Breastfeeding And SIDS

Posted by on May 20, 2012 in Before Baby Arrives, Blog, Lactation Consulting, Parenting Your Breastfed Baby | 0 comments Evidence shows that breastfeeding is protective against SIDS.  Adjunct Professor, Jeanine Young reviewed international evidence and the analysis confirmed the link between a mother breastfeeding her baby and the reduced incidence of SIDS. The author is reported to have described the reason why breastfeeding is protective – ‘We think it’s multifactorial.  We know breastfed babies tend to rouse more easily than bottle-fed babies, and because women breastfeed frequently, the child is roused – and checked on- every few hours.’ Even more information supporting your decision to breastfeed your little one and to help you get through the nights of broken sleep when your baby is waking more frequently than you’d like. Here’s a link to an article from The Australian....
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Caffeine and Breastfeeding

Posted by on Apr 11, 2012 in Before Baby Arrives, Blog, Breastfeeding Challenges | 0 comments Many breastfeeding mothers enjoy having a coffee or other caffeinated drink while continuing to breastfeed their baby. Some mothers are concerned about the effects of caffeine on breastfeeding and their baby.   The effects on each mother and baby pair can vary especially in relation to the baby’s age and the amount and type of caffeine consumed. Here’s a link to some basic information that you might find helpful.   ABA info on Caffeine &...
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Milk Banking – The Gift of Breastmilk

Posted by on Apr 2, 2012 in Before Baby Arrives, Blog, Breastfeeding Challenges, Lactation Consulting | 2 comments Imagine not being able to give your sick baby the very thing that could help them get better.  For some mothers of sick or very tiny babies, this is the situation they face when, despite their best efforts, they are not able to produce enough breastmilk for their babies.  This is where milk banking comes in. Milk banking is a process where breastmilk is donated to a collection centre, where it is screened, processed and distributed to babies in need.  This process saves many, many lives each year. Last week I was able to listen to a speaker from the Mother’s Milk Bank discuss the process of milk banking here in Queensland.  This service is especially vital for pre-term and multiple birth infants who are at the greatest risk of illness and death if they are not provided with breastmilk.  Some mothers of pre-term and sick babies are unable to produce enough milk to meet their baby’s needs.  It is in these and other cases that the generosity of an anonymous donor and the services provided by a milk bank can make a huge difference. For information on obtaining donated milk or donating milk yourself, you can access their website mothersmilkbank.com.au    ...
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Before Baby Is Born

Posted by on Mar 19, 2012 in Before Baby Arrives, Blog, Breastfeeding Challenges, Lactation Consulting | 2 comments I am sometimes asked why I would need to see a pregnant woman about breastfeeding before the baby is even born.  It’s a good question and one that has many answers. Some of the reasons a mother may wish to see an IBCLC during pregnancy are relate to a medical condition she may have.  There are a few medical conditions which mean that the mother needs to keep a particularly close eye on how her baby is feeding.  These may be related to an endocrine disorder, breast surgery or other history.  The aim of these consultations is to do a thorough history and discuss ways to enhance breastfeeding for this baby. Sometimes it is the baby who is expected to have a medical condition which may affect breastfeeding.  In this case, it is often best to be as informed as possible and then see how the baby goes once they arrive.  This can be a very emotional time for parents who are unsure what to expect and need lots of support and reassurance to breastfeed (or breastmilk feed) their baby. Very often a parent is expecting their second or third baby and has had a disappointing breastfeeding journey with their previous child/ren.  It is often very helpful for these people to see an IBCLC before this new baby comes along.  It’s a really good time to look back at what happened last time and put some strategies in place to avoid these (and other) pitfalls this time around.  Sometimes just being able to recognise just what IS normal, can make a difference. Other parents-to-be are interested in being as informed as possible before their first baby comes along.  Often there is a massive focus during pregnancy simply on the actual birth without much emphasis on the breastfeeding journey which is to follow.  My sessions help to inform parents on how they can enhance the likelihood of successful breastfeeding. If you are pregnant and considering a breastfeeding preparation session, please feel free to contact me to discuss whether one of theses sessions would be suitable for you and your situation.  If your partner (or other support person) is interested in attending, I strongly encourage...
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The Great Dummy Debate – A Personal Perspective From An IBCLC

