“Breastfeed”: It’s all in a Word

It’s rainy in Seattle today. It’s rainy in Seattle a lot. All this rain and hanging around indoors can give a person a lot of time to think. Lately I’ve been thinking about the word “breastfeed.” I can’t get it off my mind. Oh yes, it is one word. You see, you can’t separate the word “breast” from the word “baby.” They just go together. Which is my point. But I’ll get to that in a minute. Continue reading

Lactation Partners: Awesome Partners! (Updated, 3/2021)

Lactation Partner and Daughter

Today I had 3 clients. They had quite a bit in common. They were determined to breastfeed. Their babies were girls and they were all less than a week postpartum. The other thing these clients had in common was that their partners were active participants during the consultation. Dads are terribly important to the success of breastfeeding, and these three were absolutely amazing. They are well on their way to being lactation consultants themselves! Continue reading

Bodywork for Baby (Guest Post by Michael Hahn)

Newborn loving his time with Michael!

I often recommend bodywork for the babies of my clients. As a lactation consultant, it is my job to look at the entire baby–not just the mouth–to get to the underlying cause of any breastfeeding challenges. When I see structural issues that may cause a problem for breastfeeding or overall function, I refer to someone I trust. Michael Hahn is one of those very special bodyworkers who I rely on to help me help my clients. Here is what he says about working with infants. 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!

One Breast or Two?

Many of my clients run into difficulty when they follow a rule-based approach to breastfeeding. Unfortunately, breastfeeding books and websites are often full of rules. “Always breastfeed on both sides each feeding.” or “Baby should only have one side per feeding.” There are scary warnings about baby not getting enough “hindmilk” and details about how many minutes to spend on each breast. Really? How do other mammals (and humans) do this without watches and books? Continue reading