Isn't it funny how a phrase that is so commonly used, can actually denote quite a serious problem for breastfeeding mothers! What is more interesting, is that even though the phrase is used to describe one's inability to speak properly or at all, due to the tongue not able to move, it is still not considered a viable threat to the breastfeeding infant - many doctors shrugging it off as an 'opportunity to move with life and get baby onto a bottle if you can't breastfeed'.

I have seen 4 tongue tied babies this week, with various degrees of the tongue being tied and held down in the floor of baby's mouth, but guess what? Not one of them was diagnosed by either the midwife or paediatrician who checked the baby's oral cavity after delivery. So, I began to wonder, how many mums are out there, struggling to understand why breastfeeding is so difficult, why feeds go on for hours and then baby glugs down an entire bottle of formula, why their nipples are chewed to pieces?

I want to highlight some of the problems a tongue tie can cause. If you suffer from one or more of these symptoms, find a breastfeeding specialist who can help you and refer you to the right place to have it divided. It may not be a tongue tie that is causing your problems, but at least you know what to ask for.

Problems a tongue tie can cause are as follows:

Baby
Long and frequent feeds - resulting in an unsatisfied fractious baby
Slow weight gain - or a sharp drop in weight after birth
Spinach green poos - this tells us that your baby is not getting to the hind milk
Breast refusal and fractiousness at the breast due to low milk supply and a hungry baby

Mom
Sore cracked or bleeding nipples - though the positioning and attachment looks right
Full breasts that don't seem any emptier after long feeds
Mastitis
Eventually a low milk supply as your baby has not been able to drain milk from the breast, so the less your baby takes off the breast, the less you produce!

What does a tongue tie look like? When you baby cries, have a look under your baby's tongue. if your baby is not able to lift his/her tongue right up to touch the roof of the mouth, and you can see a membrane that runs vertically, from the floor of baby's mouth to the base of the tongue, your baby has a tongue tie.

It usually runs in families, though it may be difficult to spot now, as many tongue ties were divided by a midwife's long jagged nail many years ago. As it is only a membrane, it has no feeling and having it divided, is a 2 second procedure and is not painful at all.

If you think your baby has a tongue tie, or would like to have one divided, feel free to contact me at blog@letsbreastfeed.com

Let's Breastfeed is dedicated to making your breastfeeding dreams become a reality. If I can't see you in person, you can still have me in your living room with my Let's Breastfeed Program!

It has been a couple of weeks now since I have been able to sit down and write.

Work has kept me busy these last few weeks, I have worked with mums who needed to increase their supply, or decrease their supply, mums who struggled to get baby onto the breast or off the breast and onto the bottle, some mums have had thrush, some mastitis, 2 had to have abscesses drained.

The incredible commonality these very different mums share, is that they all feel like FAILURES!

FAILURES?! REALLY?! WHY?

I sit back and just can't imagine how mums who have been so let down by poor advice, support or teaching can place such a huge burden on themselves and feel responsible for the problems they have encountered.

Breastfeeding is wonderful when it is going well, but just like you need to learn how to drive a car before you go cruising with music blearing and the wind in your hair, you need to learn skills that will set you up for breastfeeding success and enjoyment. The people who teach you these skills, need teaching themselves by somebody who knows what they are talking about, or your skills will ultimately be faulty.

If the skills you have acquired have been faulty, it is not your fault things have gone pear shaped. How on earth should you know about an area that has become so specialized it is considered a medical science?

So, for all you wonderful women out there who feel like it is your fault that your baby is not gaining weight, or who are suffering painful feeds, or quite frankly just don't know which way is up any more, you have come to the right place.

Please take a deep breath and think about it for a minute. You would do anything for your baby, right.
You want the best for your baby which is one of the reasons you are so keen to get breastfeeding right for both of you. If your baby could talk, he/she would urge your to try for both of you, as apart from all the benefits, there is very little a baby would like to do more than breastfeed and be close to you.

