Breastfeeding: Let's Talk About It

It’s a hot topic in the prenatal and postpartum world - for good reason. As a mom of 3 and a naturopathic doctor, I wanted to share some thoughts. First off, just because breastfeeding is ‘natural’ it doesn’t mean that it comes naturally and easy for everyone. It’s ok if it’s hard. It’s ok if you don’t like it. If the thought of breastfeeding causes you negative feelings or stress, it’s ok to choose not to or to give it a break and try again later. (Please note, there is something called dysphoric disorder of letdown that causes mom negative feelings and this should be assessed by a doctor and referral to a psychiatrist is often recommended.) 

Conversely, if it’s easy and you love it - that’s also ok. You don’t have to make it seem harder or worse than it is because you feel guilty that it’s easy for you. Every mom’s journey is different, no side or path is better or worse than the other - it’s just different. My number one suggestion for those who hope to breastfeed is to have discussions with your care team in advance, get resources, take a breastfeeding course, get referral information for lactation consultants and/or speech language pathologists or other breastfeeding specialists. 

Breastfeeding is a learned skill and more times than not we need guidance and help while building the skill. Don’t expect to be able to do it all on your own the first go around! There is so much that goes into being successful with breastfeeding. It is a skill that both mom and baby need to learn, and sometimes there can be issues with breastfeeding because baby isn’t latching properly and this can happen for many different reasons! 

Breastfeeding is a skill that is meant to be taught and passed down from generation to generation but who is teaching this skill?! It is often missed for many moms, sometimes a nurse or a LC (lactation consultant) will come by while you are in the hospital for a hot minute, or if you had midwives they may offer some advice but for most moms this gets missed and sets up for frustration and eventually leads to an exhaustive process that can end in sore cracked nipples, low milk supply, and bottle feeding. 

Please know it is NOT your fault!  I have had 3 very different breastfeeding journeys with each of my babes. 

As a first time mom I thought that breastfeeding was something that just naturally happened after giving birth- having no idea how hard it could be. My first did not latch for 8 weeks postpartum - I was a pumping machine and to be honest I hated it at the time, but I got help and babe and I kept practicing and we eventually got it! My second latched right away and we had no issues! My third had a severe tongue and lip tie. I was a seasoned breastfeeder so I knew what to look for. We had lots of support for me and baby while we treated the ties and helped him get stronger and stronger at feeding! The point of all this being is if you desire to breastfeed get supports in place to help you build skills and troubleshoot if there are roadblocks on your journey, If you don’t want to breastfeed or after getting support it is still too hard then that is okay too- You are all amazing mamas! 

The first year alone is 1800 hours breastfeeding (includes pumping moms) - this is a full time job but we don’t give people any training!!!

The following is some very basic information/ tips for breastfeeding, if you are having issues with feeding please seek help from a professional or from a seasoned breastfeeder! Getting help early on can prevent issues with milk supply (and a ton of frustration) and is so important for the success of breastfeeding! Along with breastfeeding support, I also recommend the baby see an osteopath, chiropractor, or someone who does cranial sacral therapy, as these things can help with tension in and around the head, neck, and oral cavity that may be causing issues with latch and suck for baby. If you are concerned your baby may have a strong lip or tongue tie I suggest finding a dentist who works with infant ties to have your baby assessed.

Signs of a good latch: top and bottom lip phlanged around areola (a large portion of the areola should be in babes mouth), lots of swallowing sounds, no clicking or smacking, no pain to the breast.

Signs of a poor latch: pain with feeding, cracked nipples, clicking or smacking sound while feeding

A tip for getting a good latch: Bring baby’s CHIN in first then help baby get up and over onto the breast. Almost think of it as using your breast to anchor the jaw down and then insert breast. Wait for a nice wide open mouth before inserting. You should be able to see and hear your baby swallowing milk at the breast, if you don’t they may just be sucking like a soother and not be getting any milk. 

Another tip is to try different positions while feeding: cross cradle, football hold, side lying. 

*A personal story: my first had a ton of trouble latching and it was not until I tried side lying that he actually latched! 

A poor latch can be caused by a variety of factors including oral motor issues like tongue or lip ties, poor suck, poor tongue strength. It can also be caused by more simple things like poor positioning. A poor latch can cause very sore nipples for mom, mastitis, low milk supply, and cause more issues with gas for baby as well.

Most are well aware of the wide range of benefits of breastfeeding for the baby but many are not aware that there are also many benefits to mom:

Maternal benefits of breastfeeding you may not be aware of: 

• It prevents 5,000+ cases of breast cancer in a year 
• It prevents 12,000 cases of type 2 diabetes 
• It prevents 36,000 cases of hypertension 
• Breastfeeding is associated with reduced maternal cardiovascular risk
• Reduces risk of endometrial cancer 
• The longer the breastfeeding the more reduction in risks  

It is common for moms to wonder and worry if baby is actually getting enough milk or not (just add it to the 1000 things we worry about) The following is some valuable information from a colleague and lactation consultant Birth Blessings: 

How to know your baby is getting enough:

• Gaining an average of 20-40g per day for the first 4 months 
• Pee is pale yellow with 6 or more heavy wet diapers in 24 hours and poops daily 
• Waking to feed for a minimum of 8 times in 24 hours 
• The latch is comfortable for mom 
• Hearing consistent, frequent swallows during breastfeeding 

When to seek support from a lactation professional:

Baby symptoms: 

• Difficulty latching/ staying latched
• Frequent latching/ unlatching 
• Very short/ frequent feeds 
• Low or slow weight gain 
• Does not poop every day (note it can be normal here and there for breastfed babies to go a few days without pooping as long as this is not the usual)
• Positional preferences 
• Diagnosis of colic or reflux 
• Coughs, gags, leaks milk with feeds 
• Snoring and or open mouth at rest 
• Congestion during/ after feeds 
• Lip blistering 
• Has a high palate 

Mama symptoms: 

• Feeding plan feels unsustainable
• Recurring mastitis 
• Over or under supply 
• Tongue/ lip tie 
• Pain with breastfeeding 
• Nipple damage 
• Nipple shield use 
• Breast refusal 
• Bottle refusal 

Pain with pumping (PS it is important to make sure you have the right size cups for pumping or you can damage your nipples!)

If you are experiencing any of these things or even if you think things are going well but just want some support for infant feeding (both bottle and breast)  here are a few resources for my Saskatchewan mamas: 

Birth Blessings - https://www.birthblessings.ca/ 

Karlie Hudon - https://www.karliehudon.com/