TO HAAKAA OR NOT TO HAAKAA
The Haakaa has become a popular gift at baby showers and a commonly recommended tool for new moms. It’s marketed as an easy, hands-free way to collect milk, and it can indeed be very convenient. However, as with any tool, it’s important to understand both its benefits and potential drawbacks before incorporating it into your breastfeeding routine.
WHO NEEDS A PRENATAL LACTATION CONSULT?
Even if you have no history of breastfeeding difficulties or concerns, gaining knowledge about how the first days and weeks after birth typically go, what to expect, and how to prepare can be very empowering. This information can lead to a more positive and informed breastfeeding experience, and overall better mental health. Feeling prepared is empowering in itself, and having appropriate and realistic expectations for your breastfeeding journey can really make a difference in preventing postpartum depression or anxiety.
Certain individuals, however, may particularly benefit from a breastfeeding medicine or lactation consult due to specific risk factors.
ARE YOU STUCK IN TRIPLE FEEDING PRISON?
Triple feeding can be a complex and exhausting routine. The postpartum period is hard no matter what. When you add on extra steps to already exhausting newborn care, your breastfeeding journey may start to feel untenable. It's essential to have the support of a lactation professional, your pediatrician, and/or a perinatal mental health professional to monitor your progress, provide YOU with support, and make necessary adjustments. They can provide guidance tailored to your unique situation and personal experience, ensuring both you and your baby thrive.
Breastfeeding While You Are Sick
As a Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine physician, I often encounter questions from new mothers about the impact of their health on breastfeeding. One common concern is what to do when you're sick. It's a natural instinct to want to protect your baby from illness, which might lead you to consider stopping breastfeeding or even isolating from your child. However, the science suggests a different approach. Successful breastfeeding can and should continue despite maternal illness.
investigating the tongue and breastfeeding
Lifting the Tongue: Arguably the most important skill is lifting the tongue. Not only does a baby need to learn how to lift the tongue, but the tongue needs to have the mobility necessary to do this. If there is a restriction of some sort, it may prevent your baby from lifting the tongue adequately no matter how hard they try. This restriction could be from a variation of anatomy (an "oral tie" would fall into this category). But it also could be a functional inability due to strength, tightness of the neck or jaw, or something else that is keeping that tongue from moving up as needed.