Doula Wanna Have a Baby? Birth Education and Services with Amber

08/27/2022

Here’s the thing. Mother/baby dyads are all a little different, and there isn’t really a standard amount of time that they *have* to nurse. Breastfeeding is more of an art form than a science.

Newborns might nurse for up to 20 minutes or longer on one or both breasts. Then as they get older, they may be more efficient and take about 5–10 minutes on each side. It varies.

There are lots of factors at play beyond baby’s age, like: mom’s milk supply, how much milk she stores in her breasts, how efficiently baby is at draining the breast, etc.

As always, watch your baby, not the clock. Carry on. ☺️

(Note: some red flags might be that baby is not gaining enough weight or and/ or not producing enough diapers. This could indicate that the feeds may be too short and/or baby isn’t transferring the milk well. Also if feeds are taking 45+ minutes and baby is never seemingly satisfied, that’s an automatic referral to a lactation professional.)

08/22/2022

Breastfeeding gets easier so stick with it! Hear from other moms who got to the other side and were able to breastfed long-term.

08/17/2022

08/16/2022

It can be so intimidating to look at pictures online. You might see a large bottle of milk pumped or a huge refrigerator stash. Remember babies start by taking in very small amounts of colostrum and as your milk increases so does their intake. You ARE enough ❤️

08/10/2022

There is no right or wrong age or way to wean, it is up to you. Breast milk does not lose nutritional value (ever), so you get to decide how long you want to breastfeed. You also get to decide when you stop and all reasons for wanting to stop are valid. It is OK to wean for your emotional or mental well being and you do not have to justify your choices of how you feed your baby to anyone.

The age of your baby and how quickly you want to wean can play a role in how you wean.
Be prepared that some may experience mood changes and feelings of depression when weaning as your oxytocin and other hormones are dropping to stop milk production. If you need a specific plan to help you quickly wean, schedule a consultation with me to develop a plan that works for you.

Tips for gentle weaning:
✏️Start when your baby has already naturally started to wean, ex. only a quick snack before nap or waking up at 2am to pacify to sleep
✏️If transitioning from breast milk to formula, you can add formula to your breast milk bottles in slowly increasing amounts to make the transition easier on baby’s tummy (ex mix 2oz of breast milk with 1oz of prepared formula for several days, then mix 1.5oz each if breast milk and formula for a few days, then 2oz of formula with 1oz of breast milk)
✏️Don’t offer, don’t refuse
✏️Wear clothing that makes accessing the breast/chest more difficult.
✏️Distract child with favorite activities or offer alternatives like a favorite snack
✏️Change your routine
✏️Postpone: “After we play”
✏️Shortening the length of feeding or space feedings out
✏️Talk to your toddler about weaning. Older children (2 years and up) can be part of the process by talking to them about what is happening.
✏️Alternate between offering bottles and the breast
✏️Be consistent - this is a hard one but it can be even more confusing to your baby if you allow them to nurse one time and not the next.
✏️Lots of cuddles. Your breast/chest is more than just food but also a great source of comfort. Showing them you are still a source of that comfort despite not nursing is incredibly important

08/02/2022

From .dietitian

FEEDING ON DEMAND. Yep. I used cereal and blueberries to see the difference between expectations and reality of many breastfeeding moms.
📷 inspo .ie
Were you told your baby should breastfeed every 2-3 hours? I was. Did you know that only came from figuring out how often feeding was needed for a baby to feed 8-12 times in a 24 hour period...
So yes we APPROXIMATELY would like babies to feed AT LEAST 8-12 times, but the way it all plays out in a 24 hour period is very different for each baby.
Reality: babies feed like the blueberries. Lots of feedings. Some small. Some big. Some close together. Some far apart.
Babies do not feed like clockwork where every cereal (ahem.. feed) is spaced equally apart and the same size. You can relax if your otherwise healthy baby goes longer than 3 hours between a feed. You don’t need to think “you can’t still be hungry” and delay a feed if they are showing signs they want to feed earlier than 2 hours.
Listen to your baby. Trust your instincts. Let go of the cookie cutter “ideal” and develop your own relationship that works for you and your baby.
Do you feed on demand? What works for you and your baby?

