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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.