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Friday, November 29, 2013
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Mastitis! I ain't got time for that!
So, my goal of posting once per week was a bit thwarted by my immune system which took a dive and landed in the pool of mastitis. Yup! You read it right. Most of the time mastitis occurs within the first month or two after having your baby when you are dealing with engorgement. Then, as the breasts soften over the months to come and baby gets more efficient at emptying them you no longer have that problem. And that is when many people think they have lost their supply. Not true! But, we'll talk about that later. For the opposite end of the spectrum, the overachieving milk ductal system, we have our own set of problems like engorgement...still. And yes, leaking...still.
So, when my awesome little 5 1/2 month old baby girl started sleeping 10 hours at night - thank God! Yes,I was getting a little engorged at night, but I'm finally getting some sleep! I'm not getting up to pump, it will be fine. Or so I thought. Now, I have mastitis.
Mastitis occurs when milk stays in your breast too long and grows a bacteria that infects the breast TISSUE, NOT the breast MILK. IT is important that you continue to breastfeed on the infected side. It keeps it from getting worse and gives your baby more good antibodies. And, you generally will need antibiotics to resolve.You can try some other things first, but mastitis can get bad really quickly and lead to an abscess which may require surgery. LESSON - if you are engorged, make sure to feed baby or pump enough to keep milk flowing and massage your breasts to make sure the milk in the back ducts are flowing downward. Often, it starts as just a plugged duct and you can usually use heat and massage to get it out. If it has not improved after 24 hours or you develop flu-like symptoms, see your OB pronto! This is what it looks like:
So, when my awesome little 5 1/2 month old baby girl started sleeping 10 hours at night - thank God! Yes,I was getting a little engorged at night, but I'm finally getting some sleep! I'm not getting up to pump, it will be fine. Or so I thought. Now, I have mastitis.
Mastitis occurs when milk stays in your breast too long and grows a bacteria that infects the breast TISSUE, NOT the breast MILK. IT is important that you continue to breastfeed on the infected side. It keeps it from getting worse and gives your baby more good antibodies. And, you generally will need antibiotics to resolve.You can try some other things first, but mastitis can get bad really quickly and lead to an abscess which may require surgery. LESSON - if you are engorged, make sure to feed baby or pump enough to keep milk flowing and massage your breasts to make sure the milk in the back ducts are flowing downward. Often, it starts as just a plugged duct and you can usually use heat and massage to get it out. If it has not improved after 24 hours or you develop flu-like symptoms, see your OB pronto! This is what it looks like:
So, yesterday, I spent the day, feeling crappy, applying heat to my breast, massaging it trying to get anything clogged out, last night I pumped before I went to bed, took lots of Vitamin C, drank lots of water, and tried to get rest. And, I do feel better today, but my breast looks worse, so I'll be picking up my antibiotics (Augmentin) this morning. Hopefully, it doesn't give us thrush. That is the risk when you need to take antibiotics while breastfeeding. And, thrush is a nightmare to deal with. So, don't drop by my house unexpectedly this week, I will likely be topless trying to avoid getting it. I'll let you know next week! In the meantime, I will still enjoy breastfeeding my little one. Its SO worth it and I treasure it so much. Most good things come with challenges along the journey. But I wouldn't change a thing (except maybe getting up and at least hand expressing some milk out of my breast next time:) God bless and may you enjoy meandering in the land of milk and honeys without mastitis.
Monday, September 2, 2013
"Breastfeeding shouldn't hurt" - but it does!
Let's be real. Breastfeeding hurts! At least at the beginning. True, there are some mothers that had no pain EVER in breastfeeding and that if the baby is latched properly it SHOULDN'T hurt. But, reality is there are several factors involved in pain-free vs pain-full breastfeeding.
Let's start with your baseline. Anyone's breasts get sore during their period? Mine did! And, my nipples have always been sensitive (even with the hubby), so is it a shock that when a hungry creature latches on and sucks as hard as they can that it hurts? No. I often have Moms whose breasts and nipples are tender for me just to touch even before baby even gets on because of the excess fluid in their bodies and the hormone rollercoaster they are on. And let's say Mom's breasts and nipples feel perfect at their baseline, then what about baby?
Baby has to have had a normal well-timed pregnancy and delivery free of any stress, trauma, or tools; cannot be tongue-tied (which I am seeing almost weekly these days); and be perfect from a cranio-facial perspective though their little bones are still soft and taking shape plus have a perfect suck reflex.