Posted by on Mar 5, 2012 in Before Baby Arrives, Blog, Breastfeeding Challenges, Lactation Consulting, Painful Breastfeeding, Parenting Your Breastfed Baby | 0 comments All my children had dummies…. Was this a good thing?  The answer is both yes and no for me.  For my first child, having a dummy was the means to an end and also the beginning of a slippery slope to early weaning. When I brought my first beautiful newborn baby home from hospital, I was elated.  This lovely scene came crashing down around me when breastfeeding went very wrong.  My baby was drowsy and I was getting more and more frustrated that she wasn’t feeding.  Eventually after she became more alert, she REALLY wanted to feed.  By this stage breastfeeding was excruciating.  I dreaded attaching this beautiful little bubba to my breast to feed.  I started trying anything I could to delay feeding her and stretch the feeds out.  This inevitably led to using a dummy.  There were two things wrong with this. Firstly, she was crying because she wanted to feed and make up for the days that she had been drowsy.  She was showing me all the feeding cues and I just didn’t recognise them.  Also, my breasts were not getting the stimulation they needed to make the amount of milk my baby needed. Secondly, she was already attaching poorly and introducing a foreign teat which in no way stretches and functions like a breast was, in my opinion, contributing to her trouble. In the end I couldn’t face the toe-curling pain with each feed and chose to express my breastmilk and feed it to her with a bottle.  I was disappointed and sad that breastfeeding hadn’t worked out for me.  It wasn’t all about the dummy, but it certainly didn’t help. My second and third babies also had dummies.  This time around I was more informed and more determined to get things right.  So I chose to focus on establishing breastfeeding as a priority after I had the baby – electing to use other settling techniques and delaying the use of a dummy until about 6-8 weeks.  When I did use the dummy it was sparingly and when I knew that the baby’s tummy was full.  I tuned into my babies and looked for feeding cues, I also realised that I had a limited milk storage capacity and that my babies really NEEDED to feed frequently to thrive – which they did.  I used the dummy to help them to get to sleep, in the car...
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Sleep Routine Books

Posted by on Feb 27, 2012 in Before Baby Arrives, Blog, Breastfeeding Challenges, Lactation Consulting, Parenting Your Breastfed Baby | 4 comments I often get asked which sleep/routine book I recommend for babies.  The answer is a difficult one – there are so many out there.  What I usually ask mothers of new babies is why they expect their baby to be in a routine?  I felt pressure from a whole range of people to ‘have my baby in a routine’.  As a first time mum, I thought this was something I really had to instil in my baby.  I thought that as ‘good parents’ we had to teach our baby to sleep through, feed at predictable times and have a nap when it was convenient for me. It wasn’t until later that I became more educated about breastfeeding.  This helped me realised how trying to get babies to ‘fit in’ to our expectations instead of tuning in to our baby’s needs can compromise some people’s ability to breastfeed.  Some breastfeeding issues do effect a baby’s ability to sleep or settle, and if you’re concerned that this is the case you can contact me to see if a consultation would be appropriate. Some of the side-effects of enforcing a routine on your baby can be detrimental to breastfeeding.  If your baby is crying because they are hungry and this cry is not heeded, at least two things happen.  The baby will not have his needs met and the mother’s breasts do not receive the stimulation they need to maintain her milk supply.  If this continues, a baby is at risk of poor weight gains and the mother is at risk of a diminishing supply.  Sometimes, like me, hindsight tells us we could have made better choices. Do I like any of these books?  Absolutely.  Any book which supports a mother to listen to and respond gently to her baby has a role to play.  Having a variety of tools in your ‘parenting toolbox’ can be a great benefit. If you’re looking for a book to help you with some parenting, sleeping and breastfeeding issues, I suggest you read whatever you like – take from it things that you think suit your parenting style, is gentle with it’s approach,  and supports feeding your baby when they are hungry – and discard the rest. As babies get older, they often find their own natural pattern of feeding and sleeping.  When we tune in to our babies, we are more likely to pick up on...
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