Did you know that rates of mastitis go up around holiday periods?
#Repost @lucywebberbreastfeeding_ibclc
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Why? Well, loads of reasons to be honest.
Let's picture it shall we?
It's your first christmas with your baby. You're mega excited and so is everyone else to have this gorgeous bundle in their lives. Christmas is going to be AWESOME.
Lots of travelling around in the car visiting friends and family, making the most of maternity leave to see everyone and proudly show off this little person, taking up offers to go over and be cooked for! And that is genuinely fabulous.
But all that travelling leads to lots of time in the car seat, and for most babies the car seat sends them to sleep. And long sleeps mean long gaps between feeds, which leads to full breasts with potential for blockages... Then the parties, the gatherings, celebrations! Lovely right?! Yes! Except everyone wants a hold of little baby Rupert and once again he has longer stretches between feeds. And when he does come back to you he's over stimulated and over tired and only takes two minutes on the breast before he falls asleep leaving you with, you guessed it, full breasts.... Or the guests seem to think they know better than you do about baby Josie's feeding cues and tell you she doesn't need feeding, they can settle her for you. They talk about how 'when they had babies you only fed every four hours and it didn't do them any harm'. You're then stuck between a rock and a hard place, because you would like to feed your baby, but you don't want to upset family or the way they did things, and maybe they're right?
Feeds are often cut short around celebrations, because you have lots of people offering to help and hold the baby so your dinner doesn't go cold, or guests arrive, or you're due somewhere, or you'reupstairs feeding and want to get back down to the party...the list goes on. So your breasts don't get 'emptied' like usual and can you guess what happens next? Yep.... More in comments....
Asking for help
Here in the UK, there is a pervasive thought that breastfeeding will happen naturally and if it doesn’t, the help being offered must be the best.
Parents the conclude that if that hasn’t worked, nothing will.
Here is where many parents trip up with their new kids, and the health care system fails them.
The sooner you seek help, the less work it’ll be to get back on track, to meeting your feeding goals.
Read more in bio &
https://beyondbabyhood.com/2019/11/15/asking-for-help/
#breastfeeding #information #support #cooking #ingredidents #skilledsupport #highwycombe #marlow #beaconsfield #amersham #chesham
Clocks and crying 👎
#Repost @wildflowerbreastfeeding (@get_repost)
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When a baby is born, parents are told all kinds of things about how long/how often to feed baby. This can include advice about how many minutes baby should be at the breast and how long baby "should" be able to go between feedings.
It is important to watch for early hunger cues, not the clock, to determine if your baby needs to eat. Early hunger cues include: .
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-putting hands near or in the mouth .
-licking lips
-making sucking sounds
-sticking tongue out
-squirming
-rooting
Crying is a LATE hunger cute. Try to feed baby before he/she is frantic and fussy. It makes it much harder to latch them on and calm them down if they are already crying.
When your baby is full, he/she will be relaxed, or fall alseep. Baby will come off the breast with a calm body and will no longer be showing signs of hunger. 📷 @danicadonnelly
Sack the bubble bath, do these instead!
#Repost @motherkind_zoe ・・・
In my element ❤️I find it easier speaking to 30 people than to one person (characteristic of an introvert 🙋♀️). And cupping my boobs apparently 🤣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
@babymoriuk invited me to talk on self care - so I thought I’d share my version of self care that....
1. Is free or costs very little
2. Takes max 5 mins a day ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
My self care is not long baths with expensive oils, it’s not spa days, or trips to the hairdresser. All those are lovely.
But they’re not my self care. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
My self care is about self connection.
It’s about being aware of how I am and what I need.
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I shared my 6 favourite self care tools....
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1. Notice your inner critic - listening to it is energy draining and esteem lowering. Notice what yours says to you and ask yourself ‘is that true?’. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
2. 45 second check in. Hand on your heart. Connect with your breath, notice how you’re feeling. Ask yourself what you need. When we don’t meet our needs, they don’t go away, they come out sideways - anger, resentment, overwhelm. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
3. Water and gut healthy food - many of us don’t drink enough water - problem is dehydration can make us even more foggy, tired and anxious (dehydration can spike cortisol). Food - 90% of serotonin (the happy hormone) is made in the gut....so what we eat massively affects our mood ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
4. Boundaries- we can’t talk self care without talking boundaries. You can fill your cup but without boundaries it will drain straight away. Say no, get clear on what you want and need and have the courage to communicate that. This isn’t easy, but really important.
