Too Much Lipase

My daughter rarely takes a bottle. My fulltime job is staying home and taking care of her, so there isn’t any need for her to get nourishment from any place other than me. Every once in awhile, however, I get curious about how she’d handle taking breast milk from a bottle. For about a month, I was pumping and storing milk in case of an emergency. I figured if something happened to me and I’d be unable to breastfeed her, it would be nice for her to have a little comfort from breast milk while she was slowly weaned off … Continue reading →

Ask a Baby Blogger: Will It Be Easier to Pump the Second Time Around?

Question: With baby #2 do most women who weren’t able to pump much the first time around have better luck with the 2nd one? This question actually comes from the forums, and I promised I’d answer. I wish that I could shout a resounding yes on this, but honestly I can’t. Success in pumping has everything to do with how the relationship is managed but it also has to do with other factors that mom simply cannot control. Why Pumps Are Ineffective So why is it exactly that you can breastfeed a fat, chunky baby–yet only produce a few ounces … Continue reading →

Is Pumping the Right Answer?

There’s a new trend in breastfeeding and I’m not so sure I love it. But I don’t hate it either because after all, it does accomplish the same goal essentially. What is this new trend you might ask? Exclusive pumping. Exclusive pumping, at least in the United States, is becoming more and more popular. There are a variety of reasons for this and really I’m somewhat speculating. I realize that women pump when their babies are in the hospital or they pump when they’re having latch issues. I get that some women need to go back to work, etc., etc. … Continue reading →

How Pumping Sabotages the New Mom

This is not a blog for those of you who had no choice but to pump because of health issues or because your baby was in the NICU. Neither is this a blog for those of you who pumped and breastfed without any supply problems. This is a blog in response to those of you who have sent me private messages asking me to clarify why I advise so strongly against new moms pumping right away. The questions and comments are all very similar: “I don’t have enough milk. I can’t even pump a whole ounce.” “I’ve been pumping in … Continue reading →

The Cost of Breastfeeding Intervention vs. Formula Feeding

I have written before about my beloved Meghan, who was the absolute worse nursing baby in the whole world. She was cranky, didn’t latch properly, made breastfeeding a nightmare. . .and so on. She was my third baby though, so I was willing to seek out qualified professional help. . .at the hefty price of $135 per hour! Our insurance company does not cover a visit to the lactation consultant. I am not aware of any in this area that do nor am I aware of any pediatric practices that have them on staff. (Some pediatric practices near us have … Continue reading →

Breast Milk does WHAT?

I could also entitle this blog adventures in treating conjunctivitis homeopathically. I want to start off by saying that this is not medical advice, I don’t have any degrees in homeopathy nor have I researched it thoroughly. Before you think I’ve gone off the breast milk deep end, let me explain how we got to treating conjunctivitis using breast milk. It was 6:05 PM. I’m sure it was because had it been in the morning, I would’ve taken the twins to the doctor immediately for an antibiotic. The doctor’s office closes at six and as luck would have it, both … Continue reading →

Storing and Using Frozen Breast Milk

Someone recently pointed out to me that out of all the blogs on breastfeeding that I’ve done here at Families.com, I haven’t written anything about how to store breast milk! All I can say is: “What was I thinking?” Many mothers pump and store their milk in case of emergency, to help continue breastfeeding once mom goes back to work, or even because baby never took to the breast. In any case, for all you moms who pump or will be pumping here are guidelines that you can use for safely storing your breast milk. I have taken the following … Continue reading →

Choosing a Breastpump

How do you choose a breast pump, especially if you’re a first time mom? To be honest, I went to the store and picked out the cheapest one, grabbed some bottles and some extra nipples and we were done. I’ve learned a few things since then and I can tell you that the cheapest one will work just fine if you pump occasionally to be gone occasionally (once a week or less). However, I’ve since learned a few things and there are some very specific considerations you should think about when choosing a breast pump. Do You Even Need a … Continue reading →

The Breast Milk Haves and Have Nots

My apologies to all of you who regularly read my articles. Due to a family emergency, we had to leave unexpectedly. All is well now though, and you can expect to see more from me tomorrow! Were you a breast milk have or have not? According to an article published Sept. 1st in the New York Times,many mothers have to choose between earning a living and feeding their baby breast milk. According to the recent study, those who are high paid executives are more likely to continue breastfeeding because they have access to a “lactation” room at work, or are … Continue reading →