The Holistic Birth Podcast

Allison 0:17
Welcome back to the Holistic Birth Podcast. This is episode nine and we're going to be giving you eight breastfeeding tips. Maybe first, it'd be might be helpful to talk about the benefits of nursing. Breastfeeding journeys, lactation journeys can be pretty complicated for some people. There's a lot of cultural layers, a lot of like personal preferences and layers and things. But for those who are seeking a lactation journey, let's chat about some of the benefits.

Brigitte 1:20
So many great benefits obviously to breastfeeding, such as bonding. Oxytocin is definitely released during breastfeeding which helps with mom and baby bonding, and then helps regulate the temperature and the heart rate of both you and the baby. Again, the oxytocin just creates that relaxation and gets everybody just in a really good state, physically and emotionally. Exclusive past six months reduces the risk of SIDS, which is definitely very important. Protection against illness and chronic diseases so it really helps with boosting the immune system for both you and baby. It reduces the risk of osteoporosis, which is really cool fact I didn't know about. And then pre menopausal breast cancer prevents that along with ovarian and thyroid cancers, reduces the risk of postpartum depression and postpartum hemorrhage, and then also reduces stress due to lactation hormones.

Allison 2:19
Can you describe why or how breastfeeding can help reduce the risk of hemorrhaging postpartum?

Brigitte 2:27
Yeah, so again, that hormone oxytocin is just super cool. That hormone tends to help with the uterus shrink down after the baby's born. So that prevents bleeding in itself. So pretty, pretty cool.

Allison 2:43
Cool. Tip number one.

Brigitte 2:45
Tip number one, the breast crawl. So at the moment of birth, it's really like, that moment can really be super important with having really good success with breastfeeding. The breast crawl, if you haven't seen it before, is basically when the baby is put on the belly and they are given the chance to kind of make their way up by crawling up to the breast. This takes anywhere from like 15 minutes to an hour it really just all depends on how long it takes them. Something that is really helpful for this is the baby can be dried off, but leaving their hands wet is actually really helpful for this because their hands smell like the amniotic fluid and your nipple smells like that as well. So it just helps them navigate their way up to the nipple, and they'll just latch on by themselves. And it's pretty amazing. We'll link some videos to that in the show notes, and we'll show that for those who haven't seen it. It's really cool.

Allison 3:36
I had a client asked me recently, she said, how does the baby have the strength to like, potentially wiggle and crawl their way up? And I was like, Well, do you remember when they kick you? Their legs work. Their neck strength and obviously their hand eye coordination is not there yet, but it is pretty cool to see that instinct kind of pop in for them.

Brigitte 4:03
Another cool thing too about it is as they're making that crawl up and they're pushing their legs on your belly, it helps with that fundal massage. It's just kind of another natural way to help with postpartum hemorrhage. That skin to skin is also important too. It regulates their temperature that way too.

Allison 4:24
Good. Tip number two would be noticing your baby's hunger cues. They are not always very clear with their communication for some people, but I feel like usually after the first week or two, you're like, oh, I get it. It's helpful to kind of know what these are in advance. But basically, there's three levels to their hunger queuing. The first stage is like the early cues. That's when they're saying like I'm hungry. It's like when you make eye contact with the waiter or waitress and they know you're hungry but you're not upset yet.

They're not demanding. At this point, they're stirring, their mouth is opening, they're turning their head kind of doing that routing thing that newborns do, then the mid cues is them saying, I'm really hungry. It's like when you're really trying to flag down the waiter or waitress. They're stretching and definitely moving more. Sometimes they even put their hand to their mouth where they're trying to find something. Then there's the late cues, which says "calm me, then feed me." So it's like you're really upset and the waitstaff comes over, they acknowledge you and give you your food. It's nice to know that you need to calm them first. Because at this point, they're usually like crying, they're more agitated and they might be even turning right a little bit. So if you've missed any of those earlier or mid hunger cues, know that they might obviously start to be more vocal with their communication. But it's helpful to kind of know when those earlier ones are so you can start getting your like nursing station ready or change their diaper before you feed them. That's really common practice.

