Inducing Lactation in Adoptive Mothers.
A growing number of adoptive mothers are exploring the option of breastfeeding their adopted child. A few prescription medications typically prescribed for other reasons have been shown to stimulate or enhance milk production. Metoclopramide and other such medications must be prescribed by your doctor and do have side effects. There are also herbal... [Read more...]
Nipple Confusion
When your baby does not know how to suckle the breast properly due to use of a pacifier or bottle it is called nipple confusion. To avoid nipple confusion simply try to stay away from giving your baby pacifiers or bottles for the first six weeks of life. Nipple confusion impairs breast feeding success by compromising your milk production. Your infant’s... [Read more...]
Can I take Herbal remedies while I Breastfeed?
Your first step before taking any new herbal remedy or medication should be to discuss it with your doctor or lactation consultant. Some herbs can affect your milk supply either increasing or decreasing production. While herbs may seem a safe or natural allternative to other types of medications keep in mind that many herbs are potent pharmacological... [Read more...]
When to stop a breastfeeding session
If you are trying to prevent sore nipples, making your baby switch sides or stop breastfeeding is not a good way to go and may end up causeing more problems in the future. Babies can usually decide for themselves when they’re finished breastfeeding or if they want to switch to your other breast. When your baby has finished with your first breast... [Read more...]
What are the advantages of breastfeeding?
Breastfeeding provides ideal nourishment and a special bonding experience that many new mothers cherish. What are some of the advantages to breastfeeding: Infection-fighting. A mother who breastfeeds her baby passes antibodies to her child which can help lower the occurrence of many conditions, including: ear infections diarrhea respiratory infections meningitis Other... [Read more...]
How often should I alternate breasts?
How often should I alternate breasts? It is important to alternate breasts more for your sake than for your child. Changing between breasts while you nurse will maintain the milk supply in both and prevent one or the other from becoming painfully filled with milk. As for how much time should you spend nursing before you alternate to the other breast,... [Read more...]
Breast Milk Storage Tips
A few breast milk storage tips: Use only clean containers to store expressed milk. Screw top bottles work well as to hard plastic cups with tight caps. Stay away from ordinary plastic bags or formula bags for storing breast milk. Use sealed and chilled milk within 24 hours if possible. Do not refrigerate breast milk more than two days. Discard... [Read more...]
Relactating and Resuming Breastfeeding
Circumstances may arise that maay cause you to stop breaastfeeding or find that being separated from your baby has led to decreased milk supply despite pumping. Regardless of the reason you stopped breastfeeding it is sometimes possible to begin again, to relactate, and begin providing all or part of the norishment your baby requires. Relactation... [Read more...]
A Brief History of Weaning
Looking at human society as a whole across history the average age of weaning a child fromt he breast has been between the ages of two to four. Until the twentieth century children in China and Japan breastfed until ages of four or five. In 1967 anthropologist Margaret Mead collaborated with breastfeeding researcher Niles newton to publish an article... [Read more...]
Four step fussy foods test
When breastfeeding, you don’t need to go to dietary extremes to learn what foods in your diet might be affecting your baby. Use this simple four step fussy food test: Step 1: Make a Fuss Food Chart - List the foods you think may be problematic and the symptoms and behaviors associated with those foods, such as colicky episodes, bloating, severe... [Read more...]
