Thrush Symptoms

Thrush symptoms seem to occur sooner or later for most breastfeeding moms. Here's how to know if you or your baby has thrush:

What is thrush?
Thrush is a yeast infection that can cause patches of white in your baby’s mouth and his the tongue. Babies often get thrush when a yeast called Candida, grows out of control because baby’s immune system is not yet mature enough to control the growth of yeast.

Signs and Symptoms
Here are the signs and symptoms that you or your baby may have a problem with Candida:

In mom:
•strong nipple or breast pain that lasts throughout each feeding
•sudden nipple pain after a painless nursing
•sore cracked nipples
•itchy and/or burning nipples
•shooting pains in your breasts during or after a nursing session (if the yeast has entered the breast milk ducts.)
•a vaginal yeast infection

In babies:
•spotty diaper rash that is not responding to normal diaper rash ointments.
•Small white spots inside of your baby’s mouth or on the tongue
•Refusal or reluctance to breastfeed•Clicking sound while breastfeeding
•Gassiness

If You Think You Have Thrush
You will need to call your doctor, because both you and your baby will both need to be treated. Breastfeeding moms and babies will pass a yeast infection back and forth between them.
Click here for more information on safe and effective thrush treatment options.

Here is another great thrush resource: http://breastfeeding.hypermart.net/thrush.html

thanks breastfeeding-magazine.com!

Surgeon General plans to ease obstacles to breast-feeding

The surgeon general is issuing a call today (Thursday 1/20/11) to eliminate obstacles to breast-feeding — and working moms may see the first steps: The new health care law requires that many employers start offering "reasonable" break times to pump milk and a private place to do it. And No, the company bathroom no longer counts!

This law makes economic sense for the company," Benjamin stressed. "Women miss less time at work when the babies are healthy, and there's retention of their good employees."

How long a new mom breast-feeds can boil down to hassles at work, whether her doctor ever stressed how super-healthy it is, even whether Grandma approves.

Breast-feeding benefits both baby and mother but it isn't always easy. Three-quarters of U.S. mothers say they breast-feed during their baby's first days and weeks. But within six months, that drops to 43 percent who are breast-feeding at least sometimes and just 13 percent who follow recommendations that babies receive only breast milk during that first half-year of life.

"The hardest thing is to keep it up, because our society and our culture aren't there to support them," said Surgeon General Regina Benjamin. "They really shouldn't have to go it alone."

By 2020, the government hopes to have 82 percent of women start breast-feeding and raise to about a quarter those whose babies are exclusively breast-fed for about six months. Today, those rates are lowest for black babies, with 58 percent starting out breast-fed and 8 percent exclusively breast-fed for six months.

read the full article here http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41161102/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/

Resources to help you with breastfeeding

The best breastfeeding advice I could give to a new pregnant mom who is hoping to breastfeed? Get connected to resources before your baby is born so that they are there when you need them, and more than likely you will need them! Check out this video link from Baby Gooroo to get some more information and testimonials!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD-d1m7oKBo

Breastfeeding While Pregnant

You may have never intended to be breastfeeding while pregnant, but here you are. The fact is that lots of nursing mommies never actually plan to be breastfeeding while pregnant, but as many of us know…sometimes babies are conceived at the most unexpected times!


On the other hand, you may be one of the moms that actually plans a pregnancy while still breastfeeding to ensure that your sweeties are close in age.


No matter what your situation, these moms all find themselves in the situation of nursing while pregnant.


Symptoms of Pregnancy During Breastfeeding

There are various things that a nursing mother might notice that may alert her to the fact that she may be pregnant while still nursing.
* Some women notice a decrease in their milk supply. This is usually not a permanent situation and your supply will adjust back so that you can continue nursing.
* You may have sensitive nipples.
* You may be more tired or thirsty than in a previous pregnancy…but as long as you keep drinking enough and resting enough this should not be a problem.


Is It Safe to Continue to Breastfeed?

Breastfeeding.com says Absolutely! In fact, throughout much of the world, breastfeeding while pregnant is a common occurrence. It is just “normal.” There is no reason why a mother cannot preserve a good breastfeeding relationship with her child without risk to the health of her new baby who is growing inside her. It is a very safe and natural event.


