The Mama Mantra Lactation Consulting

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The Mama Mantra Lactation Consulting HIPPA-compliant virtual consults available no matter your location.
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The Mama Mantra provides a wide variety of in-home and office lactation consultations in and around Metro Atlanta/West Georgia as well as in-home consultations in Austin, TX. Breanna Duncan, BSN, RN, IBCLC, RLC has been a RN since 2010 and working as an IBCLC since 2014 with experience in the inpatient hospital setting and private practice. She is working towards her Women’s Health Herbalist certi

fication as well as working to become a Holistic Nurse Health Coach. Vast experience not only in lactation, but newborn care and perinatal/postpartum care as well. Outside of the common breastfeeding challenges, The Mama Mantra has extensive expertise in oral tethers/oral function/oral anatomy, medically complex cases, NICU babies/preemies, breastfeeding after breast surgery, PCOS/IGT/Hypoplasia, low supply, slow weight gain, induced/lactation, GERD/reflux, sensory challenges and more. We offer induced lactation/re-lactation consults for parents wishing to bring back a milk supply, adoptive parents, surrogacy and the LGBTQIA community.

16/12/2022

You are not a milk factory. As you feed, your child's heart rate slows, their attachment hormones spike, their microbiome is nourished and their brain falls into a deep, restorative calm, much like adult brains do during meditation.⁠

Suckling causes oxytocin release in both mother and child, promoting a felt sense of wellbeing, safety, love and contentment. ⁠

Oxytocin lowers blood pressure and stress reactivity in mothers. In infants, oxytocin increases resilience to stress and drives the formation of more oxytocin receptors in the amygdala (for healthy social behaviour and a lowered risk for anxiety). ⁠

Simultaneous oxytocin release, repeated over time, changes both mother and infant brains, in ways that underpin long term attachment and synchronicity. It literally rewires brains in favour of love and wellbeing.⁠

You are not a milk factory.⁠ You are a retreat, a safe space, a perfect tonic.⁠

You are laying the foundations of long term wellbeing with every feed. ⁠

You are a hero.⁠

⁠incredible words by


21/11/2022

Me trying to read the list of things that require parents to pump and dump…

10/11/2022
15/08/2022

It is estimated that 30% of the baby's blood is left in the placenta after immediate cord clamping. We've all had blood drawn... these tubes represent the amount of blood left in the placenta after immediate cord clamping. ​​​​​​​​
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It's something that most of us probably don't think about. Unless there is immediate medical need, it is beneficial to the infant to practice delayed cord clamping so the baby can absorb the blood and nutrients from the placenta after birth. ​​​​​​​​
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Of course, speak with you doctor, midwife, or doula in order to make the best, most informed decision for your birth and your baby. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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Image from https://www.facebook.com/janet.titmusdeletteramidwife​​​​​​​​
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More info at link https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2020/12/delayed-umbilical-cord-clamping-after-birth #:~:text=on%20developmental%20outcomes.-,Delayed%20umbilical%20cord%20clamping%20is%20associated%20with%20significant%20neonatal%20benefits,necrotizing%20enterocolitis%20and%20intraventricular%20hemorrhage.​​​​​​​​
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11/08/2022

Baby bouncers, walkers, bumbos, and other infant orthotic devices (IODs) alter a child's natural motor pattern development by restricting proper age-appropriate movements and by offering artificial stability to developing infants before they are ready to reach those milestones naturally.​​​​​​​​
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The companies who create these products claim that they "help" children learn to walk, stand, sit, or crawl but research has shown the use of IODs actually delay, alter, and potentially cause long-term motor pattern disruption.​​​​​​​​
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Research has shown that the use of baby walkers can delay the acquisition of independent walking and disturb the normal gait pattern in developing children. They can also cause damage to ankles, knees, hips, back, and neck by forcing a child into a vertical position who's body is not yet ready to support such position.​​​​​​​​
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Similar is to be said about bumbo type seats or boppy type support pillows. These devices place children in seated or upright positions before their bodies are ready to support them. A child who can not sit without assistance should not be placed in a seated position. ​​​​​​​​
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Children should be allowed an age appropriate viewpoint of the world by being given the ability to lay flat on their backs, crawl, crouch, sit and stand when they're ready, and interact with their environments as their individual developmental skills allow.​​​​​​​​
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These devices designed to "help" our kids are actually limiting them. The less technology and devices we use to "help" our children move, the better and stronger they will grow - and the better and stronger their bodies will be in adolescence and adulthood! ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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Some info from this post was sourced from https://capitalchirodsm.com/fromthegroundup/ where more in-depth info and further references are available. ​​​​​​​​
🔗 IG link in bio.

