Vicky, one of the Bristol Leaders, has unfortunately broken her arm recently and is unable to drive. Vicky was going to lead the next Coffee Morning on 24 March on the subject of Nighttime Parenting for toddlers, but this will now be postponed until the next Coffee Morning on Wed 28 April. There will not be a Leader present at this Coffee Morning, but it is still going ahead at Jenny's house and you are more than welcome to share experiences and ideas on this topic anyway.
If you'd like to contact a Leader to talk about this (or any other) subject in the meantime, then do call us up (our numbers are in the left hand column). Vicky would prefer to be emailed at the moment on vicky.dickson@hotmail.co.uk
Saturday 20 March 2010
Tuesday 16 March 2010
Ups and downs meeting
It was lovely to see new faces as well as familiar ones at the last meeting at Lorraine's house. We covered lots of ground on the subject of breastfeeding challenges.
Thrush was one of the areas we talked about. This can occur at any time during breastfeeding and if undiagnosed can be a source of soreness and even shooting pains in the breast. It also can cause babies to be fussy at the breast and sometimes refuse to feed because their mouths are sore. There is a leaflet written by LLL on thrush which you can get from the website, http://www.laleche.org.uk/ (Quickfind number 2806) or you can ring a Leader if you want to find out more.
Another source of difficulties in latching on a young baby that we talked about is tongue-tie. This is not always spotted at birth and it can vary in its severity. Tongue-tie is when the skin attaching the tongue to the base of the mouth is too tight for the tongue to stretch out far enough to cover the lower gums and therefore to draw enough breast tissue in to the mouth. Less commonly it can affect the skin between the upper lip and the gum. Babies with tongue-tie can struggle to latch on, coming off and on the breast repeatedly. In young babies it can be treated simply and it is worth checking out if you have had help with positioning your baby and still struggle to latch them on.
Which brings us to positioning! This seemingly simple act of positioning your baby at the breast to enable them to feed effectively can be straightforward for some mums and newborns, and a struggle for some babies for weeks. Many of the mums at the meeting talked about ways in which they had managed to find positions that worked for them, and how they had needed help in the beginning to learn the art of breastfeeding. Seeing other babies feeding is a good start, but also getting skilled help when you need it can make all the difference. It is very possible to talk through getting a good latch on the phone, so if you are having difficulties, do ring a Leader for help. Some good leaflets are 'Nipple Know-How for Breastfeeding Mothers', 'Beginning Breastfeeding' and 'Positioning Your Baby at the Breast', or alternatively a 'New Mum's Pack', all from the La Leche website above.
Several mums talked about how they worked hard to identify their baby's early feeding cues such as rooting, putting a fist to the mouth and nuzzling in to mum, so that they could get a feed started before their baby became upset, when it became more of a struggle.
Many mums talked about the vital importance of getting the support needed to see them through the difficult times. Friends, family and other breastfeeding mothers can offer help, encouragement and ideas that can make a huge difference when everything seems a struggle. Seeing how other babies latch on, getting tips on various ways to hold and carry your baby and building up confidence to feed in public without a mountain of pillows can make a big impact on the life a woman with a newborn. This support can be found at La Leche meetings, through the website (especially the forums) and telephone helpline. If you want to meet up with local mums outside the meetings, then add your comment to the post about 'Connecting with other mothers' and go for it!
Thrush was one of the areas we talked about. This can occur at any time during breastfeeding and if undiagnosed can be a source of soreness and even shooting pains in the breast. It also can cause babies to be fussy at the breast and sometimes refuse to feed because their mouths are sore. There is a leaflet written by LLL on thrush which you can get from the website, http://www.laleche.org.uk/ (Quickfind number 2806) or you can ring a Leader if you want to find out more.
Another source of difficulties in latching on a young baby that we talked about is tongue-tie. This is not always spotted at birth and it can vary in its severity. Tongue-tie is when the skin attaching the tongue to the base of the mouth is too tight for the tongue to stretch out far enough to cover the lower gums and therefore to draw enough breast tissue in to the mouth. Less commonly it can affect the skin between the upper lip and the gum. Babies with tongue-tie can struggle to latch on, coming off and on the breast repeatedly. In young babies it can be treated simply and it is worth checking out if you have had help with positioning your baby and still struggle to latch them on.
