Milk Supply–A Thank You Note

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! (Updated, 2/16/21)

Sometimes I get a call from a parent who really needs help to breastfeed their baby but 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 person succeed with breastfeeding!  Stay tuned… I will periodically post about the families that you have helped.  You can follow this link. Any amount helps. All donations will be used for families in need. The babies thank you!

Breastfeeding: It’s Not Just About the Milk

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 (Updated, 2019)

Sooner or later every breastfeeding parent wonders, “What happens when my baby gets teeth?” I’m always happy when clients ask me this question because it gives me an opportunity to let them know that breastfeeding and teeth can co-exist!  If they don’t ask about this, people may wean unnecessarily because of a belief that breastfeeding a baby with teeth will lead to sore nipples. It’s completely logical to think that if there are teeth in your baby’s mouth, it could lead to biting. But, amazingly, comfortable breastfeeding and baby teeth can go hand in hand.  Continue reading

Bones and Breastfeeding

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