Brevard Lamaze

Delayed Cord Clamping may help your newborn with increased blood flow. This is an important topic for your Birth Plan.

Here’s a helpful article that shares the potential pros and cons of Delayed Cord Clamping:
https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/labor-and-birth/delayed-cord-clamping/

April is . While it can be a life-saving procedure for mom and baby, a cesarean is often prescribed when vaginal birth is a safe and sound option. Be aware that you have options, that you have a right to ask questions, and a right to know your risks. Educating yourself about birth is your best and first defense against an unnecessary cesarean. Get educated by taking a Lamaze childbirth education class. https://bit.ly/3UdhgEx

Group Lamaze classes are finally in the works for Brevard County!! YAY! Stay tuned for dates and locations! The first group class will likely be taking place in mid-June and all classes will be in Viera, FL. Keep an eye on this page or check out Brevardlamaze.com for updates :)

Let’s talk about on cue!

Our is all about Midwifery care!

We know that not everyone who becomes pregnant will have the ability to use midwifery care.

A midwife is someone trained in the natural process of pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum. They differ from physicians in that they are not trained in surgical procedures.

Midwifery care has been around for centuries and spans across countless cultures and countries. This model of care is based in forming trusting and individualized care. Midwives support women in whatever type of birth they choose, often assisting in undisturbed, physiological labors and births.

To learn more, check out what the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology says here: http://tinyurl.com/bdhyf2d9

https://www.npr.org/2023/07/27/1190263995/weighted-infant-sleepwear-safety?fbclid=IwAR1Pz9qDSFMNkk-vO_sZjlJmuU8a31GO5AXtAm6fmipAYtSWD1joUtLY9GQ

Weighted infant sleepwear is meant to help babies rest better. Critics say it's risky Parents are increasingly turning to weighted sleepwear to help lull their babies to sleep, but a growing number of doctors and safe sleep advocates warn it comes with risks that shouldn't be ignored.

Here are 10 reasons you should take a childbirth class:

° Learn how the process of labor works
° Find out how to move your body to stay comfortable at the end of pregnancy
° Help partner understand the process & be a part of it
° See what options are available for pain relief
° Meeting other families due when you are to share experiences
° Get more informed to calm fears during birth
° See how various options can alter your birth plans
° Play with tools to aid comfort in labor
° Answer questions you have about birth and beyond
° THE SNACKS. (Yes, some people come for the snacks.)

Why do you enjoy childbirth classes?

Sometimes we forget to ‘mother the mother’ once the baby arrives 💜

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/GMA/Family/657000-infant-formula-cans-recalled-potential-bacteria-contamination/story?id=106029711

Over 657,000 infant formula cans recalled over potential bacteria contamination Nutramigen infant formula cans have been recalled for possible Cronobacter sakazakii contamination.

No wonder we’re all so drawn to that precious newborn smell! ❤️

Scientists have discovered an odorless scent molecule called hexadecanal, or HEX, that is released by humans and impacts aggressive behavior. The HEX molecule is the most abundant molecule released on the newborn baby's head. The researchers found that this molecule reduced aggression in males (biologically important as infanticide is a relatively common event in the mammalian world) and increased aggression in females (key to infant protection). We have shared with parents that when they are skin to skin with their newborn they should remove the baby's hat to allow them to inhale the scent of their newborn as it elicits an entire range of activity in the parental brain. This is one more reason to take a deep sniff! (Mishor et al., 2022)

Source: Eva Mishor et al, Sniffing the human body volatile hexadecanal blocks aggression in men but triggers aggression in women, Science Advances (2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg1530

Happy to see the American Academy of Pediatrics lengthened its recommended minimum duration of breastfeeding to 2 years in its new policy statement released today. Check it out and see why that's good for both babies and nursing parents. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/doi/10.1542/peds.2022-057988/188347/Breastfeeding-and-the-Use-of-Human-Milk?autologincheck=redirected

Hey, did you know I offer online lactation support visits? Find me here at the Amwell site and schedule a visit! :)

https://patients.amwell.com/services/online-breastfeeding-support/?fbclid=IwAR1lfWRBCsg6GwAxjFJPwiTY6dTA9KhFcEmjTQ97E7-d62YmhoBL2F1BUbQ

Breastfeeding Support - Amwell Schedule an appointment with Amwell’s online lactation consultants to address common issues with breastfeeding such as latching, pain, supply, pumping, and going back to work.

