Blessed Event Birth Services Inc

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Services
  • The Midwife Blogs
  • FAQ
  • Contact Me

Breastfeeding Q & A

11/15/2024

0 Comments

 
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/


0 Comments

Be Prepared for Breastfeeding

5/1/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Nursing works better when you are prepared. Both Mom and baby are learning how to work together to have successful nursing.  Even if Mom has nursed a baby before, there is a learning curve because her newborn hasn't nursed before. 

I have some suggestions of things you can do before baby is here to be prepared for breastfeeding.
  • Attend a few La Leche League meetings to learn more about nursing and connect with other nursing Moms
  • Read books on breastfeeding.  I recommend The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins, and The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by Diane Wiessenger.
  • Check out online resources on breastfeeding.  I like kellymom.com, llli.org, and ibconline.ca.
  • Watch videos of babies breastfeeding.  I highly recommend the videos on ibconline.ca.
  • If you have friends or family who are nursing, ask them if you can watch them nurse their baby and ask them questions about what helped them with nursing.
  • Attend a class on breastfeeding. Some hospitals offer classes, doulas and childbirth educators may also offer them as well.
  • Know what the local breastfeeding resources are in your area: lactation consultants, lactation educators, LaLeche League leaders.
  • Have access to a breast pump.  This can be a handy tool to soften your breast before baby latches on if you are dealing with engorgement.
  • Consider getting a pillow that has been developed to assist with supporting baby while nursing such as a Boppy.
 I hope you find something useful on my list to help you and baby on your nursing journey. 





​​

0 Comments

    Author

    Gail Webster, CPM

    Gail is a Certified Professional Midwife serving Manhattan, Junction City, Fort Riley and other areas in Kansas.  


    When Gail is not occupied with birth work, she enjoys reading, quilting, baking, riding her motorcycle and spending time with family.
    ​

    RSS Feed

    Sign up for my blog

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020

    Categories

    All
    Breastfeeding
    Dads
    Due Dates
    Home Birth
    Kansas
    Labor
    Midwife
    Newborn
    Nutrtion
    Postpartum
    Postpartum Mood Disorders
    Pregnancy
    Prenatal
    Prenatal Care
    Sleep
    Ultrasound
    Water-birth

Proudly powered by Weebly