Safe bed sharing helps an angry baby to breastfeed.
I worked with a baby that was so angry that his mother couldn’t even hold him skin to skin. When she put him skin-to-skin, he went into a quick rage, roaring red-faced as he pummeled and rejected the breast. We tried many ways to encourage him to breastfeed, including a nipple shield. Nothing worked. I.. read more →
Wishing for the courage to speak the truth with a loving heart.
I saw a day-2 mom of 2 in the hospital today. She has changed her mind and bailed out. She has chosen to bottle feed formula. “Nerves,” she said, and “I already have a 20-month old” and, “if the doctor wants to prescribe something for my nerves, it’s better if I am not breastfeeding”.. read more →
Validate your assumptions.
Examine your assumptions. Making assumptions is an easy thing to do. I saw a mother in the hospital who was listed as bottle feeding formula on all the charts. Her first baby was born prematurely and died of NEC (necrotising enterocolitis). She was in the hospital for the birth of her second baby. As a.. read more →
The wisdom of Linda Smith, MPH, IBCLC, FACCE, FILCA
Linda Smith BSE, FACCE, IBCLC is one of the most well-known lactation consultants in the country. She has written terrific books, and speaks at major conferences, all over the world. Linda is a wonderfully blunt and well-informed, thoughtful speaker and writer. There are two things that she has said recently that deserve their own rose… read more →
Taste your own.
We spent a long time together. She did skin-to-skin with him, and he nuzzled and rooted even after having been fed 2 ounces of Similac. He held her nipple in his mouth. She was leaking all over him. Then the pediatrician came in to take the baby back to the nursery for a final check-up… read more →
Red herrings hide truth.
Today I worked with a mother who had been given Percocet by her physician because the pain in her breasts after breastfeeding was so great, and she was determined to breastfeed. Everyone working with her in the hospital assumed that her breast pain came from her implants. No one watched an entire breastfeeding. No one.. read more →
