Milky Moment Lactation

Today is International Homebirth Day! I will always encourage women to consider birthing their babies at home. There is truly no substitute for the empowerment and peace that comes with birthing your baby intuitively in your own space.

I could ramble on about the benefits of Homebirth all day. Things such as lower rates of hemorrhage, lower rates of perineal trauma, lower chance of cesarean, and higher rate of breastfeeding success. It draws us to a conclusion that has sadly been lost in modern society: when women are able to follow their body's cues to labor and birth without interference, the way they were created to, things usually work best!

Hannah's and Eden's homebirths were two beautiful experiences. I chose these photos to showcase some of the beautiful similarities that .photo captured from both of their births that she and attended. ❤️

Happy International Homebirth Day!

Lactation Lounge meets tomorrow! 💛

Lactation Lounge meets this week on 10/6 at 10:30am​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​📸 credit

✨Breastfeeding mamas, did you know that bedsharing can help you get MORE sleep?✨

This was a topic we discussed at Lactation Lounge yesterday!

"Research shows that bedsharing, breastfeeding mothers get the most sleep of all new mothers. Mothers who sleep away from their babies rouse less often but more completely and actually get less sleep overall." (La Leche League International)

Most babies will continue to wake at night to nurse for quite a while. When you bedshare, there is no need to fully wake up to feed your baby! You can simply nurse baby in side-lying while you both drift back to sleep.

Bedsharing has been the biological and cultural norm for thousands of years, but despite that, it's fairly uncommon in the west due to pediatric guidelines naming it unsafe.

✨However, there ARE safe ways to bedshare as a breastfeeding mama!✨

Following the "safe sleep seven" is a way for you to feel confident that you are bedsharing safely! The song above contains the seven guidelines which eliminate any major SIDS risks and suffocation hazards.

✨You can find more info on safe bed-sharing from the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine's bedsharing protocol.✨

Share your experiences bedsharing below!

✨Breasts are the original "pacifier"! ✨

There is absolutely nothing wrong with comfort nursing 💛

Your baby is not using you as a pacifier, they are using the pacifier as you!

Nurse your baby with pride
Trust your instincts

🔹Although the exact cause is unknown, we think that SIDS might be associated with defects in the portion of an infant's brain that controls breathing and arousal from sleep.

🔹Breastfeeding has been shown to have a protective effect against SIDS, and this includes breastfeeding even part of the time (see study below).

🔹Breastfeeding babies tend to wake and rouse from sleep more easily and more frequently than formula-fed babies at 2-3 months, the peak age when SIDS occurs.

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/140/5/e20171324/37852/Duration-of-Breastfeeding-and-Risk-of-SIDS-An?redirectedFrom=fulltext