| Number |
Date |
Name |
Please type or paste in your ... |
| 51 |
Thu Nov 01 14:09:01 EDT 2012 |
Shakeeta Williams |
What can I say about the woman who has been an awesome breastfeeding resource?My midwife has been an almost source of information for me. Even now that my son is 6 months old, she is still available anytime More....to answer questions or come to my house if it's something she can't answer over the phone. She herself nursed her 2 daughters for a total of 5 years so I'm sure she's seen it all which is great because I know that she's had firsthand experience with whatever crazy issue I'm going through. |
| 50 |
Tue Aug 07 14:24:47 EDT 2012 |
Rosie Wessner |
I am a NICU RN and CBC, and recently founded a pumping support group for moms of hospitalized infants. In my experience, I have found that these moms need the most support to continue to provide human More....milk for their sick infants. We promote the use of human milk not only as optimal nutrition, but also as a medical intervention. The support group has allowed time for discussion about frustrations with pumping, pumping schedules,low/large milk supply, human milk donation, milk fractionation, pain/clogged ducts/mastitis, depression/stress, skin to skin, oral care, non-nutritive sucking, and of course, transitioning to breast/latching/positioning! The moms not only receive expert advice from certified breastfeeding counselors, but also from one another! Dads and other support persons have attended our group as well! |
| 49 |
Tue Aug 07 14:05:28 EDT 2012 |
Kim Stewart |
I am lucky to live in an area with a ton of bf'ing support, including free consultations and support groups with a fantastic LC. My first daughter and I had no trouble at all, aside from using nippleshields More....for the first few months. My second, though - totally different story. She was a late-term preemie (36 weeks) with a tiny little mouth and she just couldn't latch without tearing me up. By 8 weeks, I was exhausted from pumping and feeding and pumping some more. My LC bumped me upstairs to the Occupational Therapist. Within a week, I stopped supplementing. My girl and I went on to nurse for 23 months. I never hear people talk about OT for nursing problems, but it was a godsend for us. I am so grateful to the LC, the pediatrician who made an immediate referral, and the OT who got us "organized" (her word). I wish more people knew that OT was an option - the fix was so easy. |
| 48 |
Wed Jul 18 22:59:22 EDT 2012 |
Anonymous |
As a first time mom and a nurse, I desperately wanted to breastfeed. The pregnancy was difficult, the birth was early, and the early breastfeeding in the hospital was very hard. The lack of support I More....received there inspired me to become the IBCLC that I am today. But...the encouragement and reassuring I received at the well baby visits from my family practice doctor that my son was growing and developing just fine, and that my milk was doing it - that's what really helped me keep on trucking. It got me through the early hurdles. I could have been a milk bank donor!! |
| 47 |
Tue Jun 19 09:50:31 EDT 2012 |
Anonymous |
If it was not for updated information passed year after year I don't believe I would be able to pass the information I have to clients. |
| 46 |
Sat Jun 16 15:57:09 EDT 2012 |
Denise Hoppess |
We needed 'help' to get pregnant with our last baby. My infertility doctor, obstetrician and Labor and Delivery midwife and nurses encouraged me to breastfeed. When our baby was born his pediatricians More....at the hospital encouraged nursing too for as long as we both wanted to. We nursed successfully for 33 months! |
| 45 |
Fri Feb 10 16:17:46 EST 2012 |
erin yorker |
Because my daughter was born in a birth center, she had to be examined by a pediatrician within 48 hours of her birth. We took her to our wonderful Family Doctor, who not only examined the baby, but also More....took the time to actually show me how to hand express my milk in order to help with the initial engorgement. The combo of this early support and the meeting with our lactation consultant through our birth center really helped me over the hump of the painful early days. |
| 44 |
Mon Oct 03 12:27:19 EDT 2011 |
Dina Diana-Rizo |