19/07/2022

Breastmilk is a live bacterial messenger system designed to shape the newborn immune system.

During the first weeks to months of a child’s life a mother is delivering precious microbial messages that can have a life long affect on a child's health.

Today we are learning how incredibly powerful nature is in developing strong, immune, resilient children.

The role of breastfeeding to develop the jaw and straight teeth is one aspect of how important it is. Primarily teaches a child nasal breathing. Kids who struggle to breathe through their nose often have small, underdeveloped jaws. They present with long faces, crooked teeth, and poor breathing.

Secondly if proper tongue posture and feeding habits are established, the tongue creates a seal to push the ni**le to the roof of the child’s mouth. This helps to develop the child’s palate, and is designed by nature to set correct the growth trajectory of the jaws and upper airways.

(As an aside I do see many kids who breastfeed today without proper connection between the tongue and the palate)

However, for the immune system the breastmilk microbiome is transferred via specialized immune cells from the mothers gut.

Evidence now shows that human breastmilk can have a life long impact on a child’s health.

Oral flora delivered during breastfeeding may protect a child from allergies and asthma.

They also strengthen their immune system. Breastfeeding may protect against respiratory infections autoimmunity, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Later in life, it may also protect against heart disease, obesity, and type-II diabetes. These conditions are now understood to be largely influenced by gut microbiota.

The reason is that a newborn immune system is naïve to the outside world and depends on maternal ‘gifting’ of immune agents and probiotic bacteria.

One huge factor I think we’re missing today is the maternal stores of vitamin D and preexisting conditions.

Prenatal maternal health needs to be nourished with a proper pregnancy diet with targeted functional medicine testing for any underlying issues.

How was your experience with breastfeeding?

12/07/2022

As excited as we often are not to our periods for 10 months while we're pregnant, a question I frequently get asked by extended breastfeeding mamas is: "How do I get my period back?"

Breastfeeding, due to the impact of prolactin on ovarian function, can naturally suppress menstruation. Anthropologists have described it as natural contraception - though I’ve midwifed more than one baby conceived while a mama was breastfeeding! -(This form of birth control may have had to do more with cultural taboos around s*x while nursing).

How long it takes for ovulatory cycles to return postpartum varies widely:
🍶If you’re not BF'ing, you can expect your period to come back around 4 months postpartum.
🤱🏽If you are exclusively BF'ing, this will likely be delayed from 6 to 24 months. But if you get yours back sooner it doesn’t mean you weren’t breastfeeding enough! I was a full-time “attachment mom” and got my moon back at 8 weeks with my first 3 babies - then 18 months with my 4th!

While there’s no risk in not getting your period back even for 18 months if you're BF'ing, mamas starting to think about having another baby sooner often want their cycles to resume and ask me how to get it going again.

My answer is the herb Vitex (Chaste berry). One of its many uses is to stimulate and support ovulation - and it’s the go-to herb in my practice (has been for 30+ years!) for mamas wanting to return their cycle.

How to use it?
🌿 Take 5 ml of the tincture daily (either one dose, or 2 doses of 2.5 mL) OR
💊Take 1-2, 220 mg capsules daily

It typically takes 2-3 months of using it for your period to resume - but I’ve seen it work in as short as 1 cycle.

At this dose, Vitex shouldn't affect milk production, but higher doses may suppress lactation - so I don’t recommend it if your baby is 1 year or less and depends on your milk as their main nourishment.

🚨Remember - we ovulate before we menstruate - so if you’re not ready to get pregnant just yet - use condoms or another form of birth control.

How long did you breastfeed? And how long did it take to get your cycle back?

Want more postpartum tips? Check out Natural Health After Birth - my classic book on all the things new mama and baby - at the link in bio.

Photo Credit: Jade Beall Photography

10/07/2022

🛑DID YOU HEAR THE NEWS?!🛑

(Not the news about my graphic having a typo 😂😂 *AAP)

Let me just leave this quoted information here.⬇️

"The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for approximately 6 months after birth. Furthermore, the AAP supports continued breastfeeding, along with appropriate complementary foods introduced at about 6 months, as long as mutually desired by mother and child for 2 years or beyond. These recommendations are consistent with those of the World Health Organization (WHO)."

