A common worry for many families is that their baby might suffer from low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) during the first few weeks after birth. Is this something to be concerned about? Are there babies who are more at risk? And how can we avoid this situation? Here, we try to clarify this issue and answer some basic questions. What is neonatal hypoglycemia? Glucose (sugar) is used to produce energy and is needed to carry out all the processes that occur…
High-demand baby – at LactApp, we don’t like labels, nor does anyone else as we grow up with them: the lazy one, the smart one, the grumpy one, the drama queen, and so on. But sometimes, by trying to escape from them, every description seems like a burden, far from the truth. Often, putting a name to what happens to us makes us feel calmer and start positively enjoying or living things. In motherhood, being able to name things is…
How safe is BLW? One of the biggest fears with Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) for both, families and healthcare professionals, is the risk of choking. It is sometimes perceived that this method might lead to more choking incidents in babies who are fed solid pieces of food from day one without being spoon-fed. For this reason, much research on BLW has focused on whether or not this method of initiation of complementary feeding increases the risk of choking or suffocation. Kahraman…
Women who have had a breast reduction surgery may have difficulties establishing breastfeeding. In this blog post, we will give some ideas on how to achieve breastfeeding if this is your case. How does a breast reduction surgery affect breast function? Breast reductions are complex surgeries for the mammary gland because apart from eliminating fat, breast tissue is also removed, and the ducts are cut. The incisions made in the areola cause the division of the mammary nerves that are…
What is the 4-month sleep regression? Is there such a thing as a 4-month breastfeeding crisis? Throughout the breastfeeding journey, there are many moments of change. In fact, the baby’s entire first year brings many changes. When babies are born, their brain still needs to learn a great lot of things, as they are biologically very immature. They need to learn so many things, such as talking, sitting, walking… and one of the big things they have to learn is…
What is threatened preterm labor? Threatened preterm labor (TPL) is the presence of regular uterine movement associated with cervical modification, either in terms of cervical shortening and/or dilatation in pregnancies from 22 to 36.6 weeks of gestation. TPL is usually of multifactorial origin, and the main causes are due to uterine overdistension (for example, due to polyhydramnios or twin pregnancy), infection of another part of the body (for example, appendicitis), or due to subclinical intra-amniotic infection or inflammation. Preterm birth…
“Hi, I am writing to you because today I got terrified. It’s been two years since I stopped breastfeeding my son, and today, I squeezed my nipple to teach a friend how to hand-express breast milk. But then I was shocked to see some dark green liquid coming out of my nipple. What should I do? I don’t even know where to ask for help…” What happens when green liquid comes out of my nipples, and I have stopped breastfeeding?…
Can breastfeeding be used as a method of contraception? What is breastfeeding as birth control, also called the LAM method? LAM stands for Lactational Amenorrhea Method. LAM is a contraceptive method that relies on the natural infertility that occurs when breastfeeding. This happens because the baby’s suckling manages to suppress the production of the hormones required to ovulate. Therefore, a breastfeeding mother can experience several months without ovulating (this is called amenorrhea). How does this work? To use LAM safely…
Hyperbilirubinemia is a common situation in newborns. The shift from fetal hemoglobin to extrauterine hemoglobin causes increased red blood cell destruction, which will cause bilirubin values to increase, even more so if the bilirubin excretory system is not in its best condition. Hyperbilirubinemia is described as a blood bilirubin concentration above 1.2 mg/dl. The etiology of hyperbilirubinemia in newborns can be multiple. However, in the field of lactation, two of these are relevant. The first is hyperbilirubinemia which occurs due…
Today, we talk about a common benign condition in breastfeeding: the galactocele. Here is what it is and how it affects breastfeeding. It’s a harmless process that can occur during breastfeeding and that appears as a lump or cyst in the breast. What is a galactocele, and why does it appear? A galactocele is the accumulation of breastmilk fat material outside the mammary ducts. It happens when a small cyst forms and stays inside the mammary gland because it has…