The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog

Join the next Carnival of Breastfeeding: Share a story.

Join in the May Carnival of Breastfeeding!

This month's theme is "share a story." Please share with the Carnival readers any great stories you have related to breastfeeding. It can be about your overall breastfeeding experience or anything funny, sad or touching that has happened during your nursing relationship.

Please send your submissions by May 18th.  The Carnival will be on May 25th. As always, we are looking for posts that are:

• Well-written and grammatically correct
• Thoughtful and directly on point for the carnival subject
• Submitted by blogs that pertain to subjects of interest to our readers (breastfeeding, parenting, etc.)

If your post is selected for inclusion, you will be asked on the day of the carnival to edit your post to link back to each of the other participants in the carnival. Examples of past carnivals can be found here.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

The "How to" Carnival of Breastfeeding: How to help your baby kick the nipple shield habit.

Welcome to April's Carnival of Breastfeeding!

This month's theme is "how to."  Be sure to check out the contributing bloggers' posts, linked at the bottom of this post.

My contribution is on how to stop using a nipple shield.

We get started using nipple shields for a number of reasons, but it usually comes down to babies' inability to latch, or latch well, without one.  That might be because of inverted or flat nipples, a sucking or tongue problem, prematurity, 'nipple confusion' from bottle use, and even overactive let down.  They can be lifesavers.  In some hospitals they're treated like contraband; in others they're handed out like candy.

Whatever the reason for getting started with nipple shields, it's often hard to stop using them.  That's because babies get used to latching with them.  It's another form of 'nipple confusion,' which is really a misnomer, because babies are rarely confused - it's more accurate to call it a 'nipple preference.'  Most mothers I know don't like using them - they get lost, or you feel petrified that you'll forget it at home.  Most mothers find it harder to nurse in public with them, too.  And for some mothers it's a big disappointment to not be able to nurse without one.

I should also say that some mothers want to use nipple shields long term, and if they're happy doing that I think that's just fine.

But if you want to get rid of the shield, how to you break the habit?  Here are my suggestions:

Start early.  It isn't always possible to work on this right away, I know, but I have seen babies wean off of nipple shields in the first week when mothers have really focused on it.  Medela's instructions for their nipple shields suggest: "If the Nipple Shield is being used for a baby having difficulty latching onto the breast, remove the nipple shield after a minute or two of breastfeeding...Continue to do this with each feeding until the baby is able to latch-on without the shield.  Some babies need only one or two sessions with the shields, while others may need more."

If your baby has developed the preference, remember some basic things.  The best resource I've seen on this topic is at kellymom.com.  There are many great suggestions on that page, and they represent some basic ideas: 

1) Try to make your nipple feel more like the shield before attempting to nurse without it. You can do this by rolling it between your fingers, pumping, or even putting something cold on them before nursing.

2) Don't force it.  It doesn't work, and it'll just make you both upset.  You also don't want your baby to associate being at the breast with a fight.  So if you feel your blood pressure rising, or if your baby seems distressed, take a break and try it another time.

3) Try it when your baby is less likely to notice that it's not there.  For example, try not using it on the second breast after nursing with it on the first.  Or try it when your baby is sleepy, or not hungry.  They tend to have a lot of difficulty when they're ravenously hungry.

Try self attachment.  I've seen this work a few times, and it's amazing.  Try this when your baby is a little hungry (but not ravenous), and in a quiet alert state.  Take off your shirt and strip your baby down to a diaper.  Place your baby on your chest, between your breasts, with his head under your chin.  Support him, but make sure he's free to move on his own.  He will probably "bop" his head against your chest a few times, and then start sliding down toward one breast.  Let him do this, and just move his bottom to the opposite side to help.  Then wait.  He just might latch on without the shield on his own.  Even one suck without it is a triumph and a sign of progress. 

Have patience.  This can take some time, and it happens gradually, in my experience.  Then one day, your baby refuses to nurse with it.  Sometimes this takes six days, sometimes it takes six weeks, or even six months!  So have patience and faith.  It'll all work out. 

Expect to re-learn latching.  Latching with a nipple shield is not like latching without one, and if the reason for the nipple shield was a sucking problem, your journey might not end when you stop using the shield.  If you find yourself having any pain once you've ditched the shield, get some experienced help right away.

Don't miss these posts from other bloggers (updated throughout the day):

• Marketing Mama: How to pump successfully at work
• Mama Saga: How to breastfeed (or just look like you know what you're doing)
• BabyReady: How to get baby to take a bottle
• Strocel: How to get breastfeeding off to a good start
• Baby Carriers Down Under:  How to breastfeed hands-free
• Blacktating: How to treat a cold while breastfeeding
• Breastfeeding Moms Unite: How to become a breastfeeding support professional
• Breastfeeding Mums: How to wean a breastfed toddler
• Mama Knows Breast:  How to get a spouse to help with breastfeeding
• Breastfeeding 1-2-3: How to teach your baby nursing manners
• Zen Mommy:  Using YouTube to stop nosey questions!
• Natural Birth and Baby Care: How to improve milk supply through nutrition
• Happy Bambino:  How to deal with unsupportive family members
• Tiny Grass:  Tandem nursing: How to do it without driving yourself and your nurslings crazy
• The Bee in your Bonnet: How to be comfortable around nursing mothers
• MoBleez: How to naturally increase your milk supply - try seaweed
• Milk Act: How to care for a sick nursling
• Maher Family Grows: How to to increase milk supply using supplements

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

February's Carnival of Breastfeeding: Home remedies for breastfeeding problems.

Welcome to this month's carnival of breastfeeding! 

This month we're bringing you posts on how to save (more) money while breastfeeding.  Be sure to check out the other bloggers' posts at the bottom of this one.

My contribution is a list of cheap items you can use as home remedies for common breastfeeding problems - many of which you'll find in your kitchen. Here's my list:

Cabbage:  Cabbage can be used to alleviate engorgement, or to reduce fullness during weaning.  Use green cabbage, peel off a few leaves, cut out the middle vein, wash thoroughly, and place inside your bra.  Kellymom.com advises use for no more than 20 minutes, 3 times a day, as cabbage can reduce milk supply.  Do not use if you have a sulfa allergy.  Comprehensive information on engorgement is here.

Frozen vegetables:  Frozen peas, corn (why not a 'medley?') can be used in between feedings to relieve the swelling of engorgement.  They mold nicely to the shape of your breasts, too.  Again, comprehensive information on engorgement is here.

Salt: You can use salt to make a saline solution to speed healing of broken skin on the nipple.  First, of course, get good help to fix a bad latch or other cause of broken skin.  While you're healing, use these instructions on kellymom.com to make a saline solution. You can also use an Epsom salt soak to help resolve a milk blister.  Comprehensive information on sore nipples is here.

Vinegar:  If you have thrush, you can use a vinegar rinse in addition to medical treatment.  Follow instructions on this La Leche League page.  Note that this is an addition to, not a replacement for, medical treatment of thrush.  Comprehensive information on thrush treatment is here.

Rice:  Have a plugged duct?  Suffering from Raynaud's vasospasm of the nipple?  Make a 'rice sock' warm compress by putting a cup of uncooked rice in a clean sock, tying it up, and heating it in your microwave (heating times vary; make sure it's not so hot that it could burn your skin).  It'll stay warm for a while, and you can use it before or during nursing to help open up a plugged area, or on your nipples right after nursing to prevent a vasospasm. Comprehensive information on plugged ducts is here, on Raynaud's vasospam here.

Oatmeal, barley, brown rice:  These are not at the top of the list of things to do to increase milk supply, but oatmeal (the old fashioned, slow cooking kind), barley, and brown rice have been used traditionally to increase milk supply.  More "lactogenic" foods are listed on the MOBI Motherhood website.  Comprehensive information on increasing milk supply is here.

Washcloth:  Large breasted and having trouble with positioning?  You can roll up a washcloth and place it under your breast to help elevate your breast, if that helps with positioning. 

Spoon or medicine cup:  Need to feed your baby in addition to the breast, but he/she is too young for a bottle, or is refusing one?  It's not necessarily easy, but in a pinch and for the short term, you can cup or spoon feed him with expressed milk. 

Warm water:  To help move milk out an engorged breast, you can take a warm bath or put your breasts in a basin of warm water.  Using a warm, wet compress before nursing can help to break open a milk blister (sometimes called "blebs").  Again, comprehensive information on engorgement is here, information on milk blisters is here.

Juice jar: This is decidedly old school, but in a pinch you can make a breastpump using a jelly jar and some hot water.  See kellymom.com for instructions. 

Be sure to check out these posts from other bloggers (updated throughout the day):

• Hobo Mama shares some tongue-in-cheek tips for saving money
• Blacktating shares money-saving breastfeeding tips
  
• Milk Act shares how breastfeeding made her more frugal
• Mamas Worldwide shares instructions on turning a regular bra into a nursing bra
• Breastfeeding 1-2-3 shares a recipe for homemade Pedialyte
• Zen Mommy writes about how she saves money while breastfeeding
• Breastfeeding Mums shares money-saving alternative uses for breastmilk
  

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Join the next Carnival of Breastfeeding: Money saving breastfeeding tips

Have some good tips on how to save money while breastfeeding?  Apart, of course, from the money you'll save by breastfeeding in the first place!

Share your tips at our next carnival!  Send me (using the email link on the sidebar) your submission by February 9, 2009, for consideration.  The carnival will be on February 16th, 2009.  We'll be looking for posts that are:

– Well-written and grammatically correct
– Thoughtful and directly on point for the carnival subject
– Submitted by blogs that pertain to subjects of interest to our readers (breastfeeding, parenting)

If your post is selected for inclusion, you will be asked on the day of the carnival to edit your post to link back to each of the other participants in the carnival.  Examples of past carnivals are here.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

January's Carnival of Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding goals.

Welcome to this month's Carnival of Breastfeeding!  This month's theme is breastfeeding goals.  Be sure to check out what other bloggers have to say on this topic at the bottom of this post.

I have a whole lot of breastfeeding goals for this year.  Some of them are:

Finish Spanish for Breastfeeding Support.  Last week my co-author and I finished a final draft of a book which will help breastfeeding support people communicate with mothers in Spanish.  It should be out by this summer, and I'm very excited to have reached this stage.  I'm setting up a website for the book, which will have a 'how do I say this?' forum, extra exercises, and links to breastfeeding resources in Spanish.  Here are a few audio clips from when we were recording the audio portion.

Recruit mothers for a breastfeeding/biopsy study.  As I've mentioned before, I'm helping Dr. Kathleen Arcaro at the University of Massachusetts recruit mothers for an important study on breast cancer.  If you know of a nursing mother who has recently had, or expecting to have, a biopsy, please ask them to contact me.  I've set up a website for this and other studies using breastmilk.

Distribute pumps to WIC.  As a result of some fundraising, my breastfeeding coalition recently purchased three pumps for area WIC offices.  They'll loan them out to mothers who might not otherwise be able to afford to rent one.

Hold a breastpump training.  My breastfeeding coalition is also planning to hold a training on breastpumps conducted by Medela in March.  Email me if you'd like more information (use link on sidebar).

Get the word out about Massachusetts' new nursing in public law.  I recently had 500 business cards printed with sections of our new law on nursing in public.  Our coalition will distribute them, and I'll be trying to think of other ways to raise awareness of the new law.

Help get pumping rooms set up at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  For a while a group has been working on setting up pumping rooms at UMass.  So far there is one, newly designated room, and we're hoping for many more.  A list of other campus lactation programs is here. 

Get trained to accept breastmilk donations.  Our breastfeeding coalition has gotten a freezer set up to accept breastmilk donations (see thrilling picture to the left), and as soon as we get trained in how to operate our 'milk depot,' we'll start to receive and ship approved donors' milk to the Mothers' Milk Bank of New England.

Do more podcasts.  You gave me some great ideas for podcast topics last year, and I'm planning on doing them on tandem nursing, extended breastfeeding, sexual abuse and breastfeeding, and breastfeeding and African American moms.

And finally, cut back a little!  I'll be turning over the leadership of our coalition, as well as the responsibility of the newsletter for the Mothers' Milk Bank of New England.  Here's the current newsletter.

Check out these posts from other bloggers participating in this months' carnival (updated throughout the day):

• Zen Mommy's 2009 breastfeeding resolutions
• Secrets of Orual's breastfeeding goals
  
• Hobo Mama's breastfeeding resolutions
• Breastfeeding 1-2-3 on the goal of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months
  
• Blacktating's breastfeeding goals
  
• Milk Act's breastfeeding goals
• Beautiful Letdown's breastfeeding goals
• Mama Knows Breast's breastfeeding goals
  
• Breastfeeding Mums breastfeeding goals
  

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Join the next Carnival of Breastfeeding: What are your breastfeeding goals?

Do any of your goal for the new year have to do with breastfeeding?  Are you resolving to continuing to nurse longer, or maybe planning a breastfeeding advocacy project?

Tell us about it in a post for our next Carnival of Breastfeeding. Send me (using the email link on the sidebar) your submission by January 12, 2009, for consideration for the carnival on January 20, 2009. We'll be looking for posts that are:

– Well-written and grammatically correct
– Thoughtful and directly on point for the carnival subject
– Submitted by blogs that pertain to subjects of interest to our readers (breastfeeding, parenting)

If your post is selected for inclusion, you will be asked on the day of the carnival to edit your post to link back to each of the other participants in the carnival.  Examples of past carnivals are here.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Click here

Join the next Carnival of Breastfeeding: Product reviews.

Our next carnival of breastfeeding will feature reviews of nursing products. 

Is there a pillow or tea you couldn't live without?  Is there a book you've been wanting to read or a bra you've been wanting to try out?  Here's your chance to write about it! 

As usual, we'll be looking for posts that are:

- Well written and grammatically correct
- Thoughtful and directly related to the carnival subject
- Submitted from blogs related to breastfeeding or parenting

Email me your submission by November 10th, 2008.  The carnival will be on 17th, 2008.  Please note that, if your post is selected for inclusion by our regular group of bloggers, you will be asked to link to each of the other participants in the carnival.  We reserve the right to choose posts for inclusion.  Examples of past carnival posts can be found here.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed?  Click here.

Blog Action Day: How breastfeeding fights poverty.

Welcome to this month's special Carnival of Breastfeeding/Blog Action Day post!

Our regular bloggers have teamed up with Blog Action Day to bring you posts on the topic of poverty.  Tens of thousands of blogs will feature posts on this year's topic.  Check out the other contributing bloggers below, and at Blog Action Day.

For my part, I'm writing about how breastfeeding in the developing world fights poverty, and ways you can help. 

So, how does breastfeeding fight poverty here and in the developing world?

Breastfeeding fights disease in impoverished regions.  As you know, breastfeeding provides critical support against many diseases, and it is nowhere more important than in the developing world.  This quote, from James P. Grant, former executive director of UNICEF, says it far better than I can:

Breastfeeding is a natural "safety net" against the worst effects of poverty. If the child survives the first month of life (the most dangerous period of childhood) then for the next four months or so, exclusive breastfeeding goes a long way toward canceling out the health difference between being born into poverty and being born into affluence .... It is almost as if breastfeeding takes the infant out of poverty for those first few months in order to give the child a fairer start in life and compensate for the injustice of the world into which it was born.

Purchasing formula can drive families into poverty.  Breastfeeding is free.  Formula can bankrupt an already poor family.  In the Philippines, a small can of formula is equivalent to a day's worth of work for a minimum-wage earning parent.   This forces some parents into choosing between feeding their babies and feeding themselves or older children.  Or they make the dangerous decision to dilute the formula to stretch it further, and babies suffer as a result.

Breastfeeding helps control fertility in the developing world.  Breastfeeding is a primary way women in developing countries control their fertility.  This control over family size helps mothers provide better for the children they have.  Breastfeeding plays such an important role in fertility that La Leche League's Breastfeeding Answer Book cites an estimate that if all breastfeeding were to stop, within a year there would be a 20 to 30 percent rise in the birthrate worldwide.

Breastfeeding uses fewer natural resources.  As I've written before, breastfeeding uses far less natural resources than formula feeding.  The manufacture of formula leads to deforestation for cattle grazing, and uses resources for manufacturing, packaging, and transport.  Poor families in developing countries will be hard hit by the effects of global climate change.

Looking for a way to support breastfeeding directly in the developing world?  How about a "Breastfeeding Kit" from the Mercy Corps?  Here's what your support buys:

Breastfeeding has been called "a natural safety net against the worst effects of poverty."  But breastfeeding rates are alarmingly low in one place where that safety net is needed most: downtrodden neighborhoods in Jakarta — Indonesia's sprawling, 23-million-person capital.

The Breastfeeding Kit covers the cost to train a breastfeeding counselor to support mothers and their families at a neighborhood health clinic in Jakarta. Proceeds from the kit fund Mercy Corps' Healthy Start program, which works in 270 of Jakarta's poorest neighborhoods to protect and promote breastfeeding by:

• training health providers and clinics
• creating neighborhood support groups
• organizing awareness events
• lobbying policymakers

Of course, UNICEF also does incredible work supporting breastfeeding around the world, which is one of the reasons we'll be collecting change for them this Halloween. 

Check out these other posts for this special Carnival/Blog Action Day (updated throughout the day):

• Breastfeeding 1-2-3:  Five damaging myths about breastfeeding and poverty.
• Breastfeeding Mums:  How poverty of knowledge about breastfeeding hurts society.
• Babyfingers:  An ounce of prevention.
• Mama Knows Breast:  Breastfeeding can fight poverty.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed?  Click here.

Motherwear Podcast: So, you want to work in breastfeeding support.

Please note that the IBLCE eligibility requirements have changed.  The link below is current, and the podcast will be updated soon.

Welcome to the September Carnival of Breastfeeding and another Motherwear Podcast! This month features posts on breastfeeding and education.  Be sure to check out the posts from other carnival participants at the bottom of this post.

My contribution is a podcast on training programs and certifications for working in breastfeeding support.   

You can listen to it using the player below, or download it from our iTunes store.

Working in breastfeeding support

Here are some links mentioned in the podcast.

• International Board Certified Lactation Consultant: Pathways to becoming an IBCLC
• La Leche League Leader: Thinking about LLL Leadership?
• Certified Lactation Counselor:  Healthy Children's Center for Breastfeeding, UC San Diego Extension online Course, UCLA Extension Lactation Educator course
• Breastfeeding Peer Counselor: LLL Peer Counselor Program, WIC Peer Counselor Program, NY State WIC program "How to become a peer counselor," Nursing Mothers' Counsel of Oregon peer counselor program.  Note that the process may be different in your state.

And here are more great Carnival posts on this topic from other blogs (updated through the day):

• Breastfeeding Mums:  The perfect breastfeeding teacher
• Breastfeeding 1-2-3:  Breastfeeding education
• Hobo Mama: Breastfeeding education
• The Beautiful Letdown:  How I learned to breastfeed
• Momopoly:  Q and A with my mom-in-law, a lactation consultant
• Babyfingers:  Let's take our perverted society to school
• Stop, Drop, and Blog: Breastfeeding: With a little help from my friends, books, and professionals
• Nurturing Notes:  Breastfeeding and the Registered Dietician
• Poked and Prodded Health:  You have to prepare for breastfeeding success

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed?  Click here.

Join the September Carnival of Breastfeeding: Learning about breastfeeding

For the back-to-school season, our upcoming carnival will be on the topic of breastfeeding education.  Please join in by submitting a post!

You might write about:

• How you learned what you needed to know about breastfeeding.
• Training to become a La Leche League leader, lactation consultant, or breastfeeding peer counselor.
• Breastfeeding education in schools and universities.
• Your experience in a breastfeeding class.

We'll be looking for posts that are:

• Well written and grammatically correct
• Thoughtful and directly related to the carnival subject
• Submitted from blogs related to breastfeeding or parenting

Email me your submission by September 15th, 2008.  The carnival will be on Monday, September 22nd, 2008.  Please note that, if your post is selected for inclusion by our regular group of bloggers, you will be asked to link to each of the other participants in the carnival.  We reserve the right to choose posts for inclusion.  Examples of past carnival posts can be found here.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed?  Click here.