Then, as the blood comes back and starts to flow better, the nipple is ‘woken up,’ causing a burning sensation.  This can be extremely painful and frustrating, as the throbbing can be felt throughout the entire day and night.

Symptoms for vasospasms:

• Nipples turn white as baby pulls off from feeding (due to the restricted blood flow to the nipples)
• As blood flows back into the nipples, they turn from white to blue, purple, or red, accompanied by throbbing, burning pain.
• Nipples throb in between feedings, especially when mom feels cold or if she feels a let-down, rather than during a feeding.

It is important to rule out the following, as they can also cause vasospasm-like symptoms:

• Poor latch that compresses and/or pinches the nipple
• Tongue-tie
• Sensitivity to nipple creams
• Thrush/breast infections
• Pregnancy

*** None of these can be treated with vasospasm remedies

Once you have ruled out other causes of vasospasms, you can begin to treat them.

How to treat vasospasms:

• Avoid vaso-constricting substances, such as nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol
• Try to keep your nipples and breasts warm in between feedings.  Wool breast pads, such as the ones made by LanaCare, can be fantastic
• Try herbal and vitamin supplements to help increase blood flow and reduce symptoms.  My favorite daily regiment is 5000IUs of vitamin D3, 200mg of vitamin B6, the minimum dosage of Natural Calm Magnesium, and Nordic Naturals Omega 3 vitamins.
• Acupuncture – since vasospasms are caused by lack of blood flow to the nipples, acupuncture can help move your blood and keep it from being stagnant in your body
• If none of these measures help with the pain, speak with your doctor about nifedipine, a calcium channel blocker that has vasodilatory effects.  Nifedipine, as any medication, has risks of side-effects.  These side effects include dizziness, headache, and tachycardia, so please consult your primary healthcare provider.

As always, it can be very helpful to meet with an IBCLC to determine whether your nipple pain is due to vasospasms or to another breastfeeding issue.  You can find an IBCLC in your area on the International Lactation Consultant Association website.

Managing Speed-bumps Along Your Breastfeeding Path

This past Saturday, I had the honor of hosting the Breastfeeding Lounge and speaking at the Your Natural Baby Fair about my favorite topic... breastfeeding, of course!  The topic for this presentation was a little different than those discussed at the prenatal classes I teach each month.  Instead, I was finally able to address all of the questions I am asked at my weekly support group.  You know... those questions about hiccups that happen AFTER the initial latch/positioning/initiating milk supply issues.  The questions that pop up AFTER the first few months of breastfeeding, right when you think you have it ALL figured out!  Now those are truly my favorite!

My presentation was titled: Managing Speed-bumps Along Your Breastfeeding Path.  During this talk I focused on:

• Appropriate feeding amounts for babies (for up to a year)

• Appropriate weight gain for babies (for up to 1 year)

• Lactogenic foods that support your milk supply

• How to maintain your supply during baby's distractable times, returning to work, and when offering solids

• Benefits (both nutritional and emotional) for breastfeeding beyond 1 year

Since this talk could only accommodate 60 people (who happened to be in San Diego at the fair), Sunny, from New Mommy Media and the Preggie Pals podcast, interviewed me to discuss the topics in my presentation.  

Our Interview with Abby (THE Badass Breastfeeder!)

A few weeks ago, I serendipitously stumbled upon the e-mail course called "Becoming a Badass Public Breastfeeder in 7 Days."  For those of you who have been following our blog since January 2013, you are already well aware that I am in the process of creating a San Diego Nursing in Public Task Force to assist mothers who have dealt with nursing in public harassment.  In this process, I have been combing the Internet to find websites to include in our resource list.  Well, as always, Abby (The Badass Breastfeeder) has outdone herself by creating something that is fresh, pertinent, and totally relatable for breastfeeding mothers.  I was dying to 'meet' her, as well as ask her a few questions about her email course, and she enthusiastically agreed to an interview.  So, here's Abby telling a little about herself and sharing her fantastic resource, Becoming a Badass Public Breastfeeder in 7 Days! 

