Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding Helps Protect Baby From Getting Sick
If you're still contemplating whether to breast-feed or bottle-feed we are happy to give you some direction. While some mothers have no choice in this decision, some moms contemplate the pros and cons of breastfeeding. One major d...
15 Ways to Increase Your Milk Supply
Breastfeeding mothers all have a common concern: is my baby getting enough to eat? Am I producing enough milk for my baby? Many times moms worry simply because they no longer have a strong noticeable milk letdown reflex once the m...
When To Begin Weaning Baby From Breast
As your little one begins to crawl, climb and walk she naturally becomes more independent. She is starting to feed herself with her chubby little hands. She is beginning to speak a few words. As you gaze upon your growing bundle, ...
Breastfeeding Diet for Mom
Don't throw away those prenatal vitamins or start with the cocktails and Cheetos just yet. If you are a breastfeeding mother, you will likely follow a diet of do's and don'ts not too unlike your pregnancy diet. While breastfeedi...
Changing Times: The Controversy Over Breastfeeding in Public
Health professionals and nutritionists have declared for years that breast milk if the best food for newborns. What people haven't always agreed on is whether breastfeeding is acceptable in public. But this is the new millenniu...
12 Breastfeeding Solutions to Common Problems
The decision to breastfeed your baby is a personal one. But even the most determined and confident new mother may experience some difficulties along the way. Below are twelve common problems you may encounter and some solutions...
How to Use a Breast Pump
You've decided to breastfeed your baby when the little one arrives. You've read about proper positioning, how to get baby to latch on and the mechanics of milk let-down. You've got books on breastfeeding and a nursing pillow. What...
13 Breastfeeding Tips for Working Moms
Returning to work after having your baby is enough of a challenge, however if you're a nursing mother the challenges may seem even greater at first. However, with some planning and preparation you can find breastfeeding and career...
Mastitis: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment
Mastitis is one of the more common complications that may occur in breastfeeding mothers. This infection of the breast tissue occurs occurs almost exclusively in breastfeeding mothers and typically in the first few months of nursi...
Is Baby Getting Enough Milk?
You know that you are committed to breastfeeding your newborn but you worry whether your baby is getting enough to eat. You were probably instructed prior to bringing your new one home that you should aim for 8 to 12 feedings in a...
Is Exclusive Breastfeeding Best for the First Six Months?
A paper published in the British Medical Journal in January 2011 calls into question the wisdom of The World Health Organization's recommendation to exclusively breastfeed all infants for the first six months of life. Exclusive b...
Breastfeeding a Biter
Many nursing mothers begin to worry as they see their infants gums starting to bulge. Teeth! How do I keep my baby from biting me while nursing? Since the World Health Organization recommends nursing through the second year of lif...
Including Dad While Breastfeeding
While breastfeeding is optimal for baby, it can be demanding for both mom and dad. While the physical and emotional demands on mother are obvious, those for father may be less visible but no less real. Dad can feel alienated from ...
When to Seek the Help of a Lactation Consultant
Breastfeeding may be the most natural act in mothering, but that doesn’t mean it always goes smoothly or easily. While the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends breastfeeding for the first two years of life or longer, and the...
Baby Hats For Breastfeeding Privacy
Mommy Bloggers praise the World's First Breastfeeding hat. Mommy bloggers all over North America have picked up on the fun, whimsical nature of our breastfeeding hats, and we couldn't be happier about it" says Diane Sam, invent...
What Is The Best Diet For A Breastfeeding Mom?
During pregnancy many women eat much more than usual sometimes eating a bizarre mixture of foodstuffs at the one time. This is just your body’s way of storing up the nutrition you need so your baby can grow strong inside you a...
Going Back to Work When You're Nursing
If you’re planning to return to work after your baby is born, you may be concerned about managing both effectively. It is a time consuming choice, but many women do continue nursing even after they go back to work. And, in spite o...
Breastfeeding: What You Need To Know Before Baby Arrives
My first pregnancy was the most challenging and rewarding time of my life. So many firsts were happening to me. All celebrated with such ignorant bliss - I literally went through labor and delivery with no clue that I actually had...
