All About Breastfeeding

Talia is a mom to 2 tiny humans (Stella 2 ½ and Henry 3 months), a wife, a Physician Assistant and lover of all things outdoors. She's been practicing in Women's Health for over 10 years, but now considers herself a bit of a 'Renegade PA,' as she's stepped outside of conventional medical practice and into the world of holistic and functional medicine. Talia has a Masters of Medical Science and describes herself as someone who is a self taught student of anything that floats her boat.

1. Probably the most common reason for a hard start is a premature birth. When babies are born early it can make it more difficult for them to breastfeed.
2. The reasons can be numerous so it is not helpful at this point to conjecture. What we really want to do is say.. okay, this is the situation, now what do we do about it.

1. Your baby should have been gradually gaining back any weight loss from the first 4 days, until they were back to birthweight at 2 weeks old.
2. Breastfeeding should not be painful for you.
3. Your baby comes to the breast and feedings are comfortable for you. You should not be experiencing any breast pain or nipple pain.

1. When your baby is breastfeeding he should be relaxing at breast, focused on feeding, staying put and not coming on and off, multiple times during the feeding.

Your baby is now 4-5 days old. You are just beginning to get the hang of breastfeeding. Sure you might feel awkward with it all, however, you are now getting use to a baby feeding at your breast 8 times a day. You are continuing to experiment with different positions to find which ones seem to work best for you and your baby. In some places you will find you need to use a pillow and a stool. Other places where you breastfeed, your set up will be different

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As a lactation consultant, I have long since recognized the lack of information mothers have about breastfeeding. Not only about early breastfeeding difficulties, but also how this impacts their postpartum lifestyle. Breastfeeding comes fairly easy for some mothers and I want them to know that it may not come easy for your sister or best friend. I want you to know that you can be of great help to them. You can provide emotional support, practical help and suggest they seek professional help. For some mothers, early breastfeeding is more challenging than they thought it would be. It is very emotional and exhausting for some mothers. When this happens, we tend to become very overwhelmed, isolate ourselves and some mothers become depressed.

The palate is located in the roof of the mouth. It separates the oral and nasal cavities and provides stability to the facial structures. When you touch the roof of your mouth with the tip of your tongue you will be hitting the hard palate. In breastfeeding, the hard palate's function is to assist with the positioning and stability of the nipple when drawn into the mouth.

We are heading into a holiday season that for many, is filled with excitement and wonder and for some, the first holiday season as a new mother. Along with all the joy and happiness comes stress for many families. The business of trying to get it all done, while maintaining peace and quite and a low level of stress on the home front can be difficult to achieve and maintain.