I feel pain when baby is nursing, is this normal?

• No. Nursing should not hurt, ever. This can indicate that baby may have lip or tongue ties, or that baby's latch isn't optimal. 
• If breastfeeding hurts, get help. Find an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant or contact the La Leche League.

My nipples are cracked and sore, what can I do?

• Consider having your newborn checked for lip or tongue ties.
• express breastmilk after your baby finished feeding, and apply it to your nipple. Let it air dry.
• Change feeding positions every time your baby nurses.  This changes the pressure points and helps reduce cracking or letting the cracked area of the nipple heal
• use a breast pump and feed baby the expressed milk for a feeding to give your nipples some time to recover
• consider using a nipple shield.  These can help protect the nipple and may help flat or inverted nippled to protrude more if you wear them between feedings. 
• Get help from the La Leche League, or an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Check with your local hospital to see if they offer breastfeeding clinics.

I thought breastfed babies don't spit up, but my baby does.  Should I be concerned?

• While some breastfed babies don't spit up, it's also normal for a breastfed baby to spit up. If they are projectile vomiting when they spit up, that can be concerning.

Will my newborn get Vitamin K from my breastmilk?

• No. Even mothers who eat a diet with lots of Vitamin K rich foods or take a supplement do not transfer Vitamin K to baby.  Babies make Vitamin K in the digestive tract when they are digesting food. Baby should be making normal levels of Vitamin K around 8 days old.

When should I introducing solid food?

• There is no set time you should introduce solid food. The American Academy of Pediatricians recommend waiting until baby is 6 months old to introduce solid food. Some babies show interest in solid foods before 6 months old, and some babies aren't interested until after 6 months. 

How large of a breastmilk stash should I have?

• How large a stash to have is up to you. My personal recommendation is to have enough on had for 1-2 feedings if you are not working outside of the home. If you do work outside the home, then having enough on hand to get you through 24-48 hours work of feedings should be plenty.  

How long should I breastfeed?

• The AAP recommends breastfeeding for the first year. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for 2 years.

I'm sick, is it safe to breastfeed my baby?

• Yes, it is safe to breastfeed your baby when you are sick.  In fact, it's highly beneficial for baby since antibodies that your body is making to fight the sickness transfer to baby in the breastmilk providing protection for your baby.

Why don't I produce larger amounts of breastmilk now that my baby is .... months old?

• What's cool about breastmilk is that as your baby needs more calories, breastmilk changes to provide more calories to meet your baby's needs. So while a baby getting formula will need more volume to meet caloric needs, breastfed babies get more calories in the same volume of milk.

​Sources:
Vitamin K
kellymom.com/
​​ibconline.ca/#
lllusa.org/

A few years ago, I wrote about why I am a midwife. Please look it over if you haven't read it before. Now that it's been a few years, I thought I would revisit my reasons for being a midwife.  

My reasons haven't changed. Every woman should be treated with dignity, respect and kindness. Every woman should receive evidence based care. Every woman should be encouraged to take an active role in her care. I am still driven to do what I can to ensure no mother goes through the situation my sister had. While what happened was scary and dangerous, what stands out to me is how she was treated by her medical providers. She was left bleeding in the ER waiting room instead of receiving timely care. The words providers used when speaking to her made her feel she was being accused of intentionally doing something to cause the postpartum hemorrhage instead of acknowledging that this was an emergency situation that she had no control over. She was given outdated information about breastfeeding. She was separated from her newborn for days as she recovered. There are so many things about her care that I see as inappropriate and detrimental. 

The biggest reason I became a midwife is because the fastest way to change how Mothers are cared for is to become the provider. I've been a midwife for over 4 years now. I truly love the work I do. I continue to be amazed by the beauty of pregnancy and birth. I continue to be amazed by how strong Moms are. I delight in learning more to provide the best care I can and to support Moms and babies well. I love providing the care that I feel every woman should receive, treating my clients with dignity, respect and compassion. I am making a difference, one birth at a time.