Breastfeeding tips

Q. What breastfeeding tips do you have for a mom of multiples that wants to breastfeed?

• Whenever I work with new moms of multiples I always see each baby separately for the first visit. It is very important that you learn the strengths and weaknesses of each baby and lean them as an individual rather than just a multiple.
• After I have analyzed each baby as an individual and taught the mother about each child as an individual then we are ready to learn how to set up a schedule for the mother so she can stay ‘sane,’ and teach her babies to nurse from her quickly and effectively.

Q. What breastfeeding tips do you have for a mom that is going back to work and wants to continue to breastfeed?

• Some women are great ‘pumpers’ and can pump easily when they are at work, other woman just do not pump well. If a woman cannot pump well she can still nurse her baby before she leaves for work, and every few hours when she gets home, also, important to note, that if she is not working on the weekends she will have enough milk for the entire weekend even if she does not pump during her work hours.
• I also suggest to not offer the baby a bottle during the first six weeks of the baby’s life. It is important to allow the baby to really become proficient at the breast before offering a bottle. If a baby is a good ‘nurser,’ the baby can learn how to use a bottle, but if a baby never really understands how the breast works, the baby may reject the breast once offered the bottle.

Q. What products can you recommend for a breastfeeding mom?

• I like moms to learn how to breastfeed without any tools or products. We teach the baby how to nurse properly using just her breast and her baby’s mouth, then and I teach the mother how to hand express their breasts without the use of a pump.
• For nipple pain I first fix the latch properly and then a woman usually doesn’t need any nipple creams, if she is cracked we first try plain olive oil, or there is a nice product made my motherlove.