Tag: featured

breastfeeding

5 Signs Your Baby May Need Help With Feeding

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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

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Reasons you should feed your baby responsively

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New parents are given lots of advice about how to feed their baby.  Where to feed, when to feed, how to hold baby, how long to feed, and so much more!

You may have been told to feed your baby at least 8 times a day or every 3 hours but feeding on a schedule doesn’t really meet baby’s needs.

Baby has a high need for frequent feeds to keep them alert and build their brains!  Research shows that with responsive feeding there is a high variability in how many times a day baby will feed but it’s much closer to 12 times per 24hours than 8.  

Preliminary research from Swansea University regarding how many times per 24hrs babies feed

Reasons you should feed your baby on cue:

Readiness – Feeding your baby when they cue means you are offering a meal when they feel hunger and are alert enough to communicate that to you.  Imagine being offered your favorite meals when you are super tired…would you feel ready to eat?  Or would you have just enough before falling into a deep sleep?

Meeting all baby’s needs – Baby wants to feed and be close to you for lots of reasons!  You are their home.  You smell like home, you sound like home, you taste like home.  Feeding our baby promotes bonding, reduction of stress hormones, brain development, and so much more than just calories and nutrients!

Milk supply – Your baby doesn’t feed on a regular schedule and your body doesn’t make the same kind of milk every 3 hours on the dot.  AM milk is different from PM milk.  Milk composition changes, too.  At different times of the day it will have higher fat or sleep hormones to help set your baby’s clock and meet their nutritional needs.  If we schedule all the feeds we miss the opportunity to give baby the perfect custom meal each time!

Feeding when baby asks also supports a robust milk supply! Frequent feeding communicates a need to your body to keep making lots of milk!

Capacity – Different breasts/chests hold different amounts of milk (no, this isn’t related to size).  Some people have smaller capacity and can make all the milk baby needs but they need to feed more often.  Scheduled feeds or expectation of only 8 feeds in the day can make parents feel like their milk supply is low – when it’s totally normal!

Responsiveness = communication, trust, and independence – What do all these words have in common? They are what happens when we are responsive feeders.   When we respond to baby’s needs and pay attention to their body language (rooting, sucking, wiggling, lip smacking) we tell them they are heard.  When we respond to our babies they build trust and know their communication will be heard and they will get their needs met.  And that’s how we get independence!  Studies show that responding to our children and meeting their needs results in more independence in toddlerhood and beyond.

❤ Megan

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Should I get the vaccine if I’m breastfeeding?

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Yes!

The vaccine is safe for breastfeeding people and effective at preventing infection. The vaccine cannot give you or your baby a Covid infection.

Here’s where to find out where you can get vaccinated

Here is more information from the CDC about getting the vaccine when you are breastfeeding

Recent research has shown that out milk contains anti-bodies in response to the vaccine that we then are passing onto baby. This may help protect baby from infection!

“Antibodies and T-cells stimulated by the vaccine may passively transfer into milk. Following vaccination against other viruses, IgA antibodies are detectable in milk within 5 to 7 days. Antibodies transferred into milk may therefore protect the infant from infection with SARS-CoV-2”
-Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine

Currently the Covid vaccine is available for people aged 12 and up. There are clinical trials in place for ages 6 months to 12 years to determine safety. Experts think that we may have expanded use for younger children available this Fall.

If you do become infected with Covid-19 while breastfeeding the CDC has guidance for you.