To The Mothers Who Cannot Breastfeed

In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week I'm writing a post for all the mothers out there who cannot or (or choose) not to breastfeed.

I'm writing this because my heart goes out to you. You are constantly reminded of the benefits of breastfeeding from studies and opinions that tell you "breast is best" and that "if you try hard enough, it will work."

I have many friends and acquaintances that were only able to breastfeed their babies for a short time, or not at all. I also have friends that were not able to actually breastfeed their babies, but they pumped and fed their baby breastmilk via bottle.

I've spoken to many of these women and have felt so much heartache for them because of what they go through. If their own disappointment weren't enough, they are bombarded with disapproval at their inability to breastfeed by family, friends, and even strangers.

We all know breastmilk is amazing and there is no shortage on research studies to prove it, so I'm not going to go into detail about breastmilk. However, I am going to talk about the actual act of breastfeeding. 

I'm not a doctor, lactation consultant, or child psychologist. I have take a few classes on infant and child development, but that is all. The suggestions below are simply that: suggestions.

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding contains two parts: the milk and the act of feeding. You can feed your baby breastmilk, but not actually breastfeed. Breastmilk is nutrition that nourishes the physical part of the baby. But breastfeeding nourishes the mental, emotional, and psychological aspects of the baby's development. 

During my time at BYU I was able to hear many experiences from professors and students that interned/worked at orphanages in Romania. The babies in those orphanages were given adequate physical nourishment, but they were deprived of mental, emotional, and psychological nourishment in the form of holding, rocking, touch, and communication. As a result, they were severely delayed in development, especially in the area of personal-social.

In her book Bright From The Start, Jill Stamm makes the bold and intriguing opinion that breastmilk only accounts for a portion of the benefits of breastfeeding. She states that way in which we must breastfeed (baby lies on his/her side close to mother and within 18 inches of mother's face) nourishes the growing brain and fosters healthy personal-social development. She also believes that because we must breastfeed on both breasts, both sides of the baby's brain are strengthened and developed. The left eye, arm, hand and foot are all used when the baby is lying on his right side, and vice versa. She says this could account for the cognitive abilities of breastfed children. Both sides of the brain are properly strengthened.

The act of breastfeeding also consists of skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby. I once wrote a research paper on the benefits of skin-to-skin contact for premature infants and it was astounding at what a difference it made! Babies who were given skin-to-skin contact with their mother gained more weight, had a steady heartbeat,  ate more, and did better overall as compared to premies who did not receive skin-to-skin contact.

If you are breastfeeding your baby you are forced to drop what you're doing (maybe not immediately, but eventually), focus on the baby, and spend one-on-one time with him/her. This act alone strengthens your relationship and gives you the opportunity to bond with him/her.

So, what does this mean for mothers that cannot breastfeed? EVERYTHING! You can do all the things I mentioned above whether you breastfeed or bottle feed!

You can mimic the act of breastfeeding by:

• Switch the sides you bottle feed - right side for one feeding, left side for the next.
• Give your baby some skin-to-skin contact during feeding (bare chests is optimal because they can hear your heartbeat). Massage is another great way to get some extra bonding and skin-to-skin contact in your daily routine.
• Hold your baby at most feedings. I know this may be hard because you're busy and your older infant can hold the bottle on their own, but that 10-15 minutes of one-on-one time does amazing things for your baby's development.
• Communicate, touch, and focus on your baby during feeding.

I don't have sound research to back up these suggestions, but honestly, there hasn't been a lot of research on the benefits of the technical aspects of breastfeeding. Most of it is about the nutritional aspect.

Who knows? Maybe future research will find that a portion of the benefits from breastfeeding was actually the way in which it was conducted, and not just breastmilk.

I hope this has helped in some way, and given you some tools to make the best of your situation, no matter what it is.

Tweet

Pin It Now!

The Sixth Month Drought

Did you know that breastfeeding is started in 76.9% of newborns, while 47.2% are breastfed at 6 months, and 25.5% at 12 months? Source

This is amazing considering that in 1972 only 22% of women breastfed! Source

The greatest part is that mothers are choosing to breastfeed their infants past 6 months, and even up to a year. Why is this great? Because the AAP recommends that infants be breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months and then complementary feeding until at least 12 months of age.

WHO recommends breastfeeding for at least 2 years.

My own mother breastfed her babies for 18 months or longer, which was virtually unheard of when we were kids. 

I knew when I was pregnant that I was going to breastfeed for as long as was mutually desirable for us both. 

And then the six month drought happened.

During Christmas, both Sawyer and I got the flu and my milk started to decrease. I wasn't completely dried up, but there was a definite decrease in my supply.

