What is the Difference Between Colostrum and Breast Milk?
Breast milk is often referred to as liquid gold. There is a good reason that it earned this nick name. Colostrum is an early form of breast milk. Its golden hue and magical properties sustain a newborn in the early hours after birth. Breast milk production begins...
Causes of Nipple Pain in Breastfeeding Mothers
Several years ago, a mother of one of my newest patients came to me with the complaint of nipple pain. Mary was a first time mother to a sweet baby boy. She had been nursing him for the last 2 weeks since his birth. He was happily feeding at the breast and...
Can You Get Rid of Mastitis On Your Own?
Susan woke up with fever and chills. She had given birth to her first child three days ago and thought that breastfeeding was going well. Unfortunately, these new symptoms seemed to indicate that maybe it wasn’t going so well after all. After taking a moment to...
3 Reasons for Fussiness at the Breast: Understanding Your Baby
Breastfeeding is a unique journey for every mother and baby, filled with serene moments and, occasionally, some tough challenges. One common hurdle that many new mothers face is fussiness at the breast. This behavior can be puzzling and sometimes stressful, but...
Postpartum Depression is Not Your Fault
Postpartum depression is not your fault. Last night as I was settling into my nightly routine and waiting for the late night news broadcast to come on, I caught the tail end of a show. It was one of those candid camera type shows where they set up an unsuspecting...
You Can Safely Exercise While Breastfeeding
Whether you were an elite athlete before and during pregnancy or you are more of a “walk around the neighborhood” kind of gal, you can safely exercise while breastfeeding. Maternal exercise and breastfeeding can go hand in hand. Most health care providers...
Can You Safely Diet While Breastfeeding?
Many new mothers want to know about how to safely diet while breastfeeding. While, becoming a new mother is joyous, it is also a challenging experience. Some mothers feel like they lose a little bit of themselves in this stage of life. You may feel like you have very...
What Drugs Affect Breast Milk?
Many different drugs affect breast milk. Both illegal drugs and legal substances potentially enter the breast milk through passive diffusion. Whether or not something enters the breast milk depends on many factors, including molecular weights and lipid solubility....
Medications and Breastfeeding: What is Safe?
As a breastfeeding mother, there are so many things that you will worry about. Medications and breastfeeding is one of those things. Several years ago, a woman named Allison called me to ask for a lactation consult. She was struggling to breastfeed her one week old...
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