Mothering Corner

I was browsing through Kellymom, and found that there is a list of herbs to be avoid during breastfeeding. I think every breastfeeding mother should know about this and not taking this lightly. Here’s the list I got from Kellymom.com:

 Herbs that may decrease milk supply

Black Walnut Chickweed Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) Lemon Balm Oregano Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) Peppermint (Mentha piperita)/Menthol

Periwinkle Herb (Vinca minor) Sage (Salvia officinalis) Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) Spearmint Thyme Yarrow

Herbs that may be harmful to mom and/or baby

Bladderwrack Buckthorn Chaparral Coltsfoot (Farfarae folium) Dong Quai (Angelica Root) Elecampane Ephedra / Ephedra sinica / Ma Huang Ginseng (Panax ginseng)

Indian Snakeroot Kava-kava (piper methysticum) Petasites root Phen-fen, herbal Rhubarb Star anise Tiratricol (TRIAC) Uva Ursi Wormwood

Of course, there might be more herbs out there which is harmful to breastfeeding mothers. So if you are not sure about it, just don’t take the herbs. I haven’t found a Chinese sinseh who knows a lot about breastfeeding and Chinese herbs yet, don’t you wish to know one too?

Someone asked me about this yesterday, and I was pretty surprised that not everyone knows about menses during breastfeeding. Actually, it depends on individual mother, some mothers breastfeed exclusively but their menses return after the first month of labor, but for other mothers, they won’t have it until they wean off their babies, or sometime during the first year of breastfeeding. I had mine when my second baby was more than 6 months old, but I can’t remember the exact time. As for my first, I got pregnant, so breastfeeding will not prevent pregnancy, but it will only slow down the process of returning to fertility.

Here’s a chart on the time period for return of menstrual among breastfeeding mothers:

Source: Natural Child Spacing and Breastfeeding by Jen O’Quinn

So, don’t worry if you have yours too soon or later. If you have any concern, talk to your doctor.

I wrote about breastfed baby’s poo poo some time ago, but I can’t seem to find that post. LOL! I came across a mother who wondered if her baby has constipation, but for a 2 months old baby who’s being breastfed exclusively, it’s very unlikely that she’s having a constipation.

Most exclusive breastfed babies wet or dirty the diapers 5 - 12 times ago during the first few weeks. The frequency will drop gradually, and some babies will not pass stools for days, even if they still wet their diapers. My boy had the highest record of not having a bowel movement for 11 days when he’s 3 months old, while my gal didn’t poo for about 7 days at about the same age. But for formula fed babies, it’s still best to have bowel movement once a day. If your baby is supplemented, she will have bowel movement like formula fed babies, so it’s unlikely for her to without passing stools for days.

Nonetheless, it’s depending on individual baby. Some babies will have bowel movement like once a day, just like formula fed babies. But most of the breastfed babies I know have watery poo poo, which is quite yellowish in color. Believe it or not, breastfed babies’ stool are sweet-smelling. I have 2 exclusively breastfed babies, so I know well about this! But for formula fed babies, the stools will be bulkier and more formed since not all the formula is completely digested as comparing to breastmilk. It doesn’t smell nice either, just like adult’s stool. Once a breastfed baby is supplemented or starts taking solid food, you will see the difference in her stool which is thicker and smellier by now.

If you have any doubt about the stool of your baby, talk to the paediatrician. I brought my first baby to the doctor when his stool looked greenish. It turned out that he’s feeding more on foremilk but didn’t get enough of hindmilk when he was nursing for comfort but not hunger. It’s best to make sure that a baby clears out the first breast before offering the second one so that he’s taking the hindmilk which is more creamy and filling. You will be able to see the different in breastmilk if you empty your breast one side at each time.

Frankly, I miss the sweet smell of breastfed baby’s stool. My kids are much older now and cleaning their smelly poo poo doesn’t look like a nice task to me anymore. LOL!

Most new mothers are keen to know more about breastfeeding, and even if breastfeeding is a natural part of motherhood, it may not come easy. If you are interested to know more about breastfeeding, please take a look at “How To Breastfeeding Video” which is located at my sidebar. It will be there for a while as a reference.

But please take note that there are some part which woman’s breast will be exposed, but it’s just part of breastfeeding, ok?

