Nursing Mothers Advisory Council

by Holly Lucard, IBCLC The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. The AAP also suggests a gradual introduction of solids in the second half of the first year, which should complement the breastmilk diet. Human Milk Is Baby’s Primary Nutrition In my nineteen years of counseling breastfeeding [...]

By Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC www.bflrc.com  Because more and more women are now breastfeeding their babies, more and more are also finding that they enjoy breastfeeding enough to want to continue longer than the usual few months they initially thought they would do it.  UNICEF has long encouraged breastfeeding for two years and longer, and [...]

Written By Therese DeChristopher, RN, IBCLC and LiseAnne Dietz McGalliard Our baby has finally arrived, and it seems the first question everyone asks is, “Does your baby sleep through the night?” You know your baby is keeping you up but you are afraid to say so. Everyone seems to think sleeping through the night is [...]

Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC Breastfeeding your baby for even a day is the best baby gift you can give.  Breastfeeding is almost always the best choice for your baby.   If it doesn’t seem like the best choice for you right now, consider the following: If you nurse your baby for just a few days, he [...]

Some breastfed infants initially reject any attempts to feed by bottle.  With patience and understanding, this initial reluctance usually gives way over time.  Here are some suggestions to help you teach your baby to take a bottle.  While it would be impossible to do all of these things at once, if one idea doesn’t work [...]

The birth of a baby comes to us as a revelation in many ways.  It opens the door to a level of love and commitment most of us have never before experienced.  What comes as a greater surprise to many of us, though, is how stressful such a joyful event can be.Experts tell us that [...]

Mary Catherine Bolton, BS and Cathy Snyder, RN, BSN, IBCLC For years, women have been told that feeding “on demand” is best for breastfeeding newborns.  However, demand feeding implies the mistaken notion that baby needs to cry to be fed.  Recent research suggests that parents should be alert for feeding “cues”, which are instinctive behaviors [...]

Watch for these signs to be sure that your newborn is getting enough milk: In the first few days of breastfeeding, you feel uterine cramping or notice an increase in vaginal bleeding while nursing. Some moms feel sleepy or thirsty.  These are all signs that your milk is “letting down”, or flowing. You feel breast [...]

Written by Marie Barnhurst, IBCLC  Some mothers naturally feel comfortable breastfeeding their babies wherever they are.  They may think nothing of nursing in the middle of a crowded shopping mall, no matter who may be watching.  This is wonderful, and they are to be applauded.  But we are all creatures of our culture, and in [...]

A study published in The British Medical Journal in 2004 found that allowing babies to nurse during painful medical procedures appears to relieve pain.  The study observed 180 newborns who were placed into 1 of four groups when having blood taken for various reasons.  Babies in the first group were allowed to nurse; those in [...]