Meet SDBFC's Newest Lactation Consultant - Vicky Gellis!
We are so thrilled to introduce you to our newest lactation consultant at SDBFC! Vicky Gellis joined our team in November 2019, as our Administrative Assistant and will now begin to see SDBFC families as an IBCLC. Prior to November, Vicky spent hours in our office as an IBCLC intern as she was finishing her UCSD IBCLC coursework. After over a year of clinical hours and course work, Vicky is now ready to see her own patients at SDBFC and we couldn’t be more excited! We can't wait for you all to meet her!
Vicky, tell us about yourself!
I grew up in Westchester NY and met my husband at the neighborhood bus stop in kindergarten. Our families are very close and I am the eldest of 12 cousins. I loved caring for my family and have always enjoyed working with children. At NYU, I studied child and adolescent mental health and researched child motor development. After living in NYC for 8 years, my husband and I decided to move across the country so we could experience West Coast living! We can confidently say that we love it!
We love to travel, hike, bike, scuba dive, climb, camp, and take advantage of the year round beautiful weather here in San Diego!
What inspired you to become a lactation consultant?
My sister-in-law is a doula and encouraged me to pursue doula work because she knows I love working with babies. Through my doula work, I discovered my passion for working with birthing families. Although births are incredibly beautiful experiences, my clients were just beginning their journey as new parents and they needed additional help! I wanted to be able to support them through not just their birth but their breastfeeding journey as well. I also really wanted to be a resource for my family and friends as they started to have babies.
What are you most excited about working with SDBFC?
I am thrilled to be part of such a dedicated group of consultants. I am eager to continue to learn from them so I can better serve the families of San Diego. I believe it’s a gift to be able to give back to the clients I work with and to help them through breastfeeding and new parenthood challenges.
What are you top 3 tips for a brand new breastfeeding family?
You are not alone. Having a baby can be very overwhelming and sometimes isolating so I want to encourage families to seek out help from a community of friends and professionals that support them. Find other new parents who can resonate with all of the emotions and feelings you’re going experiencing. Look for professionals who align with your values.
Trust your instincts. There is so much information out there about breastfeeding and everyone will gladly share their opinion with you, even if you don’t quite ask. There is no universal breastfeeding plan that works for everyone. Trust your gut and remember that the most important thing is to find tools and plans that work best for you and your family.
There are no silly questions. Breastfeeding is a brand new skill and just like anything new, there is a learning curve. Parents typically have many questions about breastfeeding expectations, milk supply, positions, latching, breastfeeding accessories, and more! All of your questions are valid and important. Seek out the help of friends, classes, support groups, and lactation consultants because we are eager to share our knowledge and experience!
Welcome to the SDBFC team, Vicky!
Countdown to Baby Event: a resource luncheon for expectant and new parents
Pregnant? Adopting? Navigating the 4th trimester?
Looking for some professionals and friends to round out your circle of support during the expectant and postpartum periods?
At SDBFC, our mission is to provide compassionate care and help families find their circle of support. We want all families to feel like we are a safe place to turn to in times of need (and joy!) and a resource of professionals to lean on as they navigate the prenatal and postpartum period.
We also have the honor of working with passionate, local professionals who round out this circle of support, by providing education and medical/emotional/physical support during the prenatal/postpartum period.
Please join us for a FREE event that will encompass many of the different local professional resources you need to best prepare for your new little one and navigate the 4th trimester. We know that new parenthood can feel incredibly isolating, so we want to share our collective knowledge and professional expertise so that your new family feels supported and surrounded by your community.
Our vendors will include midwives, doulas, prenatal/postpartum classes, prenatal/postpartum yoga, pelvic floor therapist, baby photographers, babywearing experts and more! Meet them, ask them questions, and get their contact information!
This is also a great time to meet your new group of friends who are going through familiar experiences!
We will have giveaways and free tacos! (Did you say tacos??? What could be better?) This is definitely worth dropping by on a Sunday morning!
