Category: Breastfeeding

Breastmilk Component : Lacttoferrin

28/9/2013

By Rebecca Kubenk

Lactoferrin is produced in the milk ducts and is one of the factors that protects a breastfeeding mother from later ductal cancers.

It is not found in artificial baby milk.

Its found in higher concentrations in Colostrum and persists during the entire first year of breastfeeding.

Fact : Waking Baby for a Breastfeed

5/9/2013

By Rebecca Kubenk

While most babies do indicate when they need to be fed, babies in the newborn period may not wake often enough, so it is often necessary to wake your baby for a breastfeed. Newborns need at least eight feeds in a 24 hour period.
Infrequent waking to feed can be caused by:

medications used during labour

maternal medications
maternal gestational diabetes
jaundice
trauma
dummies
and or shutdown behaviour after delayed response to feeding cues

The less a baby feeds during a 24 hour period, the more likely the mothers supply will drop, as the breast is not receiving adequate stimulation, the brain sends a signal to slow production.
A full breast means slower milk production, an empty breast means faster milk production.

The fat content in breastmilk is also determined by how empty the breast is, rather than the time of the day, or by what part of the feed.

FACT: Breastfeeding and Maternal Sleep

28/8/2013

By Rebecca Kubenk

Studies have found that a breastfeeding mother gets MORE sleep than non-breastfeeding mothers.
On average the parents of a breastfed infant received
40-45 minutes more sleep per night on average during the first 3 months of their child’s life.

Over a 3 month period that adds up to a LOT more sleep.

The study also found that the extra sleep is very important for the mothers overall health, and helps to reduce her risk of postnatal depression.

Breastfeeding increases sleep duration of new parents

FACT: Environmental Contaminants and Breastmilk

26/8/2013

Rebecca Kubenk

Any substance that a mother ingests will go through into her breast milk in varying degrees.
Substances from the environment, a mother inhales is also present.

There has been little known about this until a recent study published 2011 by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, found that the levels of environmental contaminants decrease during breastfeeding.

The study found that after one year of breastfeeding the contaminants drop by 15-94%.

Most of the contaminants found in breastmilk during the study were from food sources.

Norway has a highest global rate of breastfeeding with 80% of babies’ breastfed at 6 months.

Environmental Contaminants in Breast Milk Decrease Over Lactation
Time

Fact: Breastfeeding Challenges

21/8/2013

By Rebecca Kubenk

Breastfeeding while natural it is a learned skill.
Every mother-baby dyad is different, and often mothers may encounter challenges in the early days.

Breastfeeding, should be enjoyable, and pain free, before, during and after a breastfeed. Pain or discomfort is a sign that something it not quite right.   Often it can be just a minor change to the way a mother attaches a baby to the breast. Sometimes mothers do encounter problems with a subsequent child that they may have not had with the previous baby. It is essential to seek out assistance earlier rather than later, the longer the problem continues the more uncomfortable and anxious the mother will feel, and will often lead to her ceasing breastfeeding before she really wants to.

I love this quote from o Gloria Dudley IBCLC

........“If breastfeeding was painful the human race would have been a short lived experiment”.......

Only a small handful of women are physically unable to breastfeed their baby post birth. This is generally due to a condition called Breast Hypoplasia (when a woman has insufficient glandular tissue).
Some women may also have issues providing enough breastmilk for their baby, and struggle with supply issues, some of causes are often due to breast reduction surgery, polycystic ovary syndrome or thyroid problems.

How is Breastfeeding Initiated?

During pregnancy and early in the fourth trimester the endocrine system controls a mother’s milk supply, when the body’s production of progesterone is high.
This stage of lactation is referred to as Lactogenesis I.   Around 30-40 hours following the expulsion of the placenta the body switches to the autocrine control system and the levels of progesterone drop, this stage of Lactation is referred to as Lactogenesis II.

If there is a delay between the two stages this can cause a mother’s milk
supply to take longer to come in, and often leads to a cessation of breastfeeding, earlier than intended.

So what causes some of these delays between Stage I and II?

