For babies, the association between sucking (the breast) and sleep is very powerful. Breastfeeding is so much more for them than just eating and falling asleep with breastfeeding is ideal for them. Sucking gives them pleasure, relaxation, and well-being, and that means they fall asleep quickly and effectively. But then, as they grow up and for different reasons, mothers may feel the need for night weaning or have to wean them at night. And then, depending on the age of…
Much has been written about infant sleep. There is a generalized belief on how infant sleep should be. Often, this is very far from reality. In consultation, you will quickly come across families who are desperate because their children do not sleep through the night or because they wake up often. They ask you what they are doing wrong and how they can get their babies to sleep through in their crib or side sleeper cot. We know that infant…
What is subacute mastitis? We are often contacted by women who, for days or weeks (or even months!), have had a stinging feeling in their nipple, especially at the beginning of the feed and right after it. Sometimes, there is also pain in the breast and a prickling feeling that moves towards the ribs. The nipples are often pinker than usual, and, in some cases, milk blisters or wounds appear that don’t heal or that come and go. All these…
Official maternal and child health guidelines for protecting and promoting breastfeeding recommend maintaining breastfeeding along with complementary food for a minimum of two years. But what happens at this stage? Few mothers know that there is one more hurdle to overcome. More and more mothers reach this milestone in breastfeeding, and then, to their surprise, at two years of the child’s age, awaits the last, unexpected, and final breastfeeding crisis, in what we call the two year breastfeeding crisis. This…
Breast milk donation is not new, whether it is expressed breast milk and given to the infant in a recipient or directly at the breast of someone other than the baby’s mother. Breast milk donation has always existed in the history of humankind. In most countries, the donation of human milk to milk banks for the purpose of feeding premature or sick infants is regulated. This usually happens under the umbrella of a donor bank, either within the hospital where…
One day, we posted a picture on our social media page. It was a little bottle with breast milk, and we asked what color the milk was. Is breast milk white? Who would doubt if milk is white, the sky is blue, the grass is green, and the sun is yellow? Well, sometimes breast milk is not white, and we are not only talking about colostrum, which always has that spectacular yellow to orange color. We are talking about breast…
Many mothers talk about a breastfeeding crisis at 5 or 6 months of the baby’s life. It has taken some time to understand this crisis, which does not appear in manuals and happens almost exclusively with an exaggerated increase in demand for night feeds. We have already talked about the 3-month breastfeeding crisis and the developmental leap at 4 months (also called sleep “regression”), where most babies go through a so-called breastfeeding crisis. Babies start to sleep less at night,…
In recent years, immunization for certain diseases in adulthood is increasingly recommended, such as for COVID-19 or influenza. Other vaccinations, such as tetanus, often have refreshers in adulthood as well, and in certain populations, depending on risk factors, other available vaccines may also be recommended. When, as a healthcare professional, you find yourselves in the situation of vaccinating a person who is currently breastfeeding, you might question: are all vaccines compatible and safe during breastfeeding? Are there any periods of…
Many breastfeeding mothers are afraid that they are running out of milk. After ending their lactation journey they wonder: how long will I have breast milk? But the surprise comes when breast milk is still produced months or even years after stopping breastfeeding. The mammary gland is created to ensure the nutrition of the baby, and the body does not allow for stopping breast milk production suddenly unless a particular medication is taken or if the mother suffers from severe…
We know that endocrinopathies can make breastfeeding difficult. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most frequent endocrinopathy in women of childbearing age, with an incidence of between 6 and 10% of women. Together with other abnormalities, when PCOS is present, there is usually also insulin resistance, and therefore, there is a presence of hyperinsulinemia. Women with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus have a high incidence of PCOS and hyperandrogenism, and the use of external insulin may promote insulin resistance and weight…