Engorged Breasts

The other day a lady came to see me, she had very large sore engorged breasts. She came to my studio shop in Auckland as she had heard about my breastfeeding website Breastmates.




One breast was heavy, and full of milk. Sore. Painful breast.


One breast was fine, normal, no pain.

You can see in the photo above, how the breast on the left is full and is very round. its sitting higher than the empty breast on the right hand side.

The treatment we suggested was a hot shower and massage just to ease out a little of the milk from the engorged breast. Then she tried some heat packs.

If the pain had been unbearable for her, then we would have expressed some milk out with a breast pump. But this would have meant that her breasts would have made more milk ready for a few hours time, which just would have repeated the problem later in the day. Using a breast pump to relieve engorged breasts should really be a last case resort.

Copyright photo with permission

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Breast Pump Size - Breast Shield

I recently received this email from a worried customer:

"I had my baby 4 weeks ago and tried expressing for the first time 2 days ago. I'm not sure if I have the wrong size breast shield or what I'm doing wrong, but it seemed very hard to get a flow going (and my breasts were full) It flows out for a couple of pumps then nothing. Then occasionally there's some continuous flow, but for no obvious reason - as in can't see what I'm doing differently. Also for a while after pumping my nipples are quite sore."

I replied to her:

"It is quite common for women to find it difficult to express, and it is quite a "mind set" to overcome to get the letdown coming. But based on the sporadic nature of the milk coming out, that you described, I would first assume that you are not getting a very good suction seal around your breast. (and therefore a 21mm breast shield for pump would probably be better) I would suggest you try the smaller breast shield, you can order this directly from me with your credit card. "

Knowing what size breast shield to get is one of the hardest things that i ever have to consult on.

That communication was back in August, but today I received another email from the same lady who wrote:

"I don't know if I ever emailed you back after buying the smaller medela breast shield to say that it has been just right for me. I've been able to express milk fine since using this one - so the medium must have been a little big and not sealed properly. So thanks for your helpful advice with this. Baby is now 4.5 months old and is happy and healthy. Breastfeeding and sleeping is all going well. "

I'm so pleased that I was able to help!

(this advice is copy righted to me. Ok.)

Breast Pump Sizes

Q: I am using the Medela Mini Electric Breast Pump and I have some aerola coming into the tunnel of the shield which left the base area of the nipple feeling sort of tingly and numb to touch.
It sounds like the breastshield is too small for you, there should only be a very minimial amount (if any) aerola being drawn into the tunnel.

It should just be the nipple that is drawn into the tunnel and extends as the suction is turned on.

The aerola should just be at the base, and not going into the tunnel. And you shouldn’t have the
numb tingly feeling either.

It is possible to buy a small size breast shield, this is 21mm rather than the 24mm tunnel that comes with the standard medela breast pump.

Q: I really don’t think I have small nipples, and I also have reasonable sized breasts - does that make any difference to the size of shield required?

The breast shield is the hardest ever thing to know the correct size. It is not really related to breast size, as some women have large breasts but still only small nipples. It really just depends on how your nipple is drawn into the tunnel - something that you wont know until you try it.

View our full list of spare parts, or contact us if you would like any help with your breast pump or spare parts.

http://www.breastmates.co.nz/medela_spare_parts.html

Breast Pump - Soft Breast Shields

A common question about the Medela breast pumps:

Q: Are there silicone inserts like the Avent Breast Pumps have those petal massaging cushions?
Medela do manufacture a “Soft-Fit” breastshield which is a soft flexi plastic and is a lot more comfortable to use than the standard shield that comes with the mini electric breast pump. This one only comes in the 24mm size. This soft-fit breast shield comes standard with the Harmony Manual Breast pump, and also the Swing Electric breast pump.

The Soft-Fit breastshield doesn’t have the petal massaging cushions like on the Avent breast pump, but it is very similar and is comfortable to use.

Please contact us to enquire about these breast shields, and other spare parts for breast pumps.

We can order the spares in for you.

http://www.breastmates.co.nz/medela_spare_parts.html

Breast Feeding Cushions

I have a new style of breastfeeding cushion in stock at my breastfeeding store.

This is quite a large nursing cushion, it has a soft comfortable polar fleece cover (very quick to wash and dry if you have lot of milk squirts or baby spills). The inner of the pillow is thick firm pillow. Oh this is so comfortable!

A lot of mothers find that they get a sore back and neck, and arm, from supporting baby while they are breastfeeding.

If this is happening to you, you really should try a breast feeding pillow to prevent long term damage to your body.

You can attach baby and latch for breast-feeding, the nursing cushion rests on your legs and this is what baby lays on and supports their weight. Then you just need a hand there to "back up" but your hand does not old any weight.

These new styles of breast feeding cushions have a nice cover too.

You can collect these from our shop for breastfeeding pillows in Auckland, or we can send nationwide if you want to buy nursing pillow online.


http://www.breastmates.co.nz/breastfeeding_nursing_pillow.html

Breast Feeding After C-Section

Of course you can breastfeed your baby after a c-section delivery!!

But you will probably start of slower start depending on your choice of anesthetic.
general anesthetic will make you unconscious for the birth and drowsy afterwards, and your baby may be sleepy also.

A spinal or epidural allows you to be conscious so you can hold and feed baby very soon after they are born.

It is really important to breastfeed your baby very soon after delivery, and have initial skin-to-skin contact. Breastfeeding helps the uterus to contract and return to normal size more quickly. Plus the early feeding helps with bonding and recognition.

It can be difficult to breastfeed your baby while you are in the recovery room, as your body may still be numb, well it might feel like lead actually and if you are like me you will be surprised and frustrated at not being able to move!! Ask your midwife and specialist for assistance in positioning, and ensure that baby is well supported.

