Eventually, your sweet little baby is going to get teeth. And when he does, you may wonder…”How is breastfeeding going to work with the addition of teeth?” Don’t worry! It’s possible to mix breastfeeding and baby teeth with no injury to mama. But it’s a good idea to be prepared for the next phase of your breastfeeding relationship. Continue reading
Sooner or later every breastfeeding parent wonders, “What happens when my baby gets teeth?” I’m always happy when clients ask me this question because it gives me an opportunity to let them know that breastfeeding and teeth can co-exist! If they don’t ask about this, people may wean unnecessarily because of a belief that breastfeeding a baby with teeth will lead to sore nipples. It’s completely logical to think that if there are teeth in your baby’s mouth, it could lead to biting. But, amazingly, comfortable breastfeeding and baby teeth can go hand in hand. Continue reading
One of the great things about Hygeia is that their fantastic professional-grade breast pump comes in 2 different versions. It’s nice to have choices. But choices can sometimes be confusing—especially when you are a sleep-deprived mother of a new baby.
The nice folks at Hygeia could have made it a lot easier on all of us by coming up with names that made sense. EPS? LBI? What the heck do those mean exactly? I finally have it all figured out and it’s really very simple once you understand that those abbreviations really mean very little. Just trust me as I describe each pump in detail. Continue reading
Lately there seems to be a lot of confusion about just who is qualified to dispense breastfeeding advice. Historically, the term “lactation consultant”refers to a health care professional who has met the qualifications for, and passed the exam given by, the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners. Passing the exam permits her to use the letters IBCLC after her name. Unfortunately the term “lactation consultant” is not trademarked so there are no regulations about who uses that term. If you’re seeking help for breastfeeding be sure that your consultant has received extensive training, including at least 500 supervised clinical hours specific to lactation.
In the last 10 years or so some organizations have begun offering certifications for programs that involve a mere week or so of didactic instruction. The coursework is valuable, but does not provide the depth and breadth of training required to become IBCLC. On the other hand, other healthcare professionals, such as MD’s, have 1000’s of hours of clinical training and experience, but usually very little in the area of lactation.
Here is a partial list of professionals and others who sometimes get confused with lactation consultants. This list pertains to the US only. Other countries have different certifications. Continue reading
It’s a commonly held belief that women who breastfeed their babies experience bone loss at a much greater rate than women who do not breastfeed. Not only that, but the longer you breastfeed, the worse the bone loss will be. That, somehow, if we feed our baby in a way that’s biologically normal, there will be devastating consequences to our bodies. It’s never made sense to me that nature’s system for nourishing our young could lead to such devastating consequences as osteoporosis and fragile bones. Continue reading