“how long will my nipples feel like fire?”….
“when will breastfeeding feel better?”….
“is breastfeeding supposed to hurt so much?”…

What follows is usually an onslaught of answers from well-meaning moms who remember their own struggle. Their suggestions can sometimes be confusing, because they can be all be so different. Each answer comes from a real wish to help, but what they share is what worked for them in THEIR situation, including:

“just slather on the nipple ointment, that stuff is magic!” …
“FIND A LACTATION CONSULTANT ASAP!  You don’t want to wait or things will get worse!”…
“it will get better if you just keep at it for a few weeks, your nipples have to toughen up”…This is where I feel like I have to say something….

As a Lactation Consultant who primarily does home visits for new families, I usually meet them on their worst day. Maybe they’ve had a day or two of ‘pretty good’ breastfeeding, and things are really starting to hurt, or maybe it’s hurt from the first time they tried to latch that baby on.

I know a thing or two about nipple pain.

When the Facebook talk goes to the place where new moms are told that ‘nipple pain is just something you need to push through’ and ‘you have to wait until your nipples toughen up’, I feel like I have to say something.

Here’s the deal about nipple pain…
..although it’s VERY COMMON that breastfeeding hurts in the first week or two as you’re learning what to do, it’s really not SUPPOSED to hurt.

Since most new moms are not experts in breastfeeding (and may never even have seen someone breastfeed before!) they are learning this new skill, and don’t know exactly what they’re doing yet. ALMOST ALL new mothers will have a bad latch at some point in the middle of the night, because we’re too tired to care or to even notice. Once there’s a bit of damage to the nipple, then it can definitely be painful to latch for a day or two after that, even when you are getting a nice DEEP latch every time. This makes it seem like breastfeeding is actually supposed to hurt.

Most moms lean forward and lean down to give the breast to the baby, but this makes it easier for baby to slide away, and can end up with a bad and painful latch because baby’s mouth is compressing your nipple. Getting a DEEP latch where there is enough breast tissue in the baby’s mouth (it’s breastfeeding, not nipple feeding!) can usually make the whole situation feel better. You need to wait until you see a BIG open mouth before you let baby on to the breast.

Also, when the latch isn’t great, baby usually won’t get as much milk or colostrum. Don’t be a martyr, get help!

After there’s some damage to the nipple. even with a good latch it may hurt just for the first 10 seconds, but it should start to feel better and then be ok for the rest of the feed. This means that it’s a good latch, and that your nipple should start to heal.

There are some instances, like hidden Tongue Tie (which are often missed, even by Pediatricians, Midwives, Lactation Consultants and Nurses!) that can be causing you pain even when everyone says ‘it looks like a great latch’. Positioning and breast shaping techniques may help, but release may also be helpful in some cases.

No matter what you’ve heard, use your instinct. No one wants to keep having to nurse their baby over and over (it never seems to stop in those first few days/weeks!) and it’s really NO FUN if it’s also hurting you. Try a clinic, watch the videos, but if it’s still hurting, give me a call.

The sooner we can fix it, to sooner you will get to enjoy this experience!

The post Why breastfeeding can hurt, even when it’s not supposed to…. appeared first on Nutmeg Consulting.

Between my 3 children, I have nursed over the span of 10 years for almost half that time. Actually for over 59 months (you have to use months when talking about anything to do with kids right?) so just about 5 years….and I’m not done yet. There will be no more kids here, of that I will make sure, but I am still nursing my son, who is almost 20 months old (yup, that’s him with his ‘digger’ in the picture)…

I’ve thought about how my own experiences have helped me to help others breastfeed. Of course I can give them tips about comfortable positions, how to latch and making a comfortable ‘nest’ to hang out in (with all your important supplies nearby, like snacks, water, cellphone, tv remote, diapers, wipes and more snacks)…but really, I think the most important thing that I have now that can help my clients, is my memory.

It was almost 4 years between weaning my 2nd child (at 2) and the birth of my 3rd child. My memories of the first 3 months of the newborn period (also called the 4th trimester) had begun to fade. Sure I had images in my head of my snuggly baby, holding her skin-to-skin, wearing her in a baby carrier so I could make lunch for her big sister, trying to fix her latch because she had a tongue tie (again, another story)…. But really I didn’t remember the intense first few weeks with a newborn anymore. I had forgotten the reality of it, how it feels to feed again and again and again, and to hold that baby all.night.long.