Q&A: Drying Up Once Baby is Weaned from the Breast
Q I've been breastfeeding for 10 months and have weaned my baby to a cup with no problem. The problem I'm having is drying up. I haven't nursed for 2 1/2 weeks and my breasts are still full. Is there something that I can do to hel...
Q&A: Weaning A One Year Old Baby
Q My daughter is 10 and a half months old. I am considering weaning her shortly after her first birthday. How do I go about it? I am currently expressing my milk twice a day at work and nursing her in the morning and evenings. My ...
Q&A: Weaning a Breastfed Baby
Q I am 22 years old and this is my 7th pregnancy, I had a miscarriage in February and now I am currently 10 weeks pregnant again. I am also breastfeeding my 1 year old son. I am trying to wean him because the doctor said that it w...
Is Your Baby Weaning?
Many of us are sold on the merits of natural, or child-led weaning-of letting a child outgrow nursing in his own time and at his own pace. Proponents of natural weaning see it as yet another developmental skill, or milestone, ...
Q&A: How can I teach my baby that it is not OK to bite me while breastfeeding?
Q My 4 month old is teething and has started using me as his pacifier. How can I teach him that it is not OK to bite me? A Around the age of 4 - 6 months, your baby's first tooth is coming in. During this time, it's comforting for...
Will My Baby Ever Drink From a Bottle?
Q I have been breastfeeding my ten week old son. At 6 weeks we started giving him a bottle of expressed breastmilk 1-2 times per week. Those feedings went fine. It took him a little while to get the hang of the nipple each time bu...
Q&A: 5 Month-old Waking At Night to Nurse
Q Should my 5-month-old still be waking up at night every hour to hour and a half to nurse? A At this stage of your babies development, every hour to hour and a half is more than your baby needs. A lot of possibilities could be ca...
Q&A: Nursing a Teething Baby
Q I have a 5 1/2 month old son, Cole. He has been breastfed since birth and we have had a wonderful breastfeeding relationship, until now. For the last 3 weeks, just about every time I try to nurse him, he arches his back and crie...
Breastfeeding Your Premature Baby
It has been a long nine months. You have read almost every pregnancy book you could get your hands on. You have devoured baby care tips from every source. You feel mentally prepared for the big challenge that awaits you. You have ...
Breastfeeding My NICU Baby
I would never have imagined that my baby would be taken to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) shortly after his birth. While he was born a little early, 37 weeks and 3 days to be exact, we had a perfect pregnancy - no problem...
Positioning and Attachment: Problems, Dilemmas, and Solutions
I attended a class on breastfeeding just weeks before my son was born. Admittedly, I was kind of disgusted with it at first. The thought of a baby sucking on me did not actually appeal to me. Perhaps it was hormones dictating my a...
Breast Milk LeakageNow There's a Real Solution
Many expectant mothers are aware of the wonderful opportunity they have to enhance the physical and emotional bond with their babies by breastfeeding as soon as possible after childbirth. It is also recommended that a baby be brea...
Is Your Baby On A Nursing Strike?
Babies are notorious for trying to fool their moms into thinking they're weaning. Beginning at around three to five months, some babies abruptly refuse to nurse. Known as a "nursing strike," periods during which babies stop breast...
Q&A: Breastfeeding and Contraceptives
Q. When I went for my 6-week postpartum check up and discussed my contraceptive options as a breastfeeding mom with my ob-gyn. She said that I had to have a period before she would prescribe either the mini-pill or an IUD. Of cour...
Q&A: Why Are My Nipples So Sore?
Q I have a 7 month old little girl named Emily. She has been nursed sinced birth and just recently, every couple of weeks my nipples get so sore, and last a couple of days. I can't hardly stand the pain. Could she be latching on w...
Q&A: Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Q I just found out I am pregnant with our second child, however, I am still nursing our 18-month-old. I am having a difficult time nursing her because my breasts are very sensitive and it is now annoying me. I don't mind but she w...
Q&A: Weaning From The Breast: How long does it take for the milk to dry up?
