Mommy’s Little Breastfeeding Book: 101 Tips Your Baby Wants You to Know about Nursing is a great book! I love the concept and the philosophy presented. This little breastfeeding book is condensed enough to read in an hour yet it is jam-packed with helpful tips for successful breastfeeding. It has all the things I would want to tell a pregnant friend to encourage her to make the decision to breastfeed and to help her get started. One of my favorite tips?

41. A good rule of thumb is that Mommy puts the food in and Daddy takes it out.

A little humor goes a long way to setting the right tone in this helpful but not preachy, quick-start guide to the basics of breastfeeding. At $8.95 list price this would make an excellent addition to a baby shower gift.

The author Michele Leigh Carnesecca is a registered nurse, lactation consultant, and better yet — mother of four breastfed children! She places a little more faith in doctors than I would (they’re often not as good a source of breastfeeding information as they should be) and focuses exclusively on hospital births, but those are minor details. In addition to the changes suggested by Tanya, I would like to see a few typographical errors corrected so they don’t detract from the quality of information presented (please, people, if you’re going to talk about breastfeeding “discreetly” then refrain from using the correct-word-but-used-in-the-wrong-context “discretely.”)

To sum up, I would not hesitate to recommend this book. If you are a pregnant woman or know someone who’s expecting, stay tuned as I will be giving away my review copy in a contest next week!

La Leche League of Argentina produced this helpful breastfeeding video “Breastfeeding in 10 Steps” in Spanish: “Amamantar en 10 Pasos.”

In this video Dr. Jack Newman guides a woman in using the cross-cradle hold to latch her baby onto the breast. While there are many different breastfeeding positions, the cross-cradle hold can be particularly helpful for newborns. Note how the mother is not forcefully pushing the baby’s head onto the breast, but rather is simply supporting the head and bringing the baby tummy-to-tummy and using her arm on the baby’s back and hand under the baby’s face. This position also allows for breast compressions (using the mother’s thumb on top of the breast and four fingers underneath the breast to compress the breast when baby is just “nibbling” and not actively sucking and swallowing large mouthfuls).

My newborn and I had our first “official” outing (other than to the offices of the pediatrician or midwife) on the day she turned three weeks old. We attended the community talent show at the local library, which I was pleased to see had a huge display of breastfeeding information (see above) in honor of World Breastfeeding Week! The talent show was so great. There is nothing cuter than: a 3-year-old belting out How Great Is Our God, a 4-year-old barely whispering the ABCs, another 4-year-old humming the Indiana Jones theme song, and a darling girl tap dancing on industrial carpeting in the library rec room! My own 6-year-old did an abridged reading of the book Chrysanthemum. I could not have been prouder and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything! It did take a lot of coordination for me to get there with a newborn though, and it made me think of some tips for nursing a newborn in public.

1. Watch your baby’s cues (rooting, fist in mouth, any fussing) and feed her before she starts to cry. It’s a lot harder to nurse inconspicuously when you’re trying to latch on a wailing newborn!

2. Consider whether you will be more comfortable using nursing clothing or regular clothing. Sometimes for me it’s easier to hike up a regular shirt than it is to fiddle with a nursing shirt. However, at a formal event (like the wedding ceremony I attended briefly yesterday) it is lovely to have a nursing dress rather than having to wear a two-piece outfit or excuse oneself to a private location to hike up a dress!

3. Along the same lines, consider whether using a nursing cover of some sort makes it more difficult or easier to nurse. If you are uncomfortable nursing in public without a cover, then by all means use one, but personally I find it very hard to maneuver a cover over me and the baby and still be able to see to latch the baby on. Plus it’s just too darn hot in the summer in California to use a cover. My motto: do what works for you!

4. Ignore everyone around you! The more you fret over who might be watching and what people might be thinking, the harder it will be to give your baby the attention she needs.

5. It does not bother me to see any level of exposure of a mother’s breast or nipple during a nursing session. I don’t even like to bring up the word “discreet.” What I will say is that the vast majority of nursing mothers do want to be considerate of others around them, and do wish to maintain as much modesty as possible when nursing in public. Having said all that, remember that you are likely much more covered than you think you are when you are nursing in public. I cannot count the number of times people have thought my baby was sleeping in my arms rather than nursing. Granted it’s not easy to get a newborn latched on, but it gets easier and easier (until you’ve got a wiggly toddler and that’s a whole other issue!)

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 Companion: Revised Edition
~ The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers: The Most Comprehensive Problem-Solving Guide to Breastfeeding from the Foremost Expert in North America, Revised & Updated Edition

3. DO NOT think you need to buy a lot of breastfeeding-related products. The great thing is all breastfeeding really requires is you and the baby!

4. DO, however, consider whether you might enjoy shopping for breastfeeding products and learn how to choose and use a breast pump safely if you will be returning to work.

5. DO NOT listen to people who pressure you to formula-feed.

6. DO attend a La Leche League meeting while you are pregnant (find a local group in the United States or other countries) and surround yourself with family, friends, and medical professionals who are supportive of breastfeeding. (If you are wondering, here’s how to pronounce “La Leche” League!)