After writing the previous topic, I think I should write about some mothers who opt for giving their babies the best milk in the world, even if they don’t breastfeed directly. Some mothers really tried hard, but you won’t fail breastfeeding easily. As long as you keep expressing and giving the breastmilk to your babies, even with bottles, you are still doing well. The only thing is expressing full time is tiring. I did that when I was away from my babies, and after expressing 3 hourly for 4 days, I really felt like I have had enough! I have always prefer direct nursing, so it’s a personal choice.

If you decide to express full time, just take note that it’s not easy, but it can be done. A lot of mothers did that. BTW, I really salute their determination in doing so as it’s really more hard work being an expressing mother.

I keep hearing some mothers telling me that they failed breastfeeding because they have inverted or flat nipples. However, I personally know a mother who successfully breastfed her boy up to 2 years old, even if she has inverted nipples. A lot of mothers failed to realized that it’s breastfeeding, not nipple feeding. I know the shape of the nipples might affect how a baby can latch on successfully, but there are certain things that a mother with inverted or flat nipples can do to breastfeed her baby.

Firstly, you can get get a breast shell during pregnancy, and start wearing them before feeding. They will provide certain pressure to push out the nipples and it will be easier for baby to latch on later.

Other than that, you can try to stimulate the nipples by using a breastpump or your fingers before baby is latching on. Most of the time, the nipples will be protruded when you are using a breastpump and baby can latch on faster without a lot of fuss. But once the baby is used to latching on, this step might not be necessary at all.

Some recommended nipple shield, but I don’t think it’s useful. The baby will have a tough time latching onto the breast once he’s used to sucking from the shield as he will only suck on the nipple, but not the whole areola. Lesser stipulation might also affect the mother’s milk production as well.

But if you really can’t make it, just express your milk and cup feed your baby first initially. Some mothers succeeded in giving their babies breastmilk exclusively, even if they have never breastfed.

I stopped pumping for a very long time but if you ask me if I miss those pumping days, the answer is no. I miss nursing my babies, but not pumping. I prefer to nurse directly if possible. Pumping is a way to provide the best to my babies when I was away. Besides, I was a stubborn head who was so determined not to supplement my babies until they are much older.

But have you ever pump in the eyes of others? I did. I pumped in front of my MIL, my maid, my hubby and also a few times in front of my friends. Gee….it’s really a cow’s act, but what to do? The worst thing is I pumped once in the nursing room where other mothers were bottled feeding their babies. *roll eyes* I was there first then they came in.

Let’s just say that the best place to pump, sometimes, it’s the toilet. It’s really enclosed, but the squeeky sound of my Avent ISIS was still attracting some unnecessary curiosity.

When I was a first time mother, I was very anxious about every single detail about my baby. I was always wondering if he’s growing at the right pace or meeting the milestone, and I used to measure him a lot as well. But luckily I know how to take it easy once I became a mother the second time around.

However, I know that a lot of breastfeeding mothers might still be curious if their babies are meeting the growth percentile. We can’t use the general growth chart which is meant for formula fed babies who are generally heavily than breastfed baby. So, if you are interested to know more about the chart, check out here.

Of course, as long as our baby is healthy and the paediatrician confirms that everything is well, let’s get over the numbers and charts.

I breastfed my gal until she’s 18 months old, and we decided to end the breastfeeding bonding. Both of us agreed on it as she didn’t get enough milk from me and she stopped nursing after I talked to her. It’s not that hard weaning her off when she’s ready for it.

But I met a little 4 year old who’s still nursing. She’s quite embarrassed when her mother told us during a breastfeeding gathering. I think the girl just want to be close to her mother and she uses breastfeeding as her way of expressing her feelings. Even if I support breastfeeding, but I have no intention to go beyond 2 years old. It’s too much for me as we can do other activities with the kid at that age.

However, it’s a personal choice. If the mother has no problem in nursing her baby for more than that. it’s up to her. It’s just that I don’t think it’s necessary anymore.

I have stopped breastfeeding for weeks, but just now I found out that I still have milk in me. It’s totally overwhelming as I thought my milk production had stopped, but no, not only that I still have milk, I had some letdown too. Maybe it will take more than a few weeks to clear off the production? No wonder my gal is sleeping near to my breasts when I’m putting her to sleep as the scent of milk is still around.

However, my gal didn’t ask for nursing and she knows that she’s a big girl now and it’s time to drink from the bottle. I sure miss all the breastfeeding moments that I have with her as well as my boy. But who knows? Maybe a few years later, I will be ready for another baby. Mmm….let’s not think about that now. I have been busy coping with 2 kids, I can’t imagine myself being pregnant again!