advanced-breastfeeding-support

Tips for Breastfeeding During the Holidays

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 06:03:27 GMT

Tips for Breastfeeding During the Holidays

Whether it is your first year as a new parent, or you are an experienced parent trying to navigate the stresses that come with the holidays- we have some tips for you to help alleviate some of those worries.
It’s a given, everyone loves babies and most everyone wants to hold a baby if given the chance. The holidays are the perfect time for this. However, when babies get passed around a lot or that warm snuggle with grandpa makes for a longer than usual nap, feedings and early feeding cues can sometimes get missed. This can lead to full breasts, which can have a negative effect on milk supply, or it can cause dreaded plugged ducts! The best thing to do to is give your family a heads up. Help make sure the friends and family you are spending time with know what feeding cues to look for and are aware that their cuddle may need to be interrupted to breastfeed. Offering bottles so that others can "take a turn feeding the baby" is an extra step for the breastfeeder who will then have to pump. Parents of the baby can encourage others to bond with baby in other ways. Tummy time and changing diapers are a couple great alternatives.

Another concern that breastfeeders’ have around the holidays is feeling left out. Sometimes mom just wants to relax and unwind with a drink in hand. If you want to partake in a festive alcoholic beverage, go for it!! The general rule of thumb is “if you are too drunk to drive, you are too drunk to feed your baby.” Very little alcohol actually gets into the milk. It is generally suggested to wait about 2 hours after one standard drink before breastfeeding (CDC, 2018). If you feel the need to pump during this time, you DO NOT need to dump the milk. You can save it and mix it with untainted milk, use it for a milk bath, or even put it on a diaper rash.

Anecdotally, there are some foods that may have a negative effect on milk production when enjoyed in large quantities. Peppermint and Sage are two of those herbs, and they can be found a lot in our holiday favorites. No need to completely avoid them though. Maybe have a candy cane but perhaps eating 10 in a row may not be a great idea, and ask grandma to go light on the sage in the turkey (Jacobson, 2007).

Alcohol | Breastfeeding | CDC. (2018, January 24). Retrieved October 15, 2019, from https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/breastfeeding-special-circumstances/vaccinations-medications-drugs/alcohol.html.
Jacobson, H. (2007). Mother food: a breastfeeding diet guide with lactogenic foods and herbs. Place of publication not identified: Rosalind Press.

One Boob or Two?

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 06:03:27 GMT

One Boob or Two?

One of the biggest questions we get as lactation consultants is whether to offer one breast or two during a nursing session. There are so many articles, books, blogs, and information out there and it gets so confusing! You may have been told to offer both breasts every 2-3 hours, and for 15 minutes each breast. But what happens when your baby doesn’t reach 2-3 hours and needs to feed more often? What happens if your baby is only taking one side? What if your baby eats one breast for 5 minutes refuses to eat longer? Our goal is to help you understand YOUR baby and body, because there are no two breasts that are the same… and no two babies are, either!

During any part of your nursing journey, it is important to remember to watch the baby, not the clock. The amount of milk varies by each individual dyad (nursing parent and their baby/babies). When we feed our babies, I encourage the nursing parent to watch for swallows, keep the baby active and AWAKE. In the early days, or if we have a baby that is slow at nursing, may mean we want to switch the baby more than once and sooner than 15 minutes. We want to change breasts BEFORE they fall asleep and that is why timing the baby gets so confusing- what if the baby falls asleep after 5 minutes? You are wasting precious time you could be resting and doing other things. Many times, if the baby is sleepy or not having adequate swallows we can help by squeezing our breasts to help push the milk out and switching as soon as we see them start to slow down their sucks before they fall asleep. SO, YOU MAY HAVE TO SWITCH THEM MORE THAN ONCE OR TWICE. Switching them to keep them active while squeezing your breasts, will get them fuller faster. Especially in those early days of breastfeeding.

Some babies, even in the early days- get on the breast, need no stimulation, nurse, suck and swallow with audible gulps and come off in 5-10 minutes on one breast. If you keep them active- and you offer the other breast, its ok if they refuse. It is important that you are monitoring their pees and poos and keep a general idea of how frequent they feed. The older your baby gets, the more practice you get- you will get more confident by watching their sucks and swallows and helping the baby when they need it. If your baby does get full off one breast quickly, then just be sure to offer the other breast at the next feeding.

