Heather MacLean,RN,CBC,BS has 15 years experience as a Registered Nurse, is a Certified Breastfeeding Consultant, and has her Bachelor of Science in Family Health.read more

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Sign In to Ask a Question Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12   lactation expert   Thread Posted by Replies Views Date   Breastfeeding Question Sometimes my breast are so sore from breastfeeding that they ache   And sometimes it is painful at the beginning of feedings   Is this normal after about 3 weeks of breastfeeding Answer LaKetia 1 302 6/29/08 3:45 pm   breastfeeding and bc Question I am breastfeeding my 9 weekold and about to have a procedure done I will have to go under and my doc says I wont have to pump she will be fine   I also want to use the nova ring as my birth controll until this procedure takes full effect (3 months)  my doc says it will reduce my milk and other then that it is fine to use   Is this true Answer waiting 1 255 6/27/08 1:54 pm   how early is to early Question how early is it ok to give ater to a baby my son is two months old and it is terribly hot but im not sure when i can give him water and if it will hurt his system i dont want him to dehidrate is it ok to give him water Answer prinsas27 1 385 6/7/08 4:43 pm   breastfeeding Question breast feeding I am breast feeding and well aware of its benefits for the baby however I am having problems on one side where I only have three small functioning streams of milk which becomes frustrating for the baby while eating   So I have relied on my electric pump on this side to extract  the milk and primarily feed from the other side   The problem is that I am completely lopsided and it takes 30 minutes to get 2 maybe 3 oz of milk from the "bad" side   I was wondering if there are any suggestions on increasing what I produce   And anyway to get it out faster without killing myself with pumping pains   I am ok with the lopsidedness as I know it's temporary but it makes my clothing choices for the summer to be limited   Any suggestions or am I in a hole until I stop feeding   Also will I be able to feed only on the one side for a long period Answer nichole 1 349 6/6/08 1:57 pm   not enough milk while full time Question Hi My baby will be 2 months next week and will go back to work after my 12 week leave My baby is taking my milk from me and from the bottle as well every 2 3 hours The problem is that when I pump I have to wait a while so I can hardly get 3 oz and had to wait about 6 hours or more to get 4 oz I do not know how to prepare his milk and have it ready once I get back to work Can you give me some advise thank in advance Answer Bluesky 1 375 6/3/08 12:21 pm   MILK RUNNING LOW Question MY BABY IS 3MONTHS AND MY MILK IS RUNNING LOW I WANT TO BREAST LONGER CAN I TAKE FENUGREEK WITH MY PRENATAL VITAMINS Answer 2GODBTHEGLORY 1 372 6/3/08 12:48 am   Tips on producing more breastmilk Question I am a second time mom and would like tips on producing more breastmilk Answer Melinda 1 575 5/20/08 4:45 pm   Tips on producing more breastmilk Question Hi as a brestfeeding mom for the second time I feel like I am doing something wrong    My baby is eating well but I feel like maybe I am not able to fill her up enough to become full   Is there any thing to do eat or drink to help produce more milk   Answer Melinda 1 380 5/19/08 7:08 pm   breastfeeding and solid food Question Hi Heather My baby boy is 5 months old now and his doctor has  just advised rice cereal and 1st food From day 1 I feed him with breast and formula I just want to know when is the appropriate time to stop breastfeeding And as I want to have a 2nd baby can you advise normally when the period will come again after stopping breastfeeding Thanks     Answer SuperStar 1 332 5/13/08 9:17 pm   breast feeding with a breast reduction Question Can you tell me if there is anything I should be doing to prepare for breastfeeding with a breast reduction I had this done at 23 years old and I am not 29 I am hoping to be able to breast feed Do you know the statistics on this I know it depends on the surgery so I should probably just wait and see Also what formula would you recommend if I can not or if I need to supplement Answer kelo 1 368 5/6/08 3:19 pm   I ONLY GOT 14 DAYS TILL MY DUE DATE Question HOW  WILL I KNOW  IF  MY  BREAST MILK WILL BE ANY GOOD IM AFRAID IT WONT BE GOOD ENOUGH SOURCE FOR HER SHOULD  I JUST PUT HER ON FORMULA THIS IS MY FIRST CHILD I DONT KNOW EXACTLY WHAT  TO  LOOK FOR HELP PLEASE Answer First Time Mommie 08 1 432 5/2/08 10:20 pm   cereal and baby food Question My baby is currently 3 months old my first two started eating baby food at 4 months   I've heard recently that I should only nurse for the first 6 months before introducing food what do you think Answer fourtimemom 1 379 5/1/08 2:44 pm   weight loss -another question Question Thank you for your reply   My docs office told me that obtaining a weight of 120 would sacrifice my milk composition and supply and that is why I became