All our life we are encouraged to share but there is one thing we should not be sharing, lending or selling, etc… Breastpumps!!!
Although hand expression works really well with a good technique and after a few days of practice, many mothers prefer to use a manual or a small electric breastpump to pump their milk. There are many reasons why a mother would wish to express her milk.
To store (freeze) some breastmilk for later times (see URL link below for storage periods).
To releive her breasts from engorgement.
To have some breastmilk handy to put into her baby’s cereals and other foods (solids should be introduced only at around 6 months of age)
To make sure her baby will be getting breastmilk while she is away at a doctor’s appointment or some other event she feels she cannot take her baby along.
To prepare some bottles of breastmilk before she goes to an outing where she will be taking alcohol.
In times like those, hand expression or a manual pump will do just fine. Some mothers might prefer using an electric pump. The ones on the market can work well for certain moms, but you have to remember that the small electric pumps can be noisy, not very effective and quite expensive for what they have to offer.
A mother with a premature baby, with a baby that cannot breastfeed directly at the breast and/or that is very sick, etc. will need to use a large electric breastpump to keep up her milk supply. I am talking about the hospital-grade electric breastpumps. Those breastpumps are the only ones that can be passed on from one mother to another as the mechanism they use does not allow the milk to backflow into the pump itself. Also, when they are passed on, the whole accessory kit is discarded and a new one is provided and, if breastmilk is found in the tubing, it will be changed.
This is not the case with small electric pumps or manual pumps. They should never be passed on to a new owner. By definition, they are a one user accessory. Even when washed thoroughly and boiled for awhile, breastmilk can be stuck to the tubing or in the mechanism or motor of the pump. This can lead to a risk of contamination. The only effective sterilization method is the autoclave which is a machine that clinics and hospitals have. If all the parts of a manual pump have been autoclaved, it is safe to be used by a second person. If not or if only some pieces were autoclaved, it is better to throw it away and get a new one.
In Eeyou Itschee, any mother can request a manual breastpump from the Community Myupmatsyun Center. The mother needs to see a nurse or a doctor to get a prescription for the breastpump and then, present it to the communities’ pharmacy. She will be able to get a manual breastpump free of charge. As there is no space to store breastpumps at the centers, there might be a delay of a few days before the mother can obtain it. If the reason why the mother needs a breastpump is urgent, the CMC does have a hospital-grade electric breastpump that she can use. The CMC sterilizes the accessories by autoclave so different mothers can use it. Here is page 300 of the Tiny Tots to Toddler booklet available for online consultation or download at this URL:
Wow! I love this promotional announcement made by the USA Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition in collaboration with the Breastfeeding Coalition of Oregon. Maybe we can make one similar for Eeyou Itschee!!!! Anyone willing to participate?
Most mothers want to breastfeed but not all mothers succeed. Even though there are official recommendations made by experts,the success of breastfeeding is usually measured by the mother. Here are the official WHO recommendations:
Breastfeeding exclusively for the first 6 months of life (no other food or liquid but breastmilk)
Breastfeeding with added complementary foods for up to 2 years and beyond
These recommendations hope to encourage women all over the world to breastfeeding longer but a woman measures her own success by breastfeeding just as long as she had hoped she would. For example, a woman that wanted to breastfeed for 6 months and stopped at 2 weeks because she could not find a solution to painful nipples, considers she failed at breastfeeding her infant. This feeling of failure has serious repercussions on a woman’s self confidence and on her perceived abilities to be a mother. Many women refuse to attempt to breastfeed a second time as they feel they would not be able to stand another failure. Others courageously start breastfeeding. Some of those succeed but others do not breastfeed for very long as the same situation can repeat itself. Many mothers do not receive the needed support to overcome problems and continue breastfeeding. The main reasons why mothers stop to breastfeed after a few days are difficulties with latch on and a perceived lack of breastmilk. Later on, it is low milk supply that comes first and feeling tied up or too tired to continue breastfeeding takes second place.