Since I was so sick and didn't eat very well, I started to lose a lot of weight, and, in combination with that, Sawyer was stuffy and had a hard time nursing for very long.

When we took Sawyer to his six month check, the doctor was concerned because his weight and height were below the 5th percentile (she said the height was the most concerning). We discussed ways to improve the quality/quantity of my milk and other ways to get his weight back up.

Just a side note: The nurse didn't measure Sawyer correctly, so when we went in two weeks later I asked her to remeasure him (I suspected an error because Sawyer fits in nine month clothing) and his measurement was two inches longer than the first measurement, putting him in the 75% percentile. This also happened at his two month check; they said his head circumference was in the 9th percentile, but the next check his head was in the 60th.

If you're baby has an abnormal measurement or weight, ask your doctor to remeasure to ensure that there aren't any mistakes; it will save you unneeded stress.

Anyway, since Sawyer won't take a bottle anymore (he just chews on it), and he refuses to be spoon-fed, I had to rely on my body to provide the nutrients he needs.

After a lot of research and implementing some breastfeeding principles, I was able to get my supply back, and Sawyer has been consistently gaining 6-8 oz per week.

As I've mentioned before, I absolutely love breastfeeding. Besides growing a baby inside of me, I feel it is the most amazing thing my body can do. I know that there are many moms who cannot breastfeed, and it is simply because of a lack of milk, definitely not from a lack of trying. There are also moms who are on the brink of losing their supply (like me) and this post is meant to give them courage, and hopefully give them the tools they need to get their supply back.

I'll try to keep this short and simple; if you are like me, then you probably hate reading posts that take hours to finish.

Your milk supply establishes itself around two months postpartum,

so this information is for those of you who already have an established milk supply, but are having a decrease around six months.

Here are some reasons why your milk may decrease after it is already established, and some suggestions of how to remedy it:

Estrogen

Estrogen inhibits lactation. Estrogen-based oral contraceptives wreak havoc on your milk supply, so try to find a non-estrogen contraceptive, like the mini-pill.

Not Enough Demand

Your breasts understand economics; the more demand for milk, the more they supply. Once your little one starts sucking less often, your body is told to lower the supply. 

Prolactin is one of the hormones responsible for telling your body how much milk to produce. Prolactin is produced when your infant sucks on your breasts. Your body also naturally produces a lot of prolactin for the first few months postpartum, but around six months your prolactin production hits an all-time low.

What I did: 

• Put away the pacifier and bottle.
• Feed on demand. Since the capacity of breasts vary, feeding intervals will vary as well. Feed whenever you think your little one is hungry and let them nurse when you would usually give them a pacifier.
• Pump for 15 minutes after nursing. The prolonged "sucking" will help your body produce more prolactin, which will produce more milk.
• Feed frequently during the night. Your body produces the most prolactin during the night, and consequently your milk production is highest at night.
• Remove distractions while nursing. Sawyer is at the age where everything is amazing and spectacular, especially during nursing, which can get mundane after a few minutes. I had to start feeding him in our dark, noiseless bedroom to help him focus on finishing both sides.

Lack of Macronutrients

Macronutrients are proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Your body needs both macro and micronutrients to produce milk. When you don't have those nutrients, your body will (1) take the nutrients from your body, or (2) stop producing milk. Neither of those options sound appealing, especially when you have a ravenous baby to provide for. You need to be eating 400-500 extra calories per day, and, according to my midwife, you need to keep an extra 5-10 lbs of extra weight for prime milk production.

Since I was losing so much weight, we suspected a thyroid problem, but after tests we found that wasn't the problem. I just wasn't eating and drinking enough to supply both of us with the calories and macronutrients we both needed.

What I did:

• Ate lots of healthy (and semi-healthy) fats (almonds, avocados, coconut oil, organic butter, whole milk, cheese, etc.)
• Drank tons of water (seriously, you have to drink a lot of water to keep up with your milk)
• Ate frequently (a snack after every feeding)
• Started taking prenatal vitamins again (I stopped after 3 months)

Alternative Treatments

There are foods, herbs, and essential oils that can help boost milk production if you haven't had success with the above methods. 

What I did:

• Fennel and basil essential oils (my body responded well to fennel)
• Ate tons of lactation bars and other breastfeeding snacks.
• Oatmeal every morning.
• Yoga and relaxation techniques.

Other:

• Fenugreek
• Mother's Milk tea

Avoid:

• Peppermint essential oil
• Parsley

Now I'm producing 4-5 oz on each side and Sawyer is gaining weight like a champ. It was a lot of work to get my milk supply back up, but it was well worth it.
If you are experiencing the "six month drought," don't give up! Do some research, talk to a lactation consultant, or attend a La Leche League group in your area. They are a great support and resource and can answer your questions or concerns.

