Breastfeeding Tips & Breast Pump Guide | Lactation Connection

     In honor of World Doula Week, we wanted to give you some information to help you if you choose to use a Doula.  DONA international is the official certification organization for a professional doula.  According to DONA, the word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.    Here are some tips for questions to ask a potential doula: 1.  Are you certified by DONA?  This is the official organization certifying doulas. 2.  What are your professional credentials?  They should be CD or PCD 3.  Are you affiliated with a hospital?  This is a red flag as you want the doula on your side and not siding with the hospital or bir...

     Many moms are automatically freezing their breast milk each time they pump and retrieving frozen milk from their stockpile to feed the baby.  While this is ok for the mom who gives an occasional bottle, working moms should be giving freshly expressed milk whenever possible.       Before we list these factors, let us be clear than breast milk, fresh or frozen is immeasurably better for your infant nutritionally than formula; but to use the best at it's very best, we are explaining the changes that happen to frozen breast milk.       1.  Levels of pH are effected by freezing which in turn effects lipase which aids in digestion.  Lipase levels vary from woman to woman, so if you notice a soapy smell or metallic taste to your frozen breast milk, it may be especially relevant to you to give freshly expressed breast milk.      2.  Bactericidal capacity of stored refrigerate...

     Many of you are "pumping mamas" that is to say you pump when you are away from your baby for work or you exclusively pump and give breast milk in a bottle.  If so, there is some planning involved to maintain your breast pump and milk supply.  Here are some valuable tips to keep the milk flowing:       1.  Use a quality double electric breast pump. The Hygeia EnJoye Breast Pump  , the Spectra S2 or Ameda Purely Yours Breast Pump are professional double breast pumps that offer a closed system with the proper suction and speed settings to maintain your milk supply.      2.   Make sure your breast flanges are the right size. The easiest way to get started finding the right fit is to look down at your nipple and your fingers at the same time.  If your nipple shaft (not including the areola) is the size of your ring finger, start with the standard size flange which is usually 24-27 ...

     As the New Year and New Year's Eve parties are approaching, this is a question that Lactation Consultants get asked repeatedly.  While the advice has changed from a pump and dump approach to a you can have as much as you want mentality, the truth is really somewhere in the middle.       It is safe to have a New Year's toast after your baby has gone to bed.  It is also safe to have an occasional glass of wine.  The key is moderation and timing.  Alcohol does enter the blood stream and your breast milk.  It is also metabolized quickly.  So one glass of wine or beer or an alcoholic drink that contains one shot of liquor is metabolized in one hour.  If you baby nurses every 2-3 hours and you have one drink, there is no need to pump and dump.  If you have multiple drinks, you should pump and dump.  This is not to get rid of the alcohol as time will do that, but to keep you from getting plugged mil...

      Although I have advocated for breastfeeding for over 20 years, breastmilk is not that important. I personally was not a breastfed baby. My mother had difficulty nursing her first child and was told she did not make enough milk. She was too discouraged to try to nurse her subsequent children so I did not get a drop of this precious substance.       What my mother did give me was my upbringing. She raised me to know the truth about who I was. I am not an entitled human being who can do no wrong. Nor am I perfect in the eyes of my parents. I am flawed. I have a broken relationship with my creator and a deep need for healing. This I learned from my parents.       My mother taught me to trust with every time she picked me up while I was crying.  My mother taught me about Jesus from the first time she sang to me. When she rocked me to sleep, she taught me of His love for me.  ...

     New moms have told me that they wish they had been given more information on positioning and latch as well as the various holds associated with breastfeeding.  So I have decided to reveal these breastfeeding "secrets" here.  1.  What is the secret to preparing for breastfeeding? Holding the breast properly!  The c-hold is the proper way to support the breast when learning to breastfeed and should be practiced by expectant and new mothers because almost every new mom does it incorrectly.  How?  Moms tend to place the thumb on top (correct) but place the bottom fingers in the wrong place.  The bottom fingers need to be near the chest wall.  The index finger usually ends up on the bottom of the areola preventing baby from getting a deep latch.  Whether you are already breastfeeding or still expecting, check your c-hold in a mirror to make sure your fingers are out of the way. Also make sure the flap of your nursing bra...

     The breastmilk allergy myth was further perpetuated on the TODAY show's #bornTODAY series this morning causing me to have to speak out against irresponsible and incomplete journalism.  The Myth: Some babies are allergic to their mother's milk. The Facts: Human milk is the most natural physiological substance that baby c an ingest which is why breast milk can be used as a "clear liquid" if a baby is ill with a stomach virus and it is also why breast milk does not sting when placed in the eye as a remedy for conjunctivitis.        If a baby shows sensitivities related to feeding, it is usually a foreign protein that has been consumed by the mother and entered into mother's milk, and not the breast milk. The remedy for this is to remove the offending food from mother's diet for 3-4 weeks.  One example is dairy.  Dairy is difficult to digest and can take 10 days to two weeks to leave the mother's system and another 10 days to tw...