HomeBirth Experience, Inc. Where Families Begin

03/20/2024

01/30/2024

11/28/2023

… a baby's wail at birth may be Mother Nature's rescue response to immediate cord clamping. Waiting to cut the cord until blood flow shuts down allows a leisurely and often peaceful transition to air breathing.

Learn more about the harms of immediate cord clamping: https://hencigoer.com/just-say-no-to-immediate-umbilical-cord-clamping/

12/17/2020

As the first round of COVID-19 vaccinations took place yesterday, many of you have reached out to ask my thoughts, so I wanted to take a moment to share what I know so far.⁠
⁠
There is a tremendous amount unknown about the virus, the cure, and even prevention. With a vaccine coming to market so quickly, there are inevitably uncertainties, including about safety and efficacy. As with all pharmaceuticals -- adverse effects often don’t come to light until post-market surveillance of many users over a length of time. Without being able to rely on years of clinical studies and longitudinal outcomes tracking there’s a lot we just don’t know at this time. Whether to receive this vaccine is a matter for deep personal consideration and decision-making, weighing personal concern and lifestyle, risks, and a very real and very serious global pandemic. Therefore, as with all vaccines, I do not share what I will do, or what I think you should do.⁠
⁠
For pregnant and breastfeeding mamas, however, the guidance is more clear.⁠
⁠
According to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), “there are no data as yet on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy, either from human or animal studies. Given the lack of evidence, JCVI favours a precautionary approach, and does not currently advise COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy.”⁠
⁠
For breastfeeding mamas, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG) says that, “women who are breastfeeding are also currently advised not to have the vaccine”. Mamas at high risk - including frontline workers - are encouraged to consider the vaccine when they are done breastfeeding.⁠

ACOG recommends they not be withheld from pregnant or BF’ing women who meet criteria for vaccination based on benefits outweighing risks.

FDA cautions pregnant and breastfeeding moms against getting the vaccine due to lack of data.

As data evolves, I’ll update you.⁠ACOG recommends they not be withheld from pregnant or BF’ing women who meet criteria for vaccination based on benefits outweighing risks.

Both of these statements have been supported by the FDA that cautions pregnant and breastfeeding moms against getting the vaccine due to lack of data. As data evolves, I’ll update you.⁠
⁠
PS. This post is meant for your information and support - vaccine infighting, trolling, etc., will not be tolerated and any such posts - and those who post them - will be removed from this page. Please be respectful - these are scary and uncertain times, with tough decisions to make. This page is about education, community, and caring.

06/16/2020

At the top of the list of important strategies to support you in becoming pregnant is getting onto an optimal fertility diet.

04/11/2020

You got your period back 3 months after birth, even though you are exclusively breastfeeding?

Here is what is “normal”. A mother who breastfeeds exclusively for about six months, continues breastfeeding as the baby desires after six months and allows the baby to eat food as the baby desires, and continues breastfeeding into the second year of life, will get back her period, on average, 14 to 17 months after birth. This is an average but can vary widely.

The photo is of a 2000 year old Roman statue, showing a baby pulling at the breast. Why does the baby pull at the breast like that? See below.

If you have had a decrease in your milk supply, your period did not cause your milk supply to decrease; your milk supply decreased and as a result, you got back your period.

Why would you have had a decrease in your milk supply. Why would your milk supply decrease?

1. The baby’s latch is not as good as it could be (a baby with a tongue tie does not have a good latch, even if the mother has no ni**le or breast pain and the baby is drinking well with breastfeeding alone).
2. Offering only one breast at a feeding frequently results in a decrease in milk supply. If the baby is “full” he may not take the second side, but the baby should be offered both breasts at each feeding. Note: A baby is not drinking milk just because the baby is latched on and making sucking movements.
3. “Sleep training” can reduce the milk supply significantly.
4. Babies should feed when they are showing signs that they are hungry, not by the clock. Exclusively breastfed babies are fussy, or “colicky”, usually because they want more milk. Even if they are gaining weight well, some babies just want more. A pacifier does not provide more milk.
5. Hormonal birth control can decrease the milk supply. Yes, even the “minipill” and the “IUD with hormones” can decrease the milk supply.
6. Using bottles, even with breastmilk in it, can decrease the milk supply because the way a baby drinks from a bottle teat is different from the way a baby latched on to the breast.

This article http://ibconline.ca/decreased/ discusses late onset decreasing milk supply.

Want to learn more about how breastfeeding? See our eBook "Breastfeeding: Empowering Parents". The eBook contains videos, links to scholarly articles and more: https://ibconline.ca/ebook/.

New! An audiobook of my book Dr Jack Newman’s Guide to breastfeeding. https://www.audible.ca/search?keywords=dr.+jack+newman&ref=a_hp_t1_header_search

02/11/2020

In the grand scheme of things, the period when babies are wakeful and needy is a blip in time.