Supporting Families During the Infant Formuła Shortage:
All of us have compassion for the many families dealing with the national infant formula shortage. As lactation support professionals, our focus should be on ensuring that parents who need access to infant formula have the information they need to keep their babies fed and safe. We are also here to help any families that may want to relactate or increase their production during this time period. Some important things to note when communicating with parents:

The Health and Human Services department has created a help information page for parents looking for resources to find formula here:
https://buff.ly/3wBgzHJ

The AAP has an advice page for parents:
https://buff.ly/3yuGWli

Navigating the US Formula Shortage: A Safe Approach
https://buff.ly/3PqPjnY

What should parents do?
•Call their pediatrician about alternatives if they use a specialized formula that is in short supply
•Visit the HHS site above to source the formula they need
•Connect to share milk systems like Human Milk 4 Human Babies and Eats on Feets for human milk sharing opportunities
https://buff.ly/3wnKZhK
https://buff.ly/3Lol12a
•Connect to donor milk sites
https://buff.ly/2UHjjQZ
•If lactating parents have an extra supply of human milk, consider becoming a part of the share milk/donor milk system to help families in need
•Use these safety tips in this excellent video when preparing formula
https://buff.ly/3NmXNdU
•If you are concerned about Cronobacter Infections (perhaps you have a baby with a compromised immune system) use these helpful measures
https://buff.ly/3lhxh9V
•Visits the CDC Formula Preparation Site
https://buff.ly/3wnxOOb
•Connect with their local lactation support professional if they wish to try and relactate, induce lactation, or increase/support their milk supply

What should parents try NOT to do?
•Make homemade infant formula (it lacks vital ingredients for a baby’s growth and development)
•Hoard formula (Instead, only buy what you need. The AAP recommends only buying 10-14 day supply at a time.)
•Water down infant formula to extend its life (this can cause serious health issues for your baby)
•Buy infant formula online from predatory marketplaces

Unfortunately, there has been some backlash towards the lactation community as advocates have shared their long-held concerns about the fact that this and other serious concerns with artificial milk production have always been a concern and there has not been a national plan or legislation to address these concerns. Therefore, this is a vital time, to call your legislative representative and share your story and your concerns with a clear call to action.

We get taught from a young age that putting babies down – in prams, in cots, in baby walkers – is expected.

However, as is often the case, there is a huge difference between social expectations of normal baby behaviour and what babies are biologically programmed to expect.

Your baby’s need for you can feel overwhelming sometimes. But put yourself in your baby’s shoes (if they had any!). You’re just a few weeks old. The world is still a very confusing place, full of bright lights, strange smells and disconcerting noises. You seem to be tiny compared to everyone else and don’t have much control over your body. The only way to get anything done is to gesticulate widely and then cry. But you feel so much calmer when you're close to someone whose voice and smell you recognise.

If you look at mammals in the animal kingdom, they can be broadly split into two types – those who squirrel their babies away in a den, and those who carry them around. We carry our babies around rather than leaving them down a hole.

Our closest animal relatives, primates, carry their babies. Primates tend to have more fur for babies to cling to so in the absences of this humans developed methods of carrying babies in slings.

The benefits of carrying your baby in a sling include:

Less crying – in one study, carrying babies for 3 hours a day reduced crying by nearly half.

Lots of the benefits of skin-to-skin apply to carrying, including regulation of temperature and heart rate.

Carried babies spend more time in a state known as ‘quiet alertness’, in which they are calm but awake and taking everything in. This is an optimal state for learning new things.

Carrying may reduce the risk of babies having a flat head (plagiocephaly), as they are in a more upright position, rather than lying with their head flat against a surface.

You get to be hands free.

It's like a multi-tasking strength training work out.

Human hot water bottle in cold weather

The sheer beauty of many slings (not yet evidence-based, but lovely things make people happy, therefore slings are good for mental health…)

Lots of new parents find that when their baby is born they are at first still quite sleepy. They may feed fairly frequently but immediately fall back to sleep. They may well be much more content to lie in their crib.

