Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is widely recommended as the healthiest way to feed your newborn. It can be very rewarding, but it may not be easy. Find the answers to common breastfeeding questions and get help for a positive experience.
5 Tips for How to Wean Your Baby from the Bottle or Breast
How to wean your baby is a hot topic among moms, but what's the best way to do it? There are two important factors to consider when weaning from the bottle or breast: your baby's nutritional needs and their emotional needs. read more
7 Must-Have Breastfeeding Supplies for Nursing Moms
Congratulations on making the decision to breastfeed your new baby. Not only can breast milk help prevent your baby from developing illnesses later in life, but it also contains the exact proportions of protein, fat, sugar, and water that your baby needs to grow. read more
9 Tips to Simplify Pumping Breast Milk at Work
Having a newborn at home is work enough — pumping breast milk at work shouldn't add to your stress. If pumping is on your agenda after you return from maternity leave, follow these steps for a successful experience. read more
Advantages of Breastfeeding to Society
Advantages of Breastfeeding to SocietyBreastfeeding is more than a personal or family matter, and the decision to breastfeed affects more than an individual mother-baby pair or a single family. Breastfeeding rates have a powerful impact on the whole society by affecting the health of mothers and babies, the economy, and the environment. read more
Advantages of Breastfeeding to the Father and to Siblings
Advantages of Breastfeeding to the Father and to Siblings You might not have considered the many ways your baby's father can benefit from being part of a breastfeeding family. Although fathers often worry that they will feel left out of the breastfeeding experience, the truth is that fathers are positively impacted when their babies are breastfed. The father of a breastfed baby will reap the benefits of a healthier partner and healthier infant. read more
Answers to Breastfeeding Questions
Answers to Breastfeeding QuestionsNew mothers want to know how often they should breastfeed. When your baby is just learning to nurse, it's best not to think about how far apart to space "feedings." The very term implies meals being consumed at predictable intervals. But an early breastfeeding session is less a meal than it is a learning experience that needs to be repeated at frequent intervals. You and your baby each have a lot to learn, and the way you learn is by practice. You are learning how to position your baby and how to present your breast. read more
Appetite and Growth Spurts in Your Breastfed Baby
Appetite and Growth Spurts in Your Breastfed BabyAn appetite spurt is the name given to describe a period of increased frequency of demand feedings by an apparently hungry baby. Other names for appetite spurts are "growth spurts" or "frequency days." These episodes occur with some predictability at approximately three weeks, six weeks, and three months, although they can happen at any time during breastfeeding. Unless a mother is forewarned about the occurrence of appetite spurts, she is likely to interpret her baby's hunger cues to mean she no longer has enough milk to satisfy him. read more
Barriers to Breastfeeding
Barriers to BreastfeedingAlthough most new mothers in the United States begin breastfeeding, relatively few presently manage to fulfill the AAP's infant-feeding recommendations. Despite strong lip service in favor of breastfeeding, numerous societal barriers prevent women from beginning and continuing to nurse their babies. read more
Basics for Nursing Mothers
Basics for Nursing Mothers Although nursing is a natural instinct for both mother and baby, it is not unusual to feel clumsy at first. If you are open-minded, your baby can actually teach you how to nurse without much prior knowledge on your part. Just put the baby's little mouth near your nipple and he or she will find a way. read more
Birth Control After Baby: 5 Options for Breastfeeding Moms
Life with a newborn is wonderfully chaotic, so becoming pregnant again is probably the last thing on your mind. While safe for your baby, birth control that contains estrogen, including combination pills, Nuvaring, and the patch, can lower milk supply, so women who are breastfeeding are recommended to avoid these. If you want to leave your options open for more kids in the future, find out which non-permanent birth control methods are safest for breastfeeding moms, and discuss your options with your doctor to find one that works for you and your partner. read more
Birth Control While Breastfeeding
Birth Control While BreastfeedingMany women who relied on oral contraceptives before starting a family feel at a loss when it comes time to think about birth control again. We believe that oral and injectable hormonal contraceptives should absolutely not be used by nursing mothers. The estrogens contained in oral contraceptives can dramatically diminish the quality and quantity of a mother's milk. We recommend against other hormonal forms of contraception as well. read more
Bottles and Milk Production
The more often you put the baby to the breast, the more breast milk you'll make ("demand and supply"). read more
Breaking Away From Bottles
Breaking Away From BottlesI always dreamt that my babies would go directly from breastfeeding to drinking out of a cup, with no bottles in between. Well, it never happened that way. Tom and I were left with the task of weaning three children, all of whom loved their bottles and did not give them up readily. Everybody has to do things that he or she is loathe to do as a parent. Mine was taking away my children's baby bottles. Why? It comes down to convenience. read more
Breast Milk vs Formula
