Breastfeeding: It’s Not Just About the Milk

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As you know, your milk is a wondrous thing. It is uniquely designed for your baby, changes by the minute and by the day and is the perfect nutrition for your baby no matter what her age. It is also full of antibodies, long-chain fatty acids and protects your baby from illness. It’s always the perfect temperature. It tastes like ice cream. You always have it with you. It’s free! You will never have to worry about a batch of your milk being recalled. Still, as great as your milk is; for your baby, breastfeeding is about much more than the milk. Continue reading →

Breastfeeding and Biting: Tips to Avoid Those Teeth! (Updated,2019)

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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 →

Breastfeeding and Teeth (Updated, 2019)

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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 →

Which Hygeia Breast Pump is Right for YOU?

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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 →

“Lactation Consultant”: What Does That Mean?

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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 →