We hope to see you there!
The Scoop
Who: Pregnant parents, adopting parents, parents of babies being born by surrogate, parents navigating the 4th trimester
What: Vendors and speakers who specialize in services and products preparing for your baby and during 4th trimester
When: Sunday, March 29, 11am-1pm
Where: SDBFC, 8325 University Ave, La Mesa, CA 91942
Speakers
11:20a - Robin Naughton - Ergonomics - taking care of YOUR body during pregnancy and postpartum
11:40a - Nikki Helms - Nighttime Routines and Why They're Important
12:20p - Dr. Cassidy Freitas - Preparing Your Partnership for Postpartum
12:40p - Robin Kaplan - Assembling your Breastfeeding Circle of Support
RSVP are a must so that we don’t run out of tacos!
Our 2019 Fundraiser was a HUGE Success!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Our 2019 end-of-the year fundraiser was such a HUGE success and we cannot thank you enough for all of your support. Our goal was to raise $10,000 between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve and we ended the fundraiser with donations totaling $5,850! We are truly humbled by our community’s support, which allows us to forge forward in 2020 to provide free and reduced-fee breastfeeding consultations for families with financial and racial barriers to receiving breastfeeding support. The recipients’ testimonials say it all…. these consultations were lifesavers!
Due to your generosity, we will be able to provide over 50 free/reduced-fee breastfeeding consultations in 2020. This covers about 25% of the consultations we plan to provide in 2020, so while our fundraising efforts never end, this gets us off to an amazing start in 2020!
Something new we added during this year’s fundraising campaign was dedicating a week’s donations to fund a scholarship for a local woman of color to become an IBCLC. We are pleased to announce that we raised $1920 for our scholarship fund and look forward to gifting this to an IBCLC student in 2020!
Thank you to our donors!
Each of our donors is incredibly important and imperative for funding our programs, which is why we like to share their names on our donor pages! There also are a few donors we would like to personally thank today for their very generous donations this year. These individuals and businesses donated $250 or more to our foundation in 2019:
Schoenith Foundation, TUA
Dr. Stanton, Victoria, and Alana Hom at Future Generations
Dr. Najmeh Hannahvash at Little Star Pediatric Dentistry
Kindred Bravely
Rawr Naturals
Gymboree
Good Vibrations Chiropractic
Rebecca Hammond
Jamie Reichling
Cheryl and Greg Williams
Becoming Peaceful
Nutrition in Bloom
Blissful Bellys
Sugar Night Night
Rise Physical Therapy
Sakura Bloom
Thank you, from all of us at the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation! You have truly made a difference in so many families’ lives and we so appreciate it!
Still want to donate?
You can make a one-time donation or a recurring monthly donation (which is one of our favorites!), through our website at any time!
Racial Disparities in Healthcare and Breastfeeding Support
We’d like you to meet Chardá Fontenot. She is a Perinatal Navigator with Project Concern International Healthy Start, a Doula, a Certified Lactation Educator & Counselor (CLEC), and one of our board members. She is someone who is truly committed and already making enormous strides to improve health and breastfeeding outcomes for our local African-American and black families. We feel honored to know her and to work with her!
I‘m so excited to be a part of the SDBFC Foundation Board! A personal and professional goal of mine is to increase the breastfeeding rates for all families, but particularly black breastfeeding families due to the low initiation and duration rates.
The most recent statistics from the CDC show that White and Hispanic families have an 82% breastfeeding initiation rate, with 27-31% breastfeeding at 1 year. Black families have a 64% breastfeeding initiation rate, with 17% breastfeeding at 1 year.
In order to eliminate that disparity there needs to be a sense of urgency and a group of individuals that are dedicated to helping these families. The SDBFC foundation has the capacity, skill and drive to help break down the barriers that prevent black families from breastfeeding successfully.
