Breast Care During Lactation (BCDL)

Caring for your breasts is essential self-care throughout lactation. In this series, Breast Care During Lactation, I will share some ways you can support your hard-working breasts during this time. We'll cover tips for increasing milk supply, preventing sore nipples, and alleviating some of the common discomforts that may come up throughout your nursing "career". I'll also discuss ways to inhibit milk production, for those of you who need or want to stop lactation.

Make no mistake, nursing a growing baby is a full-time job for your body. If you have a nursling who likes to linger over their meals, you may feel it's a full-time job, period. This can certainly be true during the fourth trimester, as your body eases from pregnancy into postpartum hormones and responsibilities. Though breastfeeding is a "natural" body function, it does not follow that it "comes naturally" to everyone involved. Babies have to learn how to latch properly, transfer milk from your body to theirs, and coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing. This can be tricky if your baby has a tongue-tie or is born premature. Meanwhile, you have to learn how to position yourself well and hold the baby so they can latch properly. You may experience sore nipples or intense let-down. As with any endeavor, there are highs and lows physically, emotionally, and energetically. In the spirit of staying realistically optimistic...

Let's talk about support.

Did you know that one of the biggest indicators for whether a woman will meet her breastfeeding goals is support from her partner? It is also helpful to have the support of older women in your family and to have seen other women breastfeed. Sadly, such exposure can be hard to come by. There's an unfortunate cycle of women feeling unsupported in their breastfeeding endeavors, which leads to feeling overwhelmed at the process and, therefore, having difficulty integrating it into their everyday activities. Eventually they will need to breastfeed in public (or go to fairly extreme scheduling practices in order to avoid it), but the less comfortable women feel feeding their nurslings in public, the fewer of them do it. This means less exposure to this physiologically normal activity for all of us AND shortened breastfeeding relationships.

Many women have shared with me that they wish they'd known more before beginning their breastfeeding journey. It is very common to feel frustrated, unsure, and an assortment of other feelings as you learn how to breastfeed. Take advantage of the support around you and try to connect with other nursing families. Seeing breastfeeding in a variety of settings and with a variety of age groups helps you see the wide spectrum of "normal", and how different families make nursing work for them.

You can lay the foundation for a supportive environment in pregnancy! Here are a few ways to do it:

• Talk with your family about your breastfeeding goals. Answer their questions and tell them how important it is for you to have their support.

• Take a class specifically on breastfeeding. You can find them through local childbirth education resources, such as Parent Trust for Washington Children, at your local hospital, or from a qualified professional (such as an IBCLC).

• Get your midwife, OB, or an IBCLC to assess your breasts and nipples and help you troubleshoot any potential obstacles (like flat nipples, or a history of PCOS).

• The Affordable Care Act requires insurance plans to cover pumps, so talk to your insurance provider about procuring a good breast pump.
• Even if you don't plan to bottle feed, a pump is very handy for dealing with engorgement, for example, and milk supply issues.

• Attend a local La Leche League meeting and get to know the leader and group members.

• Learn your legal rights as a nursing mother.

• Understand the relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and nighttime parenting.
• I have read this book, too, and found it very helpful. I recommend it to anyone who wants to better understand the nighttime needs of breastfeeding families, the health benefits of bed-sharing (to baby and nursing mother) and how to bed-share safely.

Even if you're already breastfeeding and things are going well, it is useful to know how to easily access your local support resources. If an issue should arise (6-month growth spurt of an easily distracted baby, anyone?) you'll know where to go for the support you need. If you've had a smooth breastfeeding experience, consider being a mentor to women in your community.

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Much of the information above comes from my quarter-long Breastfeeding course in Midwifery School. Follow the links for specific information in the bullet-points.

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What have you found most helpful in meeting your breastfeeding goals?