“My baby is 8 months old. He has started to bite me, and now I’m scared to breastfeed him. I don’t know what I should do to stop him from doing this, and, most of all, I don’t want to stop breastfeeding. Is there a solution to prevent biting?” Almost all mothers will experience some biting during the course of their breastfeeding journey. Some people think that this stage marks the time of weaning and that if the baby has…
Bronchiolitis is a rather frequent lung infection during winter months in infants and toddlers. It causes inflammation and congestion in the smaller branches of the bronchial airways (bronchioles). In most cases, bronchiolitis is caused by a virus such as the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the rhinovirus, or the influenza (flu) virus, among others. It begins as a cold (mucus, sneezing, sore throat, slight fever) and from the fourth day on, it spreads to the bronchi. This stage usually lasts between…
If you have a baby between 15-20 days, you may notice that she is more restless and very fussy at the breast. She doesn’t let go at all or wants to feed all the time; she may even have milk reflux from the large amount she is drinking. Your baby probably goes through her second growth spurt. It is very likely that you feel that something out of your control is happening, and you feel confused or scared by the…
When a baby needs to receive additional milk, whether breastmilk or artificial milk, we always think of a bottle as the only way to do it. And of course, you can offer milk in a bottle, you just need to know the advantages and disadvantages of each supplementing method. In this post, we will explain the finger-syringe technique. What advantages does it have over other methods? The finger-syringe method is ideal for training babies’ suckling motions. It allows your baby…
Sometimes we find that the reason for a consultation is weight stagnation in infants who had previously had adequate weight gain for their age. When faced with these cases, it is important to make a thorough assessment of the situation, not only of breastfeeding but also of other reasons for this possible slow down of weight gain. It is also important to monitor changes in the infant’s behaviour. The mother’s sensations and perceptions can also provide us with valuable information….
The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) publishes protocols to make it easier for health care professionals who care for breastfeeding mothers to stay up-to-date and promote best practices in care for breastfeeding mothers and their children. In 2014 the Academy published a protocol on mastitis, the ABM Clinical Protocol #4: Mastitis (1), written by Dr Lisa Amir, who has also been one of the speakers in the 1st LactApp Medical Congress last May. This year, the ABM has published a…
So many times mothers come to us with this situation: “Breastfeeding hurts, but they say the latch is ok. They’ve checked everything and they tell me my baby is latching on well”. And that’s when we dissimulate and realise how difficult it is to combat the persisting myth of normalizing pain. Breastfeeding has to be pleasurable and effective, breastfeeding does not hurt, sore nipples are not normal, and pain always indicates that something is wrong. We would not have gotten…
Nipple ischemia in breastfeeding (vasospasm) is a phenomenon that occurs in certain situations. Raynaud’s syndrome, or intermittent ischemia, typically affects the extremities of the body (fingers and toes). It occurs in 20% of women between 21 and 50 years of age. Its symptoms are blanching (becoming white) of the area (local vasoconstriction) followed by cyanotic discolouration, ending with erythema (local vasodilatation). Other added symptoms are pain, burning, numbness, pricking or stinging. Nipple ischemia during lactation is underestimated. It can occur after…
Pain and nipple shields: when professional techniques to reduce pain in breastfeeding are not effective, the use of nipple shields can be considered one of the resources for nipple pain management. It is well known that pain, and especially sore nipples, are one of the leading causes of women stopping to breastfeed earlier than they planned to do so (1). To reduce pain, professionals who accompany mothers in their breastfeeding journey should evaluate and help mothers to improve their breastfeeding…
