All Things Breastfeeding Podcast

Why are we talking about the World Health Assembly and breastfeeding? Because world policy sets the priorities for money spent on support. And we all know we can use more breastfeeding support. The New York Times released a story about the news. Here is another story about this.

What was the controversy?  World Health Assembly and breastfeeding news was all about the USA trying to block other countries from supporting the WHO Code and really this is all about the MARKETING of formula and feeding bottles and teats. Companies making money at the expense of our health.

Let’s explain what the WHO Code is. We let. Kellymom.com explain, “The Code is a marketing code that aims to protect breastfeeding, to protect all mothers and babies (whether breastfeeding, formula-feeding or combination feeding) and to prevent aggressive marketing practices that often prevent mothers from meeting their own breastfeeding goals. Infant formula, feeding bottles, and artificial nipples are the main products that fall within the scope of the Code. Pacifiers and breast pumps are not under the scope of the Code. Note that the Code only applies to the marketing of these items– it does not affect whether they are sold or used.”

Here is a story about what happened in the 1970s with Nestle and their marketing tactics (This one is fascinating) and 1980s. These marketing techniques that killed are still be used today targeting valuable populations.

Here in the USA this is going on all the time. Watch this commercial and think about what are the formula company is really trying to say about their product. Are they being truthful?

I did have these numbers wrong in our podcast. Actually, formula companies spend $480 million per year  not $360 as I said, marketing their products to families. We spend $68 million supporting breastfeeding.

We are no opposed to formula use. On the contrary, we use it all the time as a transitional tool for breastfeeding families. Yes, fed is best. But we don’t need to spend millions of dollars to confuse families and promote a product that is inferior to breastmilk.

The post All Things Breastfeeding 44: World Health Assembly and Breastfeeding appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

We are adding a new type of podcast to our collection beginning with our new intern Jessica! We have been having mothers share their breastfeeding stories but now we want mothers to hear from other mothers about the realities of going back to work while you are breastfeeding. Jessica’s working and breastfeeding story is worth the listen as you consider what needs to happen before you return to work.

Jessica was very lucky that she had a lot of time off, five months, compared to most families in the USA but it was still challenging. Listen to what was hard and what made it easier. Read our blog about feeling safe while breastfeeding or pumping. If you are struggling with breastfeeding, worried about returning to work, or back at work and struggling, we can help! Contact Barbara, [email protected] or 734-975-6534. Our clinical experience combined with great communication skills makes difference!

You can also listen to Jessica’s Breastfeeding Story to hear about how her breastfeeding journey started. Jessica struggle with low milk supply but then had some trouble with plugged ducts. With a little help and hard work, Jessica achieved her breastfeeding goals! She definitely attended our free drop in support group and asked a lot of questions and really loved the mother-to-mother support.

Here is a place to go to get our free breastmilk or formula, as mentioned in our podcast, Infant Feeding Calculator! This free PDF allows you to feel confident that you are feeding your baby just the right amount while you are away from your baby. There is so much miss-information on how much baby’s need to eat. Some people keep increasing how much they are feeding their babies which can lead to obesity later in life.

The FDA has a nice page on choosing a breast pump. At the Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor we are LOVING the Spectra 2. If your insurance company gives you options for pumps, we say, yes!

Finally, breastfeeding or pumping pods! Here is a site that lists locations of places to breastfeed or pump at airports and my photo of a pod at the Seattle Airport on a recent trip!

The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 43: Jessica’s Working and Breastfeeding Story appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

The All Things Breastfeeding Podcast is a program for both new and experienced mothers and lactation professionals. Barbara D. Robertson, IBCLC, owner of The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor and Jessica Beemsterboer, MA, intern to The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor host the show. Barbara and Jessica share their thoughts and information on All Things Breastfeeding.

I, Barbara Robertson, want to make Breastfeeding Missions a reality! I have always worked on giving back to the community. I have been hosting a weekly, free, breastfeeding support group for over 10 years, volunteer when I can for her local WIC office, and offer a sliding scale for her consultation services for families who need it. I am still a La Leche Leader filling in where needed. This feels like it is not enough. I want to do more! I feel I could do so much more for Washtenaw County, Michigan, the USA, and the world!

We all know that there is so much miss-information about breastfeeding which is prevalent in the field of breastfeeding. I also feel that having good communication skills are critical to be able to help families successfully. I have created a 90 hour course for lactation professionals and has been teaching around the country for years working on spreading the word.

