Drops of Hope Lactation & Wellness Consulting

Breastfeeding remains the best infant feeding option for most infants during an emergency/disaster. Download AAP's health professional support resource (available in English, Arabic, Hebrew, Ukrainian & Spanish) to make sure providers know how to prepare breastfeeding families in an emergency: https://bit.ly/46Bxk7t

Those suction-based silicone tools are all the rage right now...

But what they are doing is applying constant suction to the breast, which is both a gland and an organ...which causes inflammation.

While you may find you get milk to collect, what we're seeing as lactation professionals is that these products are increasing breast inflammation (also called plugged ducts, but that's a term we need to get away from), oversupply, perceived undersupply, and sometimes babies who aren't gaining because the freezer was "fed" and the baby is hungry but thought to be "fussy" because they were already nursed and fell asleep recently...

Sure, leaking tells you there is milk in your body, but NOT LEAKING doesn't mean there's NOT milk...it's just about your ni**le muscles and how likely they are to release milk easily or not.

Not everyone leaks, that's okay.

If you do leak, use a "catcher" that doesn't apply suction.

Signed, a lactation consultant who cares about you, even if she hasn't met you.

Yep! It triggers a reflex that makes them push back.
Try placing your hand on baby’s shoulders or just behind the ears instead. 👍

"No one ever told me that!"

"I wish I knew this before."

"Why does everyone always say 'hold the head' when this works better?"

Well, folks, I have no idea why this isn't more widespread, but I canNOT express how valuable I find this tip: don't touch the back of your baby's head when latching the baby (or soonafter latching). Their forehead and sides of their head are fine (they don't seem to mind).

But the back of the head, either encourages them to put their chin to their chest or fight back.

Go ahead, try it yourself. Put your finger on the back of your head (halfway down your head) and open your mouth...would you want to eat with someone's finger there, even touching lightly?

Nope, it's annoying.

No, put your chin to your chest and open your mouth.

Can't do it comfortably, can you?

Don't do this to your baby.

If your arm is behind their head, ensure it's actually on their back, or supporting the side of their head while your hand/arm is on their upper back. OR, if your hand is on their back, keep your thumb and index finger wrapped around their neck and a couple fingers under their armpit, with your palm on their shoulder blades.

Try it. You (and your baby) might like it.

Need more help, we're here to help, in-person or virtual.

Blessed to serve families in Acadiana & CenLA as part of my day job!

A Huge Shout out to Lauren David, BSN, RN, IBCLC, RLC - CenLa Healthy Start High Risk Clinician for being The Family Tree Champion for all CenLa Healthy Start breastfeeding moms and to all mothers who choose to breastfeed.

International Board Certified Lactation Consultants are the gold standard in lactation care, making the early days, weeks, and months of parenthood easier, healthier, and happier for families everywhere.

On , let’s take a moment to say thanks for the vital work these highly credentialed professionals do! International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE)... THANKS Lauren David ! We appreciate all your expertise in breastfeeding.

On IBCLC Appreciation Day, I just want to say I appreciate all of the moms I’ve had the honor to serve over the years and all of the amazing colleagues I’ve been blessed to learn from. 💜💜

Doing what we do to protect our babies and our health definitely makes us all superheroes in nursing bras! 🦹🦸‍♀️

🎉 We congratulate Clarisse Agbegnenou, French Judo champion, for her successful advocacy work - athletes at the 2024 Olympics in Paris will be offered hotel rooms they can share with their breastfeeding children close to the 10,000 population athletes' village. 🥋

🧡💙💚 Clarisse said "To put things in perspective, I've decided to breastfeed my daughter until she's weaned. She hasn't yet, so I'm following her. I've made sure that I feel good physically, because of course there's an element of tiredness. But as a mother who needs to be very present for my daughter, I asked for the opportunity to have her with me during the Olympics." 🤱🏻🤱🏽🤱🏿

Image credit 📷 clarisse_agbegnenou on Instagram, from October 2022.
[Image description: smiling mother wearing judo kit sits on a bench in a sports hall breastfeeding her baby. She smiles broadly at the camera.]

“Do nursing parents need to pump in order to make enough milk?” The short answer is no. Effective breast pumps have been available for only about the past 70 years. Clearly humans have successfully nursed their babies for far longer.

But in some cases, pumping—and/or hand expressing milk—is crucial to meeting lactation goals. The key is understanding WHEN pumping makes sense and how often and how much milk to pump. Too much pumping can lead to painful oversupply. Too little pumping sometimes leads to low milk production, especially when baby nurses ineffectively or the nursing couple is regularly separated at feeding times. Let’s consider this issue from the Goldilocks perspective:

When is pumping too much, not enough, or just right?

Check out our blog post to learn from expert Nancy Mohrbacher about when, how often and how much is pumping too much and when is it just right.

Read blog post here: https://lactalearning.com/pumping-too-much/

Diaper bag ESSENTIAL!

🌟 Meet Mrs. Shelly Daigle, our talented PMH-C counselor at The Family Tree! 🌟

Certified in perinatal mental health, trained in EMDR, and currently in the 3rd cohort of Training in Adoption Competency with CASE, Shelly offers compassionate, person-centered care. She sees adults, couples, and families with in-person or virtual appointments available.

Shelly is now accepting new clients! Call us today to schedule a session with her. (337) 981-2180

Such an amazing organization!

This is a great recipe for soothing any kind of skin irritation.

But, did you know of another secret use????

Mix these 3 into a 4 oz sprayer of fractionated coconut oil & keep on your baby’s changing table. Spritz baby’s bum once or twice with each diaper change. Great for both protection AND soothing even the angriest of diaper issues.

Thank me later ✅

Best. Diaper-area. Fixer. EVER!