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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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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A Pleasant Day At Work

Posted by on Mar 28, 2012 in Blog, Breastfeeding Challenges, Lactation Consulting | 0 comments I really do love the work I do.  Sometimes I get the opportunity to work with a mother and baby who amaze me with their ability.  Last week I was able to witness a mother and baby who, despite lots of trying, had not been able to make breastfeeding work for them.  This diligent mum pumped her milk to maintain her supply and the baby was fed with a bottle.  After a little bit of homework, this baby attached to her very happy mummy and began to feed away.  The mum was impressed by her baby’s ability, and I had goose bumps just watching this peaceful scene. There is still some learning to be done for this mum and bub, but it just goes to show how resilient a baby’s ability to go to the breast can be.  Most research supports that until at least three months of age, a baby’s instincts, abilities and reflexes to breastfeed can be utilised to help guide them back to the breast. It’s not always an easy journey, but guiding a mother and baby back to breastfeeding can be a very rewarding experience for...
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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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Keeping Up-To-Date

Posted by on Mar 12, 2012 in Blog, Lactation Consulting | 3 comments Keeping up to date is a big part of being an IBCLC – making sure practice is evidence-based.  This week I have been fortunate enough to experience some local and world-renowned speakers who I found inspiring. Kathleen Marinelli is a neonatologist and Director of her hospital’s Lactation Support Services.  Her dynamic talk was on a gut disorder in babies and breastfeeding’s role in protecting against and minimizing the risks of this illness.  She also gave a talk on her hospital’s treatment of ‘late, pre-term babies’.  Her approach is of careful observation while keeping the mother and baby together whenever possible and only intervening when absolutely necessary. Other speakers discussed the risks involved of offering babies ‘Just One Bottle’ and a update on current research happening in Perth. These topics have implications for me as an IBCLC – both in terms of my practice and awareness of what a mother may have experienced before I see them in a consultation.  It’s a pleasure to keep abreast of current topics with speakers like this. Image by Kookai...
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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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