As we draw closer to Christmas, many moms are asking me about drinking alcohol whilst breastfeeding, so I thought this would be a good thing to address on my blog.

Like with everything concerning pregnancy, newborns and babies, there are many conflicting opinions about what is considered safe or not safe with regards to drinking and breastfeeding.

The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee considers small amounts of alcohol consumption compatible with breastfeeding. Moms having one unit or less each day is fine, whilst drinking in large doses is not recomended.

However, you will find many moms boasting of feeding babies in all states of anebriation in some of the chat rooms online. Not very safe, as more moms than you may think have dropped baby whilst feeding under the influence compounded by weeks of broken sleep, so please be careful!

Alcohol passes freely into the mothers milk and peaks between 30 and 60 minutes when just having alcohol on its own. It takes a little longer to peak when consumed with food taking between 60 and 90 minutes.

The length of time it takes your body to eliminate alcohol from your blood stream will vary according to body mass. Schulte (1995) found that a woman with a body mass of 120 pounds, consuming one glass of wine or beer, needed 2-3 hours to eliminate alcohol from the body.

However, I have just stumbled onto something I hadn't really considered before though, which is alcohol free wines and beers.

As I am getting married and holding my reception in my local Baptist church which has a no alcohol policy, I having been looking for ways to make alcohol free mulled wine to offer guests on arrival.

The more I look, the more I find. Marks and Spencers do an alcohol free mulled wine and you can even pick up some alcohol free wine and bubbly at Tescos! I have some I will try later and will let you know what it is like....

You don't have to feel left out this year just because you have a baby or one on the way, there are actually quite a few options open to you.

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

Hospitals used to be a place new mothers found support and rest, these days though, many moms can't wait to get out!

This is due to the number of babies being born every year with the staff stretched way beyond capacity and with the run up to Christmas and the New Year, hospitals are only going to get busier.

It is no wonder then that new moms, whether it be the first, second or third baby, struggle to find the breastfeeding help and support that they need. Breastfeeding support can't be rushed or fitted into a quick 15minute slot, babies just don't work that way. Sometimes it can moms a lot longer to articulate what they are feeling, to discuss what they feel the problem is having spent time with their baby trying to establish breast feeds.

So what can we do? Well, I believe that there is very little point playing the blame game, though I do appreciate one needs to address the downfall of the system that results in many moms giving up breastfeeding in the first 2 weeks.

We simply can't blame the midwives for their lack of knowledge - it is not their field of expertise, though we can refuse to be bullied and man handled by them as this only causes damage.

You can prepare yourself better before having your baby, so that once the baby arrives, you know which practical steps need to be taken to ensure the best possible outcome for both you and your baby!
Many moms will tell me that they are doing a breastfeeding workshop with their local NCT branch which is fantastic for building confidence and highlighting the benefits of breastfeeding. But that is not enough to fully prepare you.

I believe you need to know:
1. how to hold your baby
2. how to help your baby open his or her mouth
3. how to tell when your baby is swallowing - the muscles down the side of baby's face move regardless of whether your baby is swallowing!
4. What to do if your baby is not able to latch
5. how to hand express to get the tiny drops of colostrum and how to give this to your baby so that he/she does not end up back in hospital on a re-hydration drip

If you don't know how to do these 5 things, you are setting yourself up for heart ache. Midwives simply don't have the time to do your preparation for you!

Going into the Christmas period, the hospitals are getting busier and busier. If you are expecting a baby, get hold of my Let's Breastfeed Program and get prepared as you may well find yourself in hospital with nobody to help!

I love this time of the year as the days gradually get darker and we edge closer to Christmas and New Year. This year is especially special, as I am planning my very own winter wedding for the 13th December!

So whilst I am looking forward to the cold dark December days, I wanted to help you enjoy them too by preparing you for what may lie ahead.

Unfortunately, this time of the year also brings with it many bugs and lurgies, which make breastfeeding young babies all the more challenging. If you know what to expect and how to manage colds and snuffles if/when they do affect you and your little one, it may not seem too bad.

Your baby.....

Colds and chest infections in young infants may affect their ability to breathe whilst breastfeeding. This could lead to your baby pulling off the breast frequently and possibly not going back onto the breast again, once he/she has pulled off. You may find that feeds become shorter and a lot more frequent, as your baby struggles to get the nutrients and calories needed in a 24hour period. This all adds up to a tired, hungry and very frustrated baby (and mother!)

You..

You may worry that your baby is not getting enough milk and may try to offer baby more breast feeds, with or without much success. Offering the breast more frequently is a good thing to do, but please don't feel panicked if your baby is not interested. When a baby is sick, the appetite is suppressed, so that the body does not need to focus on digesting food, when all energy is needed to fight the infection. All the padding your baby has accumulated comes into play when he/she is sick and not feeding.

