Thursday, December 22, 2016

Feeding a Newborn Baby Resource Guide

Hey!! So it's been a REALLY long time since I've written a blog post, I apologize for that. Life sure likes to get in the way, doesn't it?! This topic has been on my mind for awhile now, so I figured I'd go ahead and do a blog post about it.

Feeding a newborn baby should be a pretty cut and dry subject one would think...think again!! Feeding a newborn is definitely one of the hardest aspects of parenting. As a breastfeeding Mom you're constantly questioning yourself, mainly because you want the VERY best for your baby!! So I figured I'd put together this awesome resource guide. No matter if you're pregnant, just had a baby, or your baby is older, I'd like to say it's a good guide!

A little bit about my breastfeeding journey, I've collectively nursed my two children for just over 2.5 years. Hank who's now 3.5 nursed until he was 18 months and Remi who's now 14 months old nursed until he was 12.5 months.

Hank's breastfeeding journey started off very rocky as his latch was HORRIBLE causing me extreme pain, bleeding, cracking, you name it!! Once we fixed it (Medela Therashells cough cough, nipple cream, lots of air & making sure his mouth was open wide), it was pretty much smooth sailing all the way until he weaned at 18 months.



Remi's early breastfeeding journey wasn't much better since he was born with a lip tie and has an extremely high palate (the breastfeeding odds were stacked against him). We went through many nursing strikes with him and finally got his lip tie fixed at 6 months (after being told he didn't have one). Don't be like Angie and wonder haha. Go to an IBCLC and have them check it out!! After getting that fixed, he nursed much better! And with him things were *mostly* smooth-sailing until he weaned at 12.5 months.



So seriously, if I can do it with the odds thrown against me, anyone can haha!!

Because I have such passion for breastfeeding, after studying for over a year, in June, 2016, I officially became a Breastfeeding Counselor through Breastfeeding USA! Yay! What do I do? I provide peer support to mothers using evidence based information! It's so rewarding!!



So here's my favorite list of resources, if you have some favorites, please comment and I'll check them out and possibly even update the list!!

1) IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) Directory. IBCLC's are the BEES KNEES when it comes to breastfeeding. They know all when it comes to lactation. And they are GREAT to have on your side for any/all support! They are healthcare professionals specializing in the clinical management of breastfeeding and lactation. You may even have one right in the town you live in, look one up and "put them in your back pocket" http://www.ilca.org/why-ibclc/falc

2) Breastfeeding USA's website! Lots of great articles here: https://breastfeedingusa.org/content/article/breastfeeding-information-articles and to find a breastfeeding counselor near you: https://breastfeedingusa.org/content/breastfeeding-counselor-locations -- I do most of my BC work online so definitely feel free to reach out to me personally as well via our chapter facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BFUSAWNY/ or shoot me an email!

3) Kelly Mom -- Ahh one of my favorite resources!! So much evidence based information on here. Everything from how much should you pump while away, to seeing if your baby has a good latch, to what to do if baby goes through a nursing strike. You name it, you'll find some great information on this website! http://kellymom.com/

4) The Honest Company's Feeding Page. Lots of great supplements here!

  • Their organic nipple balm is awesome and no need to wipe it off before you latch the baby, which is such a plus!! 
  • I really love their whole-food based prenatal. Mama needs to take care of herself in order to take care of her baby. So having the best prenatal is so important (YES, you need to still be taking prenatals even after you have your baby!)
  • Another thing I really loved was their lactation plus! It's made to help support healthy lactation & breastmilk production. It was just the kick in the butt I needed to up my supply for when I was pumping at work while away from baby
  • Check out the page here: https://www.honest.com/feeding

Like I said, I'm still looking for more breastfeeding resources to add to my back pocket so if you have some, please tell me about them!! Haha! I'm very interested in evidence based articles that are non-biased and helpful to mothers just trying to feed their babies! 

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