Then comes the second night – perhaps for many your first night at home – and suddenly your baby starts crying lots, feeding lots and generally won’t be put down. This is the point many new parents freak out wondering what on earth they have done and worrying it will always be like this - whilst panicking about how to soothe their baby.

Think of this from your baby’s perspective. Until now they have been inside you – snug, warm and with an unlimited supply of food on tap. Then birth happened with a load of hormones and being squeezed before they were born into a big, bright and noisy world.

After a brief phase of being a bit stunned & exhausted, they suddenly realise that constant source of everything they need has disappeared and well, they are not overly happy about that.

Breastfeeding lots and lots on that second night is not necessarily a sign that something is wrong. Once your baby is born it is their job to kickstart your milk supply. The more they feed, the more milk you start to produce so this sudden very frequent feeding is most likely a result of that. They are not starving – they have laid down fat during pregnancy to manage the change from the first milk you produce to having a full milk supply.

Do make sure they are latched on comfortably and clearly feeding, and always check with your health professional if you are worried, but more frequent feeding in itself is very normal on this night – and will be a pattern you will see emerge later when your baby has growth spurts and is trying to stimulate your milk supply.

The very best thing you can do to manage the second night is to recognise that this is about them needing to reclaim that warmth & comfort and that holding them and keeping them close will reassure them that you are there.

Hold them close to you so they can feel your heartbeat. Strip off and have some skin to skin. Keep feeding. Talk to them.

And remember this won't last forever!

When Is Pumping Too Much, Not Enough, or Just Right? — Nancy Mohrbacher I’m often asked the question: “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. Also, how many of the thousand...

What is a doula? A doula provides non-clinical emotional, physical, and informational support before, during, and after birth.

Doula support can reduce health disparities and improve health equity. Every Mother Counts recognizes World Doula Week (March 22-March 28) as a powerful moment to elevate doulas for their capacity to improve maternal health outcomes and:

✔️ Reduce c-section rates
✔️ Help shorten the length of labor
✔️ Reduce the use of pain medication
✔️ Increase breastfeeding initiation and continuation
✔️ Increase mother’s satisfaction of birth experience
✔️ Reduce the likelihood of postpartum mood disorders
✔️ Increase new parents’ confidence in the care of their newborn

Read more about doulas in "Advancing Birth Justice: Community-Based Doula Models of Care for Ending Racial Disparities" on our website (link in bio).

INFANT FORMULA INVESTIGATION: At least 3 babies got sick from Cronobacter infection and sadly one has died.

Do not feed your baby any recalled powdered infant formula. Check the code on the package and compare it to the recall information.
• Return recalled formula for refund at store or online at Abbott.
• If you get infant formula from WIC, contact your local WIC agency for more guidance.
• Do not feed your baby diluted formula or homemade formula.
• Do not buy formula online that comes from outside the U.S. This formula could be counterfeit.
https://go.usa.gov/xzaD8

This is SO important. Please read this through.... and then read it again! You should ALWAYS be provided with the opportunity to give your consent when anything at all is being done to and for you. Having a labor partner or doula who can help advocate for you at your birth is so important too.

“🤎🤍🅸🅽🅵🅾🆁🅼🅴🅳 🅲🅾🅽🆂🅴🅽🆃🤍🤎

Being educated and knowledgeable is absolutely vital ; informed consent and informed refusal are both so important in a birth setting.

Informed consent is NOT telling you what is going to happen, it is INFORMING you on the benefits and risks of your choices and letting you make an informed decision.

There are topics that need to be discussed and researched before you give birth, that way you are aware of everything that is going on and educated on the choices that may be presented to you.

"Well how do I do that?"
🤎Hire a doula
🤎Take a birth education class

You have choices; you have options. “✨

So true ❤

When Casey was around four weeks old I remember asking a newly acquainted mum friend, 'Does this get any easier?'.

It makes me laugh now that I had deemed her an expert because she had a few weeks up on us.

She thoughtfully paused for a moment and said: 'It doesn't get easier, just different'.

Oof how she was right. All those leaps and wonder weeks that bled into each other. Punctuated only by teething and illness.