Now parents, before you freak out... NO. This does NOT mean you HAVE TO breastfeed until your child is two.
➡️"...as long as mutually desired by mother and child..."⬅️

A little more insight on the AAP's updated recommendation.

So why do you now recommend past two years old AAP? 🤔
"Studies and meta-analyses have also confirmed the impact of breastfeeding longer than 12 months on maternal health in decreasing maternal type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer rates."

Well... what's the big issue with mothers breastfeeding past 12 months, AAP? 🤔

"Mothers who decide to breastfeed beyond the first year need support. They often report feeling ridiculed or alienated in their choice and conceal their breastfeeding behavior to minimize unsolicited judgment and comments. There is evidence that only one-half of mothers who breastfeed past 1 year discuss their decision with their pediatric primary care provider and that 38% of women who reported that their provider was unsupportive of breastfeeding past the first year elected to change their pediatric primary care provider."

HUH! Ya don't say! 😲

So, is there anyone or way that we could fix this issue? 🧐

"The AAP is cognizant that for women to be successful in achieving the recommended breastfeeding goals, significant societal changes are required. Pediatricians can play an important role in leading and advocating for the societal changes that permit continued exclusive and direct breastfeeding, such as guaranteed paid maternity leave, flexible work schedules, including working from home, and on-site child care."

Ah, okay! Thanks for joining us AAP! 😉
Joan Younger Meek, Lawrence Noble, Section on Breastfeeding; Policy Statement: Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk. Pediatrics July 2022; 150 (1): e2022057988. 10.1542/peds.2022-057988

29/06/2022

Y’all. I’m hot.

I’m bothered.

My blood pressure is boiling.

Anyone can write a book. Anyone can spew “parenting advice”. Did you know this? Look at Ezzo and Pearl. I mean, really. Ok. Don’t look there, actually. Just trust me. They shouldn’t have any advice to give about parenting or infant feeding. And yet. There they sit. Best selling authors.

There is another crew of folks advocating parenting “techniques” and making bank off people who trust their credentials and techniques/advice.

It’s bad, y’all. It’s just bad.

I looked at some of their “feeding schedule plans” and I’m fairly well ready to faint. 🤦🏻‍♀️

CAN YOU REALLY SAY FEEDING AN 8 WEEK OLD 5 TIMES PER 24 HOURS IS SOLID INFO?

Imma just say NO!

It’s not.

An 8 week old should still have unlimited access to tell a parent they need food, drink, comfort, sleep, etc from their feeding cues.

I’ll say it again. It’s. Not. Just. About. The. Milk. Transfer.

Babies breastfeed. They are biologically HARDWIRED to seek comfort and nutrition from the breast.

5 times per day? Hell. I eat more often than that!!!!!

These “schedulers” suggest 12 HOURS OVERNIGHT with no feedings.

For an 8 week old human baby. 😰😰😰

12. Hours. With. No. Milk. Removal. Or. Breast. Feedings.

You think a new/fluctuating supply can withstand this? You think a brand new baby (who may or may not still be having feeding issues) can go 12 hours with no food/comfort?

No. Not likely. Rarely? Maybe? Some magical unicorn kids may be able to transfer enough milk from 7am-7pm but not likely in 5 feedings.

Let’s do the math.

If a baby is getting 5 feeds in 24 hours:

If a baby can transfer 2-3 oz per feeding.... that’s only 10-15 oz per day. IF they could transfer 4-5 oz per feeding (not all that common) that’s still only 20-25oz per day.

Babies at 8 weeks need an average of about 30 oz per day.

Under feeding your baby can cause all sorts of health and development issues.

The math alone suggests 5 feedings per day isn’t enough. 🚨

Babies learn at the breast. They learn trust, comfort, love, fullness, security, safety, satiation, the beauty of sleep...

How one could limit a tiny nugget baby to every 4 hours is beyond me. They NEED to suck. They NEED to eat very frequently. The breast NEEDS stimulation to MAKE MILK.

Can y’all please put down these books and programs?

Please?!

Trust your gut.

Trust your baby.

Trust biology.

I’ll add. You can still be a pumping/working parent/family/mom and do this. Babies who are receiving bottles can be fed in breast-like manners when separated from their breastfeeding parent and can be fully breastfed when together. It happens all the time. Babies are adaptable. But they NEED food. Lots of it.