Breast Milk vs FormulaOne of the very first decisions new parents make, even before the baby is born, is how to feed their infant. Many health experts agree that breastfeeding is the ideal way, for optimum nutrition. Specifically, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends that babies be breastfed exclusively for the first six months and then breastfed with complementary foods for at least twelve months. For those women not able to breastfeed or who choose not to, today's infant formulas provide a good, nutritious alternative. read more
Breast-Feeding Schedule
More frequent nursing will increase your milk production to meet the changing needs of your infant. read more
Breastfeeding 101
Your baby's first year is full of rapid growth and development, which require adequate amounts of calories and nutrients. One of the first decisions parents have to make about their new child's nutrition is whether to breastfeed or bottle feed. If you decide to breastfeed, these tips and suggestions will help make this bonding experience easier on you and your baby. read more
Breastfeeding and the Law: Know Your Rights
Breastfeeding and the Law: Know Your Rights A Massachusetts law will go into effect in April 2009 allowing a mother to bring a civil suit against any "person or entity" who violates her right to breastfeed in public. Although breastfeeding in public was not banned before this law was approved, no laws were previously in place in Massachusetts that actually protected mothers from harassment or penalties, according to La Leche League International (LLLI). read more
Breastfeeding and the Working Woman
Breastfeeding and the Working Woman Controversy still swirls around the issue of breast- versus bottle-feeding. If you're not sure which method to use, you can try starting with breast-feeding and switching later. Once you decide to bottle feed, however, you'll lose the breast-feeding option because your milk supply will dry up without the stimulation of your baby's sucking. Your success with breast-feeding once you return to work will depend upon your confidence with your decision, and how well you organize it. Combining Breast-Feeding and Working read more
Breastfeeding Basics
Breastfeeding Basics If you've decided to try breastfeeding, start as soon after your baby's birth as possible. read more
Breastfeeding Basics
Breastfeeding Basics Breastfeeding is a pretty tricky business for most new moms. How do you get that small squirming creature to behave? Plus, you can't "see" what's going in. I found reassurance in taking constant notes: what time my son ate, for how long, from which side, and how many wet diapers he had.Looking for reassurances? Dr. Hank Bernstein, a top pediatrician at Boston's Children's Hospital, answers basic questions about breastfeeding below. read more
Breastfeeding Benefits: Breast Milk's Nutrients and How They Help Your Baby Grow
Breastfeeding Benefits: Breast Milk's Nutrients and How They Help Your Baby GrowGrowth of Breastfed Infants read more
Breastfeeding Chart
Use this chart to record the number of minutes of suckling on each side, and the number of wet and dirty diapers your baby has each day. read more
Breastfeeding Diet and Health Basics
Breastfeeding Diet and Health BasicsTime Out for Mom With all that you have to do in a day, it's easy to see why you put taking care of yourself at the bottom of the list. Yet, ignoring your needs is actually counterproductive, especially for nursing mothers. Successful breastfeeding depends largely on how Mom treats herself. A poor diet, too little sleep, and too much stress can reduce the quality and quantity of your milk supply. Here are the basics of self-care for postpartum women. read more
Breastfeeding Moms Going Back to Work
Breastfeeding Moms Going Back to WorkGood news: Successful breastfeeding and working do mix. As long as there is a private place for you to pump at work and reliable refrigeration for expressed milk, it's relatively simple to continue providing baby with the benefits of breast milk for as long as possible, even while you're on the job. read more
Breastfeeding Problems and Solutions
Breastfeeding Problems and Solutions If you have never experienced any breastfeeding problems, you're one of the lucky ones. Almost every nursing mother has to deal with at least one breastfeeding-related issue, such as cracked nipples, engorgement, insufficient milk supply, mastitis, nipple pain, plugged ducts, and thrush. Unfortunately, many women abandon breastfeeding in the early weeks because of such problems. Fortunately, there are effective natural treatments that can usually overcome them. read more
Breastfeeding Versus Bottle-Feeding
Breastfeeding Versus Bottle-Feeding Both breastfeeding and bottle-feeding have their advantages. Because you need to make a decision now, let's consider each of them in turn. That way, you can make an informed choice. Breastfeeding is better because: read more
Breastfeeding vs. Bottle-Feeding: Read This Before Baby Arrives
Breastfeeding vs. Bottle-Feeding: Read This Before Baby ArrivesNo matter how many parenthood prep classes you attend or how many books you read, there is nothing like real life to inform you about feeding a baby. Yet, one of the most crucial feeding decisions typically comes before your baby arrives. That's when parents ponder whether to feed baby infant formula or to breastfeed. read more
Breastfeeding: Going Home from the Hospital
Breastfeeding: Going Home from the HospitalEarly Discharge and Early Follow-up read more
Breastfeeding: Helping Your Baby Attach Correctly
Breastfeeding: Helping Your Baby Attach CorrectlyA baby is born with several reflex actions that help him learn to breastfeed. For example, an infant will automatically turn his head toward a stimulus that brushes against his cheek, a reaction known as the rooting reflex. He will open his mouth wide and put his tongue down and forward when the lips are touched. When a nipple touches the roof of the baby's mouth, it triggers rhythmical cycles of sucking in which the tongue compresses the nipple and areola. read more
