News Moms Need

Since, unlike with a bottle, you can’t see what a breastfeeding baby is taking in, lots of new moms wonder if their baby is getting enough milk. Your body is pretty amazing. As you breastfeed, your body learns when your newborn needs more milk and, for most women, will make the exact amount your baby needs.

Feed your baby when she is hungry. For most newborns, this is about eight to 12 times over a 24 hour period, which averages out to about every two to three hours. But keep in mind that every baby is different and yours may want to feed more or less often than that. And as your baby grows, her feeding patterns may change, and she may wait longer between feedings.

Most babies feed for 15 to 30 minutes at a time at one breast. It’s OK if your baby takes more or less time. When she is finished with one breast, burp her and then switch to feed her from the other breast. It’s OK if she really isn’t hungry for more from the other breast – let her be the judge. Just be sure to start her on that other breast at the next feeding.

But what if you’re still not sure that she’s getting enough? She is getting enough if:

• She is gaining weight
• She is making six to eight wet diapers a day by the time she is five to seven days old.

If you’re still worried, here are some signs of infant dehydration:

• Not having a wet diaper for at least five or six hours.
• Urine that is darker in color and has a strong odor
• Dryness of the mouth and tongue.
• Crying without tears.
• Acting unusually cranky or sleepy
• A sunken appearance to the eyes, cheeks or fontanels.

If you think there is a possibility that your baby might be dehydrated, call her health care provider right away. He may want to see her to make sure all is well.

Recently, an expectant Mom wrote to us asking if it is OK that she drinks homogenized milk. While homogenized milk is fine to drink when you are pregnant, the more important question is whether the milk is pasteurized. So, then, it begs the question…what’s the difference between the two?

Milk naturally contains fat. It is normal for the fat and the milk to separate – they don’t naturally remain blended. Homogenization is a process that keeps the fat and the milk together (not separated). Otherwise, when you would drink a glass of milk, it would have to be stirred first or you would drink lumps of fat (not too appetizing!). Homogenization is a process where the two parts are able to mix together and stay together.

Pasteurization, on the other hand, is the process where milk (or any other dairy product or even juice) is heated to a point where bacteria are killed. This is very important for pregnant women.  It kills the bacteria that could cause a number of infections and potentially harm your baby.  Non-pasteurized foods/juice/milk may cause listeriosis, which can lead to miscarriage and stillbirth.  You can read more about it on our website and in another blog post. 

Now, if you live on a farm or have access to fresh cow’s milk, it will not be homogenized or pasteurized. There is a debate as to whether or not this milk is safe for pregnant women to drink because the argument is that if the cow is healthy and is not fed any antibiotics or hormones, then the milk will be safe to drink. Although this argument seems sound, one would have to be absolutely sure that the cow is absolutely healthy.  If you don’t have a crystal ball, how would you know this?  It is logical to avoid it all together and simply take the safe route – drink pasteurized milk.  

One more thing…there is pasteurized, flash pasteurized and ultra pasteurized.  Are they the same?  Well, the result is the same (killing bacteria and making it safe to eat or drink), but the method of getting there is slightly different (supposedly). In flash or ultra pasteurized, the heating is done even faster - in a ‘flash”- with the goal to preserve even more taste and freshness of the product than with ordinary pasteurization. Whether or not this happens, we can’t really say. We can say that any of these pasteurization methods are fine. You might want to read the fact sheet that the American Dietetic Association endorses called Debunking Dairy Food Myths  (just scroll down to click on the PDF).

So, now you can go ahead and drink your juice and milk with confidence. But just remember, if it’s not pasteurized, don’t drink it.

Do yourself and your precious little one a favor and start off on the right foot with breastfeeding. If you’ve done any reading about it then you already know that it’s “a learned skill” and “if you’re doing it properly it shouldn’t hurt.” These statements (although vague and not helpful at correcting a problem) are VERY, VERY true. It takes time, practice and help. Yes, help! Its one thing to see a diagram in a book or online, but it’s much more effective to have someone with trained hands at your bedside. You have to be in the right position. The baby has to be in the right position. There are different holds to experiment with. If you don’t get things down right from the start you and the baby could develop poor posture and latching habits. Take it from me. I’m the queen of sore, cracked, bleeding nipples. I held that title for more than two months before we got it right and it didn’t happen on its own. I spent hours on the phone with a lactation consultant. It wasn’t until I actually went to see a consultant (twice) at a nearby hospital that I had any success.

I hope the following tips help. If anyone has any other suggestions, please share!

Find a lactation consultant in your area. LLLI has leaders that host monthly meetings. Attend some before and after your baby is born.

During your tour of the hospital ask about lactation support. What days and hours does she work? Is this person a nurse? If so, is she only available during her shift? (That happened to me. When I was settled in my room and asked if they had a lactation consultant I was told, yes, but she wasn’t working again until Saturday. It was Thursday when I was admitted.)

Even if the hospital doesn’t have a lactation consultant ask the nurses for help at EVERY feeding. They’ll know what to do. Once you leave the hospital you’ll be on your own so take advantage of their knowledge and support.

Ask the staff for lots of extra pillows. Hospital pillows stink. They’re flat and plastic-y. You and the baby need to be well supported on all sides when you nurse.

Nursing in bed can be difficult. If you’re hospital room has a chair, try that. Again, support yourself with lots of pillows and use a foot stool. You need to feel “locked in” and comfortable at all times to nurse properly.

For home, have some lanolin, ibuprofen, a soft nursing bra and the number of a professional to call if you run into any problems. 

Breastfeeding is demanding when you’re caring for a newborn.  You’re exhausted. Don’t add pain to that equation. Ask for help in advance to avoid problems.

TGIF and have a great weekend. See you next Friday.

Low fat milk may be appropriate for some children between 12 months and 2 years of age, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Examples:

• * Babies who are overweight or obese
• * Babies with a family history of obesity, high cholesterol, or cardiovascular disease

Before giving your child any low fat milk products, talk to your child’s health care provider.

To learn about your family medical history, go to the March of Dimes Web site.