I was still feeding my 8 week olds on demand. For sure. Sometimes 12+ times a day/night. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Please feed your babies. As often as they “ask”. For an 8 week old that’s likely to be 8-12+ times per day.

Not. Five.

Reach out if you need help. If you feel like you’re stuck to a schedule that isn’t working. If you feel like you’re “doing it wrong” because your baby won’t bend to a feeding plan. If you’re worried about milk supply or baby’s gain (they should be gaining an ounce a day for a long while!).

We are here for you and your families. No judgment. Just help and love and support. Board certified lactation consultants know a thing or 1000 about breastfeeding, breastmilk, and biological norms. We can help.

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

16/06/2022

👅 If your pediatrician tells you they're not a big deal, it's time to get a new one! ​​​​​​​​
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Not all tongue-ties may cause issues, but they could sometimes lead to bigger health problems and definitely need to be addressed.​​​​​​​​
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Causes of concern:​​​​​​​​
▪️ Abnormal Palate Formation, Airway Obstruction, Sinus Obstruction​​​​​​​​
▪️ Brain Development, Behavior, Attention, Intelligence, & Psychological Well-Being​​​​​​​​
▪️ GI Upset​​​​​​​​
▪️ Speech​​​​​​​​
▪️ MTHFR Gene Mutation​​​​​​​​
Unfortunately, it is not an exhaustive list. Many moms and babies suffer with nursing: difficulty latching, difficulties maintaining latch, and not getting enough milk due to decreased tongue movement.​​​​​​​​
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👩‍⚕️ Find a provider who is knowledgeable. If your child or someone you care about is having issues with sleep apnea, mouth breathing, chronic sinus infections, concentration and attention, poor endurance, unexplained behavioral concerns, breath-related anxiety, and honestly the list just goes on and on - don’t accept “genetics” as the answer. This is old, outdated information. Genetics are not the end all be all. You are predisposed from your genes but not doomed by them. ​​​​​​​​
🧠 Knowledge is power. Everything has a root cause.🌱​​​​​​​​
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Check out this link to the original post for more in-depth information. ​​​​​​​​
https://www.facebook.com/LaurenPLyman/posts/10159038179407989​​​​​​​​
🔗 IG LINK IN BIO​​​​​​​​
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☎️ Give us a call if you have concerns you would like to discuss! 815-322-9300 ​​​​​​​​
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15/06/2022

Repeat procedures

I would estimate that approximately 30% of the babies I see in clinic are babies who have already had a procedure done. Some observations:

1) Almost all of the babies who need a re-do are those who previously had classic anterior tongue ties (the ones that go to the tip of the tongue and that anyone can easily spot). In medical training, we are taught to just snip that band. This post helps to explain why there's always a residual posterior tongue tie behind what is snipped anteriorly: https://www.drghaheri.com/blog/2014/3/22/rethinking-tongue-tie-anatomy-anterior-vs-posterior-is-irrelevant
2) Some babies/moms can benefit from a simple anterior release (there are 5 randomized, controlled trials that show improvement). The problem with these studies is that they don't follow the dyads for very long, so it's hard to know what happens to them afterwards. I find that quite often that those who get an anterior release but still have problems with breastfeeding can have symptoms evolve over time. Increasing caloric needs as the baby gets larger, changing milk supply, and different compensations all affect whether or not new symptoms show up. If they do show up, knowing that the babies are still technically tied may offer the dyads an option to pursue further treatment.
3) We've published a paper looking at this exact scenario: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29787680/

As always, information is key. Your baby's doctor(s) may not be aware about what a posterior tongue tie is or how it can continue to impact feeding. Some insurance companies are also confused - they argue that once a tongue tie release has been done, there can't be a tongue tie (so they try to fight coverage for the revision procedure).

One last thought - doing a procedure for the first time should NOT be called a revision. I'm not sure who started that nonsense, but in medical/surgical terms, a revision procedure is to revise something that was already done/attempted, so the term "revision" should be applied only in situations where a tongue tie was already released.

