Breastfeeding and Lactation Support
Most would agree, breastfeeding is the natural way to feed a newborn, 'Breast is Best,' is a common mantra. Interestingly, at three months of age a significant potion, sixty-four percent are fed formula. The reality is, as new parents we have little real life breastfeeding experience.
We know feeding our babies human breast milk has significant health benefits, yet eighty-three percent of women in this country are feeding their infants formula at six-months of age, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended length for exclusive breastfeeding.
For most women, mastering the art of breastfeeding can be hard, really hard. Yes, some dyads click- babe has a fantastic latch, mom's milk comes in quickly and they both have the positioning/latch down. For some, it can take days, even weeks for a mother and her baby to get the hang of breastfeeding. Some women try to 'power through' breast pain, low milk supply, or a sleepy baby, believing they will eventually get it 'right,' not knowing that many common issues can be remedied or nipped in the bud with a skilled Lactation Consultant. Even if one of your girlfriends had let you in on the realities of breastfeeding and you decide to try breastfeed, we still tend to idealize the bond and ease of breastfeeding- we rarely create, hire, or find a support network to aid us should we have glitches.
There is a large body of evidence demonstrating the benefits breastfeeding for both mom and baby; we want to give our child the benefits of breast milk: antibodies and immunity, brain-growing nutrients, and the bond that breastfeeding promises. We think if we have breasts and a baby- it can not be that hard, we can do this- and, Yes You Can! The reality is most of us do it with help, guidance, information, and positive, evidence based support. The challenge is when women in our culture run into setbacks while breastfeeding, they often do not know there is support, are too exhausted to find help, and have self and externally imposed guilt, we just do not ask for help. We value our independence and super mom myth in this culture, sometimes to a self-imposed, isolated end result.
Learning to breastfeed is a natural process, like falling in love. Success relies on large quantities of patience, practice, humor, and support- at first and sometimes throughout the process. Good, knowledgeable, evidence based lactation support eases the rough spots, guiding you through tools and techniques that make it easier to keep going until breastfeeding becomes second nature.
The gold standard of breastfeeding support is a International Board Certified Lactation Consultants. IBCLC's are Internationally board certified specialist in the field of human lactation, utilizing compassion and evidence based practice to support and offer guidance to women in their breastfeeding experience.
We know feeding our babies human breast milk has significant health benefits, yet eighty-three percent of women in this country are feeding their infants formula at six-months of age, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended length for exclusive breastfeeding.
For most women, mastering the art of breastfeeding can be hard, really hard. Yes, some dyads click- babe has a fantastic latch, mom's milk comes in quickly and they both have the positioning/latch down. For some, it can take days, even weeks for a mother and her baby to get the hang of breastfeeding. Some women try to 'power through' breast pain, low milk supply, or a sleepy baby, believing they will eventually get it 'right,' not knowing that many common issues can be remedied or nipped in the bud with a skilled Lactation Consultant. Even if one of your girlfriends had let you in on the realities of breastfeeding and you decide to try breastfeed, we still tend to idealize the bond and ease of breastfeeding- we rarely create, hire, or find a support network to aid us should we have glitches.
There is a large body of evidence demonstrating the benefits breastfeeding for both mom and baby; we want to give our child the benefits of breast milk: antibodies and immunity, brain-growing nutrients, and the bond that breastfeeding promises. We think if we have breasts and a baby- it can not be that hard, we can do this- and, Yes You Can! The reality is most of us do it with help, guidance, information, and positive, evidence based support. The challenge is when women in our culture run into setbacks while breastfeeding, they often do not know there is support, are too exhausted to find help, and have self and externally imposed guilt, we just do not ask for help. We value our independence and super mom myth in this culture, sometimes to a self-imposed, isolated end result.
Learning to breastfeed is a natural process, like falling in love. Success relies on large quantities of patience, practice, humor, and support- at first and sometimes throughout the process. Good, knowledgeable, evidence based lactation support eases the rough spots, guiding you through tools and techniques that make it easier to keep going until breastfeeding becomes second nature.
The gold standard of breastfeeding support is a International Board Certified Lactation Consultants. IBCLC's are Internationally board certified specialist in the field of human lactation, utilizing compassion and evidence based practice to support and offer guidance to women in their breastfeeding experience.