Whatever the problems they might encounter, breastfeeding mothers need support. There are many forms of support. A grandmother encouraging her grandchild, now a mother, to continue breastfeeding by sharing her breastfeeding experiences, is one form. A mother coming over to her daughter’s house to clean up, do some laundry and fix her a nice traditional meal is another. A partner taking the other kids out for the afternoon so that the new mother can take some relaxing time for herself and the new baby is also supporting the mother. One thing these types of support all have in common is the emotional ties to the mother. It might be difficult for a mother to strongly encourage her daughter to continue breastfeeding when she sees her in so much pain. It can be very disturbing for a father to think his baby is not getting enough milk when he sees his baby having difficulty to latch on to the breast. He might be tempted to suggest using a bottle of baby formula. These reactions are normal.
Peer-to-peer breastfeeding support groups offer another type of on-going support. They group together individuals that live the same thing at the same moment and that have no emotional ties to one another (some exceptions might occur…lol). These individuals sharing the same interest are usually all women. There are some breastfeeding support groups that bring together couples, but they generally are more geared towards parenting.
When you put together many mothers with their babies, something magical occurs; a kind of camaderie is slowly established. Babies are experts in the art of cuteness. They attract attention and mesmerize anyone looking at them. It usually starts by a “Jaabwehh…” (“So cute…”, in the Cree language), then goes on to “How old is he?” and then, an exchange occurs. This is where a good support group Leader will do a difference. A short introduction, a open-ended question directed at the right person, and everyone is drawn in the magic moment. Women that are super shy end up sharing their stories encouraged by the shatter of the more extroverted personalities. Mothers exchange experiences, resources and ideas. They have been there, done that and maternal generosity extends towards anyone speaking in baby language 24 hours on 24. Any and every motherhood subject will be covered: tricks to get a little more sleep, how to soothe a crying baby, how to get some relaxing time with their hubby, to heal birthing wounds, what to eat, etc.
Support groups are usually lead by one person, who we like to call a Leader. A Leader is not an expert in breastfeeding and she does not own all maternal knowledge, but she is a role-model in her community, has children, has breastfed, loves to help her community and can easily be reached for information. She does not know everything, but she can link with almost anyone, which means she will be able to get an answer if you give her a little bit of time. For example, if you ask her a breastfeeding question to which she does not know the answer, she has a direct link with the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay’s very own Regional Lactation Consultant. Whatever your question is, whatever the help you need, contacts will be made to help you.
You might be wondering what difference a Breastfeeding Support Group has with the Well-Baby clinics or with the nurse’s and CHR’s home visits. For one, a Breastfeeding Support Group is independent and has no direct link with the clinic. When women get together and share their stories, it should be said at each meeting that what is said in the room, remains in that room. An experience shared by someone is only that person’s story to tell, not anyone else’s. This is how we respect motherhood and how we can support each other. You can say anything you want without worrying that it will be repeated to the clinic people. If the Leader considers you have a situation that requires external help, you will be asked first if your story can be related to another source and you will decide if it goes out of the meeting room.
Confidentiality, being pregnant or having a baby are the only requirements needed to participate in a Breastfeeding Support Group meeting.
Breastfeeding Support Groups typically meet every month at the same location and on the same day and time, but some groups might have a different way of functioning as it is the Leader with the help of the community that decide how the meetings are organized. Most meetings have planned themes posted in the community so you know what topic you can expect for that meeting but it is always possible to talk about many other things. Also, if most of the mothers present feel they would rather talk about breastfeeding in public instead of covering the benefits of breastfeeding, the leader will probably do a few short minutes on the planned topic and then, switch to the desired one.
As I am writing this post, only one community has a functioning support group: Ouje-Bougoumou. Minnie Wapachee Bosum is the Leader for the Ouje Breastfeeding Support group. She can be reached at 418-745-2443 or 418-770-8960. Two other communities started monthly meetings but are presently in search of a new leader.
If you are interested in being a Breastfeeding Support Group Leader for your community, call the Awash Director of your local community clinic or the Regional Lactation Consultant at 418-923-2204 ext 284.