I believe anyone that wants to breast/chest feed, should be able to do so and with proper support. Having access to a lactation professional that is knowledgeable, inclusive and affordable is key. SDBFC Foundation fits that role and fills a gap that needs some focus.
In my job, I work with many families both prenatally and postpartum. I see the struggles first hand and the first thing I do is offer support as a CLEC, but if it’s something that needs to be addressed by an IBCLC, some families simply can not afford the help they deserve so they quit. The SDBFC foundation is here to prevent families from quitting due to lack of support and assistance. This is why I’m so excited to be a part of the foundation. I want all of those who want breastfeeding help to be able to obtain it.
For us to continue doing this amazing work, we need your support in order to support those who need it most. Your donation of any amount helps towards our mission and will keep breastfeeding babies and families happy, healthy and thriving!
Chardá Fontenot, SDBFC Foundation Board Member
Ready to help us reduce racial disparities in breastfeeding?
All is takes is your donation. $5, $50, $500.... it all makes a difference!
Can you help us reach our $10,000 goal?
For more information about the racial disparities in healthcare and breastfeeding support, particularly for African-American and black families in the United States, please see Chardá’s interview with Robin, by clicking here!
Increase Access to Breastfeeding Support this Giving Tuesday 2019
We’d like you to meet Veronica. She is one of the moms who was able to access affordable breastfeeding support because of the reduced-free consultations provided by the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation.
I reached out to the San Diego Breastfeeding center after experiencing the hardest eight weeks of my life. My baby was born a few weeks premature, he had a tongue and lip tie, he experienced colic, and we had many lactation problems among a number of other issues. I was desperate, I felt helpless and was beginning to experience postpartum depression and anxiety. As my last hope, I left a voice message at the SD Breastfeeding Center thinking I would get a call back until Monday since it was a weekend; however, I was surprised to get a call back that same day. The person on the phone was very understanding and empathic, and she was able to schedule my appointment with Robin right away. I explained that we had so many expenses given all the issues we experienced and I was worried that I would not be able to keep my appointment because I could not afford it. Again, the administrator who helped me was very understanding and I was offered a lower fee.
I felt so fortunate to be able to work with Robin, who is extremely knowledgeable and professional. I was in tears at my appointment, but with her positive and calm energy she was able to provide the support and empowerment I needed to not lose hope. Had they not offered a reduced fee, I would have never been able to breastfeed my baby, something which was extremely important for me to do. I am forever grateful with Robin and the SD Breastfeeding Center for giving me such an opportunity to obtain services I would have never imagined I could have access to. I am happy to say that my baby is now five months old and we are breastfeeding beautifully.
- Veronica G.
Did you know that San Diego has pockets of ‘breastfeeding deserts’ where there is limited access to breastfeeding support groups and lactation consultants. These deserts exist in areas that have a higher population of low income families and families of color. This is absolutely unacceptable! Access to breastfeeding education and feeding support is a basic human right, not a privilege.
Your donation today, no matter the size, helps us train breastfeeding support staff and provide free and low-cost breastfeeding consultations to families living in these breastfeeding deserts. Help us break down these income and racial disparities today!
Join me in helping local families, like Veronica’s, gain access to critical breastfeeding support on this #GivingTuesday.
Wondering how to do this?
We are asking you to help us #SupportSDMoms by donating your weekly coffee money! It’s that simple! If everyone reading this blog post/email donated $20 today (the amount they would spend at a coffee shop this week), we would be able to raise over $40,000 on #GivingTuesday.
Can you help us reach our $10,000 goal?
All you have to do is click on this Go Fund Me link to donate this week’s coffee allowance and help bring affordable and accessible breastfeeding support to hundreds of local families.
To donate to the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation, you can send a check to:
San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation
8325 University Ave.
La Mesa, CA 91942
Or donate through Go Fund Me!
READ THIS BEFORE YOU SHOP ON AMAZON THIS 2019 HOLIDAY SEASON!
