Letters to Lyla and Lottie

Doesn't she look so at ease? So natural? So perfect?

1. Boppy pillows are great. Good posture is very important. Women who struggle to get good latches often refuse to move even the tinyest bit for fear of messing it up. This equates into a very sore back and neck in no time. A boppy helps.
   
2. Your child's weight gain is the ONLY accurate way to assess if your milk supply is adequate. Pumping is not even kind-of a good indicator of how much milk you have. You will always pump less than your baby will suck out naturally. Some people (me) might also have equipment problems that limit pumping effectiveness. Also, some pumps suck. Your baby might take a bottle after you've fed her but it doesn't necessarily mean she's hungry. Save yourself the worry and don't do test pumping or test the baby with a bottle. If your baby is growing adequately; your supply is adequate.

3. Formula cannot compare to breast milk in regards to the antibodies. I saw this first hand (knock on wood). My sister got H1N1. So did her 4 year old. Did here 9 month old who was breastfeeding? Nope. We've had H1N1, RSV, the flu and you name, circle around us since Lyla was born. I've had a few colds, but Lyla's been healthy as a horse. Did you know they can actually demonstrate how an antibody built up in a mom's system is passed on to baby? SO amazing.

4. There are also a great deal of other aspects of breast milk that formula just cannot compare to. I've found VERY disturbing studies (in scholarly, peer review studies [so credible journals]) that really highlight how harmful formula can be but I won't go into those.

5. Lactation Constants are lifesavers. Use them (they're usually free in the hospital)

6. It was once believed that nipple shields (plastic thing that can prevent cracking and sores) decreases supply, but they're now not able to prove that. So if you've got super sore nips, use em!

7. Lansinoh cream is worth its weight in gold.

8. I've come to the conclusion that successful breastfeeding is 80% equipment, 15% baby and 5% ability. That's not to say that there isn't a reason to learn how (before baby gets here preferably) to effectively avoid problems.

9. You'll hear this a lot but a good latch is the MOST important part of successful feeding. Check out youtube videos, etc to see it. Some tid bits I learned: a line horizontal across the nipple after feeding is bad. Feel the roof of your mouth with your tongue. Feel the hard part and then the soft part clear back there? That's how far back the nipple has to be sucked to not hurt. Baby's lips should be puckered not pursed around the nipple. You can pull down on the chin sometimes to get a better latch.

10. You don't need to re-sterilize your pump with each feeding. Just take the pumps, put them in a ziploc, and put them in the fridge when you're done to save time.

11. The most important fact I'd like to share....did you know that there are almost NO documented cases of poor milk supply??????? We're talking JAMA and other medical records dating back to the 70s. It's actually a well circulated myth that many women just don't produce enough milk. These organic poor milk production cases (or women who legitimately don't make enough milk) are generally limited to women with some type of disease, disorder or syndrome; like thyroid problems and PCOS. Soooo...why do so many people think they have no to poor supply? I think, because they haven't grasped the concept behind milk production. Basically, milk supply is based on demand. Demand is determined by nipple stimulation. So, baby sucks on your nipple, or you pump, your nipple gets stimulated, and tells body to produce milk. The more stimulation-the more milk produced. Anyone who's studied the intricate functions of the body has been amazed at how sophisticated it is. BFing is no different. How amazing is it that our body has a built in mechanism for feeding our children adequately? When baby is growing, it naturally eats more, thus stimulating the breast, telling the body to gear up for more milk cuz baby is a growin. This is why feeding on demand is sooo important. So back to my point, if you believe you have a poor supply, what do you do?? Supplement with formula right? WRONG!!! Each time you do this, your nipples are not stimulated-thus causing your supply to decrease--exacerbating your cause. Anytime you supplement or give a bottle of pumped breastmilk, you need to pump as well. Basically, you need to mimic what your nipples would be experiencing if you just plain breastfed without interference, so your body prepares. If husby gives baby a bottle at night, you should get up and pump (crappy I know).

12. The above is not to say some people don't have less supply than others. To summarize this last point, realize that most moms at some point worry about their supply. It's not like with a bottle where you can measure out your milk and watch baby eat it. BUT, know, that chances are you do not have a poor supply. BUT, chances are you will get a decreased supply it you supplement without noted cause to do so (poor weight gain in baby.

13. Lower supply does not mean inadequate supply. Some people (me) have much less supply than others (any 100 lbs twig off the street) but both can successfully feed their babies. Us poor saps just might have to work at it. How? NEVER skip a feeding. My rule at first was that something had to be on the boob every hour and a half whether it be baby or pump. If baby is sleeping or not hungry-pump. If she becomes hungry right after you pumped, give her the bottle you just pumped. Also, immediately after you've fed baby on each side, pump for 10 minutes. You won't likely get any milk, it is just to further stimulate your nipples and increase supply. At night don't go longer than 3 hours. The middle of the night is the best time to get the most milk and bulk up your supply. What I'm saying here is some women might have to work harder than others; but nearly 90% of women have the ability to successfully feed their babies.