Cracked nipples, engorgement, and milk supply – Oh my!
In Canada, we celebrate World Breastfeeding Week from October 1st to 7th and this is also a popular time for newborns to make their debut into the world. If you’re a new parent or an experienced one, you may not be aware that the joy of welcoming a new baby can also be accompanied by confusion, frustration and discomfort associated with breastfeeding challenges. We caught up with a very special type of St. Joe’s expert that helps newborns, moms and supporting parents learn the ins and outs of breastfeeding in the early days.
Connie Bene, a registered nurse and lactation consultant at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton’s Women’s and Infants’ Program, is part of a diverse team that helps over 3500 babies arrive safely every year.
Q. What role do you play at St. Joe’s in helping new parents and newborns thrive during the birth and postpartum period?
Connie: As a Baby Friendly Hospital, St. Joe’s is committed to helping new moms and babies learn how to breastfeed and we help new parents learn about the health benefits of breastfeeding – both for mom and baby. I’m part of the team that is stationed on the Mother Baby Unit called the Breastfeeding & Newborn Assessment Clinic. My job as a lactation consultant involves educating and supporting new parents as they begin their breastfeeding journey with a new baby.
Q. Isn’t breastfeeding something that is supposed to happen “naturally”? Why do newborns and parents need an expert clinician to help them do this?
Connie: Sometimes a breastfeeding journey can begin smoothly and for others it can get off to a rocky start. Although breastmilk is a natural, antibody-rich, complete food for newborns, learning how to breastfeed is a skill that can take time, practice and require extra support for little babies and moms to get the hang of it.
Q. What are some common breastfeeding challenges and how do you help support new parents and babies?
Connie: Sometimes babies can have trouble latching onto the breast to feed. Moms will experience sore, damaged or cracked nipples when this happens. A lactation consultant at St. Joe’s will do a feeding assessment and determine how to best help new moms position baby at the baby to fix a latch problem so it doesn’t hurt. Sometimes we see that the baby might have a tongue tie that can be corrected or that they are not getting the right part of the nipple far enough into their mouth.
We teach parents how to spot cues that let them know breastfeeding is going well. For example, when a baby has a good latch their little jaws open and close wide while making a “clicking” sound that is actually the baby swallowing breastmilk.
We also help moms who might have concerns about having enough milk to feed their baby. We also help moms who may be experiencing engorgement, which is when the breasts swell with extra milk and fluid in the breast tissue.
These are all very common concerns in the first few weeks, and we’re here to support you through this. Lactation consultants at St. Joe’s have helped thousands and thousands of babies and new parents develop a happy breastfeeding relationship.
Q: What are some other tips you give new parents looking to reap the benefits of breastfeeding their newborn?
Connie: Before you come to the hospital, do a little research. We have some great videos about our unit and breastfeeding online. When your baby is born, keep your baby with you and touch “skin-to-skin” with the baby’s full naked body across your chest. This helps breastmilk come in and keeps baby calm. This time spent skin to skin also helps new parents learn the early cues baby gives when they’re hungry. Also, try to hand express a little colostrum, the golden-coloured milk that first comes in, every few hours. Baby’s tummy is only the size of a cherry when it is first born; so it needs to be fed little and often.
At the end of the day, it’s important to expect that developing a smooth breastfeeding relationship can take several weeks – and that this is normal!
While you’re on the unit, you can ask your nurse about seeing someone on my team for extra support. At any time you can to book with a lactation consultant in the BANA clinic after you go home. My colleagues and I are here on the unit to help!