Birth Sweet Brooklyn

12/10/2024

Thickened bottles are not currently recommended.

09/06/2023

I find Dr. Wickham to be a great resource on birth topics! Her new book looks like a good one to check out.

I am SO happy to have launched my Plus Size Pregnancy book into the world.

Absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of love and happy comments that we have received today.

Thank you so much.

I hope you'll buy it, recommend it, review it and help spread the word.

Together, we can help women get informed about the issues.

https://www.sarawickham.com/plus-size-pregnancy

02/07/2023

Some great children's books recommendations at the end of this thread!

11/20/2022

Most people don’t need a huge freezer “stash.”

“I often see pictures on social media of freezers full of breast milk. The caption always reads something like “thankful for my freezer stash” or “stocked up to go back to work”. I wanted to show moms what a going back to work stash normally looks like.

It seems as though no one is posting about their completely normal and adequate “freezer stash”. This is 16 oz of milk, and it is completely adequate for a moms first day back to work.

The average baby takes around 1-1.5oz per hour while mom is away. This means that if baby is at daycare for 9 hours the maximum amount baby should need is about 13oz. This also leaves a 3oz cushion should the parents get stuck in traffic or if some is spilled.

If mom is pumping to make up missed feedings while away from baby she will get what she needs for the next day. Preparing to leaving baby is hard enough without the pressure to fill a deep freezer.”

~ Whitney Callahan

There is no right or wrong here. small stash, huge stash, no stash...We are all doing the absolute best we can and you should be proud of yourself for that! More often than not we see the huge freezer stash pictures, I thought it was important to see the other side of that. ❤️❤❤

(Shared from .life)

11/11/2022

Have to say — there’s some truth to this! 😂

Who do these people remind you of??? We all know at least one of them!Comment here: https://tinyurl.com/dbm25bdvMerch here: https://www.dudedad.comApologies ...

07/15/2022

It can be very hard to find inclusive language on pregnancy/birth/parenting sites and in books. I was reading a post today on the topic and saw these two links, which I wanted to pass along:

This website has a non binary pregnancy resource library: https://transfertility.co/

This one talks about how to find support https://www.familyequality.org/resources/preparing-for-pregnancy-as-a-non-binary-person/

I am also told that the excellent website Evidence Based Birth is updating its language to be more inclusive, and that the newest edition of the book The Birth Partner has, too.

Preparing for pregnancy as a non-binary person will involve a few extra steps to ensure your mental and physical health is supported throughout the process.

05/12/2022

I feel a little unsure when I see headlines phrases so definitively, and I’d like to see this research discussed by more sources, but research that helps us understand SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) has potential to save more and more babies’ lives.

https://www.biospace.com/article/researchers-answer-how-and-why-infants-die-from-sids/?utm_content=207502735&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-10530620221&fbclid=IwAR1RufHZBUBWfG3zFqsYbOFFibrBdSlQSpLoenaX3yonU4ZpzMoTuZ1M6IY

Researchers from The Children's Hospital Westmead in Sydney, Australia released a study that confirmed not only how infants die from sudden infant death syndrome, but why.

05/10/2022

It can be so helpful to know the brain development that is happening with common toddler behaviors!

04/20/2022

There’s nothing wrong with the ni**le shield as a tool — when used under the care of a lactation professional experienced in both how to use them and how to stop using them. It’s not meant to be a permanent solution, and they’re not necessary for everyone.

Stop Being Anti-Ni**le Shield

I’m perplexed at the number of professionals who are categorically against the use of ni**le shields. I hear things like:
“Ni**le shields don’t work”
“Ni**le shields will confuse the baby”
“Ni**le shields will ruin your milk supply”

Huh?

Let’s review a few studies:
1) Hanna et al (2013) - “A description of breast-feeding outcomes among U.S. mothers using ni**le shields.”This longitudinal study looked at 81 postpartum mothers who used shields. 72% of moms reported that the shields were “extremely helpful”. The authors concluded that shields can help moms who may otherwise abandon breastfeeding. While the study isn’t controlled, it is helpful to see that moms can use the shield and eventually wean off.
2) Kronborg et al (2016) - “Why do mothers use ni**le shields and how does this influence duration of exclusive breastfeeding?” This is a larger study of 4815 Danish mothers who self-reported information regarding ni**le shield use. First time moms were more likely to use shields as were moms of babies with lower gestational age or birthweight. Some moms were helped and others became dependent on its use. There was a 3x increased rate of stopping breastfeeding if the shield was used - this is an important point we’ll discuss below.
3) Meier et al (2000) - “Ni**le Shields for Preterm Infants: Effect on Milk Transfer and Duration of Breastfeeding” - This study looked at 34 preemies and compared feedings with and without the shield. These babies consumed more milk with the shield than without. The authors didn’t find a correlation between ni**le shield use and a shorter duration of breastfeeding.

There are more studies. But I chose these to make a few points. Ni**le shields have the capacity to help. They also have the capacity to contribute to prematurely terminating the breastfeeding relationship. There are definitely instances where they become needed - severe ni**le pain and an inability for the baby to latch on at all are the most prevalent in my experience. There is evidence that shield use can help a mom hang on until she can be supported.

My thoughts:
1) The use of ni**le shields should not be condemned. What *SHOULD* be condemned is the use of a ni**le shield as a permanent solution to breastfeeding symptoms. What *SHOULD* be condemned is the distribution of the ni**le shield to moms immediately in the hospital by a nurse, physician, unit secretary, custodian, friend, family member, etc (this seems to be the case now, where anyone can hand out a shield). The only time a shield should be used is under the guidance of a lactation consultant. More importantly, the use of the shield needs to be followed because I'm convinced that the moms who end nursing early because of shield use don't do it because of the shield, but rather that their breastfeeding is so poor that even the shield doesn't help them. Someone needs to figure out why.
2) The ongoing need to use the ni**le shield means that you need to investigate the oral anatomy of the baby. In my world, the need to use the shield beyond 4-6 weeks indicates a higher likelihood of tongue tie.
3) Just because you have flat ni**le does NOT mean you need a shield. Remember, flat ni**led moms made it through evolution without shields. I would argue that a flat ni**led mom who has a tongue tied baby has a higher chance of needing the shield. If the baby is dependent on using the lips instead of the tongue (a common compensation), then shield use becomes more common because the baby is turning the breast into a straw.

Investigate WHY you need the shield.
Don’t be afraid to use the shield as a crutch. It’s a temporizing measure to get things to settle down.
It’s a tool. It’s not a plan. If you tore your ACL but your surgeon told you to just keep using crutches, you’d balk. This is no different.

04/01/2022

Evidence-based information on “sleep training” for breast/chestfeeding parents:

I know many of you are bombarded by Facebook ads for different baby sleep "programs", or your friends gave you sleep books before your baby was born, or your boss or co-worker swears by a certain method. Sleep is a big deal. I get it, I really do. Before I was a lactation consultant I worked full-ti...

03/12/2022

I share Nancy’s writing and videos with clients all the time. Here’s a free handout she’s provided on early positioning in body feeding.

Natural Breastfeeding: For an Easier Start is free and downloadable and only available in electronic version.

03/04/2022

Inclusive clinical practices improve outcomes.

https://www.healio.com/news/womens-health-ob-gyn/20220204/inclusive-clinical-practices-improve-obstetrical-care-of-genderdiverse-patients?

Adjusting clinical practices to promote inclusive patient care and interactions is essential in providing appropriate obstetrical care to gender-diverse people, according to a presentation at The Pregnancy Meeting.