Breastfeeding Tips & Breast Pump Guide | Lactation Connection

It is always a good idea to have a stockpile of breastmilk in the freezer.  You never know when you might have a medical procedure come up or your hubby may want to wisk you away for a romantic weekend.  Sometimes it is a daunting task to get a significant amount of breastmilk stored, so here are some tips: 1.  Pump Efficiently:  Purchase an effective breast pump.  Pumping with a bad breast pump will make any mom want to throw in the towel.  You don't have to spend $300 on a pump, but budgeting a months worth of what you would have spent on formula and getting the basic model of the Ameda Purely Yours is just the ticket at less than $150 or the Spectra S2 Breast Pump for under $200. 2.  Start Early:  Don't confuse the advice that says that you should not give your baby a bottle for 6 weeks to mean don't pump for the first six weeks.  The former is to avoid nipple confusion.  If you begin pumping in the early weeks, you will have more ...

Unfortunately, the Time Magazine article picture did not help to promote breastfeeding.  This photo was shot to sell magazines, not to help make breastfeeding the norm.  While I personally nursed my children for up to 18 months, there is no doubt that breastmilk is beneficial for much longer.  The controversy comes in with the child standing and the captioning challening moms to nurse their older child.  As a retired lactation consultant, I always tried to help moms meet their personal goals and encourage them to nurse at each stage of breastfeeding.  Whether it was the first month, three months or hopefully at least a year.  I gave advice on partial weaning when a mom did not want to pump when returning to work and advice on gradual and baby led weaning when asked about weaning.  The caption depicts all who promote breastfeeding as breastfeeding Nazis and not the supporters of mothers and babies who we are.  It makes nursing mothers look radical ...

      As a retired lactation consultant, mother of 3 and grandmother of one, I get asked this question quite often:  "How do I loose the baby weight?"  More recently I was asked about diet pills, which are unsafe for the nursing mother.  That caused me to take action so I am giving you a guideline below based on two decades of experience and the additional 500 calories per day needed by nursing mothers or 1000 extra calories if you are nursing twins.  As with any diet, consult your doctor before beginning this and do no begin until the baby is at least 3 months old.       Losing weight is not necessarily how much you eat, but what combination of foods you eat in order to jump start your metabolism.   Start by measuring yourself and not just weighing yourself because you begin to lose inches faster than pounds so it is encouraging to see the smaller waistline, etc.   An inexpensive food scale and ...

I often get moms who want to exclusively pump instead of breast feed directly.  If you choose to pump exclusively, it is very important that stimulation starts in the hospital within 1 hour of the baby's birth.  Moms should double pump with a hospital or professional quality pump like the Ameda, Medela or Hygeia hospital grade rental pumps or a brand new (not used) professional quality pump like the Ameda Purely Yours ,  Hygeia EnJoye Breast Pump  or  Spectra S2 Breast Pump .   To initiate milk supply, pump every 2-3 hours with a 5 hour stretch at night for a total of at least 8 times per day of 10-15 minute double pumping sessions.  Many pumping moms get discouraged during the first 3-5 days as it is hard to see much going into the bottles as colostrum comes in teaspoons, not ounces.  Do not let this dissuade you, but draw this liquid gold up in a syringe and give it to the baby as it is chalked full of antibodies.  This schedu...

Recently, I was asked to be the guest speaker for a breastfeeding reception at our local WIC clinic. August is always an exciting time to be in the business of breastfeeding because the first week is officially World Breastfeeding Week. Many cities and government agencies promote breastfeeding during this week and I am honored to be a part of the celebration in Granbury, TX. As I was preparing, I researched the WIC theme, "Every Ounce Counts". What a great slogan! I encourage you to check out the WIC website because their campaign rivals those of major companies. Not only do they have great pictures of babies and what they might be when they grow up, but a song that can only be an encouragement to any nursing mother. The WIC ads include babies that want to grow up to be firefighters and doctors because breastmilk makes you stronger and smarter, which is very true! Breastfed babies develop better with fewer health problems and their IQ scores and performance in school is mar...

Motivation as in anything is extremely important in breastfeeding and even more important is tenacity when inducing lactation.  The success rate for the following protocols according to Nemba in the 1994 Journal of Trop Pediatrics was 89%.  In this study 33 of the 37 women nursed their babies for 9 months or longer. These mothers began with a 100 mg single priming dose of medroxyprogesterone (Depo Provera).  After 7 days, they began 25 mg of chlorpromazine 4 times daily or 10 mg of metoclopramide (Reglan) 4 times daily until adequate lactation was established.  Frequent pumping before infant's arrival and/or frequent suckling afterward is encouraged.  A supplemental feeding device is necessary until adequate lactation is established.  Inducing lactation is a gift of time and love! Breastfeeding an adoptive baby is more than about breastmilk.  It is about bonding.  Skin to skin contact is essential.  Use a lactation aide to feed donor milk...

If you are experiencing difficulty with breast pain or latch-on 3 to 5 days postpartum, it is probably due to engorgement. Your breasts can feel as hard as bowling balls making it difficult for your baby to get a good latch.  Most of the time severe engorgement can be prevented by nursing the baby immediately upon delivery and putting the baby to breast every 2-3 hours.  If your baby is sleepy or there is a delay in breastfeeding, engorment can set in heavily.  Advil is safe for breastfeeding and contains an anti-inflammatory that may reduce some swelling and discomfort. Your best friend during this time is a hot compress. Turn the tap water and let it run until hot. Take two disposable baby diaper and swipe it under the tap three or four times. Mold the diapers around your breast. Repeat this procedure before each feeding. Commercial hot packs are also available, but the diapers work just as well so you may want to save your money for a good breast pump. If the areola is...