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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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At the end of September, the scientific journal International Journal of Medical Informatics published an article on the evaluation of user usability and usefulness of LactApp. Here we summarize the article. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the usability and usefulness of LactApp as a mobile app to support breastfeeding. In addition, it also aimed to evaluate the satisfaction of breastfeeding mothers with the breastfeeding support received from health professionals, their families, and society. Methodology A prospective…

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In August 2023, the Cochrane Library published a literature review on the use of breastfeeding or expressed breast milk for pain relief in neonatal procedures. Within routine procedures of care in healthy newborns, as well as in pathological situations, it is quite common to have procedures that can be painful, such as performing heel prick tests or obtaining blood samples. On many occasions, different strategies are used to alleviate the newborn’s pain during the performance of these techniques. There are…

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Authors Sofia Gaggiotti Marre, MD, PhDGynecologist and Obstetrician Specialist physician in fertility treatmentsPuigvert Foundation-Sant Pau HospitalFertty, Spain Beatriz Álvaro Mercadal, MD, PhDPhD in Gynecology and ObstetricsSpecialist physician in fertility treatmentsPuigvert Foundation-Sant Pau Hospital Introduction Many women who are breastfeeding and must undergo fertility treatment to conceive a second child find that healthcare professionals advise or even oblige them to stop breastfeeding in order tocarry out treatment. Just as there are professionals who still advise against laser hair removal, surgery, or…

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Hypergalactia (oversupply) is defined as breast milk production (or supply) that exceeds the volume required to meet the nutritional needs of a healthy infant. Symptoms The referred symptoms are centered on the sensation of hyperproduction (or breastmilk oversupply). Derived from this, physical complications appear, such as breast discomfort and/or pain, obstructions of milk ducts, increased mastitis episodes, spontaneous milk leakage, or even a painful ejection reflex. There are also a number of signs and symptoms in the newborn, such as…

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