DID YOU KNOW….
While 93% of parents start breastfeeding exclusively at birth in San Diego, only 56% continue doing so at 3 months, largely due to a lack of financial resources and access to ongoing lactation support.
You can donate to the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation with every purchase you make through Amazon Smile?
You can help low-income families and women of color gain access to critical breastfeeding support by purchasing Amazon items online, just by shopping through smile.amazon.com instead of amazon.com!
GUESS HOW EASY THIS IS???
We are asking you to take 60 seconds of your time today to designate the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation as your charitable recipient for Amazon Smile. All you have to do is go to their website (smile.amazon.com) and choose the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation as your Amazon Smile recipient. Then as you make your holiday purchases, as well as your staples of diapers, nipple cream, baby toys, book, etc, the SDBFC Foundation will receive 0.5% of every purchase, at no extra cost to you. This money will go directly to paying for lactation consultations for families in need.
I am thankful that I had access to a lactation consultant through the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation at a discounted/affordable rate during the first weeks and months after having my first child. Breastfeeding was an ever-changing thing for us and being able to have this type of support was what I needed to push through and even enjoy the experience and make sure my son was getting what he needed in a way that was sustainable. We are still breast-feeding fifteen months in, and it has been both the hardest and sweetest aspect of motherhood. I don't know if I could say that without the one on one appointments I was able to have at multiple points in our breastfeeding journey that provided much needed tools and support. Just having someone to observe and bounce concerns and issues off of was priceless!
Nicole P.
Amazon Smile Details:
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization.
To donate to the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation directly, you can send a check to:
San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation
8325 University Ave.
La Mesa, CA 91942
Or donate through our website: https://www.sdbfcfoundation.org/donate.
Sleeping Like A Baby – 4-12 Months
Have you been asked this question: How is your baby sleeping? This is my least favorite question because it puts the parent in a position to evaluate or validate their parenting skills based on their child’s sleep. The reality is that your baby’s sleep habits may have everything to do with brain development and how the brain organizes sleep cycles and awake windows.
By Jen Varela
Have you been asked this question: How is your baby sleeping? This is my least favorite question because it puts the parent in a position to evaluate or validate their parenting skills based on their child’s sleep. The reality is that your baby’s sleep habits may have everything to do with brain development and how the brain organizes sleep cycles and awake windows. I think the perfect answer to that question is: “They are sleeping like a baby!”
What does it mean to sleep like a baby?
The first thing to consider is how much sleep your little one is getting. The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) recommends that infants age 4 to 11 months sleep for 12 to 15 hours in a 24-hour period, while toddlers age 1 to 2 years old get 11 to 14 hours of sleep during that same time frame. The NSF has a very informative chart listing recommended hours of sleep for children and adults at its website, which can be a helpful resource for parents.
As your baby grows month by month, the amount of sleep they will need in a 24-hour period will decrease, along with the number of naps they will have in the day. One of the most challenging times for parents is when their infants are between 4 and 5 months in age: The length of a nap will range from 20 minutes to two hours, and the number of naps in the day could be anywhere between three and five.
Although the NSF doesn’t categorize sleep as day sleep or night sleep, the time of day when the nap happens and the combined total hours of sleep during naps do affect night sleep. The myth “if your baby skips a nap, then he will be tired and sleep better at night” might sound logical, but the reality is that the placement and quantity of day sleep can affect the number of night awakenings and create early rising patterns.
So how do you know when your baby should nap? Using the 12-hour clock to schedule naps for your little one might be effective; however, focusing on how long your little one is awake between naps, and especially between the last nap and bedtime, is where the magic happens. When a baby is awake too long, cortisol is released in the system, which gives your little one a “second wind” and suppresses the sleep pressure. Once the cortisol has dissipated, you will have a second opportunity to get your child to sleep. There is a direct link to spending too much time awake before bedtime and an increase in night awakenings.