What was your experience with breastfeeding at six months? Did you experience a decrease in milk? 

Tweet

Pin It Now!

Introducing Solids The Baby Led Weaning Way

Before Sawyer was born I had planned--and looked forward to--making nutritious purees and spoon feeding Sawyer when he started wanting solid foods. I looked at lots of different books that had instructions for making different flavors of healthy baby food and I was getting mentally prepared for the day I could start making all these "fun" foods.

Then I was introduced to "baby led weaning" and everything changed.

What is baby led weaning (BLW)? 

It is the idea that you let your baby choose when to start eating foods and let them explore foods in their whole state, rather than pureeing them.

Why choose BLW over traditional baby food?

Learn to Chew

Babies need to learn how to chew; whether it is at 6 months or 10 months, they will eventually encounter the need to chew their foods before swallowing. Baby led weaning is the belief that babies should learn how to chew foods starting at the beginning.

Experience Real Food

BLW gives babies the chance to experience textures (that thing that puree is void of), which can be just as exciting and fun as different tastes.

Baby is in Control

In BLW the baby chooses what goes in his mouth and when he is done eating. No overfeeding and no forced feeding. Plus, babies are much more in tune to what their body needs. In my infant class I learned about a study where a researcher gave infants over 30 different foods to choose from, and the babies always chose the food that had the nutrient their body needed at that time. It was amazing! So it is good to give your baby choices and let them choose what to eat.

Simple and EASY

Oh, and did I mention it's much easier than making tons of purees? Yeah, you just give them some soft food and they learn to eat by themselves. So simple!

Which foods should I use?

Up until now your baby has been drinking breastmilk or formula. Breastmilk (and I'm assuming formula) is packed full of nutrients that your baby needs to grow and develop. During the first two years they are growing A LOT, it only makes sense that any food they eat should have lots of nutrients.
Unfortunately this isn't the case: Rice cereal seems to be the American standard for a first food. Why? Because it's bland. Not because it's nutrient dense, and definitely not because it is a lot like milk in composition. So reconsider feeding your baby rice cereal as a first food, it just doesn't make sense.
 Is rice cereal going to ruin your child's health for the rest of their lives? NO! But it is replacing food that could be giving your baby the nutrients it needs to grow healthy and strong.
Rice cereal has very little nutrients and takes up space in your baby's tummy that could be filled with nutrient-dense food!
So enough of my rant :) What should you feed your baby? Foods that pack a nutrient punch!

• Boiled egg yolk from pastured hens (lots of fats for growing brains)
• Steamed liver (lots of iron, still haven't tried this one)
• Avocado
• Sweet potato
• Banana
• Assorted steamed, baked or fresh fruits and vegetables

Since your baby is extra sensitive to chemicals it is smart to buy organic, even if you don't buy it for yourself.

You can find a list of the "dirty dozen" here.

Once your baby is older you can start giving him food from your own plate, but I personally suggest waiting until they are closer to a year before introducing foods like nuts, dairy, and grains. 

How do I get started?

First, you want to make sure your baby is ready. He should:

• Watch you eat and tries to grab your food
• Be grown out of the tongue thrust reflex (tongue pushes food out of mouth)
• Can pick up items and bring to mouth
• Sit up in bumbo or high chair

Next, gather your tools.

• Bumbo or easy-wash highchair like this.
• Bib (the Baby Bjorn bib is AWESOME for baby led weaning!)
• Baby Led Weaning Book (we found ours at the local library)
  or you can check out some of the website below for more ideas and information.

What should I expect?

• Gagging (not choking). Sawyer gagged a lot when he was learning how to swallow, but it's ok. Just make sure you don't leave your baby unattended while they're eating.
• Lots of play! Your baby will play with his food, and that's what he's supposed to do! Explore, play, enjoy. Eventually he will learn that he can eat it, but it may take a while (it took Sawyer a month before he started swallowing foods)
• Lots of mess. Feeding babies is messy business, no matter what method you choose. So suck it up and let your baby have fun! We let Sawyer eat naked most of the time, and it makes for easy clean up :)

Resources:

• Baby Led Weaning the Paleo Way
• Stop Feeding Your Baby Rice Cereal
• Baby Led Weaning | Hello Bee - I love her ideas and recipes!
• Baby Led Weaning | Fitori Blog
• The Official Baby Led Weaning Site
• Beautiful Babies - I love this book because it talks about how cultures around the world introduce foods and how those foods are so different from what we feed babies now.

Baby Led Weaning from Jessica Smith on Vimeo.

Tweet

Pin It Now!