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!

The Lip Tie/Tongue Tie Challenge

To help parents understand a bit more about how tongue and lip ties can affect breastfeeding, over the next few weeks we will be featuring stories from moms whose babies experienced these challenges.  We would like to extend a HUGE thank you to the brave mamas who submitted their stories for our blog!  We know you went through a ton of challenges and we are so appreciative that you were willing to share your stories!  If you have a story you would like to share on our blog, please send it to robinkaplan@sdbfc.com.

For more information about tongue and lip ties and how they can affect breastfeeding, please see our article: Does Your Baby Have a Tongue or Lip Tie?

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Written by Julie Sanders

My issues with breastfeeding my daughter started pretty much as soon as we left the hospital. I started experiencing a lot of pain in my nipples. Not just while she was nursing, but all the time. I was told it was normal for her to nurse 8-10 times a day, but my daughter was nursing 20+ times a day. Essentially, she was constantly nursing, with maybe a 10-20 minute break between sessions. I found that since any side-lying, cradled position was extremely painful, only the football hold position worked for me. I went to a breastfeeding support group her second week, and I learned that my daughter was chomping my nipples while she nursed, and that’s why they were in constant pain. Nipples are supposed to come out of a baby’s mouth just as round as when they went in, but mine were shaped like a football after a nursing session. No wonder! Someone suggested I try nursing her lying down because she was perhaps trying to stem a strong flow of milk into her mouth, but that didn’t help. On top of it all, I also got a clogged duct, which was painful and scary. I was in such excruciating pain I would cry when my daughter wanted to nurse because I just wanted a break for my poor nipples to heal. I didn’t know why it was so hard or what was wrong. The only thing that got me through this period were gel pads. The moist, cold combination was wonderfully soothing.

Nursing in Public - The Positive Spin

Recently, there have been a lot of stories in the national and local news about mothers being illegally harassed for nursing their babies in public (“NIP”).  The latest one involved a Twitter exchange between a breastfeeding mom and a Delta Airlines Public Relations employee. 

While we think it is so incredibly important that these types of incidences are highlighted and spoken about, we also believe it can paint an incorrect picture that if you nurse your baby in public, you’d better be ready for a fight.  So we thought we’d seek out some positive experiences mamas have had feeding their little ones while out and about - below are a few of the responses we received.  For every woman that may be made to feel uncomfortable for NIP, it is our greatest hope that there are 100 that receive smiles, nods, and even an occasional high five.  

Does Your Baby Have a Tongue or Lip Tie?

Painful, cracked, compressed-after-breastfeeding nipples.  Baby not gaining weight well.  Constant breastfeeding sessions that seem to take over an hour.  Excessive baby fussiness and gas.  These are some of the many signs that your child may have a tongue and/or lip tie.  So, what is a tongue and lip tie and how do they affect breastfeeding? What are ways to fix them and improve breastfeeding?

With several fantastic articles already written on this subject, we are going to give brief answers to these questions and link to our favorite comprehensive resources.  Also, over the next month, we will be sharing stories from breastfeeding mothers whose babies had tongue and/or lip ties.

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Help a Mama Out: Tips for Talking with your Boss about Pumping

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'Help a Mama Out' Topic of the Week:

Tips for Talking with Your Boss about Pumping

What's your best tip for discussing your pumping rights/schedule with your boss? 

Shelly Hovies Rogers: Be assertive with your rights, but be flexible and willing to work with your boss and coworkers.  I found my workplace to be quite accommodating to me when I nicely, but matter of fact, told them what I needed.  Also, although I didn’t have to quote the state law, I familiarized myself with it, just in case I needed to use it. 

Kelly Reyes: Before I left for maternity leave, I discussed my need to pump with my boss and then HR, just to make sure we were all on the same page.  When I had issues with the way the ‘wellness room’ schedule was being managed, my boss went to bat for me and fixed the problem that day! 

Marie Bishop: My best advice is to know the law and stand up for yourself and your baby.  In states, such as California, it is required by law that your employer provides a non-restroom space that is private for you to pump.

Meggin Dueckman: We just talked about it!  We’re all pretty close at work, so it was no problem.  I was the first of our staff to want/need to pump at work.  Mind you, here in Canada we get a year of maternity leave, so it’s not as common for people to want to pump as frequently when they return to work.  I only pumped 1 times a day at work, more for my own comfort!

Jamie Howell Swope: As a teacher at a school, it wasn’t an easy process, but I went in knowing the law and advised my principal ahead of time why I wanted to meet with her.  That way she had time to think about how to make it work, too.

Kat Picson Berling: I was really lucky in that 2 of my coworkers were pumping moms, so they had paved the way.  I told my boss that I was going to take 2 pumping breaks at x and y time and I will be in this office and it will take 15 minutes.  He was fine with it.  I’m not going to lie…. Because I had a cubicle at work, it was sometimes difficult to find a place to pump.  Even our HR coordinator wasn’t sympathetic for me.  Just make sure to know the law. 