Here is a general guideline to the number of naps you can expect your child to take, based on age:
4-5 months - 3-4 naps
6-8 months - 3 naps
9-12 months - 2 naps
Just as the total amount of sleep needed in a 24-hour period will decrease with age, the amount of time your baby can be awake between naps will increase.
Here are recommended ranges of awake time between naps, by age:
4-5 months - 90-minutes
6-8 months - 1 ½ to 2 hours
9-10 months - 2-3 hours
11-12 months - 3-4 hours
There is also another HUGE factor affecting your baby’s sleep. Sleep “regressions” are really “progressions” related to developmental milestones and major lifestyle shifts called world view changes. Developmental milestones will be sleep disruptors, as children spend more time in active Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. According to researcher Nathaniel Kleitman , “REM dreaming allows us to process daytime emotional experiences and transfer recent memories into longer-term storage.” On the other hand, the purpose of quiet, non-REM sleep is to allow the mind and body to rest and recharge.
The biggest sleep disruptors related to developmental milestones and world view changes:
World view changes: Moving, travel, parents going back to work, new caregiver or daycare
Developmental milestones:
4-6 months – A big developmental burst occurs between 4 and 5 months and many babies go through a sleep regression during this time.
Finds toes
Vision increases
“Personality” shows up
6-9 months
Rolls over in both directions
Sits momentarily without support
Crawling begins
9-11 months
Pulls self to standing
Cruises the furniture
12 months
Takes a few steps
During times when it is clear that your little one is waking at night because of a developmental leap, the very best thing you can do is protect their sleep. Helping your child get back to sleep and keeping the night awake time to a minimum will help keep the “sleep tank” full. Once they are not working on that new developmental milestone, the night awakening frequency will decrease. It is the same concept for teething and sickness—protect their sleep and get them back to sleep as soon as possible. (I also have other sleep tips to help your baby during sickness. )
Babies will have the largest amount of brain growth in their lifetimes during the first eight months of life. Sleep is a large part of that growth, and when your little one gets the necessary amount of sleep it improves the quality of sleep for the whole family. I promise that sleep is in your future, even if your baby’s sleep habits seem to always be changing. It won’t always be like this.
Top Tips:
Be mindful of the amount of time awake, especially before bedtime.
Avoid sleep deprivation; you want to keep the “sleep tank” full, making sure your little one is getting enough sleep in 24 hours. Note: Even 20 minutes more a day can make a difference.
Develop a bedtime routine that you do in the same fashion and order each night, with wind-down activities such as a massage, song, or book.
Ask your doctor when:
You notice your baby snores loudly and persistently.
Total sleep time is less than 9 hours in a 24-hour period.
You are considering night weaning.
For almost a decade, Jen Varela, a Certified Gentle Sleep Coach®, co-author of “Loved to Sleep”, and the founder of Sugar Night Night, has been helping families teach their babies and toddlers to sleep through the night while keeping tears to a minimum.
As a pediatric sleep consultant, Jen focuses on the needs of each family’s unique sleep goals whether they are a co-sleeping family, room share with their child or the child is in their own room. She is located in San Diego, California and provides video coaching nationwide. She offers one-one-one sleep coaching services and workshops for 4 ½ month old’s to 5 years old, education and sleep shaping information for parents with infants under 4 ½ months.
www.sugarnightnight.com
http://www.facebook.com/SugarNightNight
Instagram: @SugarNightNight
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenvarela/
Boob Group Podcast Roundup - The New Parent's Guide to the Breastfeeding Journey
Welcome to the Boob Group Podcast Roundup! As many of you know, Robin was the original host of the Boob Group podcast and hosted the first 112 episodes! There was so much amazing breastfeeding and pumping advice and research shared during those 2.5 years, so Robin has decided to reshare these episodes with all of you in a monthly roundup!
This month we are featuring a beautiful collection of three episodes that can help you navigate the first days and weeks of your breastfeeding journey.
