Babies are born to suckle; they expect to breastfeed, and biologically, they need to do so for at least their first year of life. They need to breastfeed to survive, and there is no reason to stop doing so. But there are some babies who suddenly (usually between 8 months and one year of age) stop nursing. Then, they don’t want to even get close to the breast, and they reject it. For any mother, it’s a terrible feeling when…
When mastitis is suspected, sometimes a breast milk sample for lab testing is one of the diagnostic strategies that can be used in order to approach the most suitable treatment. In order to do this, the breast milk culture sample must be collected in an optimal way, so that the result is as reliable as possible. Recommendations for sample collection The recommendations for obtaining the breast milk sample are as follows: Manual extraction Manual milk expression can be a challenge…
“I am Esther Leal, mom of Iria, 31 months old, whom I breastfed very happily until she was 28 months old, and triathlete of 11 years. Although this has not been my profession, triathlon is part of my life, and adapting it to my new life as a mother has not been easy. Still, by learning and listening to my body, I have achieved the best results of my life, including first place in the women’s amateur category in the…
Anaphylaxis caused by breastfeeding is a rare situation in the context of breastfeeding that appears as an allergic response to the milk ejection reflex. It usually occurs within a few minutes of latching on or expressing (manually or with a breast pump), although it can also appear up to half an hour later. Pathophysiology Although the pathophysiology of this condition is not clear, it is possible that the decrease in progesterone and the increase in prolactin after birth cause mast…
What is the one-year breastfeeding crisis? When breastfeeding babies approach their first birthday, they might be entering the one-year breastfeeding crisis. Have you heard about it? At this stage, you might assume that your child will be eating a little more each day and, perhaps, breastfeed a little less. If your baby has already been eating* solids with some ease, he or she may now suddenly refuse to eat or eat very small amounts of only a couple of foods…
November 21 marks International Spina Bifida Day, which seeks to raise awareness of this condition that can be prevented during the time of trying to get pregnant. Spina bifida is a type of neural tube defect; in this case, the spinal column does not close completely during the first weeks of pregnancy, which can damage the nerves and leave the spinal cord unprotected. Classification of spina bifida There are 3 types of spina bifida, which are classified according to their…
Let’s help all those relatives, friends, neighbors, and complete strangers who come across breastfeeding mothers in their lives. It turns out that when they come face to face with a mother, they don’t know what to say and end up saying any nonsense that, in the best of cases, can end up with the mother’s eyes rolling. Here is what you should NEVER say to a breastfeeding mother: 1. “You’re not doing it right.” Here, we include phrases such as…
Much has been written about how to sleep safely with a baby. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) has been, and continues to be, a major fear for families and professionals alike. SIDS is estimated to have an incidence of between 1 and 4 per 1000 live births. The epidemiology of SIDS is still unknown, and its diagnosis is reached by ruling out other causes. Some studies associate how and where the baby sleeps with the increase of this syndrome. For…
Breastfeeding support groups are a fundamental resource for any mother who wants to breastfeed. They are an important meeting point for mothers in very similar situations. What is a breastfeeding support group? There are many different support groups for mothers, and among them, there are those that are dedicated breastfeeding support groups. There are also more general groups about parenting and maternity. In a breastfeeding support group, you can find: Other mothers like you who are interested in breastfeeding, either…
The FreLac team (1), with extensive experience in the care of ankyloglossia, has recently published an article proposing a new classification for tongue-tie (more on its prevalence here). Until now, the most commonly used classifications have been mainly anatomical, focusing on the appearance of the frenulum without taking into account its symptomatology. The FreLac team’s proposal takes into consideration both, the anatomy and the related symptomatology. They propose 4 types of limiting sublingual frenulum: Anterior tongue-tie This is a frenulum…