" use the plastic spoons that come with the food trays to catch the
drops of pregnancy milk (I hate using the word 'colostrum' with new
mothers,
because it reinforces the popular notion that there is no milk yet,<snip>.
warmly,
Nikki Lee RN, MS, Mother of 2, IBCLC, CCE"
"I use the phrase "newborn milk" for the same reason :-).
-Claire Bloodgood, IBCLC"
What is wrong with teaching your new moms the truth? Colostrum is Awesome!!
It is a truly magical, and yes, a filling fluid! How about educating them
on its' qualities, which are custom-made, uniquely designed for their very
own newborns? Educate them on how the quantity is perfect for their babies'
marble sized tummy. " A little bit goes a long way!"
By NOT educating them, by not using "the dirty little word", YOU are
reinforcing the notion that colostrum is not valuable and therefore, not
worth mentioning.
Ellen Penchuk, IBCLC, RLC
Dear Friends:
Pregnancy or newborn milk is magical; other species of mammals die without it. It is perfect.
My objection is teaching mothers the technical term, 'colostrum'. I have dealt with too many people, mothers and health care professionals alike, who don't believe that there is anything in the breast until the 'milk comes-in'. In part, because of the name of the first milk doesn't have the word 'milk' in it.
This is a reason babies can be supplemented in hospital, because staff doesn't believe there is anything in the breast. I have worked with mothers who tell me "I don't have any milk yet, I only have colostrum." Then they sigh. Lay people often think colostrum isn't milk.
Why make things more complicated by using a foreign word when I see it used against exclusive breastfeeding? Why spend extra energy teaching a new phrase when I am already working hard to get this mother to put her baby to breast whenever the baby shows a feeding cue? I am choosing to put the teaching energy into the act, and not the word.
I would also, as long as I am waving my virtual magic wand, like to get rid of the term 'milk coming-in'. This is also confusing, and reinforces that there is nothing in the breast until the milk 'comes-in'. I prefer to say 'milk volume increasing' which is a more accurate phrase. If the milk doesn't 'come-in' until Tuesday, where was it Sunday, the day the baby was born?
For those of us whose profession is breastfeeding help, we can use all sorts of terms that are scientific and precise. But for the mothers in the US, already under seige, and at risk for premature weaning by virtue of living in the US, I am working to make things easier.
Hence, "Your milk volume will increase in a day or two. For now, the pregnancy or newborn milk is perfect for your baby as she practices eating in a different way than she did when she was inside you."
warmly,
Nikki Lee
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