Tell us a little about yourself.  When and why did you start The Badass Breastfeeder?

Ok, well, I can be a bit chatty so I might tell you more than you ever really wanted to know about me! I was born in Cincinnati, OH. I have lived in Columbus, OH; Racine, WI; Abcoude and Amsterdam, Holland; Brooklyn and Queens, NY; and Chicago, IL. I am 36 years old. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology/Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in NYC in 2001 (yes, I was there during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. That sucked). My now husband and I moved from NYC to Chicago, IL in 2003. I received my Master’s Degree in Social Work from Jane Addams College of Social Work in 2009. I spent 14 years working with adolescents and their families involved in the criminal justice system and the child welfare system.

It all came to a sudden stop when my son, Jack, was born on July 30, 2011. I suddenly knew nothing about children. Everything that I had believed and thought was thrown into question when I met my son. There was not one aspect of parenting that I planned for that fit with how I felt about my new life. I started completely over and basically read so much that I got another Master’s degree, but this time in gentle parenting. I didn’t really get another degree, but I immersed myself in information about breastfeeding, babywearing, cosleeping, etc. I struggled big time with getting started with breastfeeding. I felt totally alone and afraid. I felt like a failure every time it was time to nurse Jack. He seemed to hate it. He cried, struggled and popped on and off. We supplemented with formula and my breastfeeding relationship with my son was close to ending every day. I was devastated. Then we decided to kick the formula. The more I read the more empowered I felt. I fought really hard to get him exclusively breastfeeding. I stayed up all day and all night reading everything under the sun. By 2 month we were exclusively breastfeeding. I felt so powerful! I started to feel like my old self again, but better. I had learned so much about myself and we were now on an exciting journey to gentle parenting and Jack would be in charge of weaning. I was so excited. I had so much to say and share. Then one day I was harassed by some moms in a private Facebook group for posting a photo of me breastfeeding in a park. The next day in March 2012 I started a Facebook page to share these pictures publicly because I wanted moms to have a place to celebrate breastfeeding where they would be free from harassment. I started a blog for my friends where I shared the details of my parenting journey. And then I have no idea what happened! It just got really big really fast. I started channeling my passion for advocacy from my social career into sharing information with other moms and challenging what we were hearing from the mainstream and providing support where it was majorly lacking. It grew and grew and grew! I have tried to let moms guide me and show me what they need.

What inspired you to create the email course: Becoming a Badass Breastfeeder?

It became clear from running the Facebook page that our culture sees breasts as sexual and nothing else. Women are afraid of being harassed when they breastfeed in public. Women are being devalued as mothers and nurturers. Women choose not to breastfeed at all sometimes because of discomfort with their bodies or having never been around it. Women get the message that their bodies are to be hidden away for the sexual use by the partners. We have become so disconnected from our natural purpose and power. Some women become mothers and never see breastfeeding at all until they are breastfeeding their own babies. I got so much feedback from women who said that they were afraid to breastfeed in public. This motivated me to take all of my thoughts about breastfeeding in public, all of the support and advice I had given on the Facebook page and my blog, and put it into one place. In November 2012 I created the e-mail course “Become a Badass Public Breastfeeder in 7 Days.” The e-course is a great method because people can get small bits of information allowing them to think about it and digest it before moving onto another topic. I worked harder on it than I thought I would and through writing it I became even more passionate about the topic. I feel like it solidified for me my niche as The Badass Breastfeeder.

What resources does a mother receive when she signs up for the course and where can she sign up?

