Welcome Carnival of Breastfeeding readers! For Pregnancy Awareness Month, this round of carnival entries focuses on pregnancy and breastfeeding. Because I have already shared my stories of breastfeeding during pregnancy and of tandem nursing, I want to share ten tips on how a pregnant woman can prepare for breastfeeding.
1. DO NOT let anyone tell you it is necessary to toughen up your nipples for breastfeeding.
2. DO some reading about breastfeeding. Good choices are:
~ The Breastfeeding Book: Everything You Need to Know About Nursing Your Child from Birth Through Weaning
~ The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding: Seventh Revised Edition
~ The Nursing Mother’s …read more

A good latch is the key to breastfeeding success. It minimizes discomfort and maximizes the transfer of breast milk. So how do you know whether or not you’re doing it right? Go down the checklist:
__ In the cradle or cross-cradle positions, the baby should be resting on his side, his tummy facing your tummy, shoulder and hips aligned, mouth level with the nipple
__ The baby’s mouth should be covering at least a half inch of the areola, the dark area of skin around the nipple
__ His nose is touching or nearly touching the breast
__ Both the top lip and bottom …read more

In this video, registered nurses and lactation consultants Corky Harvey and Wendy Haldeman offer advice and reassurance about breastfeeding in public. These women project the right attitude (in my opinion) about nursing in public — anywhere (except the public restroom), anytime, with confidence. I especially love their answer to the question: “How do I deal with curious kids when nursing in public?” The one tip I would add about nursing a distractible baby in public is to use a sling!
VideoJug: Tips For Breastfeeding In Public

What do you do if you notice your breastfed baby has green, frothy stool? Here is the scoop on green poop. There are two main considerations when a baby has green watery bowel movements: (1) oversupply and a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance, or (2) baby’s reaction to something the mother consumed.
Oversupply and Foremilk/Hindmilk Imbalance
It may take several weeks for a mother’s milk supply to regulate. When a mother experiences oversupply, the baby can take in too much low-calorie, lactose-rich foremilk and not enough high-calorie, fat-rich hindmilk. That can lead to fussiness, gassiness, low weight gain and/or green, watery stools. A mother …read more

The discussion about toughening up the nipples for breastfeeding sparked an interesting comment from Dawn Martin:
“Some tenderness…” Right…. I can’t tell you how much Lanolin I used each time (I’m nursing my second now) and it STILL hurt like hell in the beginning. I am quite sensitive to pain. What would have been helpful with my first was knowing that a) we were doing it the right way and b) the pain would eventually go away. As it was, I concluded that if she was getting milk and thriving, we must be doing it right.
While I wouldn’t suggest toughening your …read more

An expectant mother wrote to me with this question:
When I was talking to my mom last night, she asked me if anyone (namely my midwife) had suggested that I ‘toughen my nipples’ in preparation for breastfeeding. This is my first baby, so I’ve been reading all sorts of books and articles–mostly about pregnancy and labor, but some beyond–and I’ve never seen this mentioned anywhere. Is this still common practice, or at least a good idea? Or is it just an old school of thought? Thanks!
Good question! I am totally cringing at the thought of “toughening up my nipples” and I …read more

As of June 1, 2007, the La Leche League Breastfeeding Helpline is fully operational in the United States! Call 1-877-4 LALECHE (1-877-452-5324) for 24-hour toll-free breastfeeding helpline services.
What a fantastic resource! It’s great to have a 24-hour telephone helpline available especially since in the wee hours of the night things often look most desperate for new mothers. Don’t forget you can also find a local La Leche League group for support during the daytime as well.

After I wrote about how to heal a bite mark, one reader asked the very reasonable question of how to prevent a baby from biting in the first place. Steph wrote:
Q: My 12 month old son is used to being nursed to sleep, but with three teeth coming in at once, he is now also a dedicated biter.
He bites me so often and so hard that I have had to limit his nursing sessions for the first time. His first birthday ended in hysterical screaming all night… he couldn’t sleep without the breast, but can’t seem to feed without biting. …read more

When I was out of town for a funeral (nursling in tow), Sinead tagged me for a meme. I’m finally getting around to sharing a picture of my water glass and talking about how much water a breastfeeding mother needs to drink!
Here’s my beautiful glass of water. When we renovated our kitchen recently we treated ourselves to a new set of water glasses from Pottery Barn! I like them because they’re sturdy and weighty — they feel good in your hand! They also come in three different sizes, perfect for a small glass of juice, a healthy serving of milk …read more

One of the biggest worries a nursing mother may have is low milk supply. Consider the following scenarios:
Nursing is going well but suddenly the baby seems unsatisfied and wants to nurse all the time. The mother’s breasts feel less full, particularly in the evening. Is the mother’s supply low?
In the early days a nursing mother’s breasts may feel full or even engorged. If a mother has oversupply issues, this feeling of fullness may be constant and she may experience more than one episode of engorgement. If that feeling of fullness is suddenly gone, is the mother’s milk supply low?