Champion Mom

I have been working with a client for over 6 weeks now and it has definitely been the most challenging case I have had to date. Baby was tongue-tied, mom had severe nipple trauma, and the mom had to supplement the baby so that she could continue to gain weight. I worried about them constantly....I wanted it to work out so badly. My heart was breaking for them every time I got a phone call that things had taken a step backwards. I reached out to colleagues for advice on something I felt I may be missing. We went for a second opinion, just to make sure I had all of the facts correct. Fortunately, the mom was super dedicated to breastfeeding and wanted to succeed so badly. I just was the cheerleader and support system.

Well, after two frenotomies, countless lactation consultations, multiple appointments with a craniosacral therapist, pumping after every feeding session, and a handful of supplements to battle the nipple trauma, mom and baby are now successfully breastfeeding. I was so proud of the duo that I could have cried! I am so in awe of the mom's dedication and how she persevered to achieve what she set out to accomplish. She battled and won! It has been such an incredible learning experience, as well as an amazing confidence booster for me as a lactation consultant. I feel blessed to have met this family!

Obstacles to Breastfeeding

I just found the most amazing web site, called Best for Babes: Giving Breastfeeding a Makeover. What I love about this site is that the authors candidly talk about all of the ways in which women are sabotaged into failing at breastfeeding. The authors, Bettina Forbes and Danielle Rigg, don't point fingers at moms and shame them into guilt, like so many web sites and articles do. Instead, they explain the barriers and lack of support moms receive, which is so much more productive and accurate. For example, why is breastfeeding viewed to be so difficult now? Why are women constantly worried about milk supply? Why are healthy babies given bottles of formula in the hospital for no medical reason? These "booby traps", as the authors cleverly call them, are what cause moms to lose self-confidence, doubt their intuition, and eventually give up feeding their babies the best nutrient possible....breastmilk.


So how does a mom overcome these "booby traps?"

• Become aware of the cultural and institutional "booby traps" and learn how to avoid them.


• Assemble, what the authors term, your A-Team - breastfeeding-supportive OBGYN/Midwife, pediatrician, Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), Hospital/Birth Center.


• Prepare yourself - Create a birth plan that is conducive to breastfeeding, practice skin-to-skin once the baby is born, plan to feed on demand, know who to ask for help.


• Find your local and cyberspace resources - Have a list of breastfeeding support groups, lactation consultant referrals, and non-sabotaging web sites that can offer assistance and support, without the "booby traps."


• Check out all of the other articles and blog entries on Best for Babes.

The only way we, as women, will be able to overcome the institutional, cultural, and familial obstacles to breastfeeding is by supporting one another and educating those who sabotage our goals. Rock on, Best for Babes! I am so happy you exist!