Here are 2 video clips, one that presents one type of Breastfeeding Support Group lead by a Lactation Consultant in Dublin, Ireland and the other, lead by “Motivaters” from the community of Jakarta in Indonesia, the Hati Kami Project :
This post is for Bessie Gillis, CHR in Waskaganish. She is a grandmother who spent many nights helping her daughter breastfeed her grandchild. I know how you feel Bessie! I have been in the same boat twice now, helping my own daughter breastfeed my two grandchildren. It is difficult to help our own daughters as we feel the pain they go through and we would like to just magically take their troubles away!
Most of us are convinced that inverted or flat nipples cause breastfeeding difficulties, but are we right? First, what is an inverted nipple? Inverted nipples are shy, they hide inside instead of standing proud when receiving attention, lol. Simply speaking, the nipples are not everted, they do not stick out. They disappear when touched, stimulated and sucked on by a baby. In some cases, they are inverted all the time and hide even more when touched. So how can a baby latch on when there is no nipple? What is the baby going to use to breastfeed?
The answer is quite simple: it should not matter!
Surprised? Babies need to latch on to the areola and not on the nipple. Well, let me be more specific: some babies do latch onto the nipple but that is not the right way. The mother will know right away that something is wrong. When a baby latches only on the nipple, he closes his gums on it and bites into it. It hurts. A baby needs to open his mouth really wide and take as much as he can from the areola (the areola is the dark part around the nipple) in his mouth. When he does this, his gums close on the areola which is made for that. The real problem is that mothers are so convinced their nipples are wrong for the job that they immediately blame the difficulties on their own body. Just to set the record straight, many women have inverted nipples. Actually, up to 9 % of women have inverted nipples and probably more than 30 % have flat nipples before they breastfeed their first baby. Most of them are able to breastfeed successfully but only a very small amount of women with flat or inverted nipples persist until they do succeed.
In conclusion: most women with inverted or flat nipples can breastfeed but not many successfully breastfeed. What is the problem? I will explain. First, watch this video clip carefully and notice how the baby has to open really wide to have his gums on the areola:
Did you see the difference when the baby grabs only the nipple? The nerves that send the message to the brain to produce milk do not pass there. The baby simply latches on to a little piece of skin, a very sensitive one at that. Sadly, this happens often. It is not “normal” in the sense that a baby should not be latching on this way, but it happens often even when mothers have “everted” nipples (that stick out).
WHY?
Most of the time, it is caused by the type of labor and birth the baby went through. When everything goes smoothly, the newly born baby is alert and his rooting (the inborn reflex to open wide and latch) and sucking instincts are strong. A baby that went through a very long and difficult labor and birth and/or that received medications through his mother during labor, might be more sleepy, more subdued and his sucking and rooting reflexes might be weak. For a baby to open really wide, he needs to open wide like when he yawns. We all see our babies yawn and we see they can open their jaws wide. When a baby needs to breastfeed, he must have a strong rooting reflex. This is what will help him to open his mouth wide. A small change in the baby’s alertness can make a world of difference in breastfeeding. The baby has to be an active participant when he breastfeeds. It is not like when he is bottle-fed: the bottle is inserted in his mouth. He does not have to actively participate for that bottle to stay in his mouth.
Also, once the baby has latched on correctly, the nipple needs to stretch to touch the area of the palate that triggers the sucking pattern of the baby. When the nipple is flat or inverted and it has never been stretched this way, it can lack a little bit of flexibility. This gets better with time.
If you have a sleepy baby and a mother with flat or inverted nipples, more efforts will be needed to make breastfeeding work. The baby might have difficulty latching on and he will become frustrated. Now you might think you are home-free if you have a sleepy baby and a mother with everted nipples, but no! The baby might have an easier time latching on but if he latches on the nipple only, it can still cause problems.