So many of us spend months preparing for our birth but don’t give much thought about what happens after our baby is born. After we’ve had our baby, breastfeeding can seem overwhelming and unfamiliar. We get lots of varying advice from pediatricians, parents, friends, and of course ‘Dr. Google’, and it’s hard to know what “normal” really looks like.
We created this series as a guide to help breastfeeding parents maximize their breastfeeding success. For our first time parents, this can give you a general idea of what to expect at each stage of your baby’s life and how to overcome common challenges along the way! To our 2nd and 3rd time parents, hopefully you can use this series as a way to pick up new tips and tricks to make it potentially easier this time around.
Let’s dive in! For each age range, we will discuss what typical feeding sessions look like- how often babies should be feeding, for how long, and how much they should be generally getting. We’ll help you understand what weight fluctuations your baby might have early on and what overall weight gain looks like so you can feel prepared at upcoming appointments. We’ll also see how sleep patterns change as babies get older so you can have realistic expectations of when your baby might start sleeping for longer stretches. On top of these foundational topics, please see the guide below for other common questions we’ll cover in each episode.
We hope that this series empowers you with the tools needed to get breastfeeding off to a great start!
First 24 Hours
How can birth stories influence lactation?
What are the benefits of Skin-to- Skin?
What do I do if I’m separated from my baby and can’t breastfeed?
Why is my baby eating so often?
What is colostrum?
How do I know if my baby is getting enough?
Why is my baby so sleepy?
First Week
Why is my baby losing weight?
What do I do if my baby is jaundiced?
When do I need to supplement and what are my options?
Why are my nipples so sore?
What is engorgement and what can I do about it?
Second Week
When should my nipple soreness go away?
What is mastitis and how do I avoid it?
When should I introduce a bottle?
What happens during a growth spurt?
What are the benefits of babywearing?
What does bedsharing look like?
And… here are the podcast episodes!
https://parentsondemand.com/podcasts/the-boob-group/new-mom-breastfeeding-manual-the-first-week/
https://parentsondemand.com/podcasts/the-boob-group/new-mom-breastfeeding-manual-second-week/
Want more resources about the breastfeeding journey? Please see the additional ones below.
https://www.sdbfc.com/blog/2014/1/24/ive-had-my-baby-now-what-breastfeeding-during-the-first-week
Stay tuned, as next week we will share episode 4 and 5 of this series, which discusses the breastfeeding journey from 3 weeks - 6 months!
How Do I Wean from Supplementing my Breastfed Baby?
This is Part Two in our supplementation series. Don’t miss Part One: I’m Told that my Breastfed Baby Needs to be Supplemented…. What Should I Do?
One of the most challenging aspects of supplementing your breastfed baby is knowing when and how you can reduce or completely stop that supplementation. You will want to work with your pediatrician and an IBCLC to help fine tune this process for you and your baby, but here are some general guidelines.
The reason you were supplementing may determine when you can stop
Early supplementation in the first few days after your baby was born may have been recommended to help resolve a temporary medical situation, such as jaundice, hypoglycemia, or excessive weight loss. Typically, once your milk supply has fully ‘come in’ and baby is gaining well, supplementation can stop. Longer-term supplementation, such as for a premature baby, baby with feeding challenges, or a breastfeeding parent working to increase milk supply, will likely require a longer weaning process. In both cases, though, watching the baby for signs of effective breastfeeding will be an important part of baby's care.
How do I know if my baby is breastfeeding well?
There are quite a few ways we can tell that a baby is breastfeeding well
Baby actively feeds for 20-40 minutes, seems satisfied after eating, and can go about 2-3 hours between most feedings
Breastfeeding is comfortable and your breasts feel softer after your baby has fed
Diaper count - Babies in the first few weeks to months should pee/poop at least 5 times a day. As babies mature, so do their digestive systems. After the first few months, babies often continue to pee at least 5 times daily, but poop frequency may drop to 1-2 times daily
When you weigh your baby before and after a breastfeeding session (like with a gram-sensitive scale at a breastfeeding consultation or support group), your baby is taking in an appropriate amount for his/her age and weight.