Over the next few weeks, I will be releasing Bite Size eBooks that specifically cover the most common problems mums face in detail, in a bid to help as many mums out there, discover how truly fantastic and flexible breastfeeding can be.

In the mean time, you are welcome to touch base with me if there is something I can help with.

With love,

Geraldine


Let's Breastfeed is dedicated to making your breastfeeding dreams become a reality. If I can't see you in person, you can still have me in your living room with my Let's Breastfeed Program!

Thank you for all your emails and comments. I have been receiving quite a few emails from moms whose breastfeeding patterns have gone crazy with the onset of the hot weather, so I thought a few more of you may benefit from a little advice about feeding in the heat.

As the temperature rises, your milk will dilute slightly, to ensure that your baby is getting all the fluid he/she needs. You will notice that your milk is more 'watery' when you express. This is not a sign that the quality of your milk is poor, is is just nature's way of looking after you and little one.

The heat may aslo make your baby feel more sleepy while feeding at the breast, so use your breast compression to help push the milk down toward the nipple, so that it is easier for your baby to access. Undress your baby to the nappy. As you both become hot, you will also become sticky, so it may be easier to drape a muslin over your arm before picking baby up to feed. This will make moving him/her easier, a lot more comfortable and less sticky!

If your baby asks for feeds more frequently than his/her usual feeding pattern, this is absolutely fine. Most babies will ask for food and then only feed for 5 minutes before falling asleep. This feed should be considered as a thirst quenching feed, not a full feed. So, don't worry about pushing your baby to feed longer as these feeds, pop them down. They will wake soon enough for their full feed.

This may play havoc with routines, but just go with it. Ensure that your baby is always in a cool part of the house and lightly dressed. During the day, you could even just have him/her in a little short sleeve vest or nappy.

If you are out, don't leave your baby in the stroller unless it is parked in the shade. Most strollers are dark and this will attract heat. Many moms are hanging a blanket over the hood of the stroller to stop the sun from piercing baby's eyes, just remember that this is creating oven conditions in the stroller and will result in a very hot, thirsty and unhappy baby. Use something incredibly light, such as a muslin, if anything at all and remove as quickly as possible once you are out of sunlight.

Crying makes your baby thirsty, so if your little one is crying for whatever reason, you may find that offering the breast will calm and settle him/her well before putting down.

SUNNY SIDE UP!

Let's Breastfeed is dedicated to making your breastfeeding dreams become a reality. If I can't see you in person, you can still have me in your living room with my Let's Breastfeed Program!

I sometimes wonder whether rose tinted glasses are part of a standard uniform issued to breastfeeding antenatal teachers or whether we are just very optimistic people?

Don't get me wrong, it is important to be positive about your possible breastfeeding outcome, but I wouldn't try driving a bus, having watched an 80's version "HOW TO.." 10 minute DVD, sooped up on 10 tons of positive thinking and the fact that having driven a car for years, it should come naturally.

Surely I would need a little practical advice, preferably offered in bite size chunks, focussing on getting the basics right - before being expected to nip down Kings Road picking up paying customers, without any squashing, crashing, scraping, squishing of cars and padestrians - from day 1!!

So, why do we think that by telling moms everything is going to be alright, they are not going to find themselves stressed out and frazzled and most possibly in a lot of pain very early on?

Is it because breastfeeding is so incredibly natural for all, or that we have such brilliant support in the hospitals where midwives have endless hours to sit and teach them how to get things right, or is it that we just hope that by installing a little confidence in the new mom, she will persist until everything eventually falls into place?

Well whatever the reason, I think we should change the way we prepare moms for breastfeeding by telling them how to get their positioning and attachment right to suit their individual needs from day one! This needs to be practical, easy to remember and simple enough, so that we not at risk of conjuring up conflicting advice!

With so many babies being born each day and hospitals and midwives stretched to capacity, surely we can teach moms what they need to know before they have their baby, so that they can merely benefit from additional support once the baby arrives, rather than being totally reliant on health professional and completely in the dark about the practicalities of breastfeeding!