Q I have been breastfeeding my baby since birth. I need to go back to work in 1 week. I need to wean her from my breasts. She is taking the bottle very well. Please advise how do I stop the lactation? I have severe engorgement, de...
Q&A: Increasing Your Milk Supply
Q I am the mother of a three-month-old and am not happy with the amount of milk she is getting. Breastfeeding never really got off to a good start with me. I tried without using the formula for 11 days, but finally had to give in ...
Q&A: Not Enough Milk in the First Weeks of Breastfeeding
Q Dear Wendy, When my infant was born, I had no milk. My midwife said to keep trying. The only problem was I would only get an ounce of milk in 24 hours. Everyone told me that I had no milk. When they had their children, their mil...
Q&A: Recurring Mastitis
Q My daughter is ten months old, still nursing eagerly. I'm currently enduring my eighth or ninth bout of mastitis. Fever, soreness, lump, aches, the whole thing. Isn't this a bit unusual? I've seen the doctor, who never gives me ...
"Why Is my Breast so Swollen and Red?"
One day while nursing my son, I noticed that it was quite a painful experience, more than just ordinary discomfort associated with the letdown while nursing. This was shockingly painful. I noticed, too, that I started to feel al...
Breastfeeding while Pregnant
So you’ve passed the home pregnancy test… you’re pregnant with your next baby! Does this mean the end to nursing your baby/toddler? Why, no! You may be surprised to learn that you can indeed continue nursing during, throughout, an...
Breastfeeding - How to Lose While Baby Gains
If you're among the lucky few whose pregnancy pounds have "just melted away," we applaud you. Thanks for visiting; no need to read further. But if you vacillate between longing to fit into those old (and now amazingly petite-looki...
Sore Nipples
The best treatment of sore nipples is prevention. The best prevention is latching the baby on properly from the first day. Sore nipples are usually due to one or both of two causes. Either the baby is not positioned and latched pr...
Taking Medication & Breastfeeding
Over the years, many, many, many women have been wrongly told to stop breastfeeding. The decision about continuing breastfeeding when the mother must take a drug, for example, involves more than consideration of whether the medica...
Breastfeeding and Guilt
One of the most powerful arguments many health professionals, government agencies and formula company manufacturers make for not promoting and supporting breastfeeding is that we should "not make the mother feel guilty for not br...
Breastfeeding Positioning & Attachment
This checklist is useful when feeding or sucking difficulties are suspected with a young baby. It is difficult to assist a mother with positioning and attachment, without observing her breastfeed. But, the below checklist can be ...
When is the Best Time to Express Breastmilk?
Q I am breastfeeding my 10 week old son. After the first two weeks, it has been great. I am not going to return to work full time. Right now I'm working part time, but I'm able to bring the baby with me and feed him in my office. ...
How to Choose and Use a Breast Pump
The difference in breast pumps varies as much as differences in cars. You have your cheap versions, your expensive versions and all in-between. Which you pick should depend on your pocketbook and your preferences. Which type and b...
Nursing in Style
Many women are uncomfortable nursing in public. But today's nursing fashions can help you nurse with confidence, comfort, and style -- anytime, anywhere! The basics A good breastfeeding nightgown or pajamas will help you with th...
Including a Sibling When Breastfeeding
You are expecting another baby. You feel somewhat more prepared this time around than the first time. After all, you have all the essential baby items, a finished room, perhaps, loads of baby books, and, if you nursed the first ch...
Look Good & Be Discreet Breastfeeding in Fashionable Nursing Wear
"I began to realize that I might feel a bit better, both physically and emotionally, if I found some fashionable clothes that would accommodate my nursing days." What are some types of nursing clothes that can make a nursing mom...
Riding the Fence on Breastfeeding
The decision to breastfeed is not an easy one for all women. Some women are set in their decisions long before baby arrives. I was one of those women. I never wanted to breastfeed. While I respected any woman's choice to do so, I ...
From Bottle to Breast The Re-Making of Breast Milk
Perhaps you left the hospital intending to feed your baby formula, but you now long to breastfeed, or your little one's system has proven intolerant to formula. Maybe you've been apart from your newborn due to hospitalization and...