I am the first to breastfeed in my family. Now 16 1/2 months later, I still nurse my healthy toddler at nap time and bedtime. If not for my midwife and doula, I may have given up as the beginning months More....my husband was not 100% confident our son was "getting enough". I can proudly say our son is vibrant, active and a big food eater, as well as a contented baby -all i attribute from nursing him since birth (which was at home, in a water tub with zero drugs/interventions). Our society needs to protect and support nursing mothers, its not the "easy" way and it takes dedication and time, but it in my opinion is the best investment you can make in giving your child a healthy start to life. |
| 43 |
Mon Sep 26 19:17:22 EDT 2011 |
Kari Bharucha |
On his 2nd day my son's weight was nearing 10% loss from his birth weight, which I believe was artificially raised due to large volume of fluids (several liters) I was given in 1-2 hours before More....he was born due to a (nearly emergent) c-section for his low heart rate, and they were threatening to use formula. In the state I was in at that point, even though I am a Peds RN who works in nurseries and has lactation training, I couldn't think beyond saying "No I don't want him to have formula, he is doing fine..." over & over. Thankfully one nurse recommended I start pumping after each feeding in hopes of helping milk come in sooner & increase my milk supply. Thanks to her my son got a few extra mL of colostrum, we got to sleep 3 hours rather than 1-2 our last night in the hospital and my son's weight stayed above the dreaded 10% figure and he never got formula until he was almost 1 year old & then only on rare occasions when running low on expressed milk in my absence. Despite my training, the thought of using a pump had not even crossed my mind, I'm so thankful a nurse recommended it, I wish more had been that proactive. I dread to think what happens to someone who really wishes to breastfeed exclusively but finds themselves in similar circumstances without my level of education and background that made me set on strongly expressing my desired to avoid formula if at all possible. I know statistics show that the vast majority of newborns who receive (any) formula in Maternity Units often go on to primarily formula feed long term. And that they are most often fed the brand & type of formula they were introduced to in the hospital. By encouraging use of formula healthcare workers are (often) inadvertently endorsing the use of formula and implying that it is better than breastfeeding (at least ) for that infant. Mothers think well if this is what the hospital gave my baby this must be what is best for them. Formula companies know that and that is why they have supplied free formula to hospitals for so long. As a woman, a breastfeeding mom and healthcare worker I am glad to see that trend changing. |
| 42 |
Thu Sep 01 19:14:39 EDT 2011 |
Anonymous |
1. My midwife supported breastfeeding and initiated the conversation early at prenatal appointments. She did not ask whether I would breastfeed, but rather stated that she plans to support me in initiating More....breastfeeding and asked if I had any questions. 2. When baby came, she provided opportunity for skin to skin immediately after birth, and conducted all newborn exams on my baby while I held him, allowing him the opportunity to root immediately. Breastfeeding was initiated within 1/2 hour. 3. When my milk came in, my midwife came to my home to help relieve engorgement. 4. Unfortunately, my road to pain-free nursing was a rocky one. After one month of pain, I consulted a lactation consultant who recommended treatment for yeast. At month two, with no response to the yeast treatment, another doctor finally diagnosed raynauds. By month 4, I was finally nursing without pain with the help of a medicine, nifidipine. A year later, my naturopath (and midwife) helped me switch from nifidipine to a regimin of fish oil, evening primrose oil, magnesium, and B6. This is nearly as effective as the nifidipine, with only mild occasional breakthrough pain. All the while, the midwife/ND, lactation consultant, and doctor all had the same message: "YOU CAN DO THIS. We will help you find pain-free nursing. It is not supposed to hurt, do not give up." This was a different message from some of my well meaning friends and family, which was along the lines of "stop complaining, you know you have the option of formula." I can't begin to imagine how many other women out there may have had undiagnosed raynauds and quit nursing because they didn't have the fantastic support that I had. I hope that the word gets out and more health care providers become trained at diagnosing and treating Raynauds so that more mothers can overcome it and reach their personal breastfeeding goals.