Research confirms that any mother who is getting the proper nutrition should have no problem providing perfect nutrition for both her unborn baby and the breastfeeding child. However, if a child is younger than one year, it is important to watch your child’s weight gain and provide additional solid food if necessary. (Your pediatrician can help you determine your child's needs.)


Things you may notice

In some case, the nursing child will think that the breastmilk tastes different or may be frustrated by a supply drop during pregnancy. This is normal and is not a sign that you must stop breastfeeding.


If you decide you want to wean your child, it's still easiest to do it slowly. Many moms try the "don't offer, don't refuse" approach if their child is old enough. Then if you can anticipate when your child is likely to want to breastfeed, you simply offer a snack or a helpful distraction instead.


However, most children simply adjust to the taste, your breast milk supply returns and they are perfectly content to keep nursing as long as mom is willing.


Don't ForgetBreastfeeding during this pregnancy may provide one of your last opportunities to sit alone with your breastfeeding child and nurse, cuddle and truly enjoy these moments...because before you know it you will have to divide your time between him and the new baby.


Enjoy this time! Don’t rush to wean. Allow your sweet baby to nurse and he will have the reassurance that, although there is a new baby coming, you still want what is best for him, too.

information in this article came from breastfeeding.com 1/7/11

How to treat Postpartum Breast Engorgement

Engorgement usually occurs 2-3 days after delivery. It is attributed to the milk “coming in”. Up until this time the breasts produced colostrum, highly concentrated first milk. When the mature milk is produced breasts may become overly full and engorgement may occur. Luckily if treated, engorgement usually only lasts a few days. Unrelieved engorgement can lead to breast infection.

The best way to treat and prevent engorgement is frequent nursing. Nurse your baby often, approximately 8-12 times in a 24 hour period, especially in the first few days. Make sure breasts are completely emptied and that the baby is positioned and latched on correctly. A lactation consultant or breastfeeding support group in your community can help to assure your baby is feeding correctly.

Apply a warm compress such as SmartChoicesBreastSoother just before breastfeeding. Heat stimulates milk flow and also helps to soften the areola. Along with heat or immediately following, massage breast are a in a circular motion to promote milk flow.

Expressing some milk after heat application will also help to lessen any pain and make it easier for the baby to latch on.

Cold compresses can be used between feedings to reduce swelling. After nursing, apply cooled relief pads directly to breast area to relieve the pain of engorgement.
Taking a pain reliever may also help. Ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) are anti-inflammatory medications and they can reduce swelling and lessen any pain. Also make sure to wear a comfortable bra, correctly fit bra. You may want to avoid bra’s that contain under wire the first few weeks.

Mastitis and Breast Engorgement
Luckily breast engorgement is short lived and can be resolved fairly quickly. If engorgement has not cleared up nor has not much improved please contact your health care provider if you experience any flu-like symptoms, fever, extreme soreness or pain, hardness or redness, please contact your health care provider as this could be a sign of mastitis or breast infection.

Thanks Breastfeedingmagazine.com for this helpful information.

Milk Trays breast milk freezing system

Milk Trays™ are a breast milk freezing system that has been specifically designed for expressed breast milk.

Notable attributes of Milk Trays™ are:

• Total of 16 semi-cylinder cavities that are 1 oz. each
• Eliminates waste associated with nurser bags
• 1 oz. Milk Sticks fit through ALL bottle openings, unlike “ice cubes”
• Lids block out freezer burn, eliminate freezer smells and are easy to stack
• Slim in size to ensure ample room in the freezer
• Plastic is very flexible making it easy to remove the frozen Milk Sticks.
• Reusable and can last, depending on use, for up to one year
• Made from hard plastic and does not allow fat soluble nutrients to adhere or cling to the sides like the soft plastic of nurser bags
• Invented by breastfeeding, working moms

Let’s face it, breast pumping is hard! Babies know how to get fed better than we can pump. However since us women make up over 46% of the work force, we want to continue working and breast feeding, we have to pump and store our breast milk. Breast pumping requires dedication and patience not to mention staying hydrated and well rested! What mother can achieve all that?

