Nearly every new mother I see asks the question, “Is it ok for my baby to use a pacifier?” Here is the simple answer: Yes and no!
What these mothers want to know is whether pacifier use will interfere with breastfeeding. I can say with confidence that I have never seen a baby prefer a pacifier over a breast filled with nummy milk! In addition, in over 20 years of helping resolve breastfeeding issues, I have never named the pacifier as the source of the problem. Continue reading
Jane contacted me because she had returned to work and she was worried about her milk production. Her baby, Ernie, was 3 months old and she’d just started working 3 days/week. We set up a phone consultation and she shared the following:
New mothers are often concerned about getting pregnant again before they are ready. With good reason! To address that concern, health care providers often counsel new mothers to begin a birth control method 6 weeks after the birth of a new baby. But if that mother is breastfeeding, an invasive birth control method may not be necessary.
Breastfeeding has many benefits to mothers—one of which is a delay in the return of fertility. Many mothers enjoy a year or more without periods after the birth of their babies. Breastfeeding as a birth control method is referred to as the lactational ammenorrhea method or LAM. When a mother is using LAM, any artificial method of birth control can be considered a back- up method. LAM is over 98% effective* when ALL of the following conditions are met: Continue reading
This story is generously shared by Andrea and her daughter, Ainsley. Thank you both for your story and your determination to breastfeed!
When I was pregnant, I worried about everything. Everything, that is, except for whether I’d be able to breastfeed. Since many of my friends and my own sister had breastfed their children, it was a given that I would do the same. I pictured myself breastfeeding my daughter Ainsley, sitting on the beach in front of my house with her tucked inside a sling, contentedly drinking while we enjoyed a special bond.
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A mother who is struggling to provide enough milk to her baby will go to great lengths to increase her supply. She will hang on to every word of every well-meaning friend, relative or health care provider. Unfortunately, much of what she hears may be untrue or even potentially harmful to her health!
The number one myth I hear over and over again is that one must drink milk to make milk. This is not only false it makes no sense. Think about other mammals. Do you know of any adult mammal who drinks milk? Of course not! Mammals produce milk for their infants. When they mature and wean, they no longer need their mother’s milk. Think about dairy cows. They are prolific milk producers. And not one of them drinks milk! Continue reading