If I didn't have these wonderful, knowledgeable, competent, pro-breastfeeding providers helping me along the way, I would not be where I am today - exactly where I want to be - with a 2 year old healthy, happy, still nursing boy! |
| 41 |
Sun Aug 21 23:17:44 EDT 2011 |
Anita Esquerra-Zwiers |
At my son’s one year appointment with the pediatrician I was asked what kind of milk he was getting. I said, “breastmilk.” The doctor said, “Breastfeed for as long as you want.” What an encouragement that More....was for me. When I visited another doctor in the practice for my annual visit, I mentioned that I was still breastfeeding and that doctor encouraged me the same way. Wow! What an encouragement, I plan to breastfeed for at least 2 years. Thank you! |
| 40 |
Thu Jul 21 08:41:08 EDT 2011 |
Aisha Goodman |
Any categorization of breastfeeding success being attributable to only one kind of support entirely downplays the societal impact on parenting practices. My mother nursed me and my siblings, as did all More....the mothers I knew as a child. They explained to us that breastfeeding is best for mothers and babies and discussed challenges and solutions various mothers had encountered- but always that mother's milk is best, natural, and possible for practically any mother, as long as she fed her baby when the baby wanted to nurse and ate and drank water sufficiently. When my first child was born, there was no doubt that I would nurse. My daughter and I needed to learn how to some extent- at first her latch irritated me, so the midwives who attended my home birth lent me a book on breastfeeding and gave me advice on how to help her latch correctly. She soon caught on and a few months later I couldn't imagine not feeding her exclusively on my milk. And naturally l've nursed my other children too... And am nursing my two-week-old infant right now. |
| 39 |
Wed Jul 20 23:30:01 EDT 2011 |
Anonymous |
My Certified Professional Midwife assisted me on Day 5 of my son's life, when my milk came in very suddenly and I became engorged to the extent that we couldn't get a latch. My midwife simply kept at it, More....using one approach after another, until we had a latch. My son nursed for over three years after that!
My second child showed no interest in nursing, so on Day 2, I called a well-known cranialsacral therapist in our area, who came to our house and - somehow! - caused him to start nursing a few minutes after she left. He also nursed for over three years. I am so grateful to these professionals who knew all the techniques to overcome our difficulties. |
| 38 |
Tue Jul 19 16:25:15 EDT 2011 |
Tonia Hedge |
2. My very first breastfeeding experience wasn’t good. I wasn’t on WIC and had no support. I gave up very quickly and felt very defeated. My second and last experience was much better; I was on WIC and More....had breastfeeding support. The failed attempt at breastfeeding my baby is still such a huge regret in my life. I just don’t want anyone else to feel that regret. I am subsequently the PC for the county I was on WIC in. I always tell hesitant prenatal WIC moms that we are going to give them the information and support they need to make an informed decision as to how they want to feed their baby. The typically removes any hesitancy they have with breastfeeding information. |
| 37 |
Sun Jun 19 21:03:28 EDT 2011 |
Elizabeth Allemann |
My mother did not plan on breastfeeding me, her fourth child. She had nursed my brothers, and didn't look forward to the discomforts of nursing. Her family physician gently encouraged her. "What I know More....about you is that you are willing to do WHATEVER it takes to provide the best for your children. Breastfeeding is the best thing for your baby." He knew her. He had walked beside her through long nights of illness, through broken bones, and stitches. And he had attended her in birth. She was convinced. |
| 36 |
Wed Jun 01 15:34:52 EDT 2011 |
Anonymous |
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| 35 |
Wed Jun 01 15:33:19 EDT 2011 |
Margaret Gall |
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| 34 |
Mon May 30 12:54:11 EDT 2011 |
Danielle Housenick |
One reason I was so successful at breastfeeding was due to encouragement to continue to pursue it, even though it was so difficult! My daughter's pediatrician never told me to just quit trying and use More....formula even though my daughter had jaundice. With her encouragement, I went on to breastfeed my daughter for 26 months. |
| 33 |
Sun May 29 22:41:52 EDT 2011 |
Kathrine Ringler |
I had my first daughter on April 19th, 2005, I always knew I was going to breastfeed my children. But what I didn't realize is the amount of time it would take to learn it and the amount of time we breastfed More....for. I breastfed her for 2 1/2 wonderful years. The only reason I succeeded doing that is becauser her pediatritian saw how desprite I was to succeed and get the support needed and he Knew how much I did not want to use formula. Therefore he refered me to our local hospital's lactation consultants here in Waterloo, Iowa. I thank God for him every day of my life because of our pediatrition I was able to breastfeed my beautiful daughter. |
| 32 |
Sun May 29 21:33:40 EDT 2011 |
Emily Grey |
I birthed Rachel at our local free-standing birth center and scooped her out of the warm water onto my chest. It took her a few hours to really be interested in latching on and even then, she seemed to More....be having difficulties fitting my nipple into her mouth. It felt strange—but I was so excited to finally be nursing! I had known that I wanted to breastfeed my babies before I was even married, and I loved it already.