WHAT we should NOT DO
Nipple Shields can be dangerous
Breastshells are not effective
Ten years ago, we thought that wearing breastshells or putting on a nipple shield would evert the nipples so most people still think this is what will help. Breastshells were not proven to be effective and they hinder the mother’s confidence in her ability to breastfeed. Nipple shields can be quite dangerous in the first few days as they might not allow the baby to obtain enough milk and he could become dehydrated quickly.
What we SHOULD DO
Our best action is prevention!
1- All pregnant women do not need to have their breasts examined, but they need to be asked about the shape of their nipples.
2-Once we know the nipples are flat or inverted, the mothers need to receive information about the importance of a medication-free birth, about alternative methods to have a pain-free delivery and to be taught how to help their babies latch on.
3- Practice makes perfect: Have the mothers role-play with a doll so she understand how to position her baby.
4- Make sure she understands that she will need help the first few days and make the necessary contacts to make sure she receives that help at the hospital. Sometimes, the prenatal clinic nurse can send in a form explaining the need for more help at the beginning of breastfeeding.
5- We need to make sure the mother receives an immediate follow-up once she returns in the community. The initial engorgement brought by the milk coming in can be dramatic as the nipples will invert even more and the baby might have more difficulty to latch onto hard breast tissue.
6- If the mother does not succeed in latching her baby on even with help, there is the possibility to use a breastpump for a few minutes to evert the nipple right before putting the baby at the breast. There is also an accessory called the inverted syringe that can be used to pull out the nipple a few times right before the baby latches on. You can see a picture and a description of it in this scientific article:
But mostly, mothers with flat or inverted nipples can breastfeed, just like any mother can! They should not be made to feel like their breasts are inadequate or be told that they need an accessory to breastfeed their baby. The first intervention they need is to be encouraged and supported by all, health care workers, friends and family!
N.B. For women that are self conscious about their inverted nipples, before reverting to invasive surgeries that may make breastfeeding almost impossible, there is a product made by Avent, that can be used to evert the nipples but it is NOT TO BE USED during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Here is the link:
(1994). “Preparing for breast feeding: treatment of inverted and non-protractile nipples in pregnancy. The MAIN Trial Collaborative Group.” Midwifery 10(4): 200-14.
Alexander, J. M., A. M. Grant, et al. (1992). “Randomised controlled trial of breast shells and Hoffman’s exercises for inverted and non-protractile nipples.” Bmj 304(6833): 1030-2.
Arsenault, G. (1997). “Using a disposable syringe to treat inverted nipples.” Can Fam Physician 43: 1517-8.
Chakrabarti, K. and S. Basu “Management of flat or inverted nipples with simple rubber bands.” Breastfeed Med 6: 215-9.
el Sharkawy, A. G. (1995). “A method for correction of congenitally inverted nipple with preservation of the ducts.” Plast Reconstr Surg 95(6): 1111-4.
Jiang, H. Q., X. Wei, et al. (2008). “Nipple aspirator: a self-designed instrument for inverted nipple.” Plast Reconstr Surg 121(3): 141e-143e.
Kesaree, N., C. R. Banapurmath, et al. (1993). “Treatment of inverted nipples using a disposable syringe.” J Hum Lact 9(1): 27-9.
McGeorge, D. D. (1994). “The “Niplette”: an instrument for the non-surgical correction of inverted nipples.” Br J Plast Surg 47(1): 46-9.
Neifert, M., S. DeMarzo, et al. (1990). “The influence of breast surgery, breast appearance, and pregnancy-induced breast changes on lactation sufficiency as measured by infant weight gain.” Birth 17(1): 31-8.
Neifert, M., J. Gray, et al. (1988). “Factors influencing breast-feeding among adolescents.” J Adolesc Health Care 9(6): 470-3.
Ozcan, M. and R. Kahveci (1995). “The ‘Niplette’ for the non-surgical correction of inverted nipples.” Br J Plast Surg 48(2): 115.
Park, H. S., C. H. Yoon, et al. (1999). “The prevalence of congenital inverted nipple.” Aesthetic Plast Surg 23(2): 144-6.