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5. Social media - we look for connection online but so often we find comparison. Curate your feed. If it doesn’t make you feel good, unfollow 👋
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6. Gratitude - our minds our wired to look for what’s wrong, so we have to actively look for what’s RIGHT. Make a list of 3 things a day, what you’re grateful for. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Start with ONE, make it a practice,
then add in another. You’ll be amazed at the difference, promise. ❤️ which one appeals the most??
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#wearethemothers #motherhood2.0
The trap that catches most new parents, and how it costs you money.
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How many times have you seen the 'just in case' lists for parents to be, that are a mile long and include a bunch of 'feeding aids' to 'increase your chance of breastfeeding'?
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Did you know that the first solution to most breastfeeding issues, is NOT giving a bottle? .💛
A skilled breastfeeding supporter will offer you a myriad of breastfeeding solutions before offering a top up, and even then, extra milk/formula when indicated can be given without a bottle. The simplest, to the most complex, a spoon, cup, syringe, finger feeding, SNS.
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What if all new parents knew, that finding free skilled support, or investing in paid support, before their baby arrives, is MORE likely to have them meeting their goals, than many of those expensive items on the 'just in case' list.
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Some health care professionals aren't allowed to tell you about the support outside of the NHS, you might have to do your own research. It'll be worth it. I promise! .💜
If you are #pregant and want to set yourself up to save money & maxise your chances at meeting your feeding goals, find your support now.
🖤
If you have a loved one who's pregnant, why not link them up now? Give them a gift voucher for xmas? .❤🧡💛💚💙💜
Ps. If you are local to #highwycombe , book your space on the last face to face #antenatalbreastfeeding #workshop in December (link in bio)
#yougothis #feeding #slings #savemoney #support #breastfeeding #alternatives #goals #informed #skilled #free #paid #invest #educate #empower
A new decade.
💜💙💚💛🧡❤
I'm thinking about the things that will take place in the next year but also the next 10! 🗨
Come Jan, I should be (all fingers and toes crossed) be adding IBCLC to my name.
🖤
I have many plans for #beyondbabyhood, some will be launching soon, some in Jan, others will take longer to mature.
💜
The next decade will also at some point, see me as ceaseing to be a breastfeeding parent.. 💙
I've been breastfeeding non stop for over 4.5 years now, with two kids and 2.5 of them.where tandem feeding.
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To say it's a huge part of my identity right now, is a bit of an understatement. But it didn't start this way.
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I thought I'd just see how it goes. Until about 12 hours in and problems started to arrive and I was bowled over by how much I felt, deep in my bones, that I needed to make this work.
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So my journey here began. Where will it take us in 2020-2030!
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Where will it take you?
❤🧡💛💚💙💜
#feeding #carrying #dreams #2020 #breastfeeding #identity #feelings #thoughts #plans #pregnant #buckinghamshire #highwycombe #amersham #chesham #marlow #beaconsfield
Milk fed pumpkins
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At the time this photo was taken, these two pumpkins where 80% milk & 100% milk fed. 🎃
I was in a permanent haze, & meeting two small children needs was intense. Continuing to breastfeed them both was the most logical, natural choice for us.
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This is often called tandem nursing siblings.
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Some people believe that each kid gets milk adjusted to their age, even when feeding at the same time. The older more fat, the younger less. There is a lack of research to prove or disprove this theory currently.
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It's quite common for the older kid to revert to a mostly milk based diet for a while once the new baby comes. 🎃
I needed quite a bit of support to achieve this, not many of us reach our goals without it. Be that from family or supporters, it's always easier with company. 🎃
Do you someone who did this?
🎃
#sundaysessions #breastfeeding #humanmilk #tademfeeding #skilledsupport #pumpkin
How many mins, how many sucks, how long since the last feed, how long until the next?
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Having a new baby means most patents have these questions rolling around their heads.
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There is no one size fits all answer.
For many, the best answer is learning to trust in symbiosis of your breasts and your baby(s).
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Learning the ques they give you for a feed, but also when they are full. .
If you find your self obsessed with the clock and intervals in the early days, this article might help you understand more 🤗
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http://www.nancymohrbacher.com/articles/2015/8/17/the-clock-and-early-breastfeeding
#feeding #breastfeeding #antenatal #postnatal #newbaby #feedinginterval #clock #info #ibclc #beyondbabyhood [Image : a large clock with a black rim, indicating time of 9.49]