7. DO NOT accept or keep any free formula samples “just in case.” (For thoughts on what to do with any samples you might receive, see this post).

8. DO have the phone number of a local La Leche League leader and/or lactation consultant with you at the birth.

9. DO NOT neglect to talk to your health care providers and birth attendants about your birth plan and your desire to breastfeed.

10. DO believe in yourself! Taking these 10 steps can give you the knowledge and confidence to have a good breastfeeding experience.

Enjoy these other entries in this month’s carnival (and watch for additions throughout the day):

~ Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog: A Breastfeeding-Friendly Birth Plan
~ BreastfeedingMums: Preparing for Breastfeeding
~ Natural Moms Talk Radio: Breastfeeding during Pregnancy and Tandem Nursing
~ Crunchy Domestic Goddess: Breastfeeding while Pregnant (Trying at Times but Ultimately Worthwhile)
~ Permission to Mother: Low Milk Supply in Pregnancy
~ API Speaks: On Breastfeeding while Pregnant
~ Milk Donor Mama: Her Experience of Preparing for Breastfeeding and the Advice She Offers Now

Ameda offers a free online instructional video “Your Baby Knows How to Latch-On.” The five-minute clip talks about proper latch and demonstrates how a newborn latches himself on the breast with a minimal amount of guidance from his mother. The video is offered through these links in English and in Spanish.

Click here for more breastfeeding videos. For more help with latch-on, see the Checklist for a Good Breastfeeding Latch.

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 lip are flared out

__ Once your milk lets down (starts to flow freely), you can see the baby’s jaw moving all the way back by his ear

__ The baby’s temple may wiggle, too

__ You can hear the baby swallowing (you might notice a pattern, such as “suck, suck, pause for swallow.” The pattern will slow as the baby fills up and takes in less milk). Dr. Jack Newman describes an “open mouth wide - pause - close mouth” pattern that indicates whether the baby is swallowing big mouthfuls of milk.

__ Absence of pain (if breastfeeding doesn’t hurt, that’s a great sign that the latch is good. Some women may experience initial soreness, tenderness, and even pain in spite of a good latch, but it’s a good idea to work with a La Leche League leader and/or lactation consultant to rule out problems with latch, thrush, or other things that could cause pain).

__ The baby’s tongue is extended over his bottom gums and is cupping the breast (if you peeked, you could see a little triangle of tongue in the corner of his mouth, but there’s no reason to peek if everything feels right).

__ When the baby pops off (or the latch is gently broken), the nipple does not look unusually squished or angled like the tip of a new lipstick (a distinct line across the nipple might be a sign of tongue-tie).

One final way to gauge latch (and the baby’s consequent intake of milk) is to watch the baby’s output! Is the baby having enough wet and poopy diapers?

I received this question today:

If breastmilk has been thawed and wasn’t used, can I refreeze it? If not, and I store it in the fridge, what’s the shelf life?

Good questions! If breast milk has been thawed and was not used, it should not be refrozen. In the back of the refrigerator (not in or near the door), thawed milk can be stored up to 24 hours for later use.

For more information on storage and handling of expressed breast milk, see:

LLLI.org: La Leche League Storage Guidelines for Pumped Milk; For an update from June 2008, see La Leche League Updates Breast Milk Storage Guidelines
Kellymom.com: Breastmilk Storage and Handling
Kellymom.com: Human Milk Storage — Guidelines for Premature or Hospitalized Infants (these guidelines are more restrictive)

The Department of Health in the United Kingdom pledged the funding necessary to establish a new breastfeeding helpline in conjunction with The Breastfeeding Network and the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers. The new helpline number will be: 0844 20 909 20. The Government News Network notes:

3. The National Breastfeeding Helpline will be available in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

4. The National Breastfeeding Helpline is staffed by trained volunteer mothers from the Breastfeeding Network and the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers who have all breastfed themselves, and who take calls in their own homes. Calls will be charged at 5p per minute from BT lines plus a 3p call set up charge from BT residential lines. Mobiles and other providers’ charges may vary. The lines will be open from 9.30am -9.30pm. The volunteers will answer when they can so if you don’t get through first time please try again later.

The United States has a similar toll-free telephone helpline staffed by La Leche League.

“Ultrasound examination of the lactating breast during breastfeeding by Peter Hartmann’s research team in Perth, Australia has provided new information about what occurs within the breast during let-down (Kent 2002). This team has found the following after observing many mothers and babies during breastfeeding:

* On average 75 percent of the mothers had more than one let-down.
* The women had on average 2.2 let-downs per breast.
* The more let-downs a woman had, the more milk her baby received.
* Babies received on average 2 1/3 oz. (70 ml) of milk at a feeding and slightly more than one ounce (35 ml) per let-down.
* On average 35 percent of babies came off the breast during a let-down.”

– “The Breastfeeding Answer Book,” p. 19.