I think this can be done but I need your help. I have an idea for you…

Envision me being able to travel around Washtenaw County, Michigan, the country, the world, spreading truths about breastfeeding and how share information effectively with families and other community members.

This week I am reaching out to YOU our audience to get feedback on this beginning of an idea! Breastfeeding missions! I think this is a new and exciting idea!

We have a seed. Can it grow? Listen to our latest podcast and let us know what you think. Do you feel this could be successful? Let us know what you think!

Ways to contact us:

Barbara:

[email protected]

On facebook: The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor

The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 42: Breastfeeding Missions appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

This week Barbara and Barb talk about Barbara’s journey to becoming an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant)!

Barbara started out with a masters degree in curriculum development with a bachelors degree with three minors, elementary education, communications, and children’s literature. Once she had her first baby she became very active in La Leche League, becoming a leader in 1998. The contact hours with mothers and babies breastfeeding helped her qualify to take the IBCLC exam.

Barbara is a life long learner so she had been collecting lactation education credits by going to conferences for her own education. These experiences plus her college courses from her secondary education set her up to become an IBCLC. In 2004, Barbara took and past the IBCLC exam and has re-certified in 2008, and 2014. Barbara’s passion for helping families with breastfeeding continues to grow as her “babies” continue to grow. Always utilizing her back ground in curriculum development, Barbara has created a 90 hour course which is part of the requirements to become an IBCLC, a 20 hour course that covers the topics required for Baby Friendly, and many other talks, the most recent ones on epigenetics, the microbiome, and breastfeeding, and one on mindfulness in the health care field. See if you have the bug as well! Do you love breastfeeding? If so, this might be the profession for you!

To learn more about how to become an IBCLC, what the process is consider listening to another one of our podcasts that lays out this in detail. We also have a handout that we create. If you would like this, email [email protected] to request a copy.

The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 41: Barbara’s Journey to how to become an IBCLC appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

As promised, we are back in business and Dawn is going to be sharing her breastfeeding story.

Dawn’s work with babies has led her down paths she didn’t expect. Isn’t this often the case? Who knew my own struggles with breastfeeding would lead to a whole career I never imaged? We encourage you to check out some of Dawn’s resources that are below.

Dawn tells us about her two experiences. With her first baby, breastfeeding did not go as planned. Baby number one was premature and had an extended stay in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). This can be such an overwhelming experience, especially for your first baby because you feel so insecure about your parenting abilities. We can often let the medical community make decisions for us, that later on with more experience and confidence as a parent, we would make for ourselves. Many NICUs are not supportive of breastfeeding. In some ways this is understandable, they want to help your baby live! However, there are other NICUs, these are considered the gold standard, where breastfeeding is promoted and valued as the life saving power that it is. Many hospitals use banked human milk (See our link to the Human Milk Banking Association of North American) to help save these fragile babies.

Baby number two is much easier as you will hear about!

Join us in sharing Dawn’s experience! Thank you to Dawn for being willing to share her story. If you are interested in sharing your breastfeeding journey, email us, [email protected], and we can set up a time to record!

Show notes:

Human Milk Banking Association of North America

Resources for Dawn:

Dawn’s Website

Opt in for series on Dawn’s website

Dawn’s Tapping video

Tapping Video For parents

Tapping Video for stress relief and overall bad feelings

Thank you so much for listening today!

~Happy Breastfeeding

The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 39: Breastfeeding Story: Dawn appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

Barb is getting ready to take her IBCLC exam in April and I have been busy doing other things besides creating a breastfeeding podcast!

But we are back to making our breastfeeding podcast!

I am being joined by my new intern, Jessica, who is going to continue my podcast journey. Don’t worry, Barb is not gone! You will see her here and there!

We want to be able to deliver our breastfeeding podcast to you again on a regular basis. Please let us know what you would like to hear about. Send comments to [email protected] if you have a breastfeeding podcast idea or would like to have us record your breastfeeding story to share with the world. Also, consider reviewing us on itunes to help others be able to find us. It only takes a minute and is so helpful for others.

We are going to keep offering parents breast feeding stories, updates on what is happening in the news, and our specific topics like working and breastfeeding, helping with breastfeeding or nipple pain, low milk supply, and whatever else catches our eye!

So, stay tuned! We are hoping to release a few breastfeeding podcast at least 1 time per month!

Thanks for your patience!