My Best Breastfeeding Advice
It's been eight months since I last breast-fed my son. He weaned himself almost right at his first birthday. It was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life!Before I begin, I want to tell you that the purpose of this artic...
Advice from a Nursing Mom
It's been eight months since I last breast-fed my son. He weaned himself almost right at his first birthday. It was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life! Before I begin, I want to tell you that the purpose of this art...
Nursing Tips for New Moms
This past summer, with the birth of my first child, I joined a new moms' group in Berkeley, Calif. It is a great gift to have such a diverse group of women - nurse, architect, office manager, photographer, social worker and jewel...
How Long Should You Breastfeed?
Unfortunately, how long a mother should nurse her baby does not have an easy answer. Advice given by people, whether it's doctors, a breastfeeding counselor or your mother, it is confusing and contradictory. Everyone you talk to h...
Building a Bond Through Breastfeeding
The number of women who breastfeed their babies has diminished over the years. Today, breasts are considered sexual objects, and many believe that breastfeeding is an obscene practice. For this reason, many mothers are apprehensiv...
Breastfeeding In Public
Who is more embarrassed when you choose to do this? You, or those around you? More often then not, in my experience, it has been others, rather then me. I do not mind the little stares, of curiosity. Anymore that is, when I was fi...
Breastfeeding and Working
This is not an information sheet on all the ins and outs of working outside the home and breastfeeding. This sheet provides information on how your baby can be fed when you are not with him. It is addressed in particular to the mo...
Breastfeeding--Starting Out Right
Breastfeeding is the natural, physiologic way of feeding infants and young children milk, and human milk is the milk made specifically for human infants. Formulas made from cow’s milk or soy beans (most of them) are only superfici...
The Cost of Not Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding promotes health, helps prevent infant and childhood disease, and saves health care costs, especially important in managed care. Potential health care cost savings from breastfeeding in four medical diagnoses were ana...
Breastfeeding a Toddler
Because more and more women are now breastfeeding their babies, more and more are also finding that they enjoy breastfeeding enough to want to continue longer than the usual few months they initially thought they would do it. UNIC...
How to Know a Health Professional is not Supportive of Breastfeeding
All health professionals say they are supportive of breastfeeding. But many are supportive only when breastfeeding is going well, and some, not even then. As soon as breastfeeding, or anything in the life of the new mother is not ...
Preparing to Breastfeed
When you come home from the hospital you want to make sure you have the following supplies in your house:At least 2 good nursing bras When your milk comes in, you will want to have something with very good support. I recommend Pla...
Some Breastfeeding Myths
Many women do not produce enough milk. Not true! The vast majority of women produce more than enough milk. Indeed, an overabundance of milk is common. Most babies that gain too slowly, or lose weight, do so not because the mother ...
The Easy Way
Megan was cradling eight-month-old Jennifer, in one arm, while four-year-old, Jeremy was tugging on her hand, “Come on, Mommy – hurry up! I want to play on the swings!” They quickly walked down the hill to the playground. Megan se...
Breast Compression
The purpose of breast compression is to continue the flow of milk to the baby once the baby no longer drinks (open-pause-close type of suck) on his own. Breast compression simulates a letdown reflex and often stimulates a natural ...
Benefits of Breastfeeding For Baby
p>1. Breast milk contains all the nutrients your baby will need for at least the first 6 months of her/his life. 2. Breast milk is more easily digested than formula. 3. Promotes proper development of jaw and face structure. 4. Bre...
Q&A: Alcohol and Nursing
Q Could you please tell me if it is ok to have 1 drink of alcohol a day if you're breastfeeding? A Alcohol does cross into the breastmilk. The amount of alcohol that crosses over is dependent on many factors, such as the mother's ...
Q&A Smoking While Breastfeeding
Q What studies have been done to determine the effects, if any, on a child whose breastfeeding Mother is an occasional smoker? A I'm not aware of any official studies done as to the effects of smoking on breastmilk, though nicotin...
Q&A: How Do I Make Sure My Baby Is Getting Enough Milk?