You don’t want to have hundreds of barely filled nurser bags in your freezer that you'll tend to pour four to eight ounces into. The entire bag must be thawed and since breast milk cannot be refrozen once thawed (even warming then cooling then warming again is also a “no-no” because of early spoiling and even more destruction of valuable nutrients) usually several ounces get thrown away. Think about that for a moment…several ounces thrown away…that can really add up over time.

Here are just some simple numbers to consider……

If you were to waste only two ounces of breast milk in one day.
That equals 10 ounces wasted in one work week!
That adds up to 40 ounces wasted in one work month!
You have now wasted 480 ounces in one year!

WOW, and that is only counting just two ounces a day

Desperate breast-feeding moms reveal secrets

(CNN) -- All newborn babies cry, but Anika Reese seemed to be in a category all her own. She screamed in pain nearly all the time, grabbing her own little cheeks so forcefully she sometimes drew blood.
Her mother, Suzanne, describes Anika's first four months as "living in hell with an angel."
"There are almost no words to describe what I thought was only some form of prison camp torture," Reese says.
Reese noticed her baby's stomach was swollen and her poops were green and frothy. Several friends and family members suggested it might be a problem with Reese's breast milk, and urged her to give Anika formula instead. But Reese was "hell-bent" on nursing and refused to stop.
Only 43% of moms breast-feeding at six months
Unlike Reese, many mothers, for various reasons, give up on nursing. While 75% of mothers breast-feed their babies soon after birth, only 43% are still nursing six months later, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends moms breast-feed for at least a year, but the first six months are especially crucial, says Dr. Lori Feldman-Winter, a spokesperson for the academy, since most babies that age aren't yet eating solid food and rely solely on milk for nutrition.

Reese was committed to nursing because of the significant health benefits to her baby: fewer cases of gastroenteritis and ear and upper respiratory infections, to name a few, and now a new study out of Australia shows some breast-fed babies do better academically later in life.
While it's not easy to overcome the hurdles of early breast-feeding -- whether it's sore nipples, a screaming baby, or a low milk supply -- Reese managed to do it.

When she noticed Anika's belly swollen and strange, frothy green poops, Reese called lactation consultants, who told her all babies have gas and to be patient. Then, when Anika was 7 weeks old, Reese noticed blood in her daughter's stool.

The Reeses raced to the emergency room near their home in Ramona, California. Doctors gave Anika a barium enema to get a good look at her intestines.
The test showed Anika's colon was normal. The Reeses then took Anika to a pediatric gastroenterologist, who advised Suzanne to stop eating foods that might be bothering Anika. But

Suzanne was already down to a diet of chicken, beef, sweet potatoes, and rice -- there was nothing more she could cut out.
Feeling like "a total failure," Reese still wasn't ready to give up nursing her baby. She called another lactation consultant, who listened patiently to her story and immediately offered this tip: pump some milk, throw it away, and put Anika to her breast.

"OVERNIGHT, we had a new baby!" Reese recalled in an e-mail. "INCREDIBLE! We were utterly relieved -- to the point of tears."

The lactation consultant explained Reese was producing too much foremilk, which is full of sugar and can irritate a baby's delicate gut if she gets too much of it. By pumping off the foremilk and getting rid of it, Reese was giving Anika more hindmilk, which has significantly less sugar.
"I was also utterly angry that we had to go through all of this when it was such a simple fix," Reese says.

Breast-feeding advice from moms who've been through "hell"

Reese found when it comes to breast-feeding, sometimes the experts who should know the answers -- pediatricians, lactation counselors -- don't.

"We're getting better at training residents to learn more about breast-feeding, but we still have a ways to go," says Feldman-Winter, a professor of pediatrics at Cooper University Hospital in New Jersey.

Reese is glad she kept looking for answers -- she's still nursing Anika, who turns 2 next month.
Various websites offer helpful breastfeeding tips, such as the American Academy of Family Physicians, pregnancy.org, and La Leche League International. In addition, La Leche League and babycenter.com offer forums where moms can seek advice from each other.

Read the full article to hear what other mothers who have to been through it have to say:
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/12/23/breastfeeding.secrets/index.html
By Elizabeth Cohen, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent
cnnAuthor = "By Elizabeth Cohen, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent"December 23, 2010