But then somehow it did start to get easier in small incremental ways that you don't really notice at the time. Suddenly you're not carrying muslin cloths everywhere because he’s stopped bringing up milk. Suddenly he’s stopped dribbling and the bibs get packed away. Suddenly you've no use for teething granules. Suddenly your back stops aching so much. Suddenly he will play independently for 10 minutes here and there, 20 minutes even. Suddenly he drops all naps and the day no longer revolves around nap battles and timing everything to a tee. Suddenly the gro-egg seems redundant. Suddenly your big jam-packed baby bag consists of just a cup of water and some raisins. Suddenly, and crucially, sleep is no longer a stranger.

Simultaneous gains and losses.

Babyhood. It felt impossible until suddenly, it didn't anymore. It lasted an eternity, yet no time at all. I soaked it up and wished it away. I’m glad it’s over but miss it beyond belief. It was so hard. But never better. Ever.

Art by: ART Shima

Words: Karen McMillan (Mother Truths)

Taken from: 'Lessons: Reflections on Early Motherhood'
Available to buy worldwide: http://linktr.ee/mother_truths

❤

Just a few of the many reasons our little ones need to nurse and cuddle.

Current Recommendations for Breastfeeding in the
Time of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

Recommendations are evolving as more is being learned

* WHO: The numerous benefits of breastfeeding substantially
outweigh the potential risks of illness associated with the SARSCoV-2 virus. It is not safer to give infant formula than breast milk

* CDC: Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for most infants, and it provides protection against many illnesses

* CDC: People without suspected/confirmed COVID who have NOT
been in contact with someone who has COVID-19 do not need to
take special precautions when breastfeeding or expressing breast milk

It's the most wonderful time of the year... It's Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) recertification time! I've been spending the past several weeks taking in tons of helpful breastfeeding information. Really looking forward to sharing it all in upcoming breastfeeding and childbirth prep. classes. In the meanwhile, I'll share some helpful tidbits here on my FB page as I come across them. :)

Labor partners, here's a short list of tips for providing support during active labor.

https://www.lamaze.org/Giving-Birth-with-Confidence/GBWC-Post/tips-for-supporting-your-partner-in-active-labor-1

Tips for Supporting Your Partner in Active Labor Partners going through a first-time pregnancy often worry about what to expect during the upcoming birth. For anyone, the unknown feels scary and since birth is (unfortunately) associated with plenty of myths and negative stories, the unknown of birth feels particularly frightening. It's like being...

Amazing Properties of Breastmilk Fact Text: Breastmilk contains stem cells! "Those precious, and until recently, unknown little gems of breastmilk, its stem cells, have been further studied for their migration and potential functions in the nursed offspring. And, the outcome? Yes, they do somehow make it through the delicate gastr...

Lamaze Six Healthy Birth Practices

Healthy Birth Practice 1: Let labor begin on its own.
Healthy Birth Practice 2: Walk, move around and change positions throughout labor.
Healthy Birth Practice 3: Bring a loved one, friend or doula for continuous support.
Healthy Birth Practice 4: Avoid interventions that are not medically necessary.
Healthy Birth Practice 5: Avoid giving birth on your back and follow your body's urges to push.
Healthy Birth Practice 6: Keep mother and baby together — it's best for mother, baby and breastfeeding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=243cnpOLKxk&list=PLbWWgy5fPU_UzGP1eB55YNtFN6BQTP64R&index=23&t=40s

6 Simple Steps to a Safe and Healthy Birth The Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices are the foundation of Lamaze. These Birth Practices are designed to help simplify your birth process with a natural approa...

Based on this encouraging study looking at the safety of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines during pregnancy published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the CDC now RECOMMENDS that pregnant women receive the COVID-19 vaccine: http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMoa2104983...

Based on this encouraging study looking at the safety of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines during pregnancy published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the CDC now RECOMMENDS that pregnant women receive the COVID-19 vaccine: www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMoa2104983?articleTools=true

I've been working hard at getting myself ready for virtual Lamaze and breastfeeding preparation classes, but please know that I am still here to offer virtual breastfeeding support whenever you need me! Spread the word to any new moms who may need a little extra encouragement in their breastfeeding journey! 🌈

https://www.brevardlamaze.com/class-schedule-locations