I remember now.

I think that having this new, fresh experience in my head helps me to relate better to new mothers because I can say out loud what they’ve been thinking and they feel like they’re not alone. I joke about how moms cry on day 3 or 4 after the baby is born and they look at me with relief that they’re not losing their mind. I mention how we all have the ‘what have I done to my life?’ thought in the middle of the night when you would pay a million dollars just to sleep for three hours in a row. I tell them how I co-slept with my son from the first night in the hospital (just like 70% of the world) and then I tell them how to do it safely. They feel like I’m in their secret club when I mention that I have to go and nurse my son before bedtime, and they know that I’ve been where they’ve been and I made it out alive.

Being a new mom is hard. Learning as much as possible about what to REALLY expect from a newborn, especially how often they want to breastfeed, that they don’t want to sleep anywhere but ON you, and that your need for a shower or a hot meal is NOT something that your child will EVER care about. Sorry.

It’s ok. Hang in there. Let me show you how to get comfortable, and let me get you the tv remote.

I don’t know how long it will take before these memories start to fade, but I’m going to do my best this time, to keep remembering. I want to be able to help mothers know the realities of having a newborn, so they know not to expect a baby that sleeps all night (for a VERY long time), or wants to be put down…ever! They get bigger, they need you less and less, and things change, I promise. They always do.

-Angela

The post The Lactating Lactation Consultant…. appeared first on Nutmeg Consulting.

Whatever your breastfeeding story, it is very common to have at least a few struggles with breastfeeding especially in the first week. Whether it’s a painful latch, a sleepy baby, constant crying or someone telling you that baby isn’t getting enough, there are lots of challenges you might encounter. Most of us didn’t grow up in a village where all the mothers were topless and sat around a fire breastfeeding all day. If we had, more of us would find breastfeeding natural, instinctive and easy….but for many, it’s not. It’s something you need practice, help, and time to get good at. Also, there are some great tricks that can make a big difference if you know about them, so that’s where I come in!

Now Presenting: The top 4 things that will help you keep breastfeeding, even when things aren’t quite perfect at the start…..

1. Learn about Hand Expression

If there is ANY reason a baby is having trouble breastfeeding in the first few days after birth, hand express your colostrum every 2-3 hours. You might only get a few drops but it signals your body that you’re still ‘IN’ for becoming a breastfeeder and that you would like to request a great milk supply. We can figure a lot of things out later about a deep latch, nipple comfort and excess weight loss if your body is reminded to continue making milk. Check out a great Hand Expression video here

2. Spoons are made for babies too!

If your baby isn’t able to get colostrum out of your breast the ‘usual’ way because he’s tongue-tied, sleepy, it hurts you or he just can’t latch, then use a spoon! First, read #1 and watch that video. Now hand express right into a spoon & give it to the baby! Spoons are easy to use, hold small amounts (which is usually all newborns need anyway….seriously!) and you can express your thick colostrum right into it so you don’t lose your 3 precious drops in the pump valve thingy!

3. Take off your shirt and hold your naked baby.

This one seems simple and obvious once you learn about how much ‘skin-to-skin holding’ can improve breastfeeding outcomes. Most parents however, think they’re supposed to immediately put their new baby in all the cute outfits and hats they’ve had washed and waiting for this moment…. I don’t blame you, that outfit IS super cute, BUT if your baby is having trouble waking up, calming down, latching or is cold, I promise that the science here is right. Mama’s chest is the place to be. Put your feet up, get comfy and hold your baby.

4. Keep trying, and get help.

Ask for help, ask for more help, then if you still need help, find different help…and CALL ME! Breastfeeding takes practice. Learning about a few ‘normal’ things can make a big difference in your confidence too.

• Shaping your breast the SAME direction as the baby’s mouth will help him get a deeper latch
• The tiny amount of colostrum that babies actually need
• That weight loss in the first week is NORMAL (get help if it’s more than 10-12%) because of ‘water weight’
• That breastfed babies need to SUCK! (That’s what brings your milk in so don’t expect to sleep longer than an hour or two in a row for a while!)

The sooner you find help the better, but even if things aren’t perfect right from the start, try these things and your breastfeeding career really can continue almost always, if you are a bit stubborn, a bit knowledgeable and just a little bit lucky.

The post TOP 4 Things You Can Do if Breastfeeding Your Newborn Just Isn’t Working… appeared first on Nutmeg Consulting.