Not long ago I had Jackson Tyler Duncan snap some photos of Isla nursing because I could feel our journey coming to an e...
09/06/2022

Not long ago I had Jackson Tyler Duncan snap some photos of Isla nursing because I could feel our journey coming to an end. It was bittersweet. During my first trimester of pregnancy I was touched out and not feeling great and when she wanted to nurse I thought my skin might actually crawl right off my body. It got better into the second trimester, as I assumed it would. However, I knew our time nursing was coming to a close. The remainder of the milk I had started to go away as pregnancy progressed...a normal shift. Isla would look up at me befuddled and say, “mama the milkies went bye bye” and she’d jump from my lap to go explore something nearby.
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While I do have some feelings about her being done, more than anything I’m proud of us. The last day she asked to nurse was 5/23/22. It won’t be a date that’s hard to remember seeing as it’s my Dad’s birthday. Three years, two months, two weeks and two days. Countless hours. Many little moments. Lots of long nights. Endless sweet cuddles. A plethora of tender memories. Ups and downs. My goal was 2yrs. We made it much, much longer. Our start was anything but simple. Tongue tie, lip tie, high palate, recessed chin, GERD, sensory aversions, long term bottle refusal, food refusal until 18mo and I’m sure some things I’m leaving out. She picked an IBCLC as her mama and we were going to work it out come hell or high water. So we did. It took until she was 7mo old for me to be able to nurse her more “normally” (not having to sit in my dark closet, bouncing on a ball with white noise going the entire time). But more than those things, I remember the life-giving, soul-nourishing, epic bonding and deeply transformative journey we took together. I learned a lot about myself and about her.
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Cheers, not to the end of a journey (trust me tears were shed over that...I was pregnant after all 😆), but to the beginning of a new journey and a deep remembrance of what we overcame and what we enjoyed together. I’m one proud mama. ❤️

Tongue tie affects SO much more beyond breastfeeding.
06/06/2022

Tongue tie affects SO much more beyond breastfeeding.

Most of my page is devoted to the impact of tongue tie on infant feeding. But a huge part of my practice centers around the interplay between tongue tie, airways issues, craniofacial development, dental malocclusion and obstructive sleep apnea.

I was able to lecture alongside my colleagues this weekend - colleagues that are reshaping the understanding of these topics. Stanley Liu, Audrey Yoon, Tracy Tran, Fabi Moy, Leopoldo Correa and Umakanth Katwa are leading the charge when it comes to our understanding of how medicine and dentistry interact.

It's going to take a small revolution to make this new understanding widely accepted. The challenge is finding like-minded professionals in various locales who can work as a multi-disciplinary team to address the various issues affecting us all.

31/05/2022
Absolutely exquisite photos!! ❤️
25/05/2022

Absolutely exquisite photos!! ❤️

Useful Information for Hobby and Professional Photographers.

24/05/2022

Do you know a common reason parents quit breastfeeding? It's not what you think.

It's perceived low milk supply. Perceived. Not actual. And who can blame them? Stores sell 9oz bottles. Social media bombards us with ads for fancy drinks and cookies with pictures of happy moms and overflowing bottles of milk.

But we're here to tell you the real story. Your body is only supposed to produce an ounce of milk an hour. And that's both sides combined. After 4 weeks, your baby will take 20-30oz of milk for their first year. You never have to increase your supply again. The content of the milk changes over time, but the volume doesn't.

Milk has a circadian rhythm, meaning different amounts get made at different times of day. It's normal to pump much more in the morning than in the afternoon. That doesn't mean there's something wrong.

When you leave a bottle for your baby, leave 1-1.25oz/hr you'll be gone. Small, frequent bottles help keep your baby's expectations realistic. If they're getting two 5oz bottles in 8hrs, they're still getting 1.25oz/hr, but do you only nurse your baby twice in 8hrs? They'll start to expect large volumes from you, which can make them impatient or fussy. Some babies refuse to nurse and will only take bottles. Keeping the bottles realistic and having a clear understanding of a healthy milk supply will help you meet your feeding goals.

Save this so you can remember how much to leave in bottles, and to remind yourself you're doing a great job making milk!

23/05/2022
23/05/2022

This is a question that is asked a lot.

It's very common for babies to be fussy and unsettled at times, and even quite often in some cases.
But it may be unnerving for parents who become concerned that perhaps the baby isn't getting enough milk.
So a bottle is given to 'test' this theory and the baby wolfs it down and then crashes to sleep. Parents are left feeling utterly deflated that the they were letting their baby go hungry.

So why is it that those of us in the world of lactation say that drinking a bottle after a breastfeed isn't neccessarily sign that the baby was hungry?

To understand fully we need to look at two things, firstly normal behaviour at the breast, and secondly, normal response to a bottle.