The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 40: Breastfeeding Podcast Update appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

Today’s episode is just a quick informational show on the importance of taking a breastfeeding class before you have your baby! A little knowledge can go a long way! Please share this episode with new mamas and friends!

Breastfeeding a new baby is natural but not always easy. Some people say breastfeeding a baby was the easiest thing they ever did, some say it was the hardest! A good breastfeeding class should focus on the first critical weeks of your baby’s life and provide basic information and resources to prepare the mother-to-be for a satisfying breastfeeding experience. Since family support is a key factor in a positive breastfeeding experience, partners are also encouraged to attend any breastfeeding class you may sign up for.

Knowledge is power! A breastfeeding class should help you feel empowered and give you the basic information you need to help get your breastfeeding relationship off to a great start!

The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor does offer a prenatal breastfeeding class onsite at 722 Brooks Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 for $60 per couple. See our web page to register. We teach at the Center for the Childbearing Year.

In our classes, we cover:

If you cannot make one of our dates, we also offer a private breastfeeding class for you and your partner or support person. Please email, [email protected], for more information.

Finally, if you are returning to work, we also offer a one on one working and breastfeeding consultation. This session will provide you with the information you need to return to work and help you make a concrete plan for your unique situation.

The post All Things Breastfeeding Episode 38: Taking A Prenatal Breastfeeding Class appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

What do teeth have to do with breastfeeding?

This week on the podcast Barbara and Barb discuss breastfeeding and dentistry. Is there any truth to the idea that breastfeeding causes cavities?

There was a recent study that found babies who had been breastfed for more than 6 months had more cavities than the babies who were not breastfed for at least 6 months. Sadly, they did not sort for family history of strep mutans, the most common cause of cavities, or consumption of sugar, the next most important factor in causing cavities.

Breastfeeding is commonly blamed if a baby ends up with cavities. However, breastfeeding is also good for teeth! The breastmilk deposits calcium on teeth and has healthy probiotics that support good dental health. As opposed to bottle feeding at night, if an infant is not actively sucking AND swallowing, milk does not pool in the infant’s mouth. Leaving a bottle in with a baby at night encourages bottle mouth, this is when a baby keeps a bottle in their mouth once they have drifted off to sleep. The bottle slowly continues to drip into the baby’s mouth, causing the sugary formula to pool in the baby’s mouth  and onto their teeth. Remember, high fructose corn syrup the the first ingredient of most formulas. This can cause a scary amount of tooth decay.

Remember as well, that breastfeeding causes your baby’s palate to expand which leads to proper oral facial development. This can result in needing less orthodontic work later! A huge money saver. Listen to the podcast to see what my case study of two has yielded!

We do highly recommend that once your baby’s teeth emerge that you wipe them with a soft cloth twice a day. It is also recommended that you see a dentist at 1 year of age. If you feel this is too early, at least keep an eye on your baby’s new teeth. If you see any spots or shadows, please see your dentist right away!

For more information see:

Breastfeeding and dental caries: No Connection

How to reduce the incidence of passing strep mutans to your baby

The post All Things Breastfeeding Podcast Episode 37: Breastfeeding and Dentistry appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.

This week on the podcast, Barbara and Barb talk about postpartum depression (PPD). A very common occurrence in many woman after they have a baby, yet not talked about often enough. We were inspired to talk about this subject after doing a podcast with Michelle. She had suffered through a serious episode of postpartum depression after the birth of her first child and didn’t reach out for help. We talk about why she didn’t reach out and how it was for her.

Postpartum depression is very common. As many as 1 in 5 mothers will become depressed after having a baby. My dear friend and colleague, Kathy Kendall Tackett, discusses this on another podcast.She discusses risk factors, where to get help, what might help, key symptoms to look for, and what help.

Many of us feel shame. I know I did after my first child. I had wanted a baby so badly and here I was, feeling trapped, scared, exhausted, and depressed. I had some major risk factors. I had a strong history of depression. I didn’t have the birth I had planned on. My son was miss-diagnosed with a heart condition so I had been scared out of my wits, and my son ended up in one hospital and me in another. What a mess! You can listen to our story here.

If you feel you might be suffering from postpartum depression, please talk to your health care provider to find local resources for yourself. Talking is one of the best relievers of postpartum depression but you might need more help such as a therapist or the temporary use of medication to get things under control.

Here are some great resources for more information:

Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale

Postpartum Support

Kellymom.com

What’s New in PPD

The post All Things Breastfeeding Podcast Episode 36 : Breastfeeding and Postpartum Depression appeared first on The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor.