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Finding good information about medication use during lactation

How to find good information on medications and breastfeeding. If someone suggests that you should wean temporarily while taking a ...

Breastfeeding Helplines

Breastfeeding phone helplines, listed alphabetically by country, plus some resources for finding local breastfeeding help.

How does milk production work?

To understand how to effectively increase (or decrease) milk supply, we need to look at how milk production works...
For ...

Increasing Low Milk Supply

First of all, is your milk supply really low? Often, mothers think that their milk supply is low when it ...

Breastfeeding your newborn — what to expect in the early weeks

Frequent nursing encourages good milk supply and reduces engorgement. Aim for breastfeeding at least 10 - 12 times per day ...

Frequent nursing

First of all, do know that frequent nursing is normal and expected in the early months - most newborns need ...

Growth spurts

Most babies go through several growth spurts (also called frequency days) during the first 12 months. During a growth spurt, ...

My baby fusses or cries during nursing - what's the problem?

Some babies will fuss, cry or pull off the breast during nursing. There are a number of reasons why this ...

Spitting Up & Reflux in the Breastfed Baby

Spitting up, sometimes called physiological or uncomplicated reflux, is common in babies and is usually (but not always) normal. Most ...

I'm not pumping enough milk. What can I do?

Milk supply normally varies somewhat throughout the day and over weeks and months. As long as baby is allowed to ...

A Comparison of Breastfeeding Rates by Country

May 14, 2012. Posted in: Trivia

Ever wonder how breastfeeding rates compare from country to country? Following are graphics showing breastfeeding rates in Australia, Canada, Sweden, the UK, and the US from 2004 and 2005.

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Childcare and the Breastfed Baby

May 7, 2012. Posted in: Employed moms

Resources on childcare and breastfeeding for both moms and childcare providers.

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Free Handouts

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Depression or other negative emotions upon milk let-down (D-MER)

BF Concerns: Mother

A small percentage of breastfeeding mothers experience feelings of depression (or anxiety, agitation or anger) beginning immediately before their milk lets down. This is called Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex, or D-MER. According to D-MER.org, “Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex is a condition affecting lactating women that is characterized by an abrupt dysphoria, or negative emotions, that occur just before milk release and continuing not more than a few minutes.” This is a physiological response (not a psychological response) that has been tied to a sudden decrease in the brain chemical dopamine immediately before milk let-down.

Mother-2-Mother Concerns: Reflux

Baby's Health

Many parents have never heard of reflux. Reflux, or GER (Gastroesophageal reflux) is a condition where irritating stomach acids are regurgitated into the esophagus, causing pain similar to adult heartburn. It usually occurs more when the baby is lying flat, and is often marked by frequent and/or excessive spitting up. It can be a hidden cause of colicky and night waking babies.

Mother-2-Mother Concerns: Fussiness

Mother-2-Mother.com

Young babies, both breast and formula fed, are often fussy. It is not unusual for this to happen during the late afternoon and evenings, and is usually NOT due to hunger, wet/dirty diaper, or anything that mom or dad can fix. It is usually NOT related to milk supply, although some mothers may worry about this.

Mother-2-Mother Concerns: Baby’s Sleep

Mother-2-Mother.com

When, where and how baby sleeps is a hot topic. Everyone has an opinion as to what is best for mother and baby. It is important to remember when considering these issues that “what is important” is important only as it relates to *you* – in other words, what is important to some, is not important to others, and it’s really nobody’s business “how” (or where or when) you and baby sleep! “Crying it out” isn’t an option for many parents and luckily, it doesn’t *have* to be. There are many options to the “cry it out” method which are not as harsh and which provide parents and babies with loving, gentler solutions to getting more sleep.

Sleepy Babies

Common Newborn Concerns

If your baby is sleepy here are some suggestions to help keep the baby awake and interested.

Mother-2-Mother Concerns: Green Stools

Baby's Health

The occasional green stool is not unusual in the breastfed baby. Consistently green stools, however, are not normal for the breastfed baby. Most doctors don’t seem to recognize this as a potential problem because they often define “normal stool” as that of the formula-fed infant. Baby’s stool can be a wide variety of colors and textures , and not all of these are cause for concern. It is helpful to know what is normal for the bf baby as well.

Insurance Reimbursement of Breast Pumps – Sample Letter

Mother-2-Mother.com

UPDATE: Federal law now includes breast pumps and other supplies that directly assist with lactation as medical care expenses.

Pumping While Nursing

Mother-2-Mother.com

Pumping while nursing can be an easy way to collect milk. At first it may seem awkward, but with practice, it gets much easier! Following is a photo tutorial…

What to Expect When Pumping

Mother-2-Mother.com

The very thought of pumping breastmilk can cause concern for the new mother. Questions like what kind of pump, when, where, and how much to pump are primary concerns, followed by concerns about the milk looking funny, storage issues and how much expressed breastmilk is needed per bottle. The answers to these concerns will vary for both individual mothers and babies depending on their individual needs and circumstances.

Exclusive Pumping – The Best… Expressed!