Then, hopefully you are in a hospital where they help the baby breastfeed within the first hour after the much needed skin to skin time after the birth, so baby has the opportunity for their little instincts to kick in to latch and eat perfectly BEFORE the difficult 24-48 hour period of difficulty sets in when baby Will NOT wake up to eat and the nurses are frustrated because they will have to take baby's blood sugar at 5 hours and YOU have not fed your baby every three hours, so now they are discussing formula or pumping. The lactation person helps you get baby on FINALLY, but it hurts your nipples because "the latch is wrong" and the inevitable tears of failed motherhood flow as hormones, sleep deprivation, and confusion set in.
Wasn't this supposed to be easy? Wasn't it supposed to not hurt? Isn't this natural and beautiful? Why isn't it working for me like everyone else? Reality is - EVERY Mom and baby are different. I have had very few first time Moms have NO difficulties. Second times Moms have difficulties too, but they already know how to handle them. So, is there hope? Yes!
First things first. If you have sensitive nipples and breasts to start with just know from the beginning you may have a challenge, but it should resolve within a couple weeks as the nips acclimate (it took me three weeks this last time); and then if all else is good, not only will it not hurt, but can feel good and be one of the best experiences between you and your baby. You can tell that this is the problem if the soreness is only there at the beginning of breastfeeding and then disappears while baby eats. As long as it disappears, it should resolve. But if it doesn't, it is probably THE LATCH.
If you are offered lactation help in the hospital - take it! The sooner you can understand and know what a good latch looks AND FEELS like, the quicker you will be to pain free nursing. The latch is the most common reason for pain. No one knows what they are doing at the beginning, baby and Mommy are both learning, so there can be some damage to the nips that may take some time for healing. You can tell if this is the problem if the pain persists throughout the feeding and even gets worse. Once you have resolved the latch, it will still hurt as you heal up (and there are tricks to help speed up that process), but should be decreasing and may resolve within a few days.
The majority of people will find themselves in the upper two categories and will be so happy they pushed through to the other side. I have never heard of a mother unhappy that they persisted. Its worth doing. Not just for your baby, but for you :)
If the pain persists beyond those first few weeks, there are other less common causes to discuss with your pediatrician or local lactation counselor:
-tongue-tie (which they should have seen in the hospital)
-thrush
-cranio-facial issues (which largely can also resolve in a short time as baby further develops and compensates)
-Rayaud's Syndrome
-Nipple confusion
-Improper use of Pump
-Engorgement
-Hyper-reflex which causes baby to clamp
- and more that I can't think of right now :)
We will discuss all of these at a later time. In fact, if there is anything you want discussed, tell me! It may show up :) In the meantime, know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We don't want people to quit just because they had false expectations. Know that it will likely be difficult at the beginning, BUT almost all causes for nipple pain can be remedied quickly and send you off to enjoy the land of milk and honeys within a few weeks :) As one of my Moms said, "You got to soldier through, girl, soldier through." And you won't regret it!
Let's start with your baseline. Anyone's breasts get sore during their period? Mine did! And, my nipples have always been sensitive (even with the hubby), so is it a shock that when a hungry creature latches on and sucks as hard as they can that it hurts? No. I often have Moms whose breasts and nipples are tender for me just to touch even before baby even gets on because of the excess fluid in their bodies and the hormone rollercoaster they are on. And let's say Mom's breasts and nipples feel perfect at their baseline, then what about baby?
Baby has to have had a normal well-timed pregnancy and delivery free of any stress, trauma, or tools; cannot be tongue-tied (which I am seeing almost weekly these days); and be perfect from a cranio-facial perspective though their little bones are still soft and taking shape plus have a perfect suck reflex.
Then, hopefully you are in a hospital where they help the baby breastfeed within the first hour after the much needed skin to skin time after the birth, so baby has the opportunity for their little instincts to kick in to latch and eat perfectly BEFORE the difficult 24-48 hour period of difficulty sets in when baby Will NOT wake up to eat and the nurses are frustrated because they will have to take baby's blood sugar at 5 hours and YOU have not fed your baby every three hours, so now they are discussing formula or pumping. The lactation person helps you get baby on FINALLY, but it hurts your nipples because "the latch is wrong" and the inevitable tears of failed motherhood flow as hormones, sleep deprivation, and confusion set in.
Wasn't this supposed to be easy? Wasn't it supposed to not hurt? Isn't this natural and beautiful? Why isn't it working for me like everyone else? Reality is - EVERY Mom and baby are different. I have had very few first time Moms have NO difficulties. Second times Moms have difficulties too, but they already know how to handle them. So, is there hope? Yes!
First things first. If you have sensitive nipples and breasts to start with just know from the beginning you may have a challenge, but it should resolve within a couple weeks as the nips acclimate (it took me three weeks this last time); and then if all else is good, not only will it not hurt, but can feel good and be one of the best experiences between you and your baby. You can tell that this is the problem if the soreness is only there at the beginning of breastfeeding and then disappears while baby eats. As long as it disappears, it should resolve. But if it doesn't, it is probably THE LATCH.
