Did you know that clogged ducts, milk blebs, and mastitis are far more common during the holidays than any other time of year?
With a busy season of travel, family, and changes in routine ahead of us, many motherbaby pairs are accidentally going longer periods between feeds than they typically do.
Please accept a loving offer of some basic tips for avoiding these common lactation discomforts, from your IBCLC:
Mindfulness of your normal feeding or pumping routine:
It might seem basic, but start tuning into your family’s rhythm now. Does your baby typically feed every 2 hours? every 4? How does this change in the evening and through the night? Of course this is subject to change, and I don’t advocate for rigid “scheduling,” but being aware of this now will help give you your baseline.
Set reminders for yourself to feed or pump:
It is so easy to become distracted, or for your baby’s feeding cues to be misinterpreted while being passed around to well-meaning family members. Having an alarm on your phone can help you avoid long periods between feeds.
Find a quiet, private space with fewer distractions to nurse in:
Especially for busy babies, this can be supportive for making the most of your feeds, and it can also serve as a safe, quiet, and grounding time to help you both regulate during times of excitement and stimulation.
Babywear:
Of course it is great for your family to hold and love on your baby while you enjoy yourself (if you want them to!); and also, to avoid too much time of separation from mom and to make sure your baby has lots of opportunity to cue for feeds, wearing them at your chest in a wrap or carrier helps minimize breastfeeding interruption.
If you are sharing feeding responsibilities with family members, make sure you are also removing milk from your breasts:
Is grandma or one of the aunties itching to give the baby a bottle? Firstly, you do not have to share the feeding responsibilities if you don’t actually want to or if your baby does not take a bottle. But if you want to do so, it can be helpful to have appropriate quantities of your own expressed milk (between 2 and 4 ounces per feed for most infants over 1 month old) already portioned out to prevent overfeeding. If family members are bottle feeding either with your own expressed milk or formula instead of feeding directly at the breast, it is a good idea to pump, not only to ensure your milk supply is not negatively affected, and to prevent clogged ducts or mastitis due to missed feeds.
At the end of the day, these things still happen, so if you find yourself with a clogged duct, milk bleb, or mastitis, I have created a free ebook on Mastitis Spectrum Care with the most up-to-date information on how to care for yourself:
May your Holidays be cozy and your milk be abundant,
Taylor Chinenere, IBCLC
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