Brigitte 6:21
Yeah, yeah, those are definitely important. They can sometimes be missed and there's nothing wrong with that. You might have to take a little bit extra effort to try to calm them down first, but yeah, it's all learning curve. Don't beat yourself up about it.

Allison 6:39
For sure, definitely.

Brigitte 6:41
It's not like if your baby starts crying, they won't eat at all, you just have to get them to calm down a little bit. So the other tip, number three, is make sure your baby's neck is open. You want their neck elongated not you know, crunch down on your breast. It's easier for them to swallow. The latch will be better too if their neck is up. Also, nipple to nose or to chin. Try whichever works for you but you want to make sure that their mouth is open and the nipple is facing the roof of the mouth.

Allison 7:18
Yeah, that wide mouth. I think that surprises people, to make sure that baby's mouth is really wide because it's deeper than you think. It's not just them latching onto the nipple. They need areola, they need more tissue.

Brigitte 7:30
Yeah, exactly. As much tissue as they can get.

Allison 7:32
I mean, you want that too. It's way more comfortable. It's wild how your baby and your body like click.

Brigitte 7:41
Yeah, it shouldn't be painful.

Allison 7:46
Cool. Tip number four is to consider different positions. Most people kind of just assume that baby's head is in the crook of your arm and it's just that one arm type of thing. But you could try other things like the cross cradle, which they're still kind of doing that laying position in your arms but instead, you have two hands, two arms that you're using, where you're supporting them with the opposite side that they're nursing on. You're freehand, the side that they're nursing on, you then are helping to guide the breast. There's also side-lying, which is a really helpful position, if you're wanting to lay down or have a more restful position for when you're nursing. It's important no matter what position you're in nursing, to be able to have that belly to belly kind of formation, making sure that baby's not on their side trying to nurse by turning their head; a good aligned spine is really helpful for that.

Brigitte 8:48
When it comes to the side laying, I know there's sometimes concern about suffocation or rolling on the baby or anything like that. Do you have any tips or thoughts or anything surrounding that? Because I feel like that's a big question.

Allison 9:00
It is. I think it definitely leads into the big conversation of safe sleep and bed sharing, and every family and their values and preferences are different with that. But if someone's wanting to avoid falling asleep, you could prioritize that position for daytime -- not that you're not tired during the day. You could prioritize that for during the day. You could have someone else be on lookout duty while maybe you let yourself rest, you let yourself doze off. It could be your overnight doula, it could be your partner can kind of just keep an eye on things. Also, if baby is done and they've fallen off the breast and maybe it's time to burp them or just soothe them or put them wherever you want them, you could continue sleeping while your support person then carries baby to somewhere else so you can keep resting. But even just the position that you are in on your side does make an impact. Having your arm that your the side of the side that you're laying on stretched out so that you are less likely to continue rolling onto your stomach, actually onto baby that reduces that. And then also just standard safe sleep guidelines of avoiding loose bedding, too many pillows or extra blankets, anything that's too fluffy. And then also like a firm mattress is more ideal. La Leche League put out the afe Sleep Seven. It's guidelines if you are bed sharing or if you just want to help reduce the risk of any bad outcomes or anything like that, sometimes they're just helpful guidelines. We can put that in the show notes too.

Brigitte 10:42
Yeah, that's a great idea. That's awesome. All right. So tip number five is basically just things to keep an eye out for for bad latch. So clicking noises, if the upper lip is tucked and the cheeks are sucked inward. Also, we want to make sure that there's a more deeper lash, and then flaring out the lip. So we want to see that lip flared out and you know, lips tucked in. So if your baby does have a bad latch, you can actually just take your pinky and just kind of sneak it inside the corner of their mouth and just pull a little bit and they should be able to release it. You want to basically break that suction. And then just try again.

Allison 11:34
Fantastic. I feel like the latch is one of the big question marks for a lot of people.

Brigitte 11:38
Yeah, yeah, for sure.