You may initially find that your breasts feel uncomfortably full but then you begin to worry that your supply is drying up as your baby is not feeding. If your breasts feel very full and your baby is not breastfeeding, you should express your breasts as frequently as your baby usually feeds. This will maintain your supply until your baby is well enough to breastfeed again. This will also give you a back up of milk in the fridge, that you can offer baby instead of the breast - to ensure that he/she is getting some milk. Expressing the breasts frequently will also prevent you from developing mastitis, which is always a good thing. Once your baby goes back onto the breast, your supply will readjust to meet your baby's demands.

If you feel that your supply has significantly decreased, I would suggest that you get onto my milk increasing routine - which is outlined in my on line breastfeeding program, Chapter 10 ' Sensible routines for Breastfeeding mothers - Increase my milk routine' www.letsbreastfeed.com/post-natal.shtml#order as soon as possible for best results.

Old fashioned steaming is great for unblocking little noses as well as nasal saline solution drops, warmed in your bra and dropped into baby's nose just before feeding.

I hope this will help you to avoid developing mastitis or unnecessary declining milk supply.

With much love,

Geraldine

Let's Breastfeed is dedicated to helping 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/post-natal.shtml#order

It has been a while since I last wrote, time seems to fly by so quickly and before you blink, you find yourself 3 months down the line. However, 3 months will seem like 3 years when experiencing painful nipples, so I wanted to address a question I am asked almost daily, "Will it all get better in time?"

There are some breastfeeding problems that will only get better in time and in the interim, there is very little one can do, apart from maintaining your supply and ensuring your baby is getting enough milk.

For instance, moms who feel that their nipples are too big for their baby's mouth will find that until the baby is big enough to scoop in areola as well as nipple tissue, they will need to compress the breast to push the milk into the baby's mouth, as their baby will not be able to actively milk the areola. BUT in time, the baby will be able to do this himself. If this mom was to find that her nipples were being chewed to pieces, her options would be to express to drain and accumulate milk to feed her baby, either by cup or bottle, thus maintaining her supply and ensuring her baby was fed.

The one problem that just won't get better in time, is sore nipples. Usually sore nipples will get worse. Wounds that were bleeding will turn into cracks that are closed in between feeds but open again as soon as the baby latches onto the breast. Your nipples won't toughen up, that is a myth, so if you are experiencing sore nipples, get some professional help and sort it out! Breastfeeding is meant to be a lovely experience, not a chore.

If you need any help, have a look at the Let's Breastfeed Program. I will be launching my Bite Size Range in a few weeks time that will look at individual problems in each mini book, saving you time reading and giving you information in the topic required.

I hope it won't be too long until I write again, but do remember you are welcome to contact me if you are experiencing pain and need a little advice.


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!

There is never a good time to experience pain in the form of sore nipples, so it is frustrating that both hot and cold weather can actually create more complications or intensify the pain you are already experiencing.

The weather affects us all whether we are conscious of it or not. It is, however, more noticeable if it is leading to misery.

Little babies don't seem to cope with the heat very well. They become very sleepy, making it difficult to wake and feed them properly and frequently. Their sleepiness can lead to moms missing feeds and becoming engorged, leaving moms prone to developing breast tenderness and possibly mastitis.

It can also lead to babies not feeding effectively at feeding times and then not settling well for good periods of sleep. This cycle develops very quickly and before you know it, you have a baby who is not feeding well, but seems to feed every hour or so, breasts that are not being drained well and are becoming sore and tender and a great deal of pain as the baby is too sleepy to wake and latch onto the breast properly.

If this isn't tricky enough, many moms suffering with sore nipples are actually also harboring a bacterial infection which is delaying healing of wounds on the nipples. When this happens, you will experience pain regardless of how well you are positioning and attaching your baby.

SO BEFORE YOU CONSIDER GIVING UP BREASTFEEDING, PAY YOUR GP A VISIT AND ASK WHETHER HE/SHE THINKS YOU MAY HAVE A SLIGHT BACTERIAL INFECTION ON THE NIPPLE. THIS IS EASILY TREATED, IS NOT HARMFUL TO YOUR BABY AND YOU WILL SEE RESULTS WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have visited 23 moms, of which 12 were suffering from sore nipples that needed a course of antibiotics to aid and complete the healing process. This is a lot higher than normal and from experience I know that the heat we are currently experiencing, is playing a big part in moms developing a bacterial infection on the nipple, which is delaying healing time.

If you have any further questions, I would suggest that you find your local Breastfeeding Specialist and consult with her for good advice. Alternatively, you know my number, either contact me by email or mobile.

I hope this helps.

Happy Feeding!

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/post-natal.shtml#order

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!