Weight gain - Baby is gaining the appropriate amount of weight based on his/her age
What is the best way to wean from supplementing my breastfed baby?
As your baby begins to breastfeed more effectively and transfer more milk from you while breastfeeding, you might also notice that your baby begins to refuse supplements (or just takes less) after breastfeeding. If your baby is gaining weight well, then you might consider offering less of a ‘top off’ after breastfeeding and see if your baby continues to gain weight well. If your baby is gaining more weight than expected for his/her age, this is also a reason to pull back on supplementation.
To wean from supplementing your baby, you will want to either reduce the amount of supplementation after each breastfeeding session or cut back on how often you supplement during the day. Try this reduced supplement amount for a few days and see if your baby still seems satisfied after eating throughout the day and night, as well as check your baby’s weight to make sure he/she gained enough over that time period. If weight gain is still more than needed/expected and your baby seems satisfied after eating, continue to pull back on the amount of supplement per day until you reach a point where you have either cut supplementing completely or dropped down to your baby’s sweet spot.
While reducing the supplementation amount, this also means that you might be able to cut back on the number of times you pump per day, which is what every parent wants to hear, right? A lactation consultant can definitely guide you on this process so that your milk supply isn’t lowered with this decrease in pumping frequency.
What if I am unable to wean from supplementing my baby?
There are some situations when a breastfeeding parent may not have a full milk supply and will need to supplement long term. Working with a lactation consultant can be very valuable during this process to help maximize your milk supply potential, as well as discuss options for long-term supplementation.
It is incredibly important for any parent needing to provide long-term supplementation to understand that EVERY drop of breastmilk you produce for your child is valuable. You are creating a perfect food for your child, as well as providing amazing immunity-boosting benefits that only YOU can create. Your milk was meant for your baby and breastfeeding does not have to be all or nothing. While it can feel absolutely heartbreaking to hear that exclusive breastfeeding may not be a possibility, I’d like to share a beautifully written breastfeeding memoir on our website. The author, Aran, brilliantly coins a new term, ‘Inclusive breastfeeding’, which helps put all of this breastfeeding and supplementation into perspective.
So, what additional questions do you have about weaning your breastfed baby from supplements? Feel free to add a comment here and we will gladly offer advice!
And, if you need some guidance on how to navigate your supplementation journey, book an appointment with us, as we would love to help!
To book an appointment at the San Diego Breastfeeding Center, click here!
If you don’t live in San Diego and would like to book a virtual consultation, email Robin at robinkaplan@sdbfc.com
If you are looking for a lactation consultant in your area, click here for ILCA’s Find a Lactation Consultant Directory
I'm Told that my Breastfed Baby Needs to be Supplemented.... What Should I Do?
Being told that your breastfed baby needs to be supplemented can feel extremely overwhelming and can often feel like quite a blow to the self-esteem. You might be concerned about your milk supply and if your baby will prefer the bottle to your breast. You may feel confused as to why your baby isn’t gaining the appropriate amount of weight while breastfeeding.
So, let’s talk about the reasons why a baby might need to be supplemented and how to do this without sabotaging your milk supply and your breastfeeding relationship.
What is a supplement?
A supplement is anything in addition to what your baby receives from your breast while breastfeeding. Babies can be supplemented with:
Mom’s own pumped milk (if baby is not removing her milk well enough)
Donor milk (from a milk bank or from another breastfeeding/pumping parent)
Formula
How do I know if my baby truly needs supplemental feedings?