It is very easy to get nipple damage during these first feeds, so do make sure you are persistent in asking for the correct latching position.

It will be easier to breastfeed while lying down for the first day or so, as you may still find it difficult to move your body due to the anesthetic.

Breastfeed Laying Down With the bed in flat position, raise the side rails of your bed and place extra pillows behind your back for support. Carefully roll to one side while grasping the rail and relax your tummy muscles!! Place the baby on their side facing you, so that you are positioned chest to chest. Baby's head may need to rest in your arm to bring their mouth up to the level of your nipple.

Foot Ball Hold: is an excellent position to feed, especially while your caesarean wound is still sore. While sitting in an upright position, tuck a pillow or breastfeeding cushion under your arm. Place baby's head close to your breast facing toward you, with his body tucked under your arm. Baby's body should be bent at the hips, with their bottom against the back of the chair you are sitting on.

Feeding while sitting up: place the head of your bed upright. Prop a pillow or breastfeeding cushion under the arm that will support the baby' s head, and place baby on a breastfeeding cushion over your wound. This raises baby to your nipple, and also protects your sore tummy. Hold baby close to you, with their whole body facing yours.

A c-section delivery can be a very stressful and worrying time, but it should not prevent you from having a great breastfeeding experience.

Good luck with your new baby

Breastfeeding & How to Latch Your Baby

How to Latch your Baby

1. Position Yourself Properly.
Sit up in bed or in a comfortable armchair. You should be relaxed with no muscles straining.

2. Position Your Baby Properly.
Your baby should be lying on his side with his whole body facing you and his head reasting on your forearm or in the crook of your elbow. His back should be supported by your forearm and you can hold his bottom or upper thigh with your hand. His ear, shoulder, and hips should be in a straight line.

3. Offer Your Breast to Baby.
Cup your breast with your free hand, supporting it with your fingers underneath and your thumb on top. When the baby opens his mouth very wide, centre your nipple in his mouth and quickly pull baby toward you. Its important to pull him in very close to you, rather than you moving toward him.

4. Effective Sucking Techniques.
To suck effectively, your baby must get a large portion of the breast tissue into his mouth along with your nipple. His gums should completely bypass the nipple to take in the breast tissue. The bottom lip should be turned out, the upper lip should not be sucked in. Poor positioning can cause nipple damage or pain, so its worth getting it right from the start.

For more advice and help on breastfeeding, have a look our our Specialty Store.

How To Express Breast Milk

There are two ways to express breast milk. Though they are certainly not a glamorous mothering role!

HAND EXPRESSING If you only need to express breast milk every once in a while, for comfort or a rare bottle-feed, you may be able to get by with expressing by hand. This is the cheapest way to express breast milk because it requires no equipment, but it can be time-consuming and takes practice. Wash your hands before you start. Then, place your thumb 4-5cm away from your nipple and your fingers below so they form a "C" around the areola, and squeeze your finger and thumb together, pushing your hand back against the chest wall, continuing this process in a circular motion around your areola. If your finger and thumb are too close to the nipple, the "squeeze" will hurt and be ineffective. Use a sterile, wide-rimmed breast milk container or baby bottle to collect the milk. Electric and manual breast pumps may be faster and more efficient to express breast milk.

BREAST PUMPS To use an electric pump, you put a suction cup over your breast, turn the breast pump machine on, and let it do the work of extracting milk into an attached container. Manual breast pumps also use a suction cup, but you extract the milk by using a squeeze mechanism or operating some other device rather than relying on a motor powered by electricity. On average it takes 15 to 45 minutes to pump both breasts. Good breast pumps try to mimic the sucking action of a baby, stimulating your let down reflex, and don't cause pain.


Knowing which breast pump is right for you depends on how often you plan to use one and how much time you can spare for expressing. If you work full-time and have to find time to use a breast pump during a busy day, you might want to choose an ultrafast hospital-grade electric pump. But if you only need to express the odd feed occasionally so your partner can feed the baby when you're out, a cheaper manual breast pump may be sufficient, and some women prefer them to electric breast pumps.

Lactation Boosting Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip & Flaxseed Cookies

Want to try our Lactation Boosting Cookies?  Oatmeal and flaxseed (add your own chocolate chips).   We now have this amazing recipe available as a premix baking mix, on our website here:



Booster Biscuit Mix

This recipe has been loved, and munched on, by hundreds of kiwi mums

How to Spot Mastitis

Mastitis symptoms for breastfeeding moms are mainly a combination of the following:

• Flu like symptoms


• Sore breasts, swollen breasts and/or redness


• Fever, Chills and/or Sweats

Mastitis often progresses rapidly over hours, and it is common for breastfeeding mothers to try to fight of the fever. But the fever can rapidly progress to more severe symptoms such a high fever, chills, nausea. Early treatment of mastitis is desirable.

Short Term Treatments when you first notice the symptoms include hot showers, Heat Packs or Breast Packs, Lactagogue Massage Oil, Vitamin C

What to Do:
Continue to feed your baby through the pain. If the pain continues you must seek help from your doctor. They may prescribe a course of antibiotics.

Tigers Milk Recipe to Boost Milk Supply

This "tigers milk" recipe is a great way for breastfeeding moms to boost their breast milk supply:

1 cup full cream milk
1/2 cup acidophyllis yoghurt
1 Tablespoon complan powder (or milk powder)
1 banana
honey
1 tsp yeast flakes
+/- ice cream

Mix in a blender makes 3-4 cups. Drink over the day.

The yeast flakes are what increase the "supply" but for anyone out there who wants to increase the "quality" of their milk then use the recipe without the yeast.

See some of our other tips on boosting you milk. There are also nursing teas and fenugreek capsules that can help improve breast milk supply problems.