Allison 11:47
Tip number six would be specifically for clogged milk ducts. Some basic things to get started with would be to apply warm compresses, obviously rest and hydration, which resting is a little bit of a hot commodity postpartum that might not be super easy to access, but it's obviously important even if you're just resting on the couch or having like a, you know, in bed type of day with your baby. So yeah, hydration and then gently massaging is pretty helpful. I definitely do not recommend a massage gun. You don't need that for your your body. Gentle massage is helpful. Consider a shower too, sometimes that's a helpful easy way not only to massage in the shower and just try to help with releasing that cloud but also being able to have the warmth is also really helpful for like opening and dilating your milk ducts.

Brigitte 12:55
Yeah, I think another thing too, is when doing compresses, I was told that having like a heating pad, something that actually stays warm, because like, warm compresses are fine, but they get cold kind of quick. So having a heating pad is actually a really good idea to use. And then you know, clogged ducts are basically the fat from deposits from the milk getting stuck in the ducts. Massaging and like loosening that up is what's really important so that heat really does help and having the shower is actually is a great way to do it too because then you can get that warm, wet compress, but it's constant instead of getting cold on you.

Allison 13:36
Definitely make sure it's not too hot, either. It should be comfortable. It's not the hotter, the better. It has to be like a comfortable temperature but warm is good.

Brigitte 13:47
Things that also help with this as homeopathy which I think we should do a whole podcast episode on on breastfeeding common problems. Tip number seven is also start noticing how your breasts feel to determine which side to start on next. Consider using an app or even just a hair tie. Those things can be helpful on just kind of observing what breast is doing what and to decide when to switch and what to start with first.

Allison 14:24
I have had clients with the hair tie, they like the idea but then they forget to switch it. But by the time they figure out which side it's time to nurse on, they don't need the hair tie trick anymore. But it's kind of helps you get started. Especially an app I think is really common and that's such a good idea.

Brigitte 14:42
I didn't know there was an app. They create an app for everything!

Allison 14:45
There are tons! Our eighth and final tip for you for breastfeeding is to support your body really well. A big thing that would promote sustainability when it comes to your breastfeeding or nursing journey is to make sure that you're making sustainable positions and body mechanic-like protocol for yourself. So bringing baby to you, rather than you hunched over slouching down to baby. That's huge. Definitely load yourself up with pillow support, whether it's some sort of breastfeeding pillow or I've had clients who use specific throw pillows, because they're the right height for what they need. Just get creative. Obviously, when you're out in public or don't have those things nearby, then it might be a little different. But when you have the possibility of pillow support, definitely get them in place. You can get a stool or something to help bring your legs up if you need. Once you've latched baby, and it seems like that's established and you're ready to roll for your session, don't forget to relax your shoulders. Do some neck stretches. Just circle your neck and your head around and release any tension that you have in your shoulders because we do tend to do a lot of hunched forward type of things with baby. Expand that chest and help it kind of stay away from the tightness that can feel pretty uncomfortable.

Brigitte 16:24
Yeah, definitely. I had a question. Do you have suggestions on diet or anything like that? Maybe to support lactation? Do you think those things are really, like important? Because I feel like that's a big question about what to do to promote more milk?

Allison 16:51
Well, I've had clients where it does make an impact when they've changed something in their diet. It could be something like they came down on how much dairy they had or leafy greens that made their baby gassy, or something like that. But I feel like I've had a few clients who swear by sunflower lecithin because it helps with the ducts being clogged and everything. I've had come clients who have had some bad mastitis rounds, too. I think some people kind of do that preventatively or even after you've realized that you have a clogged duct or something. I know a lot of people will try to incorporate oats into their diet to promote better supply and everything. But usually just well-balanced nutrition is going to be impactful. You typically need a lot more calories and protein when you are breastfeeding than when you're not. Definitely keep the snacks handy.

Brigitte 17:53
Yeah, eat lots. Eat lots of good stuff.

