Breastfeeding Support in Dublin

Advanced Biology

2012-02-03T13:24:00.001Z

A little humour first :) Students in an advanced Biology class were taking their mid-term exam. The last question was, 'Name seven advantages of Mother's Milk,' worth 70 points or none at all. One student, in particular, was hard put to think of seven advantages. He wrote: 1.) It is perfect formula for the child. 2.) It provides

Looking back at 2011...

2011-12-31T15:57:00.002Z

Happy New Year everyoneI'm looking back at the year and feel very happy about it . This time last year I was starting back after maternity leave with my 5th baby . She is now 21 months old and a very independent little lady. I suspect this may be her last few months of breastfeeding , I will find it very hard not to be a breastfeeding mother anymore ..... I really dont want to think about it !

Breastfeeding Pillows , Yes or No ?

2011-11-25T11:41:00.000Z

Im frequently asked about breastfeeding cushions in my class . Are they a necessary purchase to ensure breastfeeding works ? When I started in private practice 6 years ago , I loved them , back then teaching breastfeeding and latching was full of instructions and mothers needed to have 20 hands to get it all right. So- cushions were quite handy to support the baby . Then, I started to notice

Seminar Report - Tongue Tie and Breastfeeding

2011-09-09T16:47:00.001+01:00

Well its 7 days since the seminar and Im just about recovered now ! My goodness it was alot of work but so worth it . I should start by saying that when I planned it I really didnt think Id have 110 attendees . That is the level of interest in this issue in Ireland . We had IBCLCs , Midwives, nurses, dieticans , SaLTs , GPs , paediatricians , Cuidiu breastfeeding Counsellors and La Leche League

Factors Associated With Duration of Breastfeeding in Ireland : Potential Areas for Improvement

2011-09-07T15:36:00.000+01:00

An Irish "study" in our own international journal. This is great to see . But really theres nothing in it that we don't know. The recommendations are to increase postnatal support, to recognise that Dads play a role in breastfeeding duration , to promote the first feed after birth as breastmilk and also promote exclusive breastfeeding. Enough we've tried all that , it doesn't work . I think

Tales from the trenches – Nursing Strikes , Breast refusal ...

2011-04-13T22:06:00.000+01:00

Well , this tale is from my own trench . In all my years breastfeeding I had never experienced a strike. And boy, do I not want to ever see one again . We have had a very easy year my youngest daughter and I – after a rough start with a posterior tongue tie , once that was divided and she sorted out her sucking – we never looked back . So about this time last week

So what if this advertising campaign ran in Ireland ?

2011-03-08T12:06:00.003Z

I was reading the post below from phd in parenting and found myself thinking ...what if the food safety authority here in Ireland ran an ad like this ? What if they told parents that the claims that a certain formula will make your baby laugh all day are baloney? That the addition of DHA to infant formula is absolutely useless and the origin of the additives is fairly yuch? That the additive

Its not thrush!

2011-03-01T20:57:00.001Z

A little bit of a rant here so be warned .. thrush (candida) is totally over diagnosed . Any mother that has sore nipples after one week is generally told that she has thrush . In my 5.5 years of being in private practice , seeing hundreds of mothers , I've seen real thrush less than 10 times. A baby with a white tongue does not have thrush - it may have a slight runny nose and be breathing

The Breastfeeding Style of a 8 month old :)

2010-11-27T23:00:00.001Z

Its funny how you forget some things about the ways babies behave during breastfeeding. My little girl is at the acrobatic stage . She twists ,turns, yanks her head back and laughs and genuinely thinks she can take my breast ( hers really) wherever she wants. It reminds me of a talk I gave once about the lexicon of breastfeeding styles . There's the social butterfly which i know well too , my

Parenting and Breastfeeding

2010-10-16T09:51:00.000+01:00

I don't know if Im the only one noticing a huge increase in "baby training" ? You know those books that most new mothers buy? Im loath to even name them ! But it comes up in every class I teach. Its part of the process of becoming a parent where the mother/father searches for information ( because they feel they don't inherently know how to do it . ) This stage is called the anticipatory stage of

Support Groups

2010-10-08T09:08:00.000+01:00

Its funny really , I was in breastfeeding heaven yesterday ! Sometimes you don't know how much you needed something until you get it .. I went along to a breastfeeding support group here in Dublin for National Breastfeeding Week. There was LOADS of mums and babies there ( who says our breastfeeding rates are low ? well they were not in South County Dublin yesterday .) Its just so normal ,

Laid Back Breastfeeding

2010-10-06T21:13:00.000+01:00

or Biological Nurturing . Truely the easiest way to breastfeed - but because its so easy , people are sceptical about it. Heres what I said on a private form last year ( when I was a sceptic :) ) I took a leap of faith this morning and tried biological nurturingwith a mum and baby . Mum had sore nipples , very anxious tense mumbut baby was great. It was pretty amazing - fabulous latch , the

My Top Ten Breastfeeding Websites.

