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Amelie.

Amelie is a beautiful baby girl who also happens to have a too tight lip tie.
This is causing problems with drinking from the breast, ( along with being very sleepy!).

https://breastfeedingusa.org/content/article/tell-me-about-tongue-ties

Lip and tongue ties are common and are known as midline defects.
Often they are first spotted by a kraamverzorgster or Lactatiekundige.

Referal via a huisarts in The Netherlands is essential.

Zie borstvoeding.com

Hopefully baby Amelie can have this repaired very soon and breastfeeding can resume.

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Post-natal-care/104174706350295#

Out Of Africa.

I have just finished working with a family from Ghana, Africa.

Baby liked to drink from the breast which worked out fine as Mum had lots of milk!

Sometimes it was more of a milkshake due to 2 year old sister jumping on the bed during feeding times!

Grandmother came over from Ghana to cook and take care of the house.

I benefited from this as I was treated to the "Ghana kitchen" every day.

I like spicy food but wow was it spicy!!

By the end of my time there I was treated like one of the family and became "Auntie Helen".

Breastfeeding went really well and mum was able to pump 125 cc's in 10 minutes with a hand pump enabling her to make a reserve of her milk for when she returns to work in January.

Traumatic birth effects

Traumatic birth.

Have just finished working for a lovely family half Dutch, half Canadian.

The baby was stuck fast in the birth canal and his arm was caught up behind his back, ( a "Turtle").

The gynaecologist had to break his arm in order to get him out.
Everyone involved was traumatised and the mother lost too much blood resulting in a low iron.

This resulted in the mother being extremely tired and traumatised from the birth.
Father was also affected and kept busy to stop himself from thinking,( or so it seemed).

The baby itself was very sleepy especially at the breast and cried whenever his fractured arm was touched.
Both feeding in a comfortable position and undressing the baby were problematic to say the least!

Mum's milk was slow to come in probably due to the anaemia and stress.
Fenegreek was tried as a galactogue to increase her milk but she was allergic to this so it was discontinued.

Patience is required both for mum and baby.
Time to heal and time to bond.
Plenty of 'skin-to-skin' contact, mum and baby,( papa too).
Good iron-rich food for mum, rest and relaxation and in the future counselling and help to talk over the trauma.

Time can heal if we allow it to.

Netherlands, Hungary, Sweden

After working with two Dutch gezinnen
then a hungarian family I am now working with a Swedish family.
Beautiful baby girl with gorgeous blue eyes and a very big, black, woolly poodle who is very protective of the baby.
Apparently in Sweden, every mother and father practise "skin to skin" regulary with their baby and every woman breast feeds for at least a year.

After a traumatic and stressful experience in the hospital there were not many kraamzorg hours over.
Breastfeeding without supervision or help in hospital has led to" slaapende voeding" where it appears the baby is drinking well but actually is not active enough on the breast and is not swallowing.
Result is low weight gain and very sleepy baby.

Feeding with a feeding tube at the breast while mum has to pump every 2 to 3 hours to increase her production.
If only the beginning of the story had been less stressful and more supporting for the parents!

From Bangladesh to Egypt in one day!

From Bangladesh to Egypt.


I am now working with two families at the same time,( March baby boom!).
First with a family from Bangladesh where the breastfeeding is going well but baby is throwing up after every feed.
Mum is tired and has pain but is trying to care for her other child too.
Why do mums always feel guilty about not spending enough time with their children?
We do our best and cannot split ourselves into two,( or three).
Beautiful baby with long eye lashes and very proud brother.

Brother wanting in on the action!

Mum with that loving feeling.

In the afternoon I cycle to an Egyptian family with two other children.

Sampled Egyptian/Greek food last night and experienced a greek orthodox Easter celebration today.

More later.

Everything!

I have just finished working 10 days with a lovely, warm and hospitable family from Argentina. Mum was totally motivated to breastfeed and was "in it for the long haul!". After having breast surgery it was going to be touch and go if she could breast feed. When baby lost too much weight she had to start pumping with a breast pump and supplementing with formula milk. We tried everything from Fenegriek capsules, ( a galactogue) to warmth, massage, frequent pumping, breastfeeding tea and relaxation. Finally we turned to Domperidone which has the side effect of stimulating the hormone Prolactin which increases milk production. We went from 20 cc's to 65 cc's pumped. The baby increased in weight and was today well over his birthweight. Meanwhile I was treated to Argentines cake and other home-made food baked by grandma!! After 10 days there is still not enough breast milk production for a full feed but baby feeds on the breast( very slow) and mum is determined to keep going with the Domperidone. Watch this space for further news..........! Never give up and take one feed at a time, this way you are giving your very best to your baby. I am proud of you mum and all mums who just keep going for their babies. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/graphics/maps/large/ar-map.gif

Breast is Best?

I am now working with a young family with a 1 year old boy and a new baby. Breastfeeding was difficult as the young mum fought with her guilt at not spending more time with her first child. Noise, visitors and lack of confidence led to the baby losing weight and the mother panicking. The midwife that came did not help by suggesting that expressing her breast milk and giving it in a syringe, ( finger feeding)was too tiring and she would not manage it! Today I arrived to find the mother had weighed the baby and after an incorrect weight, has given the baby a bottle of formula. She will now not go back to breastfeeding. What a shame and she had a good supply which we had worked hard on to stimulate in the last few days. Of course breast is best but a passing negative remark can change everything and take away any motivation that was present.

http://www.alvaradofrazier.com/2012/06/what-makes-strong-woman.html

A New Year

2013- A New Year, New Mums and New Babies.

Another year full of new life and challenges.

Started the year with a baby boy, Seth, a cutie who just loved the breast, so much so we could not get him off!
Just before New Year I went to a single mum with a new baby and a 2 year old .
A baby girl this time 4 kilos!
Due to a Caesarian Section and a lack of help in hospital with breast feeding the mother had deep cuts on her nipples so was unable to latch the baby on in the first few days.

After expressing and feeding her baby with a bottle one night she ran out of expressed milk and latched the baby on.
Baby fed beautifully with no pain!
She is now going from strength to strength and fully breastfeeding her baby.
I admire this mother who despite the challenges she faces is strong and determined to give her baby the best.