Patel, Y. (2008). “Inverted nipples: correction using a simple disposable syringe.” East Afr Med J 85(1): 51-2.
Scholten, E. (1999). “A novel correction of inverted nipples during pregnancy.” Am J Obstet Gynecol 181(1): 228-9.
Scholten, E. (2000). “The classification of inverted nipples.” Plast Reconstr Surg 106(3): 737-8.
Terrill, P. J. and M. J. Stapleton (1991). “The inverted nipple: to cut the ducts or not?” Br J Plast Surg 44(5): 372-7.
Vogel, A., B. L. Hutchison, et al. (1999). “Factors associated with the duration of breastfeeding.” Acta Paediatr 88(12): 1320-6.
Wilson-Clay, B. (1996). “Clinical use of silicone nipple shields.” J Hum Lact 12(4): 279-85.
Most women who give birth have an encounter with engorgement. Even mothers who do not breastfeed can experience it. Simply said, engorgement is the swelling of the breasts. It can be moderate and not cause much discomfort or, it can be severe and trigger a chain of unpleasant events. Mostly, it can be prevented and we need to remember that prevention is always best!
Generally an immediate post-delivery engorgement, commonly called “the milk coming in” involves two different processes: 1) a swelling of the lactating tissues which receive the demand to produce more milk and 2) an increase in blood flow required to produce that milk. When the baby is at the breast often, latches on correctly and sucks efficiently, milk is removed regularly from the breast and only a slight swelling is noticed. However, when the baby is not at the breast often enough, when his latch is shallow or when his sucking movements do not obtain enough milk, the milk produced will stagnate. The breast will then enter a cycle that can get pretty severe. If it is not caught soon enough, the breast can get so hard that the baby will not be able to latch on! Apart from the difficulties in breastfeeding management, in some cases, it is the IV fluids the mother received during labor that trigger the swelling of the tissues.
What happens is quite simple: the milk flowing forward, backflows into the breast, and causes pressure to the surrounding tissues. Those tissues are already engorged with more blood and fluid than usual. You get the picture? The lymph nodes that usually do a good job in draining all the excess fluid caused by inflammation are also blocked from the swelling. When the milk stagnates, it hinders the blood and lymphatic fluid flow and then, it aggravates the engorgement. Everything just jams in there!
So what can we do?
First, prevention!
1. As mentioned before, the baby has to breastfeed often, but sometimes babies are sleepy. It is important to check and make sure they breastfeed from 8 to 12 times per 24 hours. No rigid schedule. Babies do not like to be woken up every 2, 3 or 4 hours. You will see that there are too sleepy to breastfeed when woken up at specific times. They do much better when they awaken on their own. Slight movements, sucking of the lips or hands are signs that the baby is waking up and ready to breastfeed.
2. Babies need to be positioned correctly to be able to latch on well. Their whole body needs to be turned towards their mother (ear, shoulder and hip aligned) and they need to be held really close. The baby needs to open his mouth wide and for those who think the baby’s mouth is too small, look at how wide he opens it when he yawns! Never accept to latch your baby onto the breast if his mouth is not open wide enough! Your baby will learn to do it well if you ask him to do it! If the mouth is not open wide enough, the baby will close his gums on the nipple. He should close his gums as far up as possible on the areola.
3-If your baby is very sleepy or if, for any reason, you feel your breast stays engorged after a breastfeed, do not be afraid to express milk manually or to use a breastpump to soften them up. This imbalance in the baby’s demand and the milk produced usually only lasts a few weeks.
4-If your breasts are painful, you can use ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) to reduce the inflammation the swelling causes. It can also have a healing effect; it will help the pain and the swelling.
Once the engorgement is there
If the breasts are still soft to the touch
When the breasts are still soft to the touch and the milk flows easily, some warm compresses or a hot bath or shower can be used to get the milk to flow better. You can use gentle massages and manual expression. There is also a new technique called Reverse Pressure Softening (RPS). This will help to soften the areola so the baby will latch on well. See the link below for a video clip of the technique and the other link will send you to the scientific article that explains how it works. Remember that it takes only a small change in the texture of the areola to make it difficult for the baby to latch correctly.
