Month: October 2021

breastfeeding

5 Signs Your Baby May Need Help With Feeding

dunnmegand
Baby sleeping on the parent’s chest.
  1. Sleep problems

    Baby sleep is undoubtedly very different from adult sleep. Their sleep patterns involve a lot more light sleep than we see in older children and adults. They have shorter sleep cycles and need a ton more sleep than we do!

    Babies need to nap frequently (about every 45min up to 3hrs) and they should sleep about 90 minutes to 3 hours. After 8 weeks some babies are ready for longer sleep stretches lasting 4-5 hours at night.

    If your baby isn’t napping well or is sleeping much longer stretches it can indicate feeding difficulties.

  2. Lots of spit up

    While spit up under 4 months is pretty common in newborns, it should just be a dribble most of the time. If baby is having big spit ups after most or every feed or they tend to launch it across the room, a visit with your Lactation Consultant should be considered!

  3. Not pooping every day

    After 1 month, baby may poop less frequently but we should still be seeing about 1-4 stools per day.

    I remember being told about my own baby that breastmilk was such good stuff that they absorbed it all and there was no waste. That’s just not how digestion works. There are always products left over and if baby isn’t stooling every day they may not be getting enough milk or they might have a digestion problem which is slowing down the process or even constipating them.

    There’s plenty we can do to get baby pooping regularly! You can try these exercises to help with gassiness and pooping!

  4. You notice they tend to turn their head only one direction

    You might also notice they prefer to breast/chestfeed on one side and not the other. This can be a sign of tight muscles on one side of the body. You can try doing some baby massage or see a provider who does bodywork for infants.

  5. Leaking or dribbling while eating

    If baby is “springing a leak” while eating it lets us know they haven’t formed a good seal on the nipple. This can be due to lip tone or tongue movements. If you are bottlefeeding it could be that we need to try a different bottle or we need to switch to paced bottle feeding.

If you notice any of these signs, it’s time to check in with your Lactation Consultant for an evaluation. We’d be happy to help ❤

Megan Dunn, IBCLC

BLOG POSTS

So your baby has a tongue tie…

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Lots of parents are surprised to find out their baby has ankyloglossia (tongue tie) and that such a tiny piece of tight tissue under the tongue is causing so many feeding problems!

Luckily, it a simple procedure to release the tongue and get on our way to easier feeding!

In my experience providing care for babies with tongue tie, doing just “the snip” isn’t enough to get full results. If we think about how baby has never had full range of motion with the tongue it makes sense that they will need time and help to get to normal movement.

Of course, working with a tongue tie-saavy Lactation Consultant and your provider is key but there are also things you can do at home!

Top 5 At-Home Tongue Tie Care

  1. Tummy time

    You may already be doing this with your baby but there are some modifications which may improve outcomes for tongue tied babies. Try rolling up a blanket or using your nursing pillow under their chest. This can be more comfortable for some babies and make the whole process more enjoyable.

    My favorite recommendations come from the Tummy Time Method which has parent handouts and lots of suggestions for tongue tie specifically

  2. Guppy Hold

    The Guppy Hold is great for stretching tight neck muscles and it’s very easy to do! Babies love it.
    Check out this video for more info

  3. Play with baby’s mouth!

    Try running a clean finger from one side of their gums to the other. They will “chase” you with their tongue. This is a fun stretch which encourages good movement.

    You can also insert a clean pinky finger, nail side down, once baby starts sucking pull gently. You are just adding a little resistance for baby to help strengthen their suck.

    When I’m doing these games, I like to sing a little made up song to engage baby and reinforce that what we are doing is happy playtime!

  4. Give baby options

    Move around where you place baby during the day when they aren’t snuggling in your arms. Switch up how they are faced at bedtime. Baby will naturally turn their head toward you so by switching it up, they will take turns looking both ways.

    The same goes for feeding. Breastfeeding on both sides is great and bottle feeding on both sides is great, too!

  5. Massage

    Massage and gentle touch is beneficial for many conditions, tongue tie included. This video has a great demonstration of massage parents can do on their own.

The biggest thing, is to have patience and keep working with your experienced tongue tie-saavy Lactation Consultant for continued help.

❤ Megan Dunn, IBCLC

breastfeeding

Breast Cancer and Breast/chestfeeding

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October is famously breast cancer awareness month. We see everything from t-shirts to yogurt donning a pink ribbon to promote the big messages of the month:

-Risk reduction (eg. not using tobacco products)
-Monthly self exam
-Annual checks with your provider

You may already know that breastfeeding reduces your risk of developing breast cancer long term. Did you know it takes about 20 years to see the protective effect?

People who become pregnant also have a lowered risk, long term, of developing breast cancer. Basically, the fewer menstrual cycles you have, the lower your risk of breast cancer. In the short term, however, people who have been pregnant may be at risk for cancer.

Because of that risk, recommendations for screenings including mammograms may change depending on your personal and family history.

While we should all be doing monthly breast self exams, we may also need to check with our providers regarding more frequent medical exams and mammograms.

Screening mammograms are well known to improve survival in breast cancer, and this impact is most significant for women 40 to 50 years old. 

The American College of Radiology (ACR) recommends considering yearly screening during pregnancy and lactation for the following women:

  • under the age of 30 who are at high risk for breast cancer
  • 30-39 who are intermediate to high risk of breast cancer
  • over the age of 40 at average risk for breast cancer

Mammograms are totally safe to do while pregnant and lactating! You should express your milk before the procedure but there’s not need to “pump and dump” after.

As always, check with your provider if you have concerns or notice any changes to your breasts.

❤ Megan Dunn, IBCLC