Hi! I am soapbox and I would like to welcome you to the Breastfeeding Page! I am an experienced breastfeeding mother who has been involved in La Leche League for over 3 years and I just love to share breastfeeding information and help mothers nurse their babies!

On this page you will find some useful information whether you are currently nursing a baby, expecting a baby, or just want to learn more aboutbreastfeeding, whether you plan to nurse for 3 weeks, 3 months or 3 years! There is nothing like mother-to-mother support while nursing, so if you ever have any questions please feel free to write and ask! I have lots of breastfeeding resources available and can answer just about any question! If I can't, I probably know someone who can!

Below is some information you may find helpful. I would love to use this space to address any concerns nursing moms have out there. Please let me know of any topics you would like me to cover in the future.

Are you interested in how to get breastfeeding off to a good start? How to combine working with breastfeeding? How to overcome breastfeeding challenges? Whatever it is, let me know!

Did you know?

Everyone knows that breastfeeding is the most natural choice for infant feeding. I mean, that's why women have breasts, right? Below are some facts about why breastmilk is the superior infant food:

• Breast fed babies on average have a reduced risk of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
• Not breastfeeding is a risk factor in Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis.
• Mothers who breastfeed reduce their risk of breast cancer.
• Daughters who were breasted have lower rates of breast cancer.
• There is a lower incidence of allergies among breastfed children.
• Breastfed infants have fewer infections.

References for these facts can be found here.


Helpful Hints

Get an early start! Breastfeed your baby as soon after delivery as possible. Many hospitals will allow mother to nurse the baby immediately, which helps expel the placenta. Nursing within an hour of being born ensures that your baby's sucking instinct will be strong.

Watch your positioning! Make sure you support yourself and baby with pillows in the early weeks. If using the cradle hold, your baby's body from head to toe should make a straight line across your belly, "tummy to tummy" with you. Make sure baby opens wide so he can get your nipple as far back in his mouth as possible. If it starts to hurt, insert your finger to break the suction and start over till it feels right.

Watch your baby, not the clock! Breastmilk is very easily digested and breasted babies need to nurse frequently in the early weeks. The more you nurse you baby, the more milk you will produce, so scheduling a newborn can lead to decreased milk supply. If you wait a while, your baby will fall into a more predictable routine as he gets older . Just go with the flow!

Only breastmilk! Your milk is all your baby needs until at least the middle of his first year. He doesn't need water or formula or cereal, and giving supplements of any kind may interfere with his appetite for nursing and lead to supply problems. If you feel like your baby isn't getting enough to eat, contact a Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) or La Leche League Leader.

Take your time with bottles and pacifiers! It's best to wait until breastfeeding is well established before introducing artificial nipples of any kind. Waiting 4-6 weeks before giving your baby a bottle or pacifier will 1) make sure your milk supply gets established because any sucking your baby does that is not at the breast means that much less stimulation your milk supply will get, and 2) ensure that baby doesn't get confused and either start sucking your nipple like a bottle (ouch!) or refuse to nurse all together.

Eat well, drink your water, and get some rest! breastfeeding uses up to 500 extra calories a day. No matter how much you eat, your baby will get high quality milk, but if you don't eat enough to account for the extra calories, you may start to feel tired and run down. Breastmilk is also about 90% water! Drink up! Getting dehydrated can not only make you feel lousy, but can affect your milk supply. Get as much rest as possible, sleep when your baby sleeps, lay down to nurse as often as you can, and have someone else tend to the house for a while. Fatigue can aggravate breast infections.

Get Help!! If you have any problems or concerns at all, enlist the help of a fellow breastfeeding mother or get help from a LLL Leader or Lactation Consultant. Just about every problem can be overcome and the sooner you seek out help, the easier it will be to help you!


It worked for me!

These are some tips I have either used myself, or have had people tell me work great. If you have any tips such as these to share I'd love to hear about them!

• If you get engorged when your milk first comes in, alternate ice packs between feedings, with warm compresses just before feedings. To make a handy hot compress, take a small disposable diaper and pour about a half cup of water into it then microwave it for about a minute. The diaper will stay hot for a long time and doesn't get you wet the way a hot washcloth would. You can easily heat it back up again by reheating it in the microwave!
  
  
• Set up a nursing table! Before you even start nursing, set up a little nest where you can easily reach a water bottle, the remote, a book, a pad of paper and pen, pillows, slippers, etc. There is nothing more frustrating than starting to nurse your baby and realizing you need something!
  
  
• Newborns are supposed to have about 6-8 wet diapers a day. Each morning, if you take out a stack of 8 diapers and set them near your changing table to use, it is really easy to see at the end of the day whether your baby has wet enough!
  
  
• If you have a hard time remembering which side you need to start with at the next feeding, take a bracelet or ring and transfer it over to the "next" side as you finish a feeding.
  
  
• Learn how to nurse laying down! This can save you hours of sleep! Also practice nursing from both breasts without rolling you or baby over. Sort of lean over the baby when it's time to nurse from the "top" breast, and support yourself with pillows if necessary.
  
  
• Wear your baby in a sling! You can nurse discreetly in a sling and baby is so happy being close to his mother.
  
  
• Practice breastfeeding in front of a mirror. You will be surprised at how easy it is to nurse discreetly and how little actually shows! Go out with confidence--nursing doesn't need to tie you down. Nurse anywhere your baby needs to eat.

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