Hi Paulina,
I am a BF Peer Counselor with WIC and an IBCLC. I talk with lots of
young moms. I try to be very casual. I stress that they are the boss
and they get to decide how they are going to do things. I get good
reactions from this. I frequently hear that I am the only person that
has told them this.
I acknowledge that bf can be "weird." I hear that word alot in regards
to bf. I explain that it may feel weird and of course it does, how
many times have you had a baby sucking at your breast? I discuss the
difference between weird and pain. When you first start nursing, it
may feel weird but weird isn't pain. I also tell them that hormones
take over and the "weird" part stops being a concern.
Moms who don't want to even think about bf respond positively to skin
to skin and a baby being able to latch by itself with very little
help. When I talk about inborn reflexes and skills I get "cool!" as a
response. I hand out the "Breastfeeding: You can do it!" DVD by Pamela
Wiggins and ask them to watch the self attachment video. I've gotten
good feedback on that.
I stress volume of colostrum, how much baby may get at a first feeding
& in the first 24 hours. Show them a bottle and how different that
volume is. Maybe use measuring spoons vs a bottle to show the
difference. At a Grow and Glow WIC training, Cathy Carothers talked
about pouring out most of the "small" 2oz bottle of formula in front
of parents to show just how little baby needs. That is quite powerful.
Even after learning these things, I have moms call and tell me they
don't have any milk. I remind them of the tiny amounts babies are
supposed to eat as they learn to breastfeed.
I really like to talk about how they will get more sleep and how
responding quickly to baby at night will get baby back to sleep
sooner. It will get easier over time, you don't have to get up and fix
bottles and baby is less likely to be awake with ear infections &
other ailments. Bringing up the fact that there is less constipation
gets their attention. Many know moms that formula fed and had to deal
with constipation and switching formulas to deal with it.
I've found that alot of young mothers want to pump and offer bottles.
I discuss how it complicates things. You need to pump in addition to
caring for baby, preparing bottles, cleaning pump parts, etc. It is
much easier to sit and nurse the baby in front of the TV, while
texting, dozing, etc. If they are insistent in wanting to pump, I ask
them to consider bf in the hospital and the 1st week or so until their
supply increases. Some moms will continue to directly bf and others go
on to pump.
I also discuss 2nd night so they know what to expect when they go home
from the hospital.
As I write this, I realize how much I cover. Generally, I like to have
45 min to an hour to go over things. I pay attention to the moms so I
can see when they stop listening or shut down.
In a nutshell, I cover
Skin to skin
Volume of colostrum
Frequency of feedings
2nd night
Growth Spurts
I have to say, it is a bit intimidating to post this on a list with so
many experienced people! I've been doing this for 1.5 years so I'm a
newbie!
Allison Laverty Montag IBCLC, RLC
--
"Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we often might win,
by fearing to attempt."
William Shakespeare
Measure for Measure
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