Babies are expected to gain a certain amount of weight based on their age. So, if a baby is NOT gaining that expected amount, additional supplementation is often recommended. Here are the weight gain expectations for the first year of baby’s life:
Initial weight loss in the first few days of life - no more than 10% of baby’s birth weight
2 weeks - baby should be back to birth weight (or very close, if he/she lost more than 10% in the first 2 weeks
2 weeks - 4 months - baby should gain about 7 ounces per week
4 months - 6 months - baby should gain about 4-5 ounces per week
6 months - 1 year - baby should gain about 2-4 ounces per week
Why might a baby need to be supplemented?
There are many common reasons why a baby might need supplemental feedings.
Some common medical issues that can arise shortly after birth that may lead to supplements are prematurity, low birth weight, poor feeding, low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia), elevated bilirubin levels (jaundice), dehydration, excessive weight loss or poor weight gain. After those first few weeks, some common reasons for supplementation are baby not removing milk well while breastfeeding (due to tongue tie, reflux, very long feeding sessions) and a low milk supply. In all of these cases, the first step is to ensure that baby is breastfeeding effectively. Next we want to assess mom’s milk supply to make sure that she is producing enough milk for her baby. Sometimes all it takes are a few modifications to the baby’s feeding routine to help baby start to gain weight. Other times it requires a lactation consultation (done by an IBCLC) to assess baby’s feeding and mom’s milk supply for the cause for baby’s low weight gain.
What if I can't express enough milk for my baby?
First you’ll want to make sure that you have everything you need to express your milk. If using an electric pump, make sure the pump flanges fit correctly and that you are pumping for about 15 minutes after breastfeeding. Some moms let down for the pump easily. Others find that they prefer a hand pump or hand expression. You will want to find what works best for you.
In those first few days after birth (when milk production has not quite yet surged), it can be a bit challenging to express a measurable amount of milk. In this case, sometimes baby might need to be supplemented by donor milk or formula.
Once your mature milk is in (after those first few days), you might want to meet with an IBCLC to put together a breastfeeding/pumping plan to see if you are able to express enough milk for your baby, as well as increase your milk supply, if necessary. If you are not yet able to express enough milk for your baby’s supplemental feedings, donor milk or formula would be recommended.
Do I have to use a bottle when giving my baby supplemental feedings?
Not at all! There are several ways to supplement a baby. Each way has its pros/cons and will be determined by what works best for you and your baby.
Cup feeding is great for older babies, as well as some younger babies who will not take a bottle
Finger feeding is great for the first few weeks of life, as the flow is slow and your finger can help organize your baby’s sucking rhythm.
Supplemental nursing systems (SNS) allow your baby to be supplemented at the breast so that he/she still thinks everything is coming from you! The SNS has a tube that slips into your baby’s mouth, at the breast, to provide the supplement at the same time baby is breastfeeding. This works best when baby is latching/breastfeeding well and mom is trying to increase her milk supply.
Bottles are definitely an option, as well. You will want to offer a bottle in a baby-led (paced) manner so that your baby doesn’t begin to prefer the ease and flow of the bottle, compared to your breast.
Will my baby ever be able to fully breastfeed after supplements?
Generally, the answer to this is YES! Most reasons for supplementation are short-term problems that are resolved relatively quickly with good treatment. Premature babies grow and get stronger, and typically get better at breastfeeding around their due dates or shortly after. A baby who is having difficulty with breastfeeding immediately after birth will often be ready for breastfeeding within a few days after birth. If breastfeeding challenges linger for more than a few days, an IBCLC can help identify the reasons and set you on a path for reducing and hopefully eliminating supplementation as soon as possible. In the meantime, expressing your milk in addition to breastfeeding will help maintain and build your milk supply as challenges resolve.
When can I stop supplementing?
Part 2 will discuss how you’ll know it's time to wean from supplements and helpful tips for doing so.
For more information about supplementation reasons, methods, and choices, check out these The Boob Group podcast episodes:
Exclusive Breastfeeding and Early Supplementation
Breastfeeding the Jaundiced Baby
When Breastfeeding Doesn’t Go As Planned