Most babies do tell us when they are done, however there are those tricky babies that will nurse forever. If your baby doesn’t respond to squeezing, or it has been several minutes, it is a good idea to take the baby off and see what they do. If they are content or stay asleep, then it is likely that they are done. Generally they will eat 8-12 times a day for much less than 30minutes each feeding. If you find that they are going over that number, it may be a good idea to get an evaluation from an IBCLC. If you have any specific concerns, or questions about your feeding situation, it never hurts to get one-on-one help.

The life of a Hospital Lactation Consultant

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 06:03:27 GMT

The life of a Hospital Lactation Consultant

The life of a hospital lactation consultant can be often misunderstood, very busy, demanding, hectic, enriching and rewarding. Hospital Lactation Consultants are skilled health care professionals that assist in teaching mothers how to feed their babies in the hospital setting. Most new mothers will go home with their babies within 24-48hrs of having a vaginal delivery, while those having cesarean section deliveries will go home between 48-72 hours on average. Some may even be separated with baby going to NICU due to unforeseen medical issues. So much can happen the first days of life, and our first goal is to empower mothers in feeling confident and competent in feeding their babies before hospital discharge.

Assessment of the mother-baby “dyad,” mother's history and anatomy, labor and delivery process all impact the breastfeeding process. Hospital lactation consultants must quickly assess, educate, assist and intervene with each couplet in a timely manner in order to assist as many mothers and babies as possible in their day. In the hospital setting our goal is to make contact with every mother who delivers- at least once during their hospital stay.

The lactation consultant provides the majority of breastfeeding education during the postpartum period. Education topics we generally cover in the short interactions include: safe skin to skin, normal newborn behavior, feeding cues, hand expression, milk supply & demand, engorgement, prevention of mastitis, and possibly breast pump use are topics covered in the hospital.

An important intervention that we encourage in the hospital setting is skin to skin- as that is a great way to start in your breastfeeding journey. Within the first minutes after birth, babies crave their mothers, and they need that contact for many reasons. This is a great way to bond, keep baby warm, regulate their vital signs and give signs of when baby needs to breastfeed. Babies are most awake the first few hours after delivery, so practice with latching your baby onto your breast in labor and delivery is crucial. Colostrum is the first milk and is there until the milk volume increases or “comes in” between days 3-5.

We also educate that when babies become sleepy between approximately hours 6-36, it is important to continue to try and attempt feeding your baby. All attempts count as long as mother is hand expressing into baby's mouth. You will be given a feeding log and will document all attempts on the breast and pee/poo diapers. Babies will then begin to cluster feed around the 2nd night to get mother's milk to come in. It's very primal in nature, and baby will do this during every growth spurt.

A lactation consultant provides breastfeeding support, assists with lactation care, and educates patients to overcome obstacles and concerns with breastfeeding. Painful nursing due to poor latch, decreased milk production from lack of stimulation, weight loss from inability to transfer milk, low blood sugars, jaundice and separation are many breastfeeding issues hospital lactation consultants specialize in. Protection of the mother's milk supply is paramount when there are challenges. Hand expression and pumping are interventions that can assist in protection of the milk supply. If a medical indication of formula is needed, we will advise on paced bottle feeding, safe home formula supplementation and protection of milk supply. Alternate feeding methods may be used by hospital lactation consultants. Home breast pumps and follow-up community resources are also important education that we provide to our families. We also ensure that each family is following up with their pediatrician within the first few days of life to make sure baby is adjusting well at home.

Your hospital lactation consultant is there to help. Please share any concerns with your nurses and other healthcare providers on admission to the hospital. We want your experience to be excellent with all of your feeding goals to be met. Our passion is helping new mothers become successful in feeding their babies.

Unleashing our Superpower: Breastfeeding

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 06:03:27 GMT

Unleashing our Superpower: Breastfeeding

In the realm of parenting, breastfeeding stands out as one of the most remarkable superpowers that mammals possess- it is also seems to be one of the most difficult for the human species. Amidst the sea of information available today, the subject of breastfeeding often brings confusion and conflicting advice. Feeding is the benchmark of survival for any species… why is it so hard for so many of us?

As a lactation consultant, I frequently look at the feeding behaviors observed in other mammals. One striking difference in the human experience of milk production is our interference with the natural processes of pregnancy and birth. Unlike most mammals, human pregnancy and birth are subjected to a rigid assembly line of interventions.