Which brings us to positioning! This seemingly simple act of positioning your baby at the breast to enable them to feed effectively can be straightforward for some mums and newborns, and a struggle for some babies for weeks. Many of the mums at the meeting talked about ways in which they had managed to find positions that worked for them, and how they had needed help in the beginning to learn the art of breastfeeding. Seeing other babies feeding is a good start, but also getting skilled help when you need it can make all the difference. It is very possible to talk through getting a good latch on the phone, so if you are having difficulties, do ring a Leader for help. Some good leaflets are 'Nipple Know-How for Breastfeeding Mothers', 'Beginning Breastfeeding' and 'Positioning Your Baby at the Breast', or alternatively a 'New Mum's Pack', all from the La Leche website above.
Several mums talked about how they worked hard to identify their baby's early feeding cues such as rooting, putting a fist to the mouth and nuzzling in to mum, so that they could get a feed started before their baby became upset, when it became more of a struggle.
Many mums talked about the vital importance of getting the support needed to see them through the difficult times. Friends, family and other breastfeeding mothers can offer help, encouragement and ideas that can make a huge difference when everything seems a struggle. Seeing how other babies latch on, getting tips on various ways to hold and carry your baby and building up confidence to feed in public without a mountain of pillows can make a big impact on the life a woman with a newborn. This support can be found at La Leche meetings, through the website (especially the forums) and telephone helpline. If you want to meet up with local mums outside the meetings, then add your comment to the post about 'Connecting with other mothers' and go for it!
Tuesday 9 March 2010
Meeting at Lorraine's house
Vicky, April and I are looking forward to seeing you tomorrow - Wed 10 March - at Lorraine's house in Cotham. Ring one of us for directions if you are unsure. Meeting details and our phone numbers are in left hand column of this website.
Do come along if you are new to the group, or if your baby is feeling fussy tomorrow - they seem to like the company of the other babies!
Love Charlie
Do come along if you are new to the group, or if your baby is feeling fussy tomorrow - they seem to like the company of the other babies!
Love Charlie
Monday 1 March 2010
Connecting with other mothers & internet forums
I have had a few calls from mothers who would like to meet up with other breastfeeding mums but who can't make the meetings for various reasons.
If you are looking to connect up in this way, perhaps because you have recently become a mother, or your friends are starting to wean, or you are back at work etc, then perhaps you could use this blog to make contact. If you want you could leave a comment below with some way of contacting you and hopefully other mothers in a similar situation will read it and get in touch.
You can always access La Leche friends online at the forums: http://forums.llli.org/ At this Mother-to-Mother Forum users can post messages and receive instant responses from other users who are online. Once logged in a user can start new discussion topics, or "threads" and respond to other users' threads. The forum is organised into general categories and offers suport and discussion on a wide range of topics - from general breastfeeding support for mothers feeding newborns, infants or toddlers, to special situations like breastfeeding premature babies or multiples, along with a variety of other mothering topics such as nutrition, starting solids, gentle discipline, pregnancy and childbirth, and combining work and breastfeeding.
If you are looking to connect up in this way, perhaps because you have recently become a mother, or your friends are starting to wean, or you are back at work etc, then perhaps you could use this blog to make contact. If you want you could leave a comment below with some way of contacting you and hopefully other mothers in a similar situation will read it and get in touch.
You can always access La Leche friends online at the forums: http://forums.llli.org/ At this Mother-to-Mother Forum users can post messages and receive instant responses from other users who are online. Once logged in a user can start new discussion topics, or "threads" and respond to other users' threads. The forum is organised into general categories and offers suport and discussion on a wide range of topics - from general breastfeeding support for mothers feeding newborns, infants or toddlers, to special situations like breastfeeding premature babies or multiples, along with a variety of other mothering topics such as nutrition, starting solids, gentle discipline, pregnancy and childbirth, and combining work and breastfeeding.
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