If you are offered lactation help in the hospital - take it! The sooner you can understand and know what a good latch looks AND FEELS like, the quicker you will be to pain free nursing. The latch is the most common reason for pain. No one knows what they are doing at the beginning, baby and Mommy are both learning, so there can be some damage to the nips that may take some time for healing. You can tell if this is the problem if the pain persists throughout the feeding and even gets worse. Once you have resolved the latch, it will still hurt as you heal up (and there are tricks to help speed up that process), but should be decreasing and may resolve within a few days.
The majority of people will find themselves in the upper two categories and will be so happy they pushed through to the other side. I have never heard of a mother unhappy that they persisted. Its worth doing. Not just for your baby, but for you :)
If the pain persists beyond those first few weeks, there are other less common causes to discuss with your pediatrician or local lactation counselor:
-tongue-tie (which they should have seen in the hospital)
-thrush
-cranio-facial issues (which largely can also resolve in a short time as baby further develops and compensates)
-Rayaud's Syndrome
-Nipple confusion
-Improper use of Pump
-Engorgement
-Hyper-reflex which causes baby to clamp
- and more that I can't think of right now :)
We will discuss all of these at a later time. In fact, if there is anything you want discussed, tell me! It may show up :) In the meantime, know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We don't want people to quit just because they had false expectations. Know that it will likely be difficult at the beginning, BUT almost all causes for nipple pain can be remedied quickly and send you off to enjoy the land of milk and honeys within a few weeks :) As one of my Moms said, "You got to soldier through, girl, soldier through." And you won't regret it!
Monday, August 26, 2013
Your new BFF - BreastFeedingFriend
Hi breastfeeding peeps! My name is Brandy Kirstein and I am a certified lactation counselor and a breastfeeding Mommy :) I work part time as at a hospital and doing home visits for lactation and LOVE IT! I love everything about breastfeeding with the exception of two things - how dang difficult it can be (especially at the beginning) and the lack of support and resources to help you through it. And, that, my friends is why I got into to biz.
Before birth, I had this sort of ethereal, simplistic, expectation of happy babies and glowing Mommies while breastfeeding. I didnt even read any books on it ahead of time because it looks so easy - baby, booby, what else is there? And lets not for get the awesome postpartum weight loss plan that comes along with it, right? Right...
After my first baby, Jax, I only breastfed for 6 weeks and then quit and went to formula. Why? Because my nipples were killing me to the point of toe-curling piercing pain throughout every feeding followed with several wrong diagnoses as to why - thrush, yeast infection (which led to nistatin for Jax and Diflucan for me for a MONTH!!!) and, did I mention, we never actually had it? Then, there was Reynaud's (also, something I did not have) with the answer there is nothing we can do but put you on medication that is harmful to your baby. What?!?!? The protein sensitivity which was a legit diagnosis for Jax, but that means no dairy, no soy, no nuts, no eggs, etc. at least until they are one year old. And even once I was off all that he was still reacting... Also, did I mention I was a megaproducer that leaked continuously and had to change breastpads every hour or two? And, as far as that weight loss plan was concerned, how about weight gain! So, yes, I quit. After my son was on Nutramigen formula his stool cleared up perfectly and the pressure was off, but I cried for three days feeling like a failed mother. And I still remember the looks of those judgmental people everytime I got out a bottle of formula.
So, I went to a lactation training seminar, took some tests, got certified, and am now working to help mothers who need help. Because reality is, breastfeeding is HARD for almost everyone, especially at the beginning. This is why I have a job in the hospitals. If it was easy, they wouldn't need me. And, I'm happy to report that it does get better. In fact, if you can make it through the HARDNESS and come out on the other side, breastfeeding is not only easy, but one of the best experiences imaginable - happy babies, glowing Mommies :)
My baby, Scarlett, now is 4 months old. And, even though I know more information and have lots of hands-on experience, it was hard at the beginning. My nipples were sore for the first two weeks at the beginning of feedings, but that went away to where now it even feels good or I hardly feel it at all. I still produce too much, have engorgement issues, and Scarlett is protein sensitive. BUT, this time, I know what I'm doing. I don't feel stressed out because I have a plan for everything that has come my way and I know where to get the info I need for thing I don't know.
And that is what I want for every BF Mommy. I want to you to have chubby babies, healthy breasts, and a happy life. So, as your new friend, I'm going to tell you the truth about breastfeeding and what to expect as a professional, and as one Mommy to another. May God bless you through this journey of milk and honeys :)
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