Once Rachel latched on as best she could, she seemed to have no interest in ever letting go. After a few days at home, nursing hurt, and my nipples were cracked, smashed, and bleeding. I assumed this was just normal “new mom” soreness. I noticed that Rachel was very reluctant to open her mouth wide and had trouble flanging her top lip. However, I thought she just needed more practice. She was ravenous and it took a few days for my milk to come in. Even then, my breasts never felt full and, apparently, neither did her belly.
My friend, who is a La Leche League Leader in another state, had mentioned the possibility of a posterior tongue-tie to me two weeks after Rachel was born. I dismissed the notion, since I had seen her stick out her tongue (I thought) and because I did not see any membrane binding her tongue to the floor of her mouth, as I assumed a tongue-tied baby would have. My midwives, mother, and pediatricians had never mentioned the possibility of a tongue-tie because they, like me, were looking for a supposedly tell-tale membrane.
Rachel had a 4th degree tongue-tie, which is more commonly known as a posterior tongue-tie. Not surprisingly, this is also the rarest variety. Her tongue was rooted to the back of her mouth, but the frenulum was hidden in the muscle at the back of the throat. Posterior tongue ties are very difficult to diagnose because unlike the other degrees, they cannot be seen or felt without expert manipulation of the bottom of the baby’s mouth. Rachel’s symptoms were compounded by the presence of her lip-tie. Lip-ties and tongue-ties often occur together.
Some mothers and babies can breastfeed effectively despite the presence of a tongue-tie or lip-tie. In those cases where the baby is getting enough milk and the mother is not experiencing pain, then there is no need to rectify the tie for breastfeeding issues alone. Many women, however, find that they are in too much pain and that their babies lose too much weight to continue nursing without eliminating the tie through a simple and painless medical procedure called a frenotomy, or more simply, “clipping”.
Frenotomies are usually performed by an ENT, pediatrician, or pediatric dentist. For posterior tongue-ties and lip-ties especially, the use of a laser to perform the frenotomy minimizes tissue damage and healing time. The baby can nurse immediately afterward, and usually, as long as the procedure is done in the first few weeks, very little re-training of how to suck is needed.
The problem is finding someone who will rectify tongue- and lip-ties. I live in a metropolitan area of Florida, and my lactation consultant knew of one ENT who would clip tongue ties—but only first and second degree ties. She knew of one pediatric dentist who would correct lip ties—but only first and second degree ties. We were running out of options and out of time. If Rachel did not suck correctly by eight weeks, and my supply was not meeting her needs by then, I knew we would have a very difficult time ever establishing the correct sucking technique and a full supply of milk.