2010-10-04T19:14:00.000+01:00

Remember to come back here now! 1) kellymom.com The queen of breastfeeding sites . Still the best one stop place for all breastfeeding info. 2) bestforbabes.org This is my type of thinking : I really like their attitude about respect for all mothers and their feeding choice ( as long as its informed) . 3) breastfeedingmadesimple.com Lovely latching animation and a great book. 4)

My Top Ten Breastfeeding Books

2010-10-03T11:19:00.000+01:00

There are great web resources now for breastfeeding information but I've got to say each time I had a newborn I loved having a book nearby to browse. These are not listed in order of preference, if I had to pick one for a present to a pregnant mother, it would be Breastfeeding Made Simple (no. 8) . Its a easy to read , calm and respectful book to mothers and babies. Backed up by a great website.

Guess what this is made of ?

2010-10-02T18:22:00.000+01:00

Toy cherries? Red marbles ? Christmas tree decorations? No .. a breastfeeding bra made from formula scoops . Now thats what I call recycling! From the www.breastmates.co.nz site.. McInnes spent many hours crafting the art piece, which is made from an ambitious two year collection of baby formula scoops (the free scoops that come in formula tins), thread onto a hand woven wire frame, lined in

The Learning Curve of Breastfeeding

2010-10-01T11:41:00.000+01:00

This is taken from the best for babes website . If there was one message I could tell pregnant women it is - be informed, give it time , get good effective help if you have any concerns , but it takes most mothers a couple of tries to get the baby attached . That is of course, unless they are using the laid back method or biological nurturing ( more about that later in the week). Don't sit, in

My Contribution to National Breastfeeding Week.

2010-09-29T21:28:00.000+01:00

Ive really been very poor at blogging ! Well I have been busy ....anyhow Im promising that for National Breastfeeding Week here in Ireland ( October 1st -8th) , I will write a blog post every day . Feel free to nudge me if I dont have the post up by 10pm each night .

Heres why most breastfed babies share a bed.

2010-09-15T17:17:00.000+01:00

from the foodoflove.org I love this cartoon about how hard it is to breastfeed if your baby is in another room.safe cosleeping guidelines : http://www.babyfriendly.org.uk/pdfs/sharingbedleaflet.pdf

Fabulous ad campaign in the USA

2010-06-26T11:48:00.000+01:00

I really like this new ad thats in USA today from the best for babes website. Its ethos is very like our own www.thebreastway.ie . Its bringing breastfeeding into the 21st century but not making it all about how you can give your baby breastmilk but not directly feed. I love this stage of breastfeeding , Eliza is just gorgeous and looks up during a feed and gives the biggest gurgling smile .

New Class Northside Dublin - All Hallows

2010-06-15T18:12:00.001+01:00

Finally ! Im getting around to starting a breastfeeding class for pregnant mums ( and Dads) on the northside . And its going to be Saturday mornings.. in the beautiful peaceful grounds of All Hallows in Drumcondra . First class is August 21st . Booking details on my website www.breastfeedingsupport.ie

I've been busy!

2010-06-14T16:24:00.000+01:00

Let me introduce Eliza . She was born on March 10th so is just 3 months old now ( or 13 weeks ..hmm when to switch to months - it makes her sound older ...) She is an absolute joy of a baby , smiles and cooing at anyone who shows the slightest bit of interest - you have to talk in this house to be heard . I will be back to my blog soon as I have lots to write about . Thanks for checking in.

The Rescuing Hug

2010-01-04T20:43:00.000Z

Happy New Year ! Heres something thats not directly breastfeeding related but it just warms my heart . I remember when I looked after twins in the neonatal unit - I always tried to give them some time together in the incubator. Just imagine how awful it must have been to be separated from your wombmate.

Great new breastfeeding videos from New Zealand

2009-11-25T17:50:00.001Z

Warning - there is a birthing scene right at the beginning of this (shock , horror!) Came across this on another blog . There is a series of 7 starting with antenatal prep for breastfeeding right up to breastfeeding in public all from Breastfeeding New Zealand. . There is excellent latching information on the 2nd video - great for teaching or new mothers to watch to troubleshoot . I would love

New International sign "Milks Up" .

2009-11-18T10:57:00.000Z

Fast forward to about 3 minutes to see the new international sign for supporting breastfeeding mothers . Milks Up . Its a thumbs up with the sign for milk also. Its interesting because I got some feedback on a class I gave in October . One mum recommended her friends attend the class purely because a conversation we had about a breastfeeding mothers right to feed in public. I was just rattling

Review of Making More Milk

2009-11-03T12:34:00.003Z