It is apparent, a barrier to effective breastfeeding lies in our misunderstanding of our bodies' inherent wisdom in birth and making milk. Human bodies are meticulously designed for breastfeeding. This process begins early in pregnancy, with glandular milk tissue development starting around 10-12 weeks gestation. By 22-24 weeks, these tissues usually begin to utilize their function. Yes, there is milk/colostrum before your baby arrives! Every subsequent step thereafter hinges on the events during and following birth. With the delivery of the baby and placenta, there's a hormonal shift to a demand-driven system. Ideally we need baby start suckling at the breast as soon as possible- we call this the “golden hour.” However, we would probably be more successful if we didn’t just focus on this hour, but the first few days instead.

Immediately after birth, the responsibility for milk supply transfers to the newborn, as long as we give them uninterrupted access to the breast. Sadly, miseducation often leads to unnecessary supplementation due to misconceptions about milk needing to "come in." Colostrum, the early milk should be all that baby needs, coupled with uninterrupted access through frequent skin to skin, aids successful breastfeeding. Milk volume increases as we continue to demand it and the volume really starts to increase usually between days 3-5 postpartum. However, this onset of volume increasing is often disrupted by the interventions in birth- inductions, IV fluids, Pitocin and cesareans have been shown to inadvertently disrupt our body’s transition and ability to increase our milk volume or “milk coming in”.

Much like other mammals, newborns come equipped with instinctive reflexes that steer them towards the breast – a trait shared by cats, dogs, or any mammal. Believe it or not, baby’s do it better than we do! Ensuring skin-to-skin contact and frequent access to the breast during those initial days unleashes these innate reflexes. Consider the devoted mother cat – she never strays far from her kittens and permits them to nurse whenever needed. Embracing this natural pattern is where things often fail, as well. Far too often, baby’s are swaddled and isolated in distant containers, instead of being placed and left on the mother's skin. We are taught to sit upright and “shmoosh and shove” the breast into the baby’s mouth, disregarding the infant's own ability. I say-Lay back, put your baby on your tummy (on their tummy), line them up to your nipple and see what they can do. It takes time and patience, but your baby can latch with minimal assistance! We often call this the “breast crawl”, but it is not just useful in the moments after birth, but those first few weeks we are learning to feed with our baby. Embrace your inner momma cat, lay in bed and practice with your baby!

In harnessing the superpower of breastfeeding, acknowledging our mammalian heritage is key. Aligning with the natural course of pregnancy, birth, and nurturing the instinctive wisdom both mother and baby possess, paves the way for a successful breastfeeding journey. It's time to respect and tap into the timeless art encoded within us – the superpower that transcends species.

Our 5 Favorite Gifts for Nursing Moms

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 06:03:27 GMT

Our 5 Favorite Gifts for Nursing Moms

Tis the season for giving and who better to deserve a thoughtful gift than a new mom, right? Before becoming parents ourselves, we didn’t understand the dedication and selflessness that comes along with being a mom. With the world in its current state, putting extra attention on momma this year; is something well deserved! We have put together our must have 5 for the new or breast/chestfeeding parent. Some are aimed to help her life be easier, some are to lessen stress and reinforce the need for self care. We all know, you can’t pour from an empty cup.

#1 Self Care Gift Certificates: In our practice, the number one issue we see is that there is not enough self care to go around. I think this is an M-O- for moms… they think of everyone but themselves. So getting them a massage, facial, nail salon gift cards- you can’t go wrong with. If you wanted to target it specifically to a nursing parent, then they even have Lymphatic Breast Massage facilities where the therapists are specifically trained to do a special type of breast massage, which can help with stubborn breast congestion/plugged ducts, and even in some cases, help increase milk production (although usually not alone).

#2 Breastmilk Jewelry: Sounds weird, right? Well, it is a thing and there are varying price points that you can go with from expensive to the lesser side. This will help commemorate a precious journey that comes and goes before you know it. No matter how long the journey was, they can always have a keepsake to remember with. This will take moms cooperation in order to get the milk and send it, but even a gift certificate to one of the company’s can help her to pick out that special gift!

#3 Gift Certificates for a mom/baby or family photo shoot and printing services. What better gift could a mom get than to have a forever keepsake of her lifetime, as well as to pass on forever. If it is a breastfeeding mom, many photographers do specific photoshoots with the breastfeeding couplet… milk baths, or out in nature- whatever the scene that fits the personality of each specific mom.