My earlier research of tongue-ties and lip-ties had led me back time and again to the website and articles of Dr. K, a pediatric dentist in New York. So when we got home from our dismal appointment with a maxialfacial surgeon, I immediately emailed Dr. K. He called me from his home that same day. Dr. K assured me that yes, this was an outpatient procedure which would take five minutes with no anesthesia, and that Rachel and I would be able to nurse immediately afterward. When I mentioned our disappointing visit to the surgeon, Dr. K sighed and said that he is having a very tough time, despite his research now appearing in scholarly journals, in convincing ENT’s, pediatricians, pediatric dentists, and facial surgeons that posterior tongue-ties and lip-ties do have an impact on nursing. Dr. K stated that he could do the procedure any day that we could make it up there, and it would cost us $225 with a military discount.
When we arrived at Dr. K’s office a few days later, he took a quick look at Rachel, felt inside her mouth, and confirmed that we were indeed dealing with a third degree lip-tie and a posterior tongue-tie. I finally felt that my layman’s diagnosis based on my own research and experience of symptoms had been validated. After a short preliminary discussion, he took Rachel for her frenomotmy. True to his word, Dr. K was back with Rachel in five minutes, now without a tongue- or lip-tie. Dr. K gave us instructions on how to lift her tongue and lip multiple times per day to prevent the frenula from reattaching. We saw him again 24 hours after the procedure to make sure that everything was healing as it should. At this point I told Dr. K that nursing still hurt. He evaluated Rachel while she nursed and said that everything looked fine as far as he could tell, and that it could take a week for nursing to be truly comfortable.
Rachel’s latch was better, and I could tell that her little tummy was finally starting to get full. I was able to stop supplementing 24 hours after the frenotomy, which was a relief. But my nipples still came out mashed, I never felt her actually sucking, and while the pain was certainly decreased, it still hurt. I knew that Rachel was physically capable of sticking her tongue out and nursing correctly, but she did not seem to know that yet. For most babies and mommies, the frenotomy almost instantly solves all of the nursing problems, as long as they have a sufficient milk supply. Rachel seemed a bit more set in her ways.
As I write this, we are exactly eight weeks post-surgery. It has taken four chirorpractic adjustments, three cranial sacral treatments, two more visits to the lactation consultant, five weight checks, experimentation with different nursing positions, suck training, mimic exercises, little jaw and mouth massages, a prescription for All Purpose Nipple Ointment, herbs and medication to increase my milk supply, and an incalculable amount of patience and tears to get to the point where Rachel is getting milk and it is usually comfortable for me to give it to her. Most days are better; some are worse.
Throughout my struggles to nurse Rachel, I kept reminding myself how blessed I was. I knew a lot about breastfeeding before Rachel was born. We were able to supplement exclusively with shared milk at the breast with the SNS. My husband was incredibly supportive of my need to nurse our baby. I had the time to devote to pumping, using the SNS, and going to all the lactation, chiropractic, and cranial sacral appointments. I had the ability to research and resource until I had found a solution to our problems. We had enough money to pay for the airfare and lodging and the frenotomy itself in New York, as well as the money to pay for all the appointments we needed afterward and the herbs and medicine that I am still taking.
My prayer is that it will not always be this difficult for tongue-tied babies and their mothers. It should not require so much time and so many resources to simply feed your baby. Fortunately, as more mothers are attempting to breastfeed, tongue- and lip-ties are slowly becoming recognized as a true impediment to nursing. The International Affiliation of Tongue-tie Professionals suggests that a finger sweep along the bottom of the baby’s mouth be added to the standard newborn exam. Ideally, early identification of tongue-ties would allow midwives, pediatricians, and lactation consultants to help the mother and baby before pain or weight loss end the breastfeeding relationship prematurely.
Every time I nurse Rachel, I am thankful for the chance to do so. And every time I see Rachel’s little smile tug up the corners of her mouth and rearrange her still imperfect latch, I know that she is grateful too. |
| 31 |
Sat May 28 21:54:35 EDT 2011 |
Anonymous |
Midwife provided post-partum care and support to non-breast feeding baby. |
| 30 |
Sat May 28 20:48:18 EDT 2011 |
Anonymous |
When I was pregnant with my second child and looking at another scheduled c-section, my doctor asked me what I liked about my last experience and what I wanted changed. I told her of my troubles with breastfeeding More....my first, and she immediately got on her blackberry and e-mailed the lactation consultant at the hospital where I was to give birth. She recommended that I attend the hospital's breastfeeding support group before giving birth and continue going afterward.
