During #BlackBreastfeedingWeek let’s talk some of the ways rates are low?? We know Black mothers are offered formula about 9X MORE during their hospital stay than any other demographic.
Formula fed babees growing in a system where adequate healthcare depends on your socioeconomic status.
“Half of the mothers added syringe-fed formula after each breastfeeding, which stopped when the mother’s milk came in at two-to-five days after delivery.”
Read more here.
We can spoon-feed colostrum Instead of syringe- feeding formula the first few days of life.
Lazy healthcare.
Adding more support to get honeys through the first week of breastfeeding is part of the solution. I can attest to the support honeys have within the first two weeks of nothing for reassurance they are correctly and efficiently feeding their babee. Finding continuous support such as skilled birth to breastfeeding doula during your labor and immediate support with breasteeding can close that gap on honeys feeling the need to supplement when they aren't feeling as confident in their bodies.
It all starts with The First Latch and protecting the Golden Hours. Giving babees immediate Skin to Skin and not force feeding babees until they are ready to latch on their own. C section honeys will benefit from Colostrum collection prenatally or educated on it immediately after delivery where mobility and drowsiness can be an issue with feeding.
Honey! Spoon feed. We store colostrum in syringes. Latching frequently is most important if you want to exclusively breastfeed at the breast. Babee needs as much practice to work those oral facial muscles for jaw development.
If syringe-feeding, sir babee upright in your arm and slowly push tiny amounts of colostrum into the sides of babees cheek allowing babee a chance to swallow before feeding again. Don't let babee suck on the syringe at all as this can cause a nipple preference and inhibit a wide open latch, pain free.
Learn prenatal hand expression before babee gets here. The confidence it builds knowing how your body works is clutch and you have milk for babee.
You, deeply latching pain free, and compressing your breasts during feeds the first 2 - 3 days of removing colostrum is enough. The first few days of breastfeeding can determine your duration. When you learn hand expression breast compressions are not that much different when babee is latched on.
There are a few techniques to hand express. Expressing colostrum requires
More pressure because of its thickness like honey.
My 1:1 office visits helps to educate and familiarize you on your breast anatomy, proper hand massage technique, how long to express, how to store, the benefits of it building and maintaining your breast milk supply and more.
Let’s start practicing and collecting that #LiquidGold at 38 weeks in healthy low risk pregnancies. #thebreastfriendkit