You might not notice any difference, but your baby will!
You need to avoid putting heat on your breasts if they are very hard to the touch or have hard spots and if they are red and feel hot. The most comfortable and healing thing you can do to help is to treat them as you would a sprained ankle: with cold. A sprain causes swelling in the tissues that block the fluid circulation. This is exactly what is happening in a severe engorgement.
In a severe engorgement, the breasts feel full of milk, but nothing comes out. This is a pretty confusing situation. Also, in some cases, the breasts and areola are so hard that they hurt terribly. It might be intolerable to touch them. Manual expression and the use of a manual breastpump can be quite painful. The best pump to use at this point is a hospital-grade electric breastpump. Many clinics in the Cree territory have an electric breastpump to help out mothers in times like this. Elsewhere, hospitals have them and they can be rented at drugstores or support groups.
It is quite scary when nothing comes out even with efforts to manually or mechanically express your milk. Here is a good trick. If you follow the following instructions well, you will get breastmilk to come out after a few tries:
1- Apply cold compresses for 20 minutes. Here are examples of things you can use:
-a Ziplock bag with frozen peas*
-a Ziplock bag filled with crushed ice*
-an gel ice pack*
*Important: Ice (anything that is “ice” cold needs to be wrapped in a clean thin towel to avoid the skin being burned by the cold
The following are cold but not icy cold so they be applied directly onto the breasts:
-a washcloth dipped in ice cold water
-clean cabbage leaves applied to the breast and held by a tank top or a bra
2- Let rest for 10 minutes
3- Use a breastpump** for 5 minutes on each breast. If nothing comes out, stop.
4- Wait another 10 minutes.
5- Apply cold again for 20 minutes.
6- Use a breastpump** for 5 minutes on each breast. If nothing comes out, stop.
7- Redo the whole cycle until the milk starts to flow. It usually takes 4 o 5 cycles before the swelling reduces and the milk begins to flow well.
Be confident, it will work!!!
** A hospital-grade electric breastpump is the best you can use. Ask your local clinic. It is also possible to use a small electric or a manual breastpump but it might be less comfortable. Manual expression is not recommended during a severe engorgement as it might be painful to touch the breasts and areolas.
A note on the use of cabbage
Cabbage leaves are practical, comfortable and cheap. Some people assume the leaves have a special astringent (ability to draw in fluids) property, but their mechanism has yet to be determined. As of now, no research has proven that they improve engorgement. I like to believe it is simply the thickness of the leaves that entrap the cold. If you choose to use them, take away any hard parts from the leaves and wash them well. They will be invisible under your bra, but be sure to change them as they “cook” from the heat of your breasts and they can then give out a certain smell…lol.
References
Ayers, J. F. (2000). “The use of alternative therapies in the support of breastfeeding.” J Hum Lact16(1): 52-6.
Chapman, D. J. “Evaluating the evidence: is there an effective treatment for breast engorgement?” J Hum Lact27(1): 82-3.
Chiu, J. Y., M. L. Gau, et al. “Effects of Gua-Sha therapy on breast engorgement: a randomized controlled trial.” J Nurs Res18(1): 1-10.
Cotterman, K. J. (2004). “Reverse pressure softening: a simple tool to prepare areola for easier latching during engorgement.” J Hum Lact20(2): 227-37.
Giugliani, E. R. (2004). “[Common problems during lactation and their management].” J Pediatr (Rio J)80(5 Suppl): S147-54.
Glover, R. (1998). “The engorgement enigma.” Breastfeed Rev6(2): 31-4.
Mangesi, L. and T. Dowswell “Treatments for breast engorgement during lactation.” Cochrane Database Syst Rev(9): CD006946.
Nikodem, V. C., D. Danziger, et al. (1993). “Do cabbage leaves prevent breast engorgement? A randomized, controlled study.” Birth20(2): 61-4.
