Welcome, and thank you for visiting!
It’s likely you are here because you are having trouble breastfeeding or you’re pregnant and want to learn more about how to get support after the baby comes. If you are having any challenges with breastfeeding, call now to get help! I answer calls and emails 7 days a week. (Phone contact is faster!) I usually see clients within 24 hours of the initial call–and very often the same day. You deserve an experienced, professional lactation consultant who will listen to you and honor your priorities. AND you deserve to breastfeed comfortably–without pain.
“… I can’t thank you enough for your counsel, guidance and support. You are such a gift to the breastfeeding community…I will cherish my learnings from you forever.”
Seattle mothers choose me because of my vast experience and my reputation in the community. I have been helping women breastfeed for over 20 years! I volunteered with La Leche League for six years, taught breastfeeding classes and worked as a postpartum doula before I started my own business in 1996. The Second 9 Months was born out of a desire to support women in becoming the moms they want to be and to help them overcome breastfeeding challenges. I truly love my work!
If you’d like more information on how I can help you, visit the services page or simply give me a call!
Renee Beebe
What do you think is the factor that most influences whether or not a woman breastfeeds? Her determination? Baby’s ability? Interventions during childbirth? The answer is: None of the above. Research shows it’s her social support network that is most influential. And, you, as her loving partner, are the most important piece of that support! Continue reading
Alice came to me concerned about how she was going to keep breastfeeding once she returned to her full-time career. In her workplace, there is no such thing as 9-5. Everyone is expected to put in long days. I talked to her about asking for what she needed and setting some limits. We also talked about creative ways to meet her baby’s needs. She took my suggestions and ran with them—developing her own, unique style. Many thanks to Alice for sharing how she has managed to maintain her breastfeeding relationship and continue her fast-paced work life.
Christian is a big, healthy boy who is now enjoying solid foods in addition to mommy’s milk. Here is her success story: Continue reading
A phone consultation is a great way to get some expert help at about half the cost of a home visit. It’s appropriate for a wide variety of situations. I commonly provide phone consultations for return-to-work planning, milk supply problems, breastfeeding management concerns and sleep issues. Phone consultations work best when breastfeeding is going ok (or has in the past) but there are other issues that need to be addressed.
What can you expect from a phone consultation?
You will have the opportunity to share your concerns in detail. You will be guided to give a very detailed, relevant history of your breastfeeding relationship. You will be asked many questions so that you will be able to give an accurate picture of the issue(s) you are concerned about. You may be asked about your baby’s weight at various ages. You may be asked about your diet and medications or herbal supplements. You will be asked about your health history. You may be asked to send a picture of your baby. You will also be asked how you would like the particular problem to be resolved. All of this information will help me develop a plan for you to resolve the difficulty you are experiencing. If necessary, you will be referred to another health care provider if I think it’s necessary.
A detailed care plan will be developed with you that includes your history, the current situation and recommendations. You will be encouraged to call/email to keep me up to date and let me know what’s working and what’s not working so we can make changes as necessary. I expect to keep in touch with you and it’s part of what you are paying for!!
What a phone consult is NOT:
It is not a “chat.”
It is not a brief, unfocused conversation.
It is not a substitute for in-person, hands-on help when that is needed.
It is not ineffective.
It is not casual or “less than” an in person consultation.
When is a phone consultation appropriate?
When you don’t need physical assistance with your baby.
If you are having milk supply issues after initially having enough milk.
If you are returning to work.
General breastfeeding/time management. Baby is gaining well, you are comfortable, But you just can’t seem to get into a “groove.”
Sleep concerns—either parents’ or babies or both.
If you need help and think a phone consultation is appropriate for you, please call or email to schedule an appointment. We will schedule a “meeting” with your time zone in mind so that it’s convenient for you. At the designated day/time, I will give you a call and you’ll have my undivided attention for an hour. I’m looking forward to problem-solving with you.
Read about one mom’s experience with a phone consultation.
It’s that time of year again—time when many of us resolve to lose weight and exercise more. Taking care of yourself is even more important now that you have become a mother. But how is it possible to make time for YOU when you have a baby to care for? Is it possible to exercise regularly and meet the needs of your baby? What about breastfeeding? Is it ok to exercise while breastfeeding? Yes, yes and yes!
It IS safe to exercise when you are breastfeeding (although I don’t recommend doing the 2 activities simultaneously!) It’s normal to want to move your body again after the initial postpartum period of healing. Even so, many of my clients are concerned about lactic acid build up affecting their milk. Very strenuous exercise does create lactic acid but it does not make the milk “bad” or significantly alter the taste of the milk. It’s probably not a good idea to start training for a marathon 4 weeks after giving birth, but moderate exercise is safe and healthy.