If you are a mom who has breastfed and would like to make changes or are happy with a service you received, please drop me a line. I would love to hear from you!


Let's breastfeed is dedicated to making your breastfeeding dreams a reality. If I can't see you in person, you can still have me in your living room with my Let's Breastfeed Program. www.letsbreastfeed.com

Many moms are asking me why so many moms are experiencing sore nipples when breastfeeding is supposed to be such a natural activity for both mom and baby. This is a good question and one that really needs to be addressed!

It is inevitable that you are going to receive a degree of conflicting advice, as individuals have their own way of interpreting studies, techniques or information a mother will give at a particular time regarding a particular problem. However, the scale of variation between one midwife and another regarding breastfeeding techniques or timings, is leading to a lot of confusion and frustration. Often, the combination of all the conflicting advice, does very little to support or teach the new mom anything! So moms struggle to see the point and ultimately give up searching, feeling sad at failing to establish breastfeeding!

Don't be mistaken about breastfeeding and pain, they do not go hand in hand. If you are experiencing pain, there is a problem, and there will be any alternative to what you are currently doing, if you would like to reduce pain but continue giving your baby the benefits of your breast milk! Breastfeeding is not as black and white as some people imply it is. Many of my clients combine a bit of breastfeeding, a bit of pumping, a bit of bottle feeding and enjoy full and rewarding months feeding their baby! The good news is that you can too!

Let's breastfeed is dedicated to making your breastfeeding dreams become a reality. If I can't see you in person, you can still have me in your living room with my Let's Breastfeed Program! www letsbreastfeed.com

If you are a breastfeeding mom and suffering with sore nipples, please believe me when I say that it is NOT normal! It may be a common occurrence, but any pain you are experiencing, should indicate that there is something wrong!

You may already have bought the Let's Breastfeed Program, but I just wanted to highlight certain aspects that are very real in everyday breastfeeding episodes, and touch on how and what the primary causes are!

For the next few days, I will answer some of the questions that have been coming through regarding sore nipples, as well as short informative articles, in the hope that this will help as many other moms out there that are suffering too!

Thank you for all your wonderful emails! Please do keep them coming at blog@letsbreastfeed.com!

Let's Breastfeed is dedicated to making your breastfeeding dreams become a reality! If I can't see you in person, you can still have me in your living room with my Let's Breastfeed Program. www.letsbreastfeed.com/blog

When breastfeeding is a new and undeveloped skill, minor mistakes can very quickly lead to complicated breastfeeding problems, leaving a new mom and hungry baby, frustrated and on the brink of tears!

Sore nipples are often overlooked by professionals, as they are considered part of the breastfeeding course. I believe this is where many moms are being let down as sore nipples can indicate that the breast is not being drained well, leading to blockages and mastitis for mom and a less than satisfactory meal for little one, resulting in frequent feeds!

Sore nipples do not only result from poor positioning or attachment. Often combining elements of your breast tissue with your baby’s oral cavity, can result in soreness of the nipples and breast pain. For instance, a mom with inverted nipples or flat nipples, may find that mastering the art of breastfeeding is a little more challenging than other moms. Whilst your baby is more reliant on scooping up the areola when breastfeeding, rather than the nipple, you may feel that having flat or inverted nipples mean your baby slips off the breast more easily, creating feeding problems.

This is quickly and simply corrected with careful and tailored positioning and attachment skills which you will find in my Let’s Breastfeed Program!

If you have sought breastfeeding help and have corrected and modified your technique, you can expect your nipples to feel a little tender at the beginning of the feed for up to 60 seconds. Provided your nipples are round at the end of a feed, you can rest assured that your sore nipples will soon be a thing of the past, as with the correct attachment, you can expect your nipples to heal in a couple of days!

If you are experiencing sore nipples, seek professional help. Pain is a good indicator that there is something wrong and ignoring your pain, will just lead to further complications.

Let's Breastfeed is dedicated to making your breastfeeding dreams become a reality! If I can't see you in person, you can still have me in your living room with my Let's Breastfeed Program! www.letsbreastfeed.com/blog