frustrated and emailed you   At  5 weeks postpardum I weighed in at 138 lbs (although I could tell I was retaining water quite a bit that morning)   I got up to 152 lbs at birth   What  is usually is the pattern of weight loss for at nursing mom at this point   The nurse practitioner said that most have lost 20 lbs by this point   I eat very healthy but maybe I am was eating too much healthy food   This is definitely a weight I am comfortable at   Answer kim 1 301 4/30/08 3:48 pm   weight loss Question Is it true that nursing hormones can make a thinner person retain weight to feed baby   This is frustrating to think that I cant be normal for a year (while I nurse)   I just want to be me again   Is it ok to try to go back to my 120 at prepreg weight with a height of 5'5 1/2 or is this going to make my BMI too low Answer kim 1 351 4/28/08 7:51 pm   breast pain Question I am a first time mom and I have been breastfeeding my newborn for almost two weeks   My right breast is in a great deal of painand leaking   It is also about two cup sizes smaller than the left breast   I have a heating pad on it but it does not seem to be helping   Any ideas what might be causing this   How should I treat the breast lryan12 Answer lryan12 1 354 4/28/08 3:12 pm   I want to be as prepared as possible to breastfeed Question Hello   First of all thank you for reading my question and answering so many others   This is a GREAT resource   My concern is as follows:  I am 11 weeks pregnant with my first child   My priority has been researching and preparing myself to do the best I humanely can for my baby   I have watched videos read every FAQ here and I am just SO afraid that when the time comes I will have some sort of problem breastfeeding   Generally speaking can mothers hire a lactation expert like yourself to be there at the hospital   I don't want to rely or depend on someone who I won't know at the hospital who may not do a good job   I also don't want to go through the trouble of getting sore nipples etc etc   I am a financially conservative person but when it comes to health and breastfeeding my baby I don't mind at all splurging and paying how ever much just to have that peace of mind   It would be money WELL spent   In the US are there resources/organizations I can try to contact or do I just search for a lactation expert with references   I know this is probably a strange question and has never been asked but I really would appreciate your advice on this   THANK you again Answer KookiePenny 2 354 4/25/08 11:55 pm   No Colostrum Yet Question I have now entered my 33rd week of my second pregnancy   I wasn't able to nurse my first child and was terribly disappointed   I believe I just wasn't educated enough   I have read about and heard other mothers discussing that their colostrum came in during their third trimester   I have also heard about mothers having their colostrum come in right after birth   When should I be expecting this   Does it matter when it comes in   Does it reflect on whether or not I will be able to breast feed successfully this time Answer teresa0738 1 294 4/23/08 6:24 pm   low breast milk Question i put a question before i am only giving formula once a day at night because even when i squeezi my breast the is only dots of milk coming out please advice me because i really don't want to stop feeding my milk how can i know if it is enough and how often should i breast feed if my baby is now like 4 months because sometimes he doesn't feed for 4 to five hours between feedings and sometimes he wants to eat every hour Answer vasoula 1 387 4/21/08 1:31 pm   i don't think my milk is enough Question hi my baby is 3 1/2 months old and i'm breast feeding this is my 4 th baby but my first to breast feed so i want to do it as much as i can but now i reached a limit were he will suck for like 5 minutes and the he starts fussing because there is no more to drink so i have been givingf him formula at his bedtime please tell me what to do i don't want to stopbreastfeeding till he's at least 6 or9 months Answer vasoula 1 385 4/20/08 12:30 pm   breastfeeding and HBV Question I'm a cronic Hepatitis B virus carrier and would like to know if breastfeeding is ok with my condition Answer fn1972 1 351 4/12/08 9:36 pm   Breast Milk & Formula Question Hi I just started working and been sucessfull at pumping enough milk for my 3 month old son the problem we have is that the care taker is telling me that he dont like the pump milk in the bottle   How can I make him enjoy the milk in the bottle   Can the breast milk be mixed with formula he was able to drink formula no problem Thank you Concern Mom     Answer bea 1 369 4/16/08 6:51 pm   Plus-Size breasts Question I am a plus size expectant mom with plus size breasts   I tried with my first pregnancy to breastfeed but it seemed as though my nipples wouldn't harden   So the latch on never happened I ended up pumping for four months I'm now expecting my second child and I really want to breastfeed Are there any items on the market  or