Allison 17:57
I've definitely seen people who've tried all those things, and it doesn't seem to impact what's going on. It could be something anatomical going on with them or it's just not that powerful for them - I don't know, I've just had clients who've tried really hard to have their diet implement good changes. I think, if anything, it just gives people peace of mind that they tried whatever old wive's tale or myth or thing that their sister or somebody did. I had one client who had her supply tank. I was her postpartum doula and I showed up that day and she was like, "I don't know what happened in the last 24 hours that I've seen you but something's wrong. Like my supply is like so low. I don't know what's going on." And so we went through everything. We're like, what's different? Are you doing anything new with like, the way your bra is? Is it too tight? We were just looking at all the pieces. It ended up being that she was starting to chew mint gum.

Brigitte 18:58
Oh weird, huh!

Allison 18:59
Peppermint can be something that helps to lower your milk supply.

Brigitte 19:05
Oh, I've heard of sage but I didn't know peppermint.

Allison 19:07
Spearmint and peppermint. I have clients who are trying to wean for whatever reason. I've had clients who've experienced loss and don't want to produce milk anymore and so they look for those options that are supposed to help reduce your supply. She was chewing gum and so she stopped immediately and her supply came back. For some people that wouldn't matter at all.

Brigitte 19:37
Yeah, that's weird. Another thing too that I've learned is that the more you nurse or pump, the more milk supply you'll have, so your breasts are gonna get used to like producing a lot and it stimulates them to produce more. So having that constant like pumping or breastfeeding really helps with that too.

Allison 20:03
Everyone's so worried about not making enough milk and yet still tons of people make too much, more than their baby needs. And that's also a full time job! I had a twin mom who had plenty of milk for both of her babies and then some. She was a mass producer. It was very powerful. But it was a lot because she was constantly, constantly attached to her pump. That can be a pain too. Anytime you need help, maybe you feel like your supply is too high or too low, if you feel like your like nipples are cracked, the latch doesn't seem right, the positions you're in aren't really working for you or baby, setting up for pumping, going back to work, any transitions or even just a check in, it's so normal and okay to seek help. There's different levels of lactation specialists. There are peer support people, like a friend or someone in the community that's just been through a lot themselves so you can seek out some guidance from them. There's a more trained approach where someone's maybe a lactation counselor or a lactation educator, so then they can help with giving different suggestions and helping with thinking outside the box with creating plans for when you're going back to work, or if you're trying to implement pumping, or just in general education ahead of time or something. I think the big heroes of the lactation world are IBCLCs. They are International Board Certified Lactation Consultants. There are both hospital-based ones and private practice ones, it kind of depends on what you need. A lot of insurance companies cover lactation visits from an IBCLC. You can even have a visit scheduled prenatally. We just had someone in pregnancy group this past week who just had her prenatal consult with an IBCLC who helped her with flange size fitting for her pump. They talked about different positions, she was feeling super confident in some education. And also, she's already established the relationship with an IBCLC so it's easier to pick up the phone or schedule something with her later. But the IBCLCs are fantastic.

Brigitte 22:22
Yeah, you don't have to wait till after the baby comes to get help. If you have questions or just want more guidance, some doulas are trained in some lactation consultant, things or counseling so they can help you too. So yeah, for sure. Don't be afraid to ask for help. If you're, you know, if it's something you're really wanting to do, and also don't put pressure on yourself, you know, don't put so much pressure that like sometimes it just doesn't work out and that's okay, too. We give these tips with that in mind. We definitely want to help people have the best success with breastfeeding. But of course, if it doesn't go that way, that's okay, too. It's all right.

Allison 23:00
Yeah, there are a lot of like expectations, shame or guilt.

Brigitte 23:04
Yeah, like peer pressure or family pressure or something like that.

Allison 23:07
Yeah. Right. So like letting yourself off the hook is super powerful for a lot of people. There's also other people who are like, "you know what, all these cultural things and my own expectations, I'm just gonna throw that to the side and figure out how to barrel through and figure it out." I there's a fantastic doula on our team, her name is Samantha and she

Brigitte 23:07
Shout out to Samantha!