#4 Food/Wine or Coffee gift baskets. Seriously, these are staples in most modern day moms/parents lives and you can tailor what is in them to who you are gifting them to. If you know a breastfeeding mom, they are usually always eating- making milk, makes you hungry! Coffee and wine are a no brainer for some parents, and there are various ways you can cater these items to fit for what you know that special someone likes.

#5 Coupons for Free Time. Don’t have a lot of money? Give the mom in your life some thoughtful coupons that give her time to herself. Date night, pick up and drop off from school for a day, or even just for some time away without children or family members can be a way to re-energize that parent in your life that could use a break to themselves.

The great thing about any of these gifts is you can spend a little money, or go extravagant- but they are all focused around the person who is normally taking the focus away from them, and focusing on everyone else. Enjoy this holiday season with your family!

How to Promote a Gentle Weaning Breastfeeding

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 06:03:27 GMT

How to Promote a Gentle Weaning Breastfeeding

When to stop breastfeeding is a choice that needs to be individualized. The decision of when and how to wean only can be made by the breastfeeding dyad: meaning by mom and baby, the two as a whole. The process of weaning is referred to as “involution” and this process can take anywhere from 30 days to a couple years to completely stop producing milk. Sometimes we rush this process for one reason or another, but Contrary to popular belief, there is no age limit on breastfeeding or breastmilk. Breastmilk never loses its nutritional value, just like broccoli it's good for you at any age. ;) There are different methods to weaning, but there is no clear cut way that you need to do this with your baby. This is your baby, and your journey. We are going to point out that there are various methods…. But the point of this is that we want you to make it YOUR journey.

Self weaning is a method of weaning your child. It basically means we allow the child to decide when to stop breastfeeding. Children usually gradually reduce the frequency in which they request to nurse, until they stop altogether. Did you know that children that are allowed to self-wean often show great independence and develop healthy attachments later on in life? if you choose to self wean, we usually suggest a “don’t offer, don’t refuse” approach. You may be surprised to know that the age of self-weaning worldwide is between the range of 2 and 7 years old!!!

In some cases, mom may be ready to end the breastfeeding journey before the child does and that’s absolutely okay. Any reason a mother has to be done with her journey is her choice and 100% valid and to be respected! In this case, regardless of the child’s age we suggest doing this gradually, if possible. If you can cut out one nursing session, do so every 3-5days to allow your breasts to get the memo to slowly shut down production. You would also want to probably add some therapeutic comfort techniques to this method, as well as any method of weaning.

Another option mom may choose to incorporate includes the “don’t offer, don’t refuse”, but also limit the amount of time the child is allowed to spend at the breast in each session and SLOWLY reduce this time until many of the breastfeeding sessions are eliminated. It is recommended that you give 3-5 days between each reduction attempt. Be aware that the hardest times to eliminate for baby is usually: before bed, middle of the night and the morning session. These can be especially difficult with an older child, so we suggest these to be the last to go for the most peaceful transition. If the baby is old enough to understand, you want to offer methods of distraction when they want to nurse. Perhaps read a book, watch a show, or instead of nursing… replace it with their favorite snack! We are not against bribery to reach the goal of ending this in a peaceful manner! Also, replace breastfeeding with baby massages and cuddle time. We do not recommend separating mom and baby as an attempt to wean.

An important tip to add into any of these scenarios, we need to monitor mom and baby throughout. We monitor moms breasts and emotions and we monitor baby’s nutritional status. Make sure to watch for significant breast pain, plugged ducts/hard lumps in your breast, and symptoms mastitis. We also must ensure that baby is being fed, so if it is a younger baby, less than 1 year old, we need to ensure that we use expressed milk or formula as their primary source of nutrition. There may be circumstances in which moms may also need extra help and steps in reducing their milk production throughout the weaning process. Some comfort measures you can look into for this include the use of fresh green cabbage leaves, peppermint, sage, cool compresses and some medications help to dry up your milk such as Sudafed (here are some tips on lowering your milk supply).

Regardless of the timing and need for breastfeeding to end, It is a process that needs to be done mindfully for many reasons: to protect the mother-child relationship, protect mom physically by reducing risk of maternal breast complications, nutritional benefits to baby and should also focus on the protection both mom and child emotionally and psychologically. It is important to note that some women experience symptoms of post partum depression and anxiety so through this process and we must be in check with not only our breasts, but our minds. We realize that there are emergencies that call for quick weaning, or you may struggle with other aspects of this process, it is important that in these cases, please call your IBCLC.