techniques that I can try   Thanks in advance   Answer Barb1 1 401 4/10/08 5:55 pm   4 month and teething?? Question my baby boy is just 17 weeks old he seems so unsetteled lately that i think he might be teething is it too soon i gave him a few drops of tylenol for the pain and within seconds it stoped he was very relaxed or is the tylenol to strong for the baby what should i give him for the pain if he is teethin i froze a water plastic toy and gave to him he liked it a lot cause he keept sucking on it Answer mandy 1 369 4/7/08 1:32 am   breast pain Question I have a lump that formed last night above my right breast Is it just a knot in my muscle or something I should be worried about Answer 1 392 4/6/08 10:51 am   torn nipple Question There is a slight tear in one of my nipple and my son is only 3 weeks old   I am breastfeeding but because of the pain I am pumping on the side that is torn and still feeding on the other   Is there any way that I can get the tear to heal any sooner   Please help Answer saxxychica 2 415 3/31/08 1:48 pm   2 days without po po Question hello i was wondering if there was any reason other than my 4 month old baby boy is crowing and his digestive system is slowing down he isnt having regular po po s anymore im still breast feeding / now and than i give him formula maybe 3 onces a week all is breast milk other wise he doessnt seem to be constepated and happy but  i worry he feels uncomfortable thank you Answer mandy 1 361 4/2/08 9:13 pm   2 days without po po Question hello i was wondering if there was any reason other than my 4 month old baby boy is crowing and his digestive system is slowing down he isnt having regular po po s anymore im still breast feeding / now and than i give him formula maybe 3 onces a week all is breast milk other wise he doessnt seem to be constepated and happy but  i worry he feels uncomfortable thank you Answer mandy 1 315 4/2/08 9:13 pm   Breastfeeding and Acid Reflux Question Could breastfeeding make my baby's Reflux worst or better Because right now her formula is not doing her any good and she is unable to keep anything down Not only that she has been in and out of the hospital since she has been born Answer mommiehayz 1 308 3/30/08 8:46 pm   my diet and breastfeeding Question Hello Heather I recentlI noticed in my newborn's yellow seedy poop some stretchy and jello like mucous when she was 12 days old She is 19 days old now Her tommy was mang some noise and she didn't gain weight when she was 12 16 days old I am nursing her 10 times a day She seems to be happy between feeding not fussing much What could be the reason of her mucous To give you more to work with I will tell you that with my first daughter 4 years ago I had a similar problem When she was 3 4 months old she started having mucous in her poop her tommy made noise and she was gaining only a little bit of weight  Back then we went to the specialist and what he suggested was to illiminate dairy in my diet and see what happens I did and her tommy seemed to make less noise but mucous was still present Slowly it went away but it tool a few months The specialist also told us that if my diet didn't help to either take her off the breast or to try and check her colon by inserting some kind of camera Not sure how it's called   Anyway we didn't do this procedure then and I don't want it done now either So what should I do Please help I already stopped eating diary and noticed less tommy noise but till mucous (jello like or stretchy) mixed with seedy poop   I measured her weight today on my OLD baby scale t(hat is not very accurate) and it seems that she may have gained a few ounces We go to see her doctor in a week and then I will know more accurate weight I want to nurse and don't want to supplement with formular Me and my baby are both working so hard on it but I don't want my milk to hurt her Her pediatrician doesn't seem to mind formular that's why I ask you as I am nervous that's what her answer to this problem could be But why mucous What else in my diet could cause it I don't eat now fruits and veggiesnot to trigger any allergies in the baby but I eat nuts and honey bread could they be a reason for mucous And another question some nights she wants to sleep 5 6 hours through the night but I try to wake her up to feed Should I continue towake her up How often I should nurse Thanks a lot   Answer Valeri 1 359 3/27/08 8:17 pm   how to produce more breast milk Question My 4 5 month old son never latched on so I have been exclusively pumping my breast milk for this time period On average I would pump at least 30 oz a day but over the last month my supply has decreased to maybe on a good day getting 11 oz I did drop feedings at time progressed but was always able to maintain my levels of milk I do not want to lose my milk so do you have any suggestions on how to regain my supply Thanks in advance Jennifer Answer Connors Mommy 1 480 3/20/08 2:25 pm Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

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