Renfrew, M. J., S. Lang, et al. (2000). “Feeding schedules in hospitals for newborn infants.” Cochrane Database Syst Rev(2): CD000090.
Roberts, K. L. (1995). “A comparison of chilled cabbage leaves and chilled gelpaks in reducing breast engorgement.” J Hum Lact11(1): 17-20.
Roberts, K. L., M. Reiter, et al. (1998). “Effects of cabbage leaf extract on breast engorgement.” J Hum Lact14(3): 231-6.
I hope you had a nice Christmas and New Year with your little ones. I sure hope all the festivities didn’t affect your milk supply. Breastfeeding Support Group Volunteers and Lactation Consultants know this period very well and link it with nursing strikes (when the baby suddenly refuses to breastfeed or cries at the breast) and with the “Oh no! I don’t have any milk” syndrome (when the mother suddenly notices her milk production is down).
These problems occur following a more than usual busy or stressful period where most of the time is spent traveling, cleaning, cooking and doing errands. The mother often feels obligated to leave her baby with a friend or relative to go through the list of all the things she has to do and to attend parties. Even when the mother and baby are kept together, the breastfeeds are less frequent for a few days. Even the mother’s meals and rest take second place and are often forgotten. Put all these elements together and you have winning conditions for a nursing strike or a low milk supply.
If this is happening to you or a close friend or relative, here is a wonderfully simple recipe to increase your milk production and get your baby back at the breast:
Ingredients
1 baby (or 2 if you have twins but you might also need to double the last ingredient)
1 mother
1 bed
1 pillow
1 helpful and supportive partner or friend
Instructions
Make sure the bed has a firm mattress (never put a baby on a water bed).
Keep away alcohol, illegal substances or prescription medication that can put the mother in an abnormally deep sleep.
Place the pillow on one side of the bed, away from the baby.
Take away all blankets and other pillows.
Put the baby on his back in the middle of the bed.
Place the mother on her side facing the baby, her bottom arm is around him and she brings him close to her.
Have the mother relax, sing, talk, murmur or just smile at the baby.
Turn the baby towards the breast whenever the baby is hungry (he will turn instinctively) and let him breastfeed without any limit of time.
Let the mother sleep when the baby sleeps, or read a good book or magazine (her arm should be around him so she will feel him move and make sure he does not migrate to the other side of the bed and fall).
If the baby cries and breastfeeding does not soothe him, the partner/friend can pick him up and walk him around for a little bit. Bring the calmed baby back to the mother right away.
If a diaper change is needed, ask the partner/friend to do it or make sure everything is by the mother’s side so she can do it with the minimum of effort.
The mother should be in bed with the baby but walking about for a few minutes around the house or outside every couple of hours is necessary.
After 24 to 48 hours, the milk production should be well done!!!!
NB. This recipe can be used even if the mother does not have anyone to help her – she only needs to stay in bed, relax and get up only if necessary!
I am no different than most people: I do wish for happiness, peace and health for the New Year! But there is one wish I have wished for since my first child was born: I wish breastfeeding a baby was viewed as the “normal” way to feed a baby, not as the “best” or “most healthy” but simply, as “this is how a baby is fed”.
In the old days, Crees viewed breastfeeding as part of their everyday life. Nobody asked how you wanted to feed your baby. Nobody presented choices to the families. Breastfeeding was not a decision you made. It was simply the way things were done. Elders always talk to me about how they breastfed or how they were witness to breastfeeding babies well into their 5th or 6th year of life. It was not seen as an obligation or the best choice to make. It did not put pressure on the woman to make the right decision. It simply was how a baby was fed. One elder generously shared her story with me about her baby that would not latch on. There was no artificial milk available in the past so a friend in a nearby camp who just had a baby herself, offered to help. She breastfed her friend’s baby and those two children became “milk brothers”.* I love hearing stories about a time when breastfeeding was a normal part of life. It did not need to be taught as a technique or a special skill.