In the e-course, a mother will receive tips for exuding confidence while nursing in public, tips for dealing with staring (which is the number 1 fear I heard from women), ideas about clothing and finding comfy spots in public, tutorials on how to breastfeed while babywearing, detailed advice on engaging unsupportive family and friends in a conversation about nursing in public, comebacks for negative comments from the public, and a summary of the laws that protect breastfeeding in public. I focus on empowerment through rethinking about our bodies and providing information. You can sign up at www.badasspublicbreastfeeding.com. I have also created a workbook version that goes into much greater detail and engages the mother in a journey of self-reflection designed to empower her on all levels of motherhood. I created this doe to the demand from many women who wanted to do the course with their friends and for professionals interested in running groups on the topic. More information on this can be found at http://www.gentleparentinfo.com/UltimateNIPGuide.html.

Have you received any feedback about this course?

It has gotten great reviews! I get e-mails from women, on a daily basis, who say that they no longer feel afraid, that they nurse in public regularly and feel empowered as a mother. I am quite happy! It’s more than I ever expected. I feel if breastfeeding in public can be normalized then more babies will be breastfed. And that is the entire point.

What are your top five tips for Becoming a Badass Breastfeeder?

1. Change your thinking about your body. We can become so focused on our insecurities, but when we reframe our thinking it actually changes the way we feel about ourselves and the way we act.

2. Engage fully with your baby. This will help take the focus off of others so you won’t be as concerned about what they are thinking or where they are looking.

3. Get into babywearing! It makes it so much easier when you are out and about. I know breastfeeding while babywearing can be difficult to figure out, but the course can help.

4. Learn how the breastfeeding laws in your state protect you. You can print them out and carry them around. You might be surprised by how much more confidence this gives you.

5. Create a support network of family and friends. It’s almost impossible to be successful at anything when the people in our lives are unsupportive. The largest section of the course is about engaging family and friends to be more supportive and finding like-minded moms to meet face to face. Moms are so good at supporting moms! 

Help a Mama Out: Foods that Support Your Milk Supply

We know it can be difficult to eat those 1800-2000 (or more if you are exercising) calories a day to keep up a robust milk supply while breastfeeding, so here are some fantastic tips for delicious, easy, nutritious snacks!  Remember: Think healthy fats, complete proteins, and green veggies!

Here are some of the most effective milk production-supporting foods out there:

• Vegetables: green leafy vegetables, onion, garlic, asparagus, carrots, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, mushrooms, and seaweed
• Fruits: figs, dates, apricots, green papaya
• Nuts and Seeds: raw almonds and cashews, sesame seeds, flaxseed
• Oils: Extra virgin olive oil, organic butter, sesame seed oil, coconut oil, essential fatty acids (EFA)
• Grains and Legumes: quinoa, amaranth, pinto beans, chickpeas, whole brown rice
• Extras: brewer’s yeast, nutritional yeast, green drinks (spirulina, barley wheat grass, alfalfa leaf, oat straw, kelp), ginger

Here are some of our readers’ favorite tips for quick, healthy, easy to-go snacks:

Gina: Trail mix, muffins with veggies/flax/oatmeal, kale, green smoothies

Kate: I like Housepoet’s Famous Lactation Cookies

Stacey: Oatmeal with almonds.  I also keep a large jar of dried fruits and nuts on the counter so I can grab them when I’m on the go.

Kelli: I’ll have something like this (Moroccan Quinoa Pilaf) left over from dinner and add some avocado.  I drink a green smoothie almost everyday, too. 

Monifa: I make oatmeal with cranberries, apples, and raisins in bulk so there’s always some available.  I also love carrot sticks with guacamole, fruit smoothies w/ protein added and granola w/ toasted coconut.  Also I drink a ton of water.

Shannon: We love soups in this house! Caldo de pollo (chicken soup), white bean and ham, white chicken chili or turkey chili.  Soups are easy, you just prep and let them cook on the stove or in a crockpot, and they keep your body nice and warm to support milk production.  Snacks – I like Trader Joe’s Omega Rich Trail Mix or Justin’s Almond butter packs. 

Danielle: Carrots and hummus

Jennifer: Avocado, nut/trail mix

Abby: I love these Raw Energy Bites!