Ways to Cherish your Breastfeeding Journey

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 06:03:27 GMT

Ways to Cherish your Breastfeeding Journey

While we know that breastfeeding/pumping has amazing benefits for mom and baby… who knew that it would come with many challenges and emotions? We wanted to offer some suggestions on how you can commemorate one of the most rewarding and challenging parts of motherhood. Just in time for the Holidays!

Breastfeeding Photoshoot
Get with your favorite local photographer and have a breastfeeding photoshoot with your little one. If you are a pumping mother, you might decide to do it with a pump or create a stage where your baby is bathing in your breastmilk.

Breastmilk Keepsakes
Breastmilk keepsakes can be made to order or done on your own. These keepsakes help you create an inclusion with your breastmilk that you can have forever and even pass on to your little ones. The Birth Tribe is a mama owned small business who can create your breastmilk inclusions for you. She creates jewelry or keepsakes for your altar. Visit her website at www.thebirthtribe.com and find her on social media @thebirthtribe. She is also our amazing IBCLC, Edna Martin.

Breastmilk Soap
Another form of DIY to do with maybe some extra milk you may have are breastmilk soaps. Even if you have some milk that may been past the date of being able to use for feeding, this is a great idea to continuously get those benefits absorbed and through the skin. https://www.workandmother.com/diy-breastmilk-soap/ has a fun and easy tutorial just for this!

Write your story
Your journey is special. All those moments where you questioned your ability and especially those moments where you were so proud of yourself, they deserve to be recorded. Writing your story can be a full piece of tidebids from beginning to end or you might choose to write lots of things. Not a writer? Poems are great! There are different ways to write poetry. In fact, it doesn’t even have to make sense to other people… just you.

My body knew

My body knew how to nurture you
But my mind was set on troubles too
You latched, you fed, you slept, you comfort
I followed your lead, you were the expert

Some nights were hard, so hard I didn’t know what to do
I swayed, you cried, I cried, until finally we did pull through
I’ve questioned my ability far too many times
But I realized now that I needed trust, love
And to believe in this journey that was mine.

Because my body and my baby knew…

Can I really eat that? What foods are “good” for breastfeeding?

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 06:03:27 GMT

Can I really eat that? What foods are “good” for breastfeeding?

If you are a breastfeeding mom, you have probably had a concern about what is good for you to consume while breastfeeding. You search the blogs, Pinterest and Google looking for answers but there are so many, who can you trust? No spicy foods, no cold foods, avoid onions and garlic. Oh and by all means, don’t you dare put an alcoholic drink in your mouth if you are breastfeeding!

Stress and unrealistic expectations are put on mothers, especially when it comes to breastfeeding. Our favorite saying applies to this topic: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it so it is.” There is no research that states any of the above restrictions are true. In fact, we support moms to eat whatever they want and have that drink, if they need it! However, if you believe that eating cheeseburgers, processed foods and tons of sugar are the best ways to optimize your health, we may encourage you to think otherwise. It is best to take care of yourself and eat a healthy diet. By doing this, you more than likely won’t have a baby who is sensitive to foods. This stands true for most cases, anyway. We only suggest limitations if the baby is symptomatic and shows symptoms. Signs and symptoms of food sensitivities in baby can include: increased spitting up, gassiness, fussiness, green, bloody or slimy/mucous stools, or even a body rash (it is very rare for baby to get a severe reaction from the foods in mom’s diet). According to the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, if there are symptoms, only then do we encourage the breastfeeding mother to do an elimination diet- starting with ONE FOOD item at a time- that being cow milk products (yes- cheese has to go!), as it is the most common allergen/sensitivity in humans. Some other common triggers can include: soy, wheat, corn, and nuts. We encourage the single food to be eliminated for a minimum of 2 weeks and up to 4 weeks in order to see it clear from baby’s system. It can take 72-96 hours to notice a change if said food item is a trigger
(ABM- https://abm.memberclicks.net/assets/DOCUMENTS/PROTOCOLS/24-allergic-proctocolitis-protocol-english.pdf).