Getting me in touch with the LC and the support group before the baby was even born helped give me the confidence and comfort level I needed to get my breastfeeding off on the right foot. |
| 29 |
Sat May 28 16:16:07 EDT 2011 |
Mell Fraze |
I give credit for the fact that I have successfully breastfed each of my 3 children for at least 1 year to the help & guidance of the midwife who attended the birth of my oldest in 2006. Ruth was great, More....she insisted that we get a good latch from the very first latch & that we could only go home once she was satisfied I knew how to get baby latched on correctly. I've always felt blessed that I never had any major difficulties with breastfeeding but this year it was really apparent to me just how blessed I truly was as I watched a friend get off to a rough start with her first breastfeeding relationship. My friend did not have the help she needed right away and so what would have been a small adjustment and easy fix if it was caught at the beginning became far more challenging and took longer to fix. I absolutely credit having correct help & advice from the very beginning for the success of my breastfeeding relationships. I dream of a world where all mothers will receive the same quality of care as I did from the very first latch, it would make such a difference. |
| 28 |
Sat May 28 16:14:31 EDT 2011 |
Denise Bastien |
Our 3 babies were all premature, were all hyperbilirubinemia also known as jaundiced, and all 3 were treated under bili lights. The first two were also given formula bottle supplements at every feeding, More....one was denied breast milk, and both were separated from us in the nursery or readmitted to a peds room in a hospital. This common practice puts mother's milk supply at risk by tiring mother and causing difficulty with pumping, transporting and storing milk. Even for sick babies, breast milk is the prefered nutrition, including jaundiced babies. With our 3rd baby, born at 36 weeks, the only separation was one blood draw at 48 hours old back at the local hospital - total separation time: less than one hour. For the next week we were able to treat the baby with medical equipment bili lights in our home, labs were drawn in our home, our wonderful doctor even came to our home for a check-up, and baby never recieved formula - only breastfed or was supplemented with freshly pumped breast milk. Our family doctor knew how much easier it made continued breastfeeding to have baby in our own bedroom where mom can rest, have constant contact or skin-to-skin time with her baby, and know her baby is safe. To support breastfeeding, maternity care must alter routines that separate mom and baby, even in difficult situations. Sitting up in a hospital room or nursery or having limited access to one's own baby imposes a true hardship on mothers and families, and makes breastfeeding especially difficult, and for many mothers impossible. We are grateful our doctor knew this and had the resources to support us to treat our baby at home from birth instead of reverting to a costly and unneeded hospital or nursery admission. |
| 27 |
Fri May 20 12:01:38 EDT 2011 |
Eva Fiallos-Diaz |
My 3 siblings and I were not breastfed. According to my mother she was told by her doctor that she didn't produce enough nutritious milk to feed us and it was still more fashionable to use formula. My More....aunts, likewise, found little support for breastfeeding when my cousins were born. So growing up I had little access to first hand information about breastfeeding. When I got pregnant with my first baby I did a lot of reading and settled on a local birth center run by a mother-daughter duo. The center is person and family centered. Birth Centers are guided by principles of prevention, sensitivity, safety, appropriate medical intervention, and cost effectiveness and provide care for healthy women, before, during and after normal pregnancy, labor and delivery. One of my concerns from the beginning was breastfeeding. I feel that at the birth center I have found ongoing support. They have a library from which mothers can borrow books on a variety of topics, including breastfeeding, and the midwives are also lactation consultants.
They encouraged me to attend local breastfeeding support groups and as soon as my daughter was born they spent time teaching me basics of latching as well as baby led, mother assisted breast feeding. I have had some trying weeks as my daughter has been feeding very frequently day and night and the support I continue to receive is invaluable and encouraging. |