Here are a few of my favorite milk production-supporting snacks: Green smoothies with chia seeds, granola, and nut butter; hummus and veggies, crackers, or whole wheat pita; apples and almond butter; greek yogurt with granola and berries; avocado on EVERYTHING!; homemade trail mix (raw almonds, raw cashews, dried cranberries, dried coconut, dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds); cottage cheese with fruit; hard-boiled eggs.

My friend, Leigh Anne Webster, of 52 Healthy Weeks, recommends: Cut up fresh veggies with hummus or pesto; corn tortilla with lentils and a little bit of cheese; lowfat natural granola with blueberries and almond milk; organic tomato soup; and cheese and crackers with some fruit.

Lastly, here are a few of my favorite websites with highly-nutritious meals that support your milk supply:

Nourishing Meals 

Simple Green Smoothies

Dan Morris’s Pinterest Board

Clean Eating

Common Concerns While Breastfeeding - Yikes! Why Are My Nipples Burning?

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!

Why Are My Nipples Burning????

Oh, those itching and burning nipples and breasts.  It takes all of your will power to not walk up to the closest tree and rub your front side on it, like a bear would rub on a tree to get rid of fleas.  The itching can feel insatiable.  This is often your first sign that you have thrush, which is a yeast infection of a mucus membrane, your breasts being one of them.

How did I get thrush?

Well, just like a vaginal yeast infection, thrush is caused by an overgrowth of yeast in your gut.  Breastfeeding moms may often find that they get thrush after a dose of antibiotics.  This is because antibiotics kill NOT ONLY the bad bacteria in your gut, but also the good bacteria.  Yeast loves when there is an absence of good bacteria in your gut, so it decides to multiply and aim for any mucus membrane. 

Moms and babies who also have inflammation, such as a food intolerance which limits the absorption of important nutrients, or are just temporarily dealing with a compromised immune system, are also more susceptible to thrush. 

What does thrush look like?

• Burning, itchy nipples and breasts

• Red or pink nipples and areola

• Painful feedings after a time period of painless feedings
  

• And thrush doesn’t just affect the mom.... babies can get thrush as well.  When your baby has thrush, he may have white, cauliflower-textured spots in his mouth along the gum line or on his cheeks.  He may also have a raging diaper rash.  Babies with thrush may cry while breastfeeding because the milk stings the sores in their mouths.  And to complicate matters more, your baby may show no signs of thrush at all!

How does one get rid of thrush? 

• First and foremost, make sure that the pain you are feeling is not due to a less-than-perfect latch. Also, if the burning happens to only occur after the feeding, not during the feeding, it might be worth it to see if you have Raynaud's, which is a vasospasm of the nipple.

• Remove sugars (including most fruit and fruit juices) from your diet for about a week. Yeast grows on sugar, so removing it from your diet restricts yeast growth. It might help to eliminate dairy as well.

• Consider starting a course of a high-quality probiotics to help recolonize your gut, and your baby’s gut, with good bacteria. I would recommend choosing a probiotic from the refrigerator in the herb section of a natural food store. Probiotics are alive and begin to die off when at room temperature, so don’t purchase anything sitting on a shelf, unrefrigerated.

• You will want to wash all of your bras and underwear in a distilled white vinegar rinse cycle. Also, soak anything that goes in the baby’s mouth, like a bottle nipple, in apple cider vinegar before rinsing it in soapy water. The vinegar should help kill off the yeast hanging out on these items.

• All Purpose Nipple Ointment (APNO) - if that pesky thrush will not go away after trying the above recommendations, Jack Newman has a protocol for getting rid of thrush. You can ask your primary care physician for a prescription for this to bring to a compounding pharmacy. Midwives often have recipes for this as well, that you can make with over-the-counter medications.

• If all else fails, you can ask your physician for Diflucan, which is the same medication used to clear vaginal yeast infections.

• Lastly, definitely discuss this issue with your pediatrician or a lactation consultant. He or she may have some other recommendations to help remedy the out of control yeast.