Allison 23:08
Yes, shout out to Samantha. She's wonderful. She's a huge champion for education and really just cycle breaking when it comes to the assumptions and misinformation that there is out there about lactation journeys. She has a whole class on "more than milk," it's more than your basic lactation 101 class. It's like, how do you apply all of this information in the real world make it sustainable? If those are your goals. That's the whole purpose of this episode is if you're hoping to breastfeed and you're hoping to have some sort of lactation relationship with your baby, it's good to have some tips in mind going into it or some education ahead of time.

Brigitte 24:15
I just thought of another question. So I had someone that was breastfeeding, and she was really struggling with postpartum depression. As soon as she stopped breastfeeding, it went away. Do you have thoughts on that? Because I had not heard of that before. I wasn't even sure how. She was okay with it.

Allison 24:44
In theory, the lactation journey specifically with like, like baby on you rather than just pumping, it's supposed to help reduce the risk of mental health complications and things postpartum. Because, like we talked about before, that oxytocin hormone is released and so that's the love hormone that makes you feel oh, like bonded and like wonderful and everything like that. But there are people who have a specific stress level when it comes to feeding. There are a lot of things involved with that. But for some, it's not feeling like their body is theirs. It's feeling like they're always tied to something or someone, it's feeling tied down to a specific area every two to three or four hours. So there's a mental load for it, it can feel like a lot of responsibility. So for some people, whether baby has weaned on their own or they've decided to stop. There is like a weird shift that can happen mentally. Sometimes there's like, good and bad some people miss those bonding moments other people feel they kind of feel some sort of freedom after it.

Brigitte 25:58
Yeah, that makes that. Yeah, that makes total sense. For sure.

Allison 26:02
It could have been a lot of different things for her but that that kind of comes to mind. For a lot of people it's a huge load.

Brigitte 26:11
Yeah she didn't express that to me. But that's something I probably should have asked her. Always learning, you're always learning from your clients.

Allison 26:20
There's also the there's also the dysphoric milk ejection reflex, where people literally have this wave of negative emotions, when baby starts latching. They feel usually frustrated by it, because they don't want to have these negative feelings or emotions around the breastfeeding journey. But for some people, it's not enjoyable. With your letdown, there's a specific feeling. They might feel depressed or upset at their baby. It's not that you're a bad parent. It's literally just like anatomy-wise, physiologically, hormones and things are being released that are not giving you that typical warm, fuzzy feeling that other people might have.

Brigitte 27:18
That's great. That's great information. So yeah, I think it can go either way. Don't beat yourself up about it. And you have some lactation courses, don't you?

Allison 27:28
I'm glad you brought that up. It's a lactation 101 course, we have it in person here but we also have a digitally, self-paced type of thing. It probably could take someone about an hour sometimes longer depends on how long you want with the content. We talk about anatomy and physiology, benefits, talk a lot about supplies & preparation, different newborn cues, positions and that latch is a big conversation. We talk a little bit about pumping and milk storage. There's a lot of resources in there but that's always an option, too if someone's interested in like an online class.

Brigitte 28:08
Yeah, you've got some good online course resources.

Allison 28:12
Thank you!

Brigitte 28:12
Check those out. We'll link them in the show notes for you.

Allison 28:16
Well, if you need any more tips, or tricks, or need help, troubleshooting anything, feel free to reach out, we're always happy to help as best as we can. Or we have resources coming out of our ears. So definitely let us know if there's anyone or anything that you need help with.

Brigitte 28:31
Yeah, absolutely. We'd be happy to help. There's lots of questions surrounding breastfeeding. We'll definitely do some more episodes on specific topics around breastfeeding, so don't worry. Stay tuned!

Allison 28:46
If there are any topics in particular that you really want to hear about, definitely let us know. We have some good ones kind of queued up. But we also really need to take into consideration what you are interested in hearing about.

Brigitte 28:57
Yeah, we want to hear from you - the people - on what you need to know or want to know.

Allison 29:02
Fantastic. Well, thanks for tuning in today. We hope you have a good rest of your day. We'll see you next time.

Brigitte 29:07
See you next time. Bye.

The Holistic Birth Podcast

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