Breastfeeding/chestfeeding should not be painful! Ongoing and significant breastfeeding pain is a sign that something is wrong. Unfortunately, Julie‘s feeding journey was full of pain for the first few months! She was in a lot of discomfort both while the baby was feeding, later in between feeds and throughout the day as well. It turned out this was from multiple causes. If you are a lactation professional, this is a great episode to learn from a case study around how to navigate a complex case of pain. If you are a parent, this could be a good episode to learn what kinds of things can cause breastfeeding pain and how to recognize the signs of what is not normal to seek out help from an IBCLC. Listen to Julie‘s experience looking for answers and finally getting resolutions and pain-free breastfeeding (yay!). In this episode, you will also hear a bit about Jessica’s clinical experience of the identifying reasons and possible solutions for Julie‘s symptoms as an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant). If you are a breastfeeding parent experiencing pain, we encourage you to reach out for support in your area right away! We also provide virtual consultations that you can schedule at bfcaa.com

If you are a parent who is passionate about lactation support OR a professional who works with breastfeeding families and you want to turn your passion for breastfeeding into professional practice, check out LactaLearning.com and consider following us on social media! Instagram @lacta.learning Facebook LactaLearning Blog If you are a parent and wanting to learn more from the Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor, you can find us at: BFCAA.com Instagram @breastfeedingcenterannarbor Facebook Blog & Podcast Check out more blog posts & podcasts related to ongoing breastfeeding pain and other parent’s stories below: Blog/podcasts on breastfeeding pain Blog post on common causes of breastfeeding pain and information and resources to help  Post on unresolved breastfeeding pain

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This is part two of Tara’s breastfeeding story! This one got really long, so we made it into two parts. That’s what happens when Jessica’s best friend is the guest. They just kept going! Tara‘s original vision was to exclusively breastfeed Evie for at least a year. But as she says, even though these were her “best laid plans,” the reality ended up quite different. She struggled with low milk supply, and Evie struggled with feeding at the breast and was mostly bottle fed with pumped milk and formula. Tara eventually made the choice to wean, and finished producing milk around 6 months. So the headline is, “Baby Receives Mom’s Milk for 6 Whole Months! Yay!!” We want to celebrate ALL feeding journeys, whatever the reality looks like for the family. And this story is very representative of a lot of feeding journeys. Despite her low

 milk supply and other challenges, Tara did an amazing job providing for Evie, even though it wasn’t as much breastmilk or for as long as she originally pictured. But she is a breastfeeding mom regardless, and we applaud and celebrate everything she’s done, both as a breastfeeder and as a parent! If you are a parent who is passionate about lactation support OR a professional who works with breastfeeding families and you want to turn your passion for breastfeeding into professional practice, check out LactaLearning.com and consider following us on social media! Instagram @lacta.learning Facebook LactaLearning Blog If you are a parent and wanting to learn more from the Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor, you can find us at: BFCAA.com Instagram @breastfeedingcenterannarbor Facebook Blog & Podcast Check out more blog posts & podcasts related to low milk supply and other parent’s stories below: Episode 63: Melissa’s Breastfeeding Story  Episode 26: Low Milk Supply Blog: Increasing Breastmilk?

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This one got really long, so we made it into two parts! That’s what happens when Jessica’s best friend is the guest. They just kept going! Tara‘s original vision was to exclusively breastfeed Evie for at least a year. But as she says, even though these were her “best laid plans,” the reality ended up quite different. She struggled with low milk supply, and Evie struggled with feeding at the breast and was mostly bottle fed with pumped milk and formula. Tara eventually made the choice to wean, and finished producing milk around 6 months. So the headline is, “Baby Receives Mom’s Milk for 6 Whole Months! Yay!!” We want to celebrate ALL feeding journeys, whatever the reality looks like for the family. And this story is very representative of a lot of feeding journeys. Despite her low milk supply and other challenges, Tara did an amazing job providing for Evie, even though it wasn’t as much breastmilk or for as long as she originally pictured. But she is a breastfeeding mom regardless, and we applaud and celebrate everything she’s done, both as a breastfeeder and as a parent! If you are a parent who is passionate about lactation support OR a professional who works with breastfeeding families and you want to turn your passion for breastfeeding into professional practice, check out LactaLearning.com and consider following us on social media! Instagram @lacta.learning Facebook LactaLearning Blog If you are a parent and wanting to learn more from the Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor, you can find us at: BFCAA.com Instagram @breastfeedingcenterannarbor Facebook Blog & Podcast You can find more information about low milk supply through our blog & podcasts related to low milk supply. Check out a few of them at the links below! Episode 63: Melissa’s Breastfeeding Story  Episode 26: Low Milk Supply Blog: Increasing Breastmilk?

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This one is so special! Liz shares her journey of growing her family via a gestational surrogate, and how she induced lactation to bring in her own milk supply! Jessica hosted, and said “beautiful” and “oh my gosh” more times than you can count throughout this amazing story of strength, support, and love for baby Eve and Liz‘s family. (Apologies that Liz‘s microphone was a bit crackly during our Zoom recording!)

Some resources on induced lactation:

• Kellymom.com – https://kellymom.com/ages/adopt-relactate/relactation-resources/ 
• Alyssa Schnell’s Breastfeeding without Birthing – https://www.alyssaschnellibclc.com/book  

For parents interested in induced lactation or relactation, we’re able to offer private consults either virtually or in-person.

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New Mastitis protocol?

Yes, the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine has added a new protocol, #36, the Mastitis Protocol. Actually, it is updated but the ideas in it are so revolutionary, it may as well be new!

Dr. Katrina Mitchell was a major force behind these changes. She had noticed in her clinic as a Breastfeeding Medicine Doctor, that parents with recurrent mastitis tended to be massaging their breasts like crazy to “get out plugs”. She believed doing this then led to more plugs!

Go to her amazing site, The Physicians Guide to Breastfeeding to learn more.

Jessica and Barbara actually had discovered these ideas on their own several years ago with Jessica’s own experience with recurrent plugs. Did she massage like crazy? No! She used cool, Ibuprofen, and gentle touch to help resolve her plugs.

What’s going on?

Basically, inside the breast/chest, there is not a “piece” of something blocking the way like a literal plug in a bathtub. Rather the area around the milk duct becomes swollen and is pinching off the ability for the milk to flow down and out.

Think about a sprained ankle. Would we massage it to death? Or put warmth on it? No, just like mastitis, we want to reduce swelling by cool and maybe some anti-inflammatory medication if it is safe to take.

The other idea to consider, is some very gentle massaging (and I mean GENTLE) away from the breast. If you go through the area it can help to help the lymphatic system to help drain away the extra edema (the swelling).

If you are struggling with plugged ducts, please consider a consultation! We can help!

To learn more about lactation consider one of our amazing Professional Lactation Trainings!

We offer two 95 hour courses, several books groups, and many short courses to help with re-certification!

 

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Sarah’s breastfeeding story

Sometimes it is so nice to just hear a positive breastfeeding story!

We tend to hear more about the how things went wrong instead of right.

Sarah is lucky enough to have a lot of family support and access to lactation help when she needed it, so guess what? She reached her infant feeding goals!

This doesn’t mean that her journey was easy but she was able to keep working on doing what she felt was best for her family.

Her journey illustrates what would be possible if our society prioritized making all these resources available to everyone. Good health care, birthing support, lactation support, and family support.
Enjoy!

 

 

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Barbara is joined by Nancy Mohrbacher to talk about education, particularly about professional lactation education.

In the field of education, the traditional method of lecture and Power Point stills dominates the trainings that are available. Research has show over and over again that this is one of the most non-effective ways to help people learn.

The purpose of education is suppose to lead to change, in one’s thinking, beliefs, and behavior. In order for this to happen, the brain needs to be engaged, not passively listening to a person talk.

In this podcast, Barbara and Nancy talk about what can help make learning more effective, and then how they applied these ideas to the creation of their new 95 hour self study course, the Self Study CCLS.

Using a variety of materials, podcasts, videos, webpages, and yes, a few short power points, as opposed to lecture after lecture is crucial. There are reflection questions that help guide the participant to know what is important and what is not.

Finally, the participant has to do two assignments that require that they reflect on what they learned, synthesize the information, and then, most importantly, be able to apply it to a common challenge in the field of lactation.

Take a listen and see what you think!

 

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My work is extremely important to me and is a perfect fit for all of my beliefs and my personality.

To me, what we do here at the Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor is to help families either become more attached to their babies (hopefully through breastfeeding but sometimes this isn’t possible) and also help professionals learn how to best help families.

Jessica, my colleague, has joined me whole heartedly in this work!

In this post, we are discussing what we consider our North Stars. The foundational and guiding principles that keep us on the right track for our work.
Enjoy!

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Used with permission from USBC

Yes! Yes! Yes!

We say birth and postpartum doulas are the front line defenders of breastfeeding along with nurses and midwives!

I believe that the explosion of doulas in Detroit, MI is one of main reasons for this incredibly, too long time in coming change: “According to Michigan Department of Health and Human Services data, Detroit’s infant mortality rate plunged from 16.7 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2018 to 11 per 1,000 live births in 2019, representing a one-third rate reduction.” How amazing!

We know that breastfeeding is important for helping save babies lives. Doulas are usually with families for longer periods of time so they can help with multiple feeds. Sure, just like there are breastfeeding issues that are out of an IBCLCs scope, any infection, mental health concerns, physical issues with the baby, and then the IBCLC refers to the proper health care provider. For doulas there are also breastfeeding issues that would need immediate referrals such as pain that is not quickly resolved (I mean like in 24 hours!), low milk supply, and a baby who is not latching.

However, there are so many breastfeeding issues a doula CAN help with. And having more training in the field of lactation can help everyone. Here is just a partial list:

1. Explaining how breastfeeding works- basic anatomy and physiology
2. The benefits of breastfeeding and breastmilk
3. Latching and positioning
4. Hand expression
5. Basic engorgement
6. Making sure the baby is eating at least 8 times per 24 hours
7. The signs of a well fed baby
8. How much babies need to eat
9. Paced bottle feeding
10. Pumping
11. Skin to skin
12. Getting ready to return to work
13. SO IMPORTANT- able to refer to a great IBCLC if help is needed!

In the field of lactation we have the rules of lactation:

1. Feed the baby
2. Protect the milk supply
3. Solve the problem

Knowledge is power and the more folks who work with new families have the knowledge and power of helping with breastfeeding, in my mind, the better. Doulas can absolutely help with steps 1 and 2! It does take a village.

To this end we have now created The Breastfeeding Doula Course. Join us this spring! We have been teaching birth and postpartum doulas for almost 20 years. We know what doulas need to help their clients meet their infant feeding goals. Let us help you!

This course uses a hybrid-learning model: 20 hours of independent pre-work (reading, videos, podcasts, and assignments) done at your own pace, and then two live Zoom days of discussion, working with families, and practicing skills.

Spring 2022 session

• The pre-work will open March 1, 2022
• Live Zoom days: Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22, 2022 from 8:00 AM EDT to 5:30 PM EDT

If you are interested in becoming a doula, check out Lifespan Doulas. Patty Brennan has been training doulas forever with DONA and now has created her own streamlined programs and certification.

 

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In 2020 Nancy Mohrbacher published her latest book, Breastfeeding Answers, 2nd Edition. We jokingly call this book BA2 and it is one of the most important books in the field of lactation.

I was honored that Nancy was willing to co-host a professional book group with me. I had hosted two other book groups before, Making More Milk, 2nd Edition with Lisa Marasco and Supporting Sucking Skills with Catherine Watson Genna, and this format had worked really well to help me (and apparently many others!) to read the other entire book. Having a book group allowed for time discuss the findings and implications of the material, and then hopefully apply the new information into practice.

Nancy and I sat down the other day and recorded a podcast about some major shifts that have recently happened in the field of lactation that are included in her new book. One of the great things about BA2 is that Nancy has done all of the research so we don’t have to! This is so convenient for busy lactation professionals!

Here are the seven updates to the field of lactation based upon the latest research. To get the full story listen to the podcast below.

 

1. The research of neonatal jaundice has changed (Hint: it is not all about the poop!)

2. Rethinking tongue tie assessment. Function and symptoms are key.

3. How and when to introduce hyper allergenic foods to babies.

4. The mammary microbiome.

5. Parent obesity and how it plays into breast/chestfeeding success.

6. Prenatal hand expression. Thank you Jane Morton for helping to push this great technique forward!

7. Inclusion of LGBTQ+ folks and their needs.

If you want to know more, listen to our podcast below. If you are intrigued by what you might find in Breastfeeding Answers, 2nd Edition, if you want to connect with other lactation professionals in this time of isolation, if you need 36 L-CERPs, then you might want to join our book group with Nancy and I spring of 2022.

36 L-CERPs $299 early bird, $350 regular price
Just for fun, no CERPs, $220 early bird, $280 regular price

Early bird extended to February 18, 2022!

Dates for the group:

The dates for this book group are:
Session 1: Sunday, March 13, 2022 2:00 PM EDT
Session 2: Sunday, March 20, 2022 2:00 PM EDT
Session 3: Sunday, March 27, 2022 2:00 PM EDT
Session 4: Sunday, April 3, 2022 2:00 PM EDT
Session 5: Sunday, April 10, 2022 2:00 PM EDT
Session 6: Sunday, April 24, 2022 2:00 PM EDT
Session 7: Sunday, June 5, 2022 2:00 PM EDT
Session 8: Sunday, June 12, 2022 2:00 PM EDT
Session 9: Sunday, July 10, 2022 2:00 PM EDT
Session 10: Sunday, July 17, 2022, 2:00 PM EDT

Each session consists of a 2 hour Zoom meeting where we will discuss the materials and answer questions. Before each session you will read the assigned chapters (each session has several chapters to read so be ready) and any supporting materials, and after our Zoom meeting you will take a quiz at the end of each session in you have registered for CERPs.
You must buy the most recent edition of the book! This is Breastfeeding Answers, 2nd Edition by Nancy Mohrbacher.

The Zoom meetings will be recorded so you have the flexibility of missing a session if needed and then listening to the recorded Zoom meeting at your leisure on Thinkific.

You will have access to all the materials until September 1, 2022.

 

The post All Things Breastfeeding 72: 7 Must Know Changes in the Field of Lactation–A Conversation with Nancy Mohrbacher appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

So sorry for the delays in podcasts! COVID has done a real number on me and I have been struggling to get tasks done that are not critical. Jessica and I are committed to recording and releasing more often! Thank you for your patience. Barbara Back in May 2022 I got this email: “I don’t…

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