Most of these are already known to those of us in the lactation profession, and a new study has confirmed this.

From a 2010 study “Delayed onset of lactogenesis among first-time mothers is related to maternal obesity and factors associated with ineffective breastfeeding” published by “American Society for Nutrition” some of the causes  include:

Caesarean birth
Prolonged second stage of labour
Higher birth weight (>3600kg)
Lower apgar score (<8)
Maternal age (>30years)
Overweight Mother (BMI 25-29)
Maternal Obesity (BMI >30)
Maternal Diabetes
Premature birth
Over use of medications during labour

And these are just to name a few! Watch out for our follow up article on how some of these can be prevented.....

Article : Delayed onset of lactogenesis among first-time mothers is related to maternal obesity and factors associated with ineffective breastfeeding

FACT : COLOSTRUM - LIQUID GOLD

19/8/2013

By Rebecca Kubenk IBCLC

Human Colostrum is the best source of nutrition for a newborn baby, whose digestive system is immature at birth, and colostrum provides nutrients in a concentrated low-volume form.

A pregnant woman's body begins the production of colostrum during the second trimester, in preparation for the baby following their birth.
Colostrum's rich golden colour comes from beta carotene, an antioxidant that boosts the immune system.
Colostrum has high bioavailability increasing a baby’s digestive contractions and assisting the baby’s bowels to pass meconium.
Colostrum’s rich source of antibodies, aides the activation of protective immunological responses in the baby’s digestive system and therefore should be the first food given to infants.

100ml of Colostrum contains :

• 58 calories
• 5.3 g carbohydrates
• 2.9 g fat
• 3.7 g protein

Compared to mature milk, Colostrum is higher in fat, and has less carbohydrates, lipids and potassium.

Providing Colostrum to a premature baby, assists in the prevention of Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC), which affects the baby's bowels, and is the second most common cause of morbidity for premature infants.

FACT: Breastfeeding = Smarter Children

7/8/2013

By Rebecca Kubenk IBCLC

The longer a child is breastfed the smarter they are.
This is not new information to those of us involved in the field of human lactation, but its great to hear that this new study by Harvard University has confirmed this.
This is the largest study ever undertaken, which followed 1000 mothers and their children from their child's birth to their seventh birthday.

The study also found that mothers who ate more fish whilst breastfeeding than those who ate less fish, this also assisted with the child's intelligence. Fish is a good source of protein, B12, iron and omega-3 (omega-3, assists with brain development).

The study was published in the JAMA Pediatrics

Fact : Breastfeeding & Bacteria

31/7/2013

A new Spanish study has found more than 700 species of bacteria in breastmilk.

The breastmilk received from the mother is one of the factors determining how the bacterial flora will develop in the newborn baby.

However, the composition and the biological role of these bacteria in infants remain unknown.

The most common bacteria in colostrum samples were Weissella,
Leuconostoc, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus and Lactococcus.

The study found however that they were not yet able to determine if these bacteria colonise the baby's mouth or whether oral bacteria of the breastfed baby enter the breastmilk and thereby changing its composition.

The study also revealed that the milk of overweight mothers or those who put on more weight than recommended during pregnancy contains a lesser diversity of species.

Breast Milk Contains More Than 700 Species of Bacteria

Myth : Breastfeeding Hurts!

28/7/2013

By Rebecca Kubenk IBCLC

Pain is this most common reason for a mother discontinuing to breastfeed.

"Is breastfeeding supposed to be painful, so many of my friends stopped because they said it was"

BUSTED !!

Breastfeeding shouldn’t hurt, at anytime! Pain is a sign that something is not quite right. If you do feel any pain then you need to seek out some assistance from an IBCLC.

Thanks to my IBCLC colleague for this great answer.......

“If breastfeeding was painful the human race would have been a short lived experiment (thanks Gloria Dudley IBCLC)”

The Milky Way Breastfeeding Film

17/7/2013

Great to see this wonderful documentary now has the funding The Milky Way Movie : Nursing a Galactic Revolution

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