A recent experience of mine, has prompted me to encourage breastfeeding Mums with latch problems, to have their child checked for a tongue tie.

A tongue tie, is when the frenulum (piece of skin under the tongue) restricts the tongue from protruding from the mouth. It can be tight, and require medical assistance, or slight, which is simply a cosmetic issue, and won’t affect the child in breastfeeding, or speech.

Tongue ties can affect breastfeeding, by preventing the suction required to get a decent attachment. Depending on the severity of the tie, it can usually be corrected by compensating for your baby’s position on the breast.

Severe ties can be corrected by a simple operation. If identified at birth, they are often “snipped’ by a doctor.

If your child has been diagnosed with a tongue tie, it’s worth while getting advice from a qualified lactation consultant. Most latch issues can be overcome with positioning, and patience.

Tongue tied babies CAN be breastfed!

The hormonal changes in pregnancy can cause nipple sensitivity,  and discomfort. This  can make breastfeeding challenging to say the least. There is little you can do about the sensitivity, but there are some strategies to undertake, to minimise discomfort.

1. Seek the advice of a qualified LACTATION CONSULTANT - your GP, is not necesarily the best source of nursing advice, a lactation consultant, is a trained professional specialist.
2. Insist on good positioning and attachment. Poor attachment will exacerbate any discomfort, and only lead to frustration on both yours and your bub’s part.
3. Feed after a warm shower, anecdotally, the warm water is very soothing, and can alleviate the sensitivity.
4. If cold or heat packs provide relief, use them!
5. Set up nursing ground rules, and don’t allow chomping, or talking whilst nursing. A simple “Nurse Gently”  and removal of the the nipple if your bub is feeding less than gently will soon get the message across.

If you intend to tandem nurse, or your older child has simply not weaned yet, then perservering, through the challenging timesis still providing you both with so many benefits.  Nursing ought not to be a negative experience, and if it’s getting you down, the best thing you can do, is seek the advice of a professional lactation consultant.

Breastfeeding whilst you’re pregnant is definitely possible, but it does come with unique challenges. Take heart, you might be one of those lucky moms who breeze through it. At some point, it is likely you’ll experience a little discomfort, and possibly pain. There is a little to be done about it, so read on.

Physical Discomfort:

Nipple Pain - early nipple tenderness in pregnancy is very common, and there’s little you  can do about it. Ensuring you have good attachment with your older child, will lessen the pain. Other strategies you may find useful is cool packs, warm packs, and lanolin ointment.

That said, the pain is hormonal, and part of growing a new baby - generally it subsides by the 12th week. But in the meantime, local heat and cool will provide relief.

Morning Sickness: It’s fair to say, that when you can’t stomach food, nursing an insistent child is the last thing you’ll probably want to do. Some strategies, might be, nursing lying down, where you can both get a little rest.

Try and ensure your nutrition is good - eat well, small meals and often. Keeping your fluids up has been said to help too.

Anecdotally, breastfeeding has been said to relieve morning sickness. So you might be in for a bonus!

Emotional Challenges.

You may find yourself frustrated, overwhelmed, and even angry with your older child - this is normal. But it helps to communicate your feelings to an understanding listener. If this isn’t your partner or family, arrange a consultation with a qualified Lactation Consultant.

Remember your child is still young, and still learning too - being angry doesn’t help them, nor you. Addressing your feelings and talking them over with a sympathetic ear is the best approach.

Breastmilk, in a healthy mother, is made on a supply and demand basis - that is, the more the baby drinks, the more milk the mother will produce.

Many mothers are WRONGLY told that they have low supply issues. Low supply can only truly be diagnosed by an expert, and this is generally NOT a GP. A qualified Lactation consultant will be able to help you out with Low Supply diagnosis, using tools like Sucking Charts, and diaries.

Simply feeling empty, or not being able to express, are poor indicators of breast milk supply.

If you have truly been diagnosed with low supply, there are several things you can attempt to do to build your supply. In addition to prescription remedies.

1. Feed frequently, and don’t limit access to the breast. A baby sling might assist you with this, and feeding throughout the night.
2. Herbs that can be used are Fenugreek, Blessed Thistle, and Alfalfa
3. Expressing/Pumping may help
4. Rest rest rest, and  take good care of Mom!
5. Don’t use bottles, dummies or pacifiers
6. DON’T supplement with formula. (This will only decrease your supply further)

More information on supply, and what constitutes as low supply can be found here

Rarely a baby is born with either a full set of teeth, or a few “prenatal teeth” and many people believe that this will hinder the breastfeeding relationship.

However, if the baby is correctly attached, the teeth oughtn’t to make contact with the nipple ,as the tongue will cover the lower teeth, preventing the baby from biting, and the upper teeth can’t do too much damage. The main problem, with upper teeth might be the scraping discomfort on newly sensitive nipples.

This can be soothed with lanolin ointment - such as Lansinoh.

Prenatal teeth usually fall out when the first “proper” childhood teeth come through, sometime around 2 years of age in most children (Although, I have heard of children not losing prenatal teeth until 5 years of age)

Babies and children are such a universal thing, that it seems everyone has an opinion. Much of it is well meaning advice, but some is blatant and irresponsible criticism.

Well meaning advice can often be dismissed with a smile, or simply, a  “Thank you, I’ll take that on board”  (Provided you’re well informed enough to sort the good advice from the bad) and you can continue on your merry nursing way - however critiscism, can be more awkward.

Taking the time out to make sure you’re well informed of your breastfeeding rights, and knowing that what you’re doing is right, and good for your child, is the very first step to nursing confidence. There are many fantastic resources on the web - such as www.kellymom.com to help you get informed. 

Breastfeeding rights vary from country to country, but the majority of western countries, have policies and laws in place to protect the nursing mother.  In  Australia, UK and Canda, the nursing mother is allowed to breastfeed her child in public, and her right to do so is protected by law. It is illegal to ask a nursing mother to cover up and or move on.

In the US, breastfeeding laws vary from state to state.

That said, when faced with critisism, of any kind, there are a couple of ways to handle it:

• Ignore it, remembering it’s about THEM, not about You.
• Brush it off with a flippant remark - when asked “When are you going to wean him, he’s looking awfully old” - we reply with “Oh, sometime before he starts college”
• Retort with accurate and factual information (taking into account, with some critics, you’re wasting your breath!)

The key is, to remember that it’s about them. If they’re uncomfortable with your nursing, they’re the ones who ought to look away, or move rooms. You’re the one providing a newly established human being, with the best start to life.

Reaffirm how fantastic you are mentally, look at your beautiful baby, and remember, you’re wonderful!

Mastitis, as the “itis” part in it suggests is the inflamation around a clogged milk duct. It can remain simply as inflamation, or left untreated progress to infectious Mastitis. Symptoms include:

• Pain, like a clogged milk duct
• Reddness and tenderness around the site
• Flu like symtoms
• Chills, fever of 38.5 c or more
• General malaise

To treat mastitis, it’s best caught early, at the very first onset of symtoms. The rule of thumb is to nurse frequently, and empty the breast, and rest. Heat may offer some relief, and help move on any clogging in the milk duct.

• Gentle massage in the shower
• Nurse frequently, lying down if it’s more comforable
• Take time off from everything other than caring for you and baby. ASK for help!

DO NOT stop nursing, if anything nurse more frequently!

If your mik duct is clogged, you can try gentle massage to help move it on.

If symtoms persist more than 24-48 hours, and fever and malaise develop you can speak to your practitioner about antibiotics - However, most mastitis is non infectious - and antibiotics will be ineffective, unless infection occurs.

A great article on managing mastitis, along with natural treatment techniques is available here