07/25/2022

Colostrum is milk.
Colostrum is milk.
Colostrum is milk.
Colostrum is milk.
Colostrum is milk.
Colostrum is milk.
Colostrum is milk.
Colostrum is milk.
Colostrum is milk.
Colostrum is milk.
Colostrum is milk.
Colostrum is milk.
Colostrum is milk.
Colostrum is milk.

Now that I’ve gotten your attention, I just wanted to throw out a reminder that colostrum is the first milk for your baby when you breastfeed. At around 3-5 days postpartum, your milk will start the process of transitioning from colostrum to mature milk. From day 3-5 til day 10-14, your thick, yellow, sticky colostrum will thin out and move to the white color associated with breastmilk. After about 14 days postpartum, you’ll have what it considered “mature milk”, and your supply will begin to become established, which is a process that will take a few weeks.

Put the baby to the breast as much as possible. There’s a reason for the saying “when in doubt, whip it out”. Doing this will help your body to meet your baby’s demands. It’s also worth noting that there are several growth spurts in the first 3 months, and baby cluster feeding (wanting to be on the breast most of the day to eat, acting like they’re starving 30 minutes after they’ve eaten, etc) does not mean you’ve lost your supply (barring IGT or true low supply). Neither does your breasts feeling softer to the touch and not as engorged. This is very normal when your supply has regulated.

If you have any concerns about your baby and/or your breastfeeding journey, please seek out the nearest IBCLC and make an appointment. ✨

07/24/2022

Scientists have discovered an odorless scent molecule called hexadecanal, or HEX, that is released by humans and impacts aggressive behavior. The HEX molecule is the most abundant molecule released on the newborn baby's head. The researchers found that this molecule reduced aggression in males (biologically important as infanticide is a relatively common event in the mammalian world) and increased aggression in females (key to infant protection). We have shared with parents that when they are skin to skin with their newborn they should remove the baby's hat to allow them to inhale the scent of their newborn as it elicits an entire range of activity in the parental brain. This is one more reason to take a deep sniff! (Mishor et al., 2022)

Source: Eva Mishor et al, Sniffing the human body volatile hexadecanal blocks aggression in men but triggers aggression in women, Science Advances (2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg1530

07/17/2022

With more and more babies having tongue/lip ties lets try to educate parents and advocate for the babies when the drs do not think there is one! There are some that can be hidden.

07/14/2022

“We are told we need to rest in the postpartum, but so many birthing people arent told WHY. And sometimes it's the WHY that makes the difference between deep rest and deep regret. ⁠⁠
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The average diameter of a placenta is 22cm/8.6 inches. ⁠⁠
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You could say that it's the size of a side dinner plate, an average watermelon🍉 paper plate or a soccer ball ⚽️ for reference. It's also the size of the average placenta that we have just grown for 9 months. ⁠⁠
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After we birth the placenta, we are left with a wound inside of our uterus where the placenta was attached. If we had this wound on the outside, say on our back or chest, EVERYONE would be telling us to rest and they would help us! Also, the placenta is an organ, that we just expelled from our body, if we had lost a kidney or an appendix, 40 days of recovering would be pretty minimal and probably unheard of. Our doctors and family would expect us to rest longer.... ⁠⁠
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The wound site from the placenta is one of the main reasons for postpartum bleeding/lochia 🩸We lose about 1/10 of our blood supply from this open wound! So whether you had a c-section birth or vaginal, everyone has this bleeding wound. ⁠⁠
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It takes on average 6 weeks for this wound to heal. And this is just an average, because it depends on how much we rest, the nourishment we receive from food and support. So mothers who receive less may take longer, and mothers who prepare and set themselves up may heal quicker. ⁠⁠
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The longer the wound site is left open, the higher risk we have for infection and hemorrhage, even if you had a safe vaginal delivery or zero complications from birth. But because this is an internal aka hidden healing part of the postpartum recovery we don't always take it seriously. And neither does our community. ⁠⁠
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After birth we are hormonal, exhausted, emotionally vulnerable, learning to feed our baby AND our body is working hard to heal this huge wound. It's a lot. Do yourself a favor and REST and ask for help!
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If you are a partner or friend or family member, take this information in, SUPPORT is what they need.”