Q My son is almost 5 months old and I am still breastfeeding. I don't want to stop, but I don't make enough to fill him up. He is starting on cereal and foods, but it doesn't seem to help keep him full. We have resorted to using f...
Q&A: Should I Give My Breastfed Baby a Bottle of Water?
Q I have a two-week-old baby, I'm breastfeeding. I was curious to know when I can begin to offer her a bottle. I plan to continue breastfeeding, but would also like to offer her water, since it is so hot where we live. A You can o...
Q&A: How Often Should a Six-Week-Old baby Breastfeed
Q How often should a six-week-old baby breastfeed?A There is no hard and fast rule about how often a six-week-old baby needs to nurse. Every baby nurses at his or her own pace. Some babies are snackers and nurse more frequently. B...
Q&A: Breastfed Baby Spits Up A Lot
Q I have a new Grandaughter that is 3 weeks old. She is being breastfed and is gaining weight ok, but my question is: She burps, and spits up quite a bit. She also gets the hiccups after feedings. Do you know a reason for this an...
Breastmilk as Brainfood?
If the maxim is true that breast milk contributes to enhanced brain functions, then I must assume Einstein was a breast-fed baby. I was not breast-fed after birth. My intelligence, loosely noted, does not match that of Einstein's...
Breastfeeding and Other Foods
Breastmilk is the only food your baby needs until at least 4 months of age and most babies do very well on breastmilk alone for 6 months or more. There is no advantage to adding other sorts of foods or milks to breastmilk before 4...
Colic in the Breastfed Baby
Colic is one of the mysteries of nature. Nobody knows what it really is, but everyone has an opinion. In the typical situation, the baby starts to have crying periods about two to three weeks after birth. These occur mainly in the...
Is My Baby Getting Enough Milk?
Breastfeeding mothers frequently ask how to know their babies are getting enough milk. The breast is not the bottle, and it is not possible to hold the breast up to the light to see how many ounces or milliliters of milk the baby ...
My infant daughter is biting me while breastfeeding
Q My 6 1/2 month old daughter just got her first tooth. I am starting solids, but she still prefers being breastfed. I don't mind, but she wants to pinch or bite now. I have tried to firmly tell her not to do that, but it scares ...
Q&A: How Much Milk Should My 7-Month-Old Baby Be Getting?
Q My son is 7 1/2 months old. He was breastfed exclusively until 5 1/2 months, when we introduced solids. I work three days a week. On those days, he drinks only 10-12 ounces of expressed milk during my 10-hour absence but polishe...
Q&A: Baby Allergic To Cows Milk
Q My one-year-old son is very allergic to cow's milk. In fact, he had an anaphylactic reaction because of it. I'm breastfeeding on demand, and I plan to do it until he is two years old. My pediatrician told me that my milk is not ...
Vitamins for Breastfed Babies
You may be unsure if your breastfed infant requires a vitamin supplement. You may have also heard varying opinions on whether or not your baby should receive a vitamin supplement daily. There are many people who believe that a bab...
Smart Start: Infant Nutrition Essentials
Optimal nutrition for infants, both before and after birth, is an area of research that is still unfolding. A recent study demonstrated for the first time that early nutrition can significantly influence mental ability in later li...
Make Those 3:00AM Feedings Easier
A mom's day begins at 6 am to change, nurse and play with her baby. Through out the day, she changes and nurses her baby about every two to three hours. Mothers have the hardest job in the world. A newborn's demands are so little ...
Why Breast is Best
New parents want to give their babies the very best. When it comes to nutrition, the best first food for babies is breast milk. More than two decades of research have established that breast milk is perfectly suited to nourish inf...
Breastfeeding Is Tough but Worthwhile
For all its health benefits, breastfeeding isn't always easy. In the early weeks, it can be painful. A woman's nipples may become sore or cracked. She may experience engorgement more than a bottle-feeding mother, when the breasts ...
Tips for Breastfeeding Success
It's helpful for a woman who wants to breastfeed to learn as much about it as possible before delivery, while she is not exhausted from caring for an infant around-the-clock. The following tips can help foster successful nursing: ...