Chantel McComber: My advice would be to put your fears aside.  Sometimes it’s hard as a working mom to ask for things because not everyone has them.  Remember that you are doing this for your health and your baby’s health and those are two things that should always come first.

Jennifer Haak: When I discussed my date of return, I told my boss that I needed a lock installed on my office door and I explained why.

Andrea Blanco: First, know your right.  Be sure that your company falls under those rights.  Then file that information away and try *not* to use it as it can be perceived as a threat (and no one likes to be threatened.)  Second, have a plan in place.  I find that if you’re willing to have the conversation in advance, go into it as sweet as possible, and have it all planned out as to how it will work for you (with consideration given to work environment/demands/pumping law.)  Then, it is much harder for your employer to say no. 

For the United States Lactation Accommodation laws, check out Break Time for Nursing Mothers

Baby Jaws - Breastfeeding a Teething (or Toothy!) Baby

Duh Nuh Duh Nuh………….Duh Nuh Duh Nuh. (come on, you know you just read that out loud).  

You know they’re coming.  You’ve heard all the severe warnings from well-intentioned friends and family.  You’re scared of what’s to come, but know you’ve gone too far to turn back.  Shark-infested waters, you ask?  Noooooo - a breastfeeding baby who has grown TEETH!  

Somewhere around 6-8 months (sometimes earlier, sometimes later), your baby’s first tooth will erupt.  This is most likely an event you will celebrate, both because of the milestone that it is, but also because it may be a temporary break from the cranky, drooly, mouthy baby who replaced your own sweet one a couple of months back.  There are lots of symptoms that point to teething, but the most common ones are: red and swollen gums, increased irritability and drooling, sleep disturbances, and low grade fevers.  Your baby has most likely learned that chewing or gumming on items helps ease the pain and will try to cram everything within reach into his/her mouth.  As that tooth begins to emerge, there may be some small worries creeping in on your excitement about this next stage.  What will it be like to breastfeed a baby with teeth?  Will my baby bite me? Some moms will find that they do start to feel the baby’s teeth while nursing - baby may scrape teeth across nipple when latching or delatching.  And yes, sometimes the baby will bite.

I’ve Had My Baby - Now What?: Breastfeeding During the First Week

I’ve Had My Baby - Now What?: Breastfeeding During the First Week

Welcome to our new series, I’ve Had My Baby - Now What?  This is a guide with basic information to help you navigate the first days, weeks, and months of breastfeeding your new baby.  

 

Today we would like to talk about that first week after your baby has arrived.  Breastfeeding can often seem overwhelming and  unfamiliar.  New moms often receive a *huge* amount of differing advice from many well-intentioned people, which can be incredibly confusing and discouraging.  Below is a quick guideline to what “normal” breastfeeding looks like, as well as some examples of when things aren’t going as they should and when you might want to seek help.

Tackle your Postpartum Trouble Spots: Arms

Written by guest blogger, Autumn Bonner

Hi Moms! Are you starting to feel more toned and tight from our first 2 trouble spot workouts?  In case you missed them, check out my previous articles about how to tone your tummy and your butt.  Today we complete the program by tackling our arms!  

Your arms are actually one of the few parts of your body that doesn’t go through major change during pregnancy, but the normal weight gain that comes along with growing a baby may have left you with a wiggly wave.  You know the kind I mean, when you wave and then your under arm keeps waving?  To get rid of the extra fat and tone those guns, it takes the same 3 keys: toning, cardio, and healthy eating. 

Tackle Your Postpartum Trouble Spots - Butt

Written by guest blooger, Autumn Bonner, co-owner and co-founder of My Tailored Fitness.

Hi Moms!  Autumn here from Tailored Fitness back this week to help us tackle our next trouble spot, the Butt, with a baby-wearing workout you’ll love.  If you missed our first post about how to tone the tummy, you can check it out here, Tackle Your Postpartum Trouble Spots: Tummy.  

Common Concerns While Breastfeeding - What is That White (and painful!) Spot on My Nipple?

Welcome back to our blog series…. Common Concerns While Breastfeeding.  These aren’t the complicated, ‘come-to-my-house-immediately’ phone calls we 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, we would like to share those tricks with you!

 

Many moms know the pain associated with a shallow latch during the early days, but have you ever had nipple pain suddenly begin after weeks or months of pain-free breastfeeding?  After checking nipples for signs of a poor latch, you notice a white spot on the nipple in question - you pick at it for a few seconds, but it still remains.  What is it?  What caused it?  What can you do to resolve it and get back to pain-free breastfeeding?  This is what’s called a “milk blister” or “milk bleb” and is not cause for great concern, but it can be an uncomfortable and unwelcome guest!