Society would have us believe that babies latch onto the breast, feed and then settle. But that's not actually the case. There is usually quite a lot of fussing and bashing while they figure out where they're latching, then lots of quick sucks and tugging and hitting while they encourage your milk to let down. Then there is likely a period of calmer feeding while they have a good quantity of milk (look and listen for swallowing!) and then they may start to qet squirmy, tugging, gumming and hitting again as the flow slows down. This is all VERY normal behaviour.
Keep in mind in an evening, when most parents find their supply is running slower, and during growth spurts, babies will often be a lot more fussy at the breast, and that's ok too! Its stimulation behaviour to get the milk flowing. And the more milk that's removed, the more milk is replaced.
Babies have tiny tummies, digest breastmilk quickly, and use the breast for plenty of reasons other than food, so it's also very common for babies to decide that actually they would quite like to go back to the breast please, even though they had appeared to have finished not long before. Again, normal. (I didn't say easy, I said normal!)
Looking at all of the above, we can completely understand why parents may assume their baby is unhappy or not getting enough. Usually once they've had the information about it all they feel empowered to carry on the way they are.

But, if they don't have that information, they may carry on and give that bottle. So why would the baby take it?
Well, firstly, because babies love to suck. Its soothing and comforting and releases pain relieving hormones and means they are next to your body and in your arms. They're clever little creatures.
Plus, it's pretty easy to get a bottle teat into a baby's mouth, they barely need to open at all compared to latching at the breast.
But why once the teat is in do they drink? Well, sucking is a reflex that happens if something touches the back of the roof of the baby's mouth. So they can't actually help themselves.
When a baby feeds at the breast, sucking is only a part of it, the tongue compressing the breast against the roof of the mouth in a wave like motion moves the milk. But the feeding action with a bottle is very different. Even gentle sucks will cause milk to flow, and we've already seen that babies can't help but suck the teat, so end up with a mouth full of milk whether they want it or not. So they swallow, because once again it's a reflex in babies.
They end up sucking and swallowing until they're so exhausted that they stop.
By this point they're so overly full and so exhausted their body shuts down to work on digesting the heavy meal.

So a baby will take a bottle because of their reflexes, not necessarily because they need it.
If they're doing plenty of wee and poo, and gaining weight as expected, there's no need to offer a bottle (unless you choose to). If you're concerned about your baby and feeding in any way get some skilled support to fully assess and reassure you that all is well. But try and trust your baby and trust your body, they know what they're doing x

Hypnobirthing was a wonderful way for me to reframe how I defined “pain” and how I coped with it. ❤️
20/05/2022

Hypnobirthing was a wonderful way for me to reframe how I defined “pain” and how I coped with it. ❤️

Here’s why I don’t use the word contraction - it’s only part of the story. The sensations you feel during labor that allow your baby to pass thru the birth canal, thru your pelvis, and into this world are the muscles of your uterus tightening + releasing.

Hold your fist out, tighten it into a ball, and then release, allowing the muscles of your hand to relax completely - that is a ‘contraction’.

Contracting is only half the story. And, in a way, it’s the easier half because your body contracts on its own - it’s the relaxation half that most of us find it hard to tap into. When in pain our instinct is to tighten up, squeeze, hold our breath and scrunch our face and clench our jaw - but, during labor, it is being asked of us to do the opposite: breathe deeply, relax our face, jaw, and tongue, and bring release to our pelvic muscles thru movement and vibration. To relax thru pain is not instinctual, and something that I encourage all mamas to practice.

Rather than focusing on contracting what else can we call them? Waves, surges, and rushes are words that more accurately describe the push and pull of labor, and encourage mama to ebb and flow with the sensation. To close her eyes, feel the rise, breathe thru the build, sway and moan with the peak, and then gently and lovingly move thru the release.

Although changing the name of the experience will not take the pain of labor away - I do believe it helps put mama in the right frame of mind to navigate each rush (my ‘word’ of choice). And, if you’ve labored before, you know that frame of mind is an essential piece of the puzzle for bringing baby earthside!

Want to keep the conversation going and receive more support? Sign up to be notified when my course The Mama Pathway, a complete pregnancy, birth, and new mama experience, opens up!

📸 PhotoCred:

19/05/2022

If you’re neuro-divergent, you may find the challenges of breastfeeding and lactation hit a little bit differently for you.

Sensory Processing Differences in particular, can make things like flutter feeding or a shallow, sleepy latch feel unbearable.

This is your permission (if you feel you need it!) to unlatch baby when you’re feeling the “ick” and try again if little one is still looking for more.

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