The truth is we lost the “art of breastfeeding”. To know how to do something instinctively you need to have been around a role model that showed you the behavior without you knowing you were learning it. We learn a behavior by watching others do it. You can learn good or bad behaviors. If we see our mothers, aunts, cousins, friends, neighbors and people in our community breastfeed, we will never question if we should or should not do it. It will feel like it is part of us. There will also be support from everyone as they will also have been exposed to the same role models, men as well as women!
Our Americanized societies are all confronted with this lack of breastfeeding role models. But there is hope as some of us still think breastfeeding is the normal way to feed a baby. Some of us will even mention breastfeeding spontaneously when referring to feeding a baby. Here is the link to a clip I find quite pleasant to watch. It presents a part of an interview with the very eccentric rock star, Steven Tyler from Aerosmith. He talks about his role in American idol and talks about a mother singing to her baby while breastfeeding…he could have said “when it’s feeding”, but no, there is hope: he very naturally said “when it’s breastfeeding”.
For most of you reading this, last year brought you the most important experience of your life: a new baby. For others, it is 2012 that will bring you a bundle of joy!
But as most of us know, all this joy also comes with some tears. As they grow older, our children need to be guided. It is not enough to bring them into this world! We also have to teach them how to behave in a manner that is culturally appropriate and to respect themselves and others. This is not an easy task and all of us have to rely on some form of discipline at some point. But before using methods and techniques to modify their behavior, there are things you can do. Basic everyday easy stuff! You simply have to think about it…and do it! Here’s an inspiring article that name the 10 elements:
The last word is ”fear” in John Lennon’s original song. I did not feel right changing to meaning of his song so, to enable you to hear the right words, here is a link to the original video clip if you feel like watching it. It presents hard images. It is sad…and somewhat hopefull. If you prefer, just close your eyes and listen to the words… You will find you can put any meaning into the words and adapt the song to your own life…
A problem some mothers encounter when breastfeeding their baby is a painful latch-on. We once thought that some nipples were too tender to breastfeed without feeling pain. But why should breastfeeding be painful only for some mothers? Just about 20 years ago, breastfeeding experts came up with the idea that how the mother and baby were positioned and the manner in which the baby was brought to the breast could be responsible for painful nipples. Since then, many different techniques were explored to make the breastfeeding experience pain-free for the mom. Many trials and case-studies allowed us to conclude that a good body position and a nice deep latch-on to the breast also allowed the baby to obtain more milk than a shallow latch. Through the years, the technical side has given way to a more natural approach. We are now looking at what is called a “baby-led’ latch. This video, filmed at the famous International Breastfeeding Center (originally the Newman Clinic) in Toronto, is one of many little clips that Dr Newman and his colleague, Edith Kellerman, had the thoughtfulness to make available free of charge as a teaching tool for breastfeeding women. You can find a few of their videos on You Tube and you can watch others on their web site:
Here is one of the clips found on You Tube. It shows a baby-led latch. Because the video is meant to teach, it is very explicit visually. The mother is completely uncovered. I mention it just so you can plan when to watch this. In my home, nobody would think twice to see me watch boobies’ videos (this is what my kids used to say…). But it might be a little different if you live with your father-in-law or a teenage stepson… and they happen to come into the room as the shot where the mother’s chest is completely exposed appears.
I have been away for awhile trying to mend some physical and emotional problems. I have succeeded for some, but not for others. I think this “vulnerability” of our human nature helps us understand what others can feel in difficult times.
We wish for success and happiness but we do not all measure this the same way. We do not expect the same things out of life. Being able to put ourselves in the others’ shoes and see what they would like to achieve as a goal are the basics of counseling. We choose our goals in relation to our culture, our way of life, our dreams and our fears. In breastfeeding counseling, the most important factors to consider are what the parents want and to give them help to acheive their goals. They will have obstacles in their way.
They will succeed in acheiving some of their goals, but not all. This “vulnerability” of the human nature demands that we be very understanding and compassionate towards breastfeeding parents!
Creebreastfeeding is back! In my absence, the blog still managed to get a good 2 000 viewings more. Thank you all for your support and stay tuned for more…
Dany G.
