Squeaker: A Story about a Tongue Tie Release

Posted on October 21, 2012 by reneeb

Baby with tight frenulum. No tongue elevation present.

I met a darling baby last week who was obviously tongue tied. By obvious I mean that his tongue was not only visibly anchored to the floor of his mouth, but the mobility of his tongue was severely restricted. All signs indicated tongue tie. He cried frequently through the day with severe gas pains. He could not move his tongue side to side and there was almost no elevation when he cried. When he nursed, his tongue “snapped back” repeatedly. The snap back prevented him from keeping a strong vacuum at the breast, leading to noisy breastfeeding, slipping off the breast and sore nipples for mom. He was so noisy with smacking sounds and squeaky swallowing that his mom nicknamed him “Squeaker.” Continue reading →

Milk Supply–A Thank You Note

Posted on July 10, 2012 by reneeb

I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you so much for everything you have helped us accomplish this past year. Today is my son, Robbie’s, first birthday, and I am happy to say we are still pumping, and strongly committed to at least 18 months.

After three years of heart-breaking infertility, I often found myself wondering why I couldn’t be a Mommy. I continually came back to the thought I was going to be a horrible mom. The day my son was born, I was terrified I wouldn’t be able to give him everything. We left the hospital when he was five days old. Breastfeeding was not successful. I tried and tried, but Robbie couldn’t latch. I diligently pumped my milk for him, but it was difficult and I never made quite enough. When he was a couple months old, my Dr. suggest the Mirena IUD for birth control. After having it inserted, my supply dwindled even more—down to just an ounce and a half a day. I was met with discouragement and urgings to stop pumping from family and friends. They kept telling me how much more time I would have during the day if I stopped. Continue reading →

Be a Breastfeeding Booster!

Posted on June 11, 2012 by reneeb

Sometimes I get a call from a mom who really needs help to breastfeed her baby but she is unable to pay for a consultation. If you have been helped in some way by myself or another lactation consultant, please consider being a Breastfeeding Booster by donating to this lactation fund. The money from these donations will enable me to help families who otherwise could not afford a home visit. You will feel great knowing that you are helping another mom succeed with breastfeeding! Any amount is helpful. Stay tuned… I will periodically post about the mothers and babies that you have helped. Thank you for your donation!

Breastfeeding: It’s Not Just About the Milk

Posted on April 25, 2012 by reneeb

As you know, your milk is a wondrous thing. It is uniquely designed for your baby, changes by the minute and by the day and is the perfect nutrition for your baby no matter what her age. It is also full of antibodies, long-chain fatty acids and protects your baby from illness. It’s always the perfect temperature. It tastes like ice cream. You always have it with you. It’s free! You will never have to worry about a batch of your milk being recalled. Still, as great as your milk is; for your baby, breastfeeding is about much more than the milk. Continue reading →

Breastfeeding and Teeth

Posted on April 13, 2012 by reneeb

Sooner or later every nursing mother wonders, “what happens when my baby gets teeth?” If mothers never ask that question aloud, they may never know that comfortable breastfeeding and baby teeth can go hand in hand. Many mothers assume that, with the eruption of teeth, breastfeeding must come to a halt. Fortunately breastfeeding and teeth can comfortably co-exist. Continue reading →

Bones and Breastfeeding

Posted on February 23, 2012 by reneeb

It’s a commonly held belief that women who breastfeed their babies experience bone loss at a much greater rate than women who do not breastfeed. Not only that, but the longer you breastfeed, the worse the bone loss will be. That, somehow, if we feed our baby in a way that’s biologically normal, there will be devastating consequences to our bodies. It’s never made sense to me that nature’s system for nourishing our young could lead to such devastating consequences as osteoporosis and fragile bones. Continue reading →

Doulas I Love: Jan Martinka

Posted on February 18, 2012 by reneeb

I have known Jan since 1998. We were both members of Northwest Association for Postpartum Support (NAPS). We have happily shared dozens of clients. Jan provides fantastic support to her clients prenatally, during the birth and postpartum. She has tons of experience and has attended over 100 births. Jan’s clients LOVE her! Continue reading →

Breastfeeding Dads: A Love Note

Posted on February 2, 2012 by reneeb

What do you think is the factor that most influences whether or not a woman breastfeeds? Her determination? Baby’s ability? Interventions during childbirth? Mother’s milk supply? Family history of breastfeeding? The answer is: None of the above. Continue reading →

Tongue Tie: More than “Just” a Breastfeeding Problem

Posted on October 2, 2011 by reneeb

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 →

Breastfeeding Diet Quiz

Posted on September 16, 2011 by reneeb

This is a test! Please read the following statements and respond “true” or “false” to each one.

1. If I breastfeed, I have to eat a bland diet.

2. If I eat broccoli, my baby will have gas.

3. If I have a glass of wine, I have to “pump and dump.”

4. I cannot drink coffee while breastfeeding.

5. If I eat chocolate, my breastfed baby will get diarrhea. Continue reading →

The Second 9 Months

Holistic Support for Breastfeeding and Parenting

Tag Archives: Breastfeeding