Ok. So now you know it’s safe for you to exercise and breastfeed. Now what? How do you find the time? The answer is to include baby in your workout! Here are some suggestions from real moms in the trenches: Continue reading
With the arrival of the New Year many of us make resolutions about improving our health by eating better. As a breastfeeding mom, you may be wondering if it’s possible to eat well and safely lose weight while still caring for your baby.
Weight loss immediately after birth is quite dramatic. Birthing a baby, placenta and fluids can result in the immediate loss of 12 pounds or more. In the weeks and months that follow, however, your “baby weight” will come off more slowly. The good news is, most breastfeeding mothers lose weight easily, without depriving themselves of anything! In fact, many mothers find they have to eat more than they ever did before and STILL they lose weight. Those baby pounds come off like magic!
Since breastfeeding is such a great calorie burner, you may be tempted to eat a less than ideal diet. But just as in pregnancy, keep in mind you are eating for two! Continue reading
Relaxing with Baby
Back in the day, before I was an IBCLC, I spent hours on the phone as a La Leche League Leader, listening to and trying to help breastfeeding mothers. My co-leaders and I were very active with 2 well-attended group meetings per month. It was not unusual for me to talk on the phone with several mothers each day of the week. After a year or 2 of this work, I began to notice a trend. During major holidays, almost all of the calls were about plugged ducts, mastitis and milk supply.
I discussed this with more experienced leaders. “Yep,” they agreed, “those breastfeeding problems happen more during major life events—especially holidays!” It was such a recognizable phenomenon, we were able to predict the types of calls we could expect based on the time of year. Toward the end of November, we started preparing for the flood of plugged ducts and mastitis calls. Continue reading
About 6 weeks to 2 months postpartum, your health care provider will bring up the subject of birth control. Even though sex may be the farthest thing from your mind! Your doctor has your mental and physical health in mind when he talks to you about a birth control method. It can be devastating emotionally and physically to get pregnant again before you are ready.
There are many birth control methods that are compatible with breastfeeding and have absolutely zero risk of harming milk production. Condoms and other barrier methods are safe and effective when used appropriately. But these methods are considered “risky” to many doctors because they rely on patient compliance and errors can occur. More and more doctors, therefore, are encouraging new mothers to use an IUD for birth control.
There is a relatively new IUD on the market, that definitely can and does create problems for breastfeeding mothers. It’s called Mirena. The Mirena IUD releases small amounts of synthetic progesterone over time. Progesterone is the hormone that keeps you from lactating during pregnancy. It follows that progesterone, even a small amount, could cause a reduction in milk supply for a breastfeeding mother. Continue reading
When a woman thinks of birth and breastfeeding she expects it to be the happiest time of her life. Occasionally, to a mother’s dismay, she finds that breastfeeding brings on new challenges, feelings and experiences. She may experience feelings of pain with breastfeeding, or an unexplainable twist in her gut when her milk lets down. Unable to justify or validate what she is feeling leaves her at a loss and feeling confused. These feelings may be the result of a condition known as D-MER. D-MER stands for Dysmorphic Milk Ejection Reflex and it is treatable.
D-MER is caused by a drop in dopamine activity when oxytocin rises which creates a feeling of dysphoria in the mother (D-Mer.org). It is a physiological disorder, not a mental disorder. To understand D-MER better I have interviewed Renee Beebe, IBCLC. Renee Beebe is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant who works with mothers who may be exhibiting symptoms of D-MER.
Let’s assume for a moment that breastfeeding is not important. That the oral development that breastfeeding provides is inconsequential. We will ignore, for just a moment, the fact that the act of breastfeeding helps develop the baby’s jaw, his facial muscles and properly shapes the palate to make room for his future teeth. We’ll ignore all of that so that I can give you a few other reasons to agree to have your baby’s frenulum clipped. Just in case the possibility of pain free, effective breastfeeding is not a good enough reason for you.
The reason I’m being just a bit sarcastic is because there are plenty of health care professionals out there who do not “believe in” freeing a tongue tied baby’s tongue “just” so he can breastfeed. “After all,” they say, “..you can just feed your baby pumped milk or formula from a bottle.” Continue reading
My lactation consultant told me my baby is tongue tied and she needs to get her frenulum clipped so she can breastfeed. What is a frenulum? Why does my baby need this procedure?
The frenulum is a (usually) thin, fibrous band that connects the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. The mere existence of a lingual (tongue) frenulum is not an indicator of a problem. The important thing is whether the frenulum restricts the movement of the tongue in a way that interferes with its normal functions. If it does, your baby has a condition known as tongue tie or ankyloglossia. Continue reading