Your Breastfeeding Questions Answered

Dr. Jane Morton, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine, is an expert on nursing premature infants as well as a member of the Breastfeeding.com medical advisory board.

Dr. Morton works one-on-one with new mothers at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University, teaching moms how to breastfeed successfully. In 1997, Focus Magazine named Dr. Morton one of the "Best Doctors in the Bay Area," and she was again selected by her peers as one of "Silicon Valley's Best Physicians" as reported in The Sane Jose Magazine in 1999.

	How do I wean from my breast to the cup?
	Can I successfully breastfeed my baby if I have very large breasts?
	Is it necessary to wear a nursing bra?
	How do I balance breastfeeding with giving my baby solids?
	Is it OK to go on Weight Watchers while nursing?

How do I wean from my breast to the cup?

How do I wean my daughter from my breast to the cup?  She will be a year old on Saturday.  Am I weaning her too soon? Should I wait?  I need help!

I have other children, but neither of the two boys nursed this long. My oldest nursed until he was 4 months, my second son nursed until he was 8 months.  Is this a trend?  Each child has nursed about four months longer than the previous child.





Let's start with your first question - how do you wean her from breast to cup.  A one year old usually loves her bath.  Buy her lots of colorful plastic cups and let her drink tub water to her heart's content and learn what fun it is to drink from a cup (don't use a sippy cup). Next, begin teaching her how to deal with transitional feelings such as boredom, frustration, fatigue, in other ways aside from nursing. Instead, keep breastfeeding to fairly strict, ritual times of the day (i.e. right before nap, bedtime, first thing in the morning, etc.).  That way, she'll stop insisting to be comforted at the breast and learn how to more independently handle those feelings.  The cup will consequently become more of a playful, fun part of her life rather than your effort to divert her from the breast.  If you wean in two steps, meaning first teaching her that breastfeeding is part of a ritual time of the day, and second, replacing that ritual with another ritual (i.e. father rocking rather than mother nursing), it is easier!

You ask if you are weaning her too soon.  Ideally, weaning is a mutual decision between mother and baby.  If you take the first step, I think Elizabeth will begin feeling more independent (less dependent on you for emotional comforting), and will give you clues that she too is ready to drop particular ritual nursing sessions.  For example, she may be just as happy to have her father take her into the kitchen to help with breakfast as lying in bed nursing in the morning. Try this out.

Finally, your personal trend of nursing each child a bit longer than the previous child is probably a reflection of your own success with breastfeeding. This is not a characteristic that we expect.

Can I successfully breastfeed my baby if I have very large breasts?

I am 32 weeks pregnant; it is my second pregnancy.  I am overweight and have large breasts.  I did not breastfed my first son because of lack of confidence and also a big lack of knowledge.

I would very much like to succeed in breastfeeding my second newborn and therefore need help in positioning with large breasts.





Good question, Irena! Many women have large, pendulous breasts to the point where they are unable to see exactly how they are positioning their breast for the baby.  You might find it useful to use my video about getting started nursing (1-800-253-7678).

The circular Band-Aid markers positioned at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock about an inch or two back from the areola are easy to feel.  Place you thumb on the outside marker and your pointing finger on the inside marker and compress the breast, sandwiching it, into a shape that will fit easily into your baby's mouth.  Have a mirror positioned in front of you, angled so that you can see what you are doing. Make sure you are sitting up as straight as you can, and not reclining in a hospital bed.

You may also find it useful to take a fact towel and roll it longitudinally, then place it in a u-shape under your breast.  As the breast gets heavier, the towel will help steady the breast.

It will be very important to start nursing your baby at least six times on the first day and eight times on each subsequent day. Your baby will find it easier to learn if he/she begins learning on a soft, pliable breast.

Is it necessary to wear a nursing bra?

I used to wear a nursing bra a few days after my baby's birth, but I didn't find it comfortable at all, not to mention the rashes under my breasts.

Nowadays I just don't put my bra on when I'm home.  Although, I have to admit that leaking is a bit of a problem as it messes my t-shirt and the floor! But I feel much better without wearing one.

Is this going to cause my breasts or my baby any problems?





Dear Chilin Yeh,

I am so glad you asked this question.  Frankly, I am quite sure that most of the paraphernalia designed for breastfeeding mothers is unnecessary.  In fact, there is nothing more conducive to fostering a nipple or breast infection than the tropical environment created by a bra with wet nursing pads and an impervious layer of grease on your breasts.

In parts of the world where survival depends on the success of breastfeeding, many women wear nothing over their breasts. The likelihood of rashes and infection is dramatically reduced with this generous exposure to air and sunshine.  I'd suggest you choose t-shirts that, because of their color, are less likely to show the leaking, and enjoy the comfort!

How do I balance breastfeeding with giving my baby solids?

Allegra has started eating chicken and fish in addition to her diet of vegetables.  How often should I expect her to nurse now.  I heard that solids should not be given within an hour of nursing because they could interfere with the absorption of nutrients in breast milk.

Is an hour long enough to wait? Need I be concerned?  Also, I hope to nurse her until she is 2 (or older), and I want to avoid weaning her too quickly.  I work full time and pump between 8-10 ozs. for her a day and nurse her at lunch time. Sometimes she takes big naps during the day and dad gives her solids, so she doesn't finish the breastmilk I leave for her.  Is this a problem?





Dear Tessa,

A baby who is exclusively breastfed by 6 months is generally taking about a quart of milk each day.  Once you begin solids at this time, her intake of milk will normally be reduced to approximately 20-24 ounces by 9 months.  At the same age, she should be taking 3 solid meals each day.  I would not worry about the absorption of the nutrients and the timing of the breastfeeding, although generally I would feed solids before nursing.

As long as you keep your production high,  Allegra will probably be very happy to continue nursing.  The biggest problem develops when your production is reduced and the access of milk from the breast becomes difficult for your baby. In that situation, she may well prefer a bottle over the breast. Having an excess amount of breastmilk should be no problem.  You can always freeze it and use it later - even 6 months later.  Instead of a problem, this is simply reassurance that you are keeping a generous level of production.  Hope this is helpful!

Is it OK to go on Weight Watchers while nursing?

I am back at my pre-pregnancy weight and would like to lose about 10 pounds.  Can I go on Weight Watchers, or do you suggest another diet?





Dear Beth,

The most important way to get back in shape will be exercise.  Using your calories rather than avoiding calories will have a much healthier impact on your breastfeeding.  As we age, exercise becomes increasingly important, not to mention that Madeleine will benefit more than you can believe by having you as an active role model.

I think we focus far too much on fad diets and far too little on doing something that makes us sweat for at least 1/2 hour 3-4 times a week.  The best diet would be a healthy well-balanced one.  It would be fine to focus on low fat foods.  I would, however, avoid diets that restrict you to a small number of foods, particularly high protein diets.  I would also suggest drinking lots of fluid, and avoiding caffeine beverages, particularly soda.  Weight Watchers generally has very sound advice.



 

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