Breastfeeding Tips & Breast Pump Guide | Lactation Connection

Pregnant and nursing mothers need to be aware that m ercury can pass to fetus and through breastmilk. Canned tuna in particular is under scrutiny. James E. Rogers, PhD, director of Food Safety Research and Testing at Consumer Reports made this statement regarding tuna, “From can to can, mercury levels can spike in unpredictable ways that might jeopardize the health of a fetus.” . The FDA states that fetuses, infants and young children are more vulnerable to the potential effects of mercury due to their small bodies, metabolism and speedy growth. According to Thomas Hale, PHD founder of the Infant Risk Center renown for his work with how foods and medications, supplements and foods pass through breastmilk, states that "Developing fetuses, young infants and children are particularly sensitive to the toxic effects of methylmercury on the brain and nervous system. It is thus especially important that women of childbearing age, and those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, be equipped...

A common fear for moms who rely on heavily on their breast pump is what do your do when you can't plug in your pump?  For example it seems that power outages have become increasing more common. Of course there are some great rechargeable breast pumps out there like the new Spectra Synergy Gold Rechargeable, but if you don't have a high quality rechargeable pump, you need some other way to express. Manual expression can have a learning curve so knowing how is a great tool and the tried and true method is the Marmet Technique of manual expression .  Although I have linking it here, remember that in a power outage, you may not have access to view technique so it is good to practice before you need it.   Did you that major breast pump brands offer conversion kits to turn your regular breast milk collection kit into a manual pump?  Spectra Manual Adapter Kit  uses your current Spectra brand flange, valve and bottle to convert to an effective one-handed manual pu...