Mother-2-Mother.com

There are occasions that arise which may prevent a mom from being able to nurse her baby. A mother who has a baby who cannot or will not latch, for whatever reason, may assume there is no choice but for her to use infant formula. There is another option however, and one that doesn’t seem to get the support or acknowledgment it deserves – exclusively pumping, also known as “EPing”.

Evidence-Based Practice

About

Following are some useful links on evidence-based practice: Evidence-Based Medicine: What it is and what it isn’t Evidence-based medicine is the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. The practice of evidence-based medicine means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical [...]

Welcome to NursingTwo!

Tandem Breastfeeding

My name is Hilary Flower. I tandem nursed my daughter and son for 18 months, and my son is still nursing. While I was trying to sort through the challenges and joys of my own tandem nursing experience, I began writing a book on the topic. How exciting to connect with 200 other mothers who had breastfed during pregnancy and either weaned during pregnancy or went on to tandem nurse! How gratifying to dig into scientific literature and correspond with researchers, finally getting some answers to the many questions that arise!

Nursing During Pregnancy and Tandem Nursing: The Official FAQ

BF FAQ: Tandem

Nursing During Pregnancy and Tandem Nursing: The Official FAQ

Infant Growth Calculators – Metric

Growth & Development

Many moms wonder if their baby is growing as expected. It may be helpful to use this calculator, together with the information in Average Weight Gain for Breastfed Babies, when analyzing your baby’s growth.

Infant Growth Calculators

Growth & Development

Financial costs of not breastfeeding

Preparing to Breastfeed

Financial costs of not breastfeeding
…or cost benefits of breastfeeding

How much expressed milk will my baby need?

Pumping issues

Many mothers wonder how much expressed breastmilk they need to have available if they are away from baby.

In exclusively breastfed babies, milk intake increases quickly during the first few weeks of life, then stays about the same between one and six months (though it likely increases short term during growth spurts). Current breastfeeding research does not indicate that breastmilk intake changes with baby’s age or weight between one and six months. After six months, breastmilk intake will continue at this same level until — sometime after six months, depending in baby’s intake from other foods — baby’s milk intake begins to decrease gradually

Breastfeeding your Premature Infant (Resources)

Common Newborn Concerns

Links: Breastfeeding a Premature Infant

Milk vs. formula… under the microscope

Blog Posts

We just got a digital camera attachment for our microscope, so what do you think I photographed first?

Baby’s Second Night

Breastfeeding Basics

You’ve made it through your first 24 hours as a new mom. Maybe you have other children, but you are a new mom all over again…and now it is your baby’s second night.

All of a sudden, your little one discovers that he’s no longer back in the warm and comfortable – albeit a bit crowded – womb where he has spent the last 8 ½ or 9 months – and it is SCARY out here!

Breastfeeding your newborn — what to expect in the early weeks

Breastfeeding Basics

Frequent nursing encourages good milk supply and reduces engorgement. Aim for breastfeeding at least 10 – 12 times per day (24 hours). You CAN’T breastfeed too often–you CAN breastfeed too little. Nurse at the first signs of hunger (stirring, rooting, hands in mouth)–don’t wait until baby is crying. Allow baby unlimited time at the breast when sucking actively, then offer the second breast. Some newborns are excessively sleepy at first–wake baby to nurse if 2 hours (during the day) or 4 hours (at night) have passed without nursing.

Hunger Cues – When do I feed baby?

Breastfeeding Basics

Babies should be fed when they indicate hunger. Crying is a late indicator of hunger – breastfeeding is much easier for both mom and baby if mom is able to pick up on baby’s earlier hunger cues.
Common infant hunger cues include:…

How does milk production work?

Breastfeeding Basics

To understand how to effectively increase (or decrease) milk supply, we need to look at how milk production works…
For the most part, milk production is a “use it or lose it” process.
The more often and effectively your baby nurses, the more milk you will make.

Frequently Asked Questions about Milk Production

Supply Basics

How does milk production change over the course of lactation?

For the first few days, up to and including the point at which mom’s milk “comes in,” milk production does not depend upon milk being removed from the breast. After those first few days, it is necessary for milk to be regularly removed from the breast (via baby or pump) to continue milk production. The breasts will begin to shut down milk production within several days if milk is not regularly and effectively removed.

Tips for juggling a newborn and toddler

Breastfeeding Basics

First off, per a wise friend of mine who is a mom of five: Be creative, patient, and hold tight to your sense of humor!

I’m confused about foremilk and hindmilk – how does this work?

Supply Basics

Foremilk is the milk (typically lower in fat) available at the beginning of a feeding; hindmilk is milk at the end of a feeding, which has a higher fat content than the foremilk at that feeding. There is no sharp distinction between foremilk and hindmilk – the change is very gradual. Research from Peter Hartmann’s group tells us that fat content of the milk is primarily determined by the emptiness of the breast — the less milk in the breast, the higher the fat content

Latching and Positioning Resources

Breastfeeding Basics

No matter what latch and positioning look like, the true measure is in the answers to these two questions:

Is it effective?
Is it comfortable?

Even if latch and positioning look perfect (and, yes, even if a lactation consultant told you they were fine), pain and/or ineffective milk transfer indicate that there is a problem somewhere, and the first suspect is ineffective latch/positioning.

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