So why is it that some babies are sensitive to foods and some are not? We don’t exactly know, but we believe the source of the problem does come back to mom. If baby is sensitive to it then it’s likely that mom is sensitive to it as well. Maternal inflammation can transfer over to the baby. We believe that when we “heal the mom, we heal the baby.” Jennifer Tow, IBCLC coined and actually published information on this topic in 2014 “Heal the mother, heal the baby: epigenetics, breastfeeding and the human microbiome.”
We have opened a can of worms that is difficult to summarize in this article. In short, this means: we help support mom with eliminating the triggers and improve her gut health and we heal the baby. The healthier we are (and healthier we eat), the healthier our babies and even our milk is!

So Your Baby Has Teeth?

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 06:03:27 GMT

So Your Baby Has Teeth?

There are many different forms of advice people will give you about when it is time to wean your baby from the breast. One of those, I will call, “myths” are related to baby getting teeth. “Oh baby has teeth, time to wean” your family member who loves to give you parenting advice may say… However, it is just another part of the adventure that you will go through when nursing your baby! We always love to reinforce that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends to breastfeed your baby for 2 years and beyond, as long as it is working for mom and baby (That is a good comeback for that nosey family member you need to keep in check).

The truth is, its probably a tiny fear in your mind when you think about nursing your baby… what am I going to do when they get teeth? I get it, cause I felt the same way recently when my little guy popped his first two teeth (and he is my third). I am here to tell you, that it is something that when you catch the behavior early, it can be a pretty simple fix. Teeth shouldn’t get in the way because when a baby is nursing, they cup their tongue around the breast and the tongue should come over the lower gumline.

A little background to prepare you for how to tell baby is about to start the teething process… because, it is a process. Teeth don’t just magically pop out one day: they get inflamed and then it goes up/down and it takes a while to cut through the gums. Baby’s salivary glands start developing around 3 months, and for most parents, they believe that this is teething. It isn’t. The teeth start to erupt around 4-6 months for most babies (not all babies), but some tell-tell signs that you may see along with drooling include: grumpiness, hands in their mouth all the time/chewing (hands in their mouths alone is NOT a sign of teething- it’s a sign of a normal developing baby and you WANT them to do this!), slightly elevated temperature, runny nose and cough. Your little one may also rub their ears, as well as having changes in eating and sleep. This all sounds like symptoms of being sick, but if you examine the area of the lower central incisors (center bottom two teeth) and you see swelling of the gums, you can guess that baby is teething! When babies teeth, the blood pools to their gums while nursing and it can be a little uncomfortable for them, so it can cause fussy nursing behaviors. We don’t recommend trying to force feed your baby, they will be fine. Some will not want to eat, some will always want to be attached to your breast. It is a normal process, and all you need to do is comfort baby and give them stuff to chew on (some babies like it when it’s a cold hard chew toy- cool decreases inflammation). If you feel they need more pain control, ask your pediatrician about what they recommend.

So now to the good part… what do I do when my baby bites? Well, first off: DON’T FREAK OUT! I repeat: don’t yell, or make any loud noises. Try to stay calm. During the age when teeth erupt (or come in), babies are learning cause and reaction. They may initially freak out and cry if you yell when this happens (lets be honest- you may not be able to control that first unexpected reaction); however if you continue to make any loud noises they may feel this is a good way to provoke you and they will do it just to see you yell/squirm and get a reaction. It is best to pay VERY close attention while nursing during this time. Babies are usually predictable. Some babies will bite when it’s the beginning of the feeding, some at the end. You may see them give a cue like rubbing their eyes or going to turn away and then they chomp. The idea is to stop them before this cue and take them off immediately and give them something to chew on (nursing necklaces, chew toys- it is best to keep them close by). If they do “get” you then (using your stern serious voice) say no bite- and put the baby down and stop the nursing session for a few minutes. They may get upset, but you have to let them know biting equals no more milk. The next session, start off and give reassurance of being gentle with momma. Gentle reinforcement when they aren’t hurting you will help promote that type of behavior. If you come across a time when baby does bite and won’t let go, you want to pull them close to you. DO NOT PULL AWAY. That will cause more damage. Baby can’t breathe for that second you hold them and should let go, especially if you use your fingers in the back of the molar area to release the jaw simultaneously.

Nursing provides another way to learn your baby and I personally love that its set out times of the day where you just get to connect with them and cuddle. By watching your baby’s behaviors and understanding their “cues” of biting or teething, it can help you feel more confident as a parent, as well as continuing your journey as long as you feel its best. Nurse on <3