Breastfeeding Challenges
Filed Under Mom Talk |
Breastfeeding is of great benefit to both babies and mothers. It provides essential nutrients not available in any other form and gives the mother a balance of hormones that ensures resistance to disease after childbirth. However, for many women, breastfeeding is a significant challenge. Here are some of the problems that may arise and some basic solutions to help alleviate them.
Symptoms of Challenges
• Swelling, tenderness, nipple cracking, soreness, insufficient milk
• Blocked milk ducts form tender lumps that have a red line from the swollen area
• Excess milk leads to engorged breasts that are hard and painful
• A child may have a hard time suckling from swollen nipples
Dealing with Causes
• Problems can intensify from not breastfeeding.
• Pain and inflammation should not stop regular breastfeeding since the flow of milk is necessary for healing.
• Most problems are common in times of stress, anxiety, and fatigue.
• Fluctuation in milk supply is normal—but there may be a problem if it continues for more than a few days.
• Too much milk leads to engorgement.
• Too little milk can result from a mother’s inactive thyroid or low intake of fluids and healthy foods.
Nutrition for Nursing
• Quality of breast milk depends on the quality of the mother’s diet.
• Avoid white sugar and white flour products.
• Eat fresh, mostly raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.
• Use unrefined, cold-pressed nut oils such as flax seed or pumpkin seed daily.
• If there’s not enough calcium in the diet, it is leached from the bones to help with milk production. Vegetables can be a better source than milk as they contain magnesium, essential for calcium absorption. Good sources are almonds, sesame seeds, carrots, endives, watercress, brussels spouts, and turnip leaves.
• Certain foods in the mother’s diet can cause colic in the baby (e.g., onions, garlic, and cabbage).
• Dieting and fasting during breastfeeding can release poisons and secrete them into the milk.
• If mother’s milk supply is low, increase fluid intake and eat nutritional yeast.
• If breasts are engorged, give baby smaller, more frequent meals.
Nutritional Supplements
• Evening primrose oil contains GLA, a hormone substance that boosts the immune system.
o Take two 500 mg capsules three times a day
• Green food supplements contain many nutrients—especially minerals and chlorophyll. Kelp supplies potassium and iodine for a healthy thyroid. Alfalfa is high in vitamin A. Brewers yeast provides vitamin B and helps increase milk supply.
o 1 Tbsp per day
• Brewers yeast, 3 tsp three times a day
• Vitamin B complex, 100 mg
Herbal Remedies
• To disinfect nipples after breastfeeding, cleanse thoroughly with a cotton cloth moistened with marigold infusion—acts as an antiseptic.
• Rub dry nipples with a drop of St. John’s Wort oil or tea tree oil diluted in 1 Tbsp olive oil or sweet almond oil.
• Drink stinging nettle tea to help regulate milk flow.
• To reduce milk flow, rub the breasts with lovage tincture and drink lovage tea.
• If weaning, drink sage tea or sage juice to reduce milk.
• Kelp, dandelion, and alfalfa juices benefit the glands and promote healthy breasts. Take 1 Tbsp three times a day.
• To increase milk production, use fennel, blessed thistle, alphalfa or red raspberry leaves to make a herbal tea. Drink 1–3 cups daily. Capsule supplements are also available.
• Stress can suppress the mother’s milk. Try massage or a bath with 5 drops lemon balm oil.
External/Physical Therapies
• For sore, dry nipples. try changing nursing positions.
• If you need to relieve cracked nipples, try Lanisoh or Dr. Jack Newman’s nipple cream recipe (which your doctor can prescribe for you).
• To relieve swelling, hard and painful breasts, try short and frequent feedings.
• A plugged duck will usually clear itself within 24 hours. To prevent, make sure the milk ducts are emptied after feeding.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Natural Healing, by Siegfried Gursche MH & Zoltan Rona, M.D.
Cheers,
Andrea Page