Why Women Should Attend a Breastfeeding Support Group WHILE Pregnant

There are few things that I really focus on when a pregnant mama asks what she should know about breastfeeding before her baby is born.  One, it is incredibly beneficial to take a prenatal breastfeeding class to learn about positioning, latching, following baby’s feeding cues, and how to tell if your baby is getting enough.  Most importantly, though, when it is all whittled down to the core, in my mind what helps a mom reach her breastfeeding goal has all to do with support!  When mamas share with me why they stopped breastfeeding, the most prominent theme is lack of support and assistance when breastfeeding challenges became complicated. 

So here’s the deal - breastfeeding is something you learn on the job.  In really supportive jobs, we usually have professional development at the start, as well as throughout our employment to keep us up to date and provide needed support.  Parenting is definitely a full time job, yet we often have to seek out our own unpaid professional development, to have our questions answered and continue the learning process.  This ‘professional development’ can often be challenging to find, as well as not all support is equally beneficial.

This leads into why I think it is a fabulous idea for women to attend a breastfeeding support group while they are still pregnant.  Still pregnant, you may ask… why not wait until after the baby is born?  Great question, my friend, and here are the reasons why.

Why women should attend a breastfeeding support group WHILE pregnant:

1. Make it a familiar place.  There is nothing scarier than going to an unfamiliar place with a brand new baby.  I didn’t get on the freeway for 4 weeks after Ben was born and I definitely didn’t want to go someplace I had never been before.  What if the people were weird?  What if Ben started screaming and I couldn’t calm him down?  What if I couldn’t find parking?  That’s the perk of finding a breastfeeding support group while pregnant…..no baby in tow.  Now, you can find where to park your car or stroller, at your own pace.  You can check out the setting and the flow of the group without feeling like you have to stay the entire time.  You can try out the seating situation and make note of where everyone puts their enormous diaper bags.  You just turned an unfamiliar place into one where you will hopefully feel comfortable returning to once your little one is born.  Doesn’t that sound less stressful?

2. Meet the facilitator.  At work, every professional development facilitator has her/his own style and tone.  It is the same way with support group leaders.  You get to be choosy while pregnant.  Maybe the first group seemed too crowded or the facilitator didn’t jive with you.  Go check out another one!  No need to settle.  Find one that appeals to you and makes you want to return as soon as you have your baby.

3. Witness a live baby latch onto a real breast.  This many sound funny, but how many of you have really ever seen a live baby wiggle and shift and slide down a mother’s torso to latch onto her breast?  Maybe in a breastfeeding class video, but that’s not LIVE.  Be a lurker…you’re pregnant…no one will mind J  When I interviewed Ina May Gaskin for The Boob Group in 2012, this was one of her main recommendations.  Surround yourself with breastfeeding mothers.  Watch them and learn from them.  It’s amazing how much you will learn from just observing a few different mothers at a group.  Quickly you will realize that there are MANY ways to position and latch a baby….there really doesn’t need to be so many rules about it.

4. Chat with some new mothers who are going through exactly what you will be going through in a few weeks.  New moms love to talk about their experiences.  It’s like starting a new job that you are totally obsessed with and want to share as much as you can IMMEDIATELY!  Participate in their conversations.  Learn from their experiences.  Ask a bunch of questions.  They have gained so much knowledge in their few weeks/months as mothers…. Soak it up!

5. Learn where to find support and assistance if you need it or where all the cool breastfeeding moms hang out.  You never know if you will need some extra breastfeeding assistance, so preparation is the key.  Not all situations can be resolved at a support group (which is why I also highly recommend finding a lactation consultant before you have your baby, as well…just in case), but it is often a great place to start!  One thing I’d also like to point out - not all of the mothers who attend a breastfeeding support group are having breastfeeding challenges, which is awesome!  Many just come for the conversation and to have a place where they know their kiddos can be fed easily.  Sit next to one of them and feel the breastfeeding love!  They might even ask you to join them for lunch after the meeting!