Breastfeeding Outside The Box

In this episode, Dr. Frank Nice debuts his first special episode on our podcast! He gives some updates about Domperidone as well as talks about the use of Reglan for parents who want to use these medications to increase their milk production, as well as some of the risks and possible side effects. See more information on our show notes at: www.SweetPeaBreastfeeding.com/podcast.

Ah tongue- and lip-ties!  We've heard A LOT about them from our podcast interviewees.  Hope and I both have children who've had them.  So, while not outside-the-box per se, tongue- and lip-ties affect many babies regardless of any other circumstances and so we wanted to be sure to address them.  Dr. Catherine Sledge is a family dentist who deals a lot with tongue- and lip-tie, and we are so thrilled that she was willing to take the time to talk with us and share her expertise on this very tricky and important issue potentially impacting breastfeeding...and so much more. See more information on our show notes at: www.SweetPeaBreastfeeding.com/podcast.

What do adoption, surrogacy, partnering with a birthing parent, breast/chest surgery, and insufficient glandular tissue (IGT) have in common?  Parents who CAN and DO breastfeed.  In most of these situations, parents will need to supplement their milk production with extra milk or formula in order to meet their babies needs.  How that supplementation goes greatly impacts the long term success of breastfeeding.  So, while we can address how to make the most milk possible, it is also at least as important to address how to work with what milk is there.  In today's podcast, we discuss how to determine whether supplementation is needed, how much to supplement, and tools for delivering the supplement.  See more information on our show notes at: www.SweetPeaBreastfeeding.com/podcast.

I (Alyssa) have had a guilty conscience for a long time.  On this podcast, in my private practice, in my book, and when I speak at conferences, I share breastfeeding guidance that I myself did not take when nursing my babies.  It's not that I am a hypocrite - it is that I just don't want other parents to go through the same struggles that I did.   So why am I sharing this with you?  I want you to know that, just like you, I did not do everything perfectly.  I also want you to know that despite my many mistakes, breastfeeding still turned out well for me in the long run - and it can for you too.    See more information on our show notes at: www.SweetPeaBreastfeeding.com/podcast.

What an opportunity to hear from a medical professional who has brought in milk for her adopted baby.  Deziray's expertise as a physician's assistant gave her added confidence in using a medical approach to inducing lactation.  For her, that worked really, really wonderfully.   She actually had a surplus of milk for her baby that she was able to donate her extra ounces to a friend unable to nurse due to cancer and to several other adoptive families. This degree of milk production is not typical for parents inducing lactation or relactating, but it certainly is exciting to know it is possible! See more information on our show notes at: www.SweetPeaBreastfeeding.com/podcast.

This is a heartwarming interview not only about nursing and parenting under uncommon and in some ways unexpected circumstances, it is also about how parenting can challenge and grow the relationship between parents. Between Amy and Chris, they experienced infertility, inducing lactation, trans masculine nursing, pumping, bottle-feeding and co-nursing.

What do parents most want to know about inducing lactation?  One of the things they most want to know is whether they will be able produce enough milk to meet all their baby's nutritional needs - what we often refer to as "a full milk supply." Most parents who induce lactation produce anywhere from a few drops to a full milk supply.  This is a huge range of results!  So, can we predict how much milk a parent inducing lactation may make?  What factors influence eventual milk production? In today's podcast, Alyssa and Hope discuss these questions and more.  

Mari is a scientist and an innovator ... and an intended mother through surrogacy who nursed her babies.  So when the Medela Supplemental Nursing System - more commonly known as the SNS - wasn't meeting her needs, Mari tweaked it.  She didn't like the way it worked using gravity, got caught on her long hair and glasses when she hung it around her neck, leaked, and was difficult to know whether baby was getting supplement through the feeding tube.  Mari modified how she used her SNS to fix these issues - and now you can too!

We have interviewed several adoptive mothers on the podcast, but Courtney is the first to have actually produced a surplus of milk.  Whereas most mothers who induce lactation need to supplement their milk production, Courtney was able to donate 3000 ounces of the milk she produced by inducing lactation to anther adoptive mom!  Breastfeeding has been such a positive and healing experience for Courtney that she is spreading information and support for adoptive breastfeeding through her new website.  You'll hear more about Courtney's personal experience and her brand new website in this episode.

Sally is an adoptive mom gone lactation consultant, and she uses her personal experiences to guide her professional role with abundant wisdom and compassion.  In this interview, Sally does a beautiful job helping adoptive parents and the professionals who support them to navigate through the particular emotional and logistical challenges adoptive parents may face with breastfeeding. 

Last time we talked with Kristin on the podcast, she briefly mentioned a condition called "insulin resistance" that could cause low milk production.  This was new to us!  We wanted to learn more, and thought you would, too.  On this week's podcast episode we ask Kristin a ton of tough questions about IR. It is a pretty complex topic, with still so many unknowns, but Kristin does an amazing job breaking it down for us.  Once again, we are so thankful for Kristin's lactation expertise, as well as her caring, sensitive approach to new families.

"Calm Down. It's about relationship" That is what Amber Duncan ultimately learned about breastfeeding.  Breastfeeding isn't only about feeding a baby - it is also about the connection nursing facilitates between parent and baby.  This glass-half-full (or breast/bottle-half-full in this case!) attitude allowed Amber to look beyond her own ability to produce milk and find that using a combination of her own milk and donor milk could lead her and her baby to a successful long-term breastfeeding relationship.

"They say to marry your best friend, but what about your breast friend? Our story of laughter, tears, and endless pumping proves that that a couple who breeds together can feed together!" - Bethy Annsa Interested in learning more about trans feminine nursing or co-nursing? We are delighted to share Sparrow and Bethy's beautiful story with you.  

​It was a shock for Rosalie when it was determined postpartum that she had a condition called Insufficient Glandular Tissue, more commonly referred to as IGT.  IGT is a breast condition that makes it difficult - and in most cases impossible - for a nursing parent to produce enough milk to meet all her baby's feeding requirements. Rosalie understands firsthand how difficult this diagnosis can be.  She also understands that it doesn't mean the end of breastfeeding.  Today, as a lactation consultant working with nursing parents with IGT, Rosalie focuses on developing a plan for long-term breastfeeding success, which she believes (and we agree!) is very possible for parents with IGT.  In this week's podcast, Rosalie shares with us about IGT with the heart of someone who has been there and the wisdom of her professional experience.  

When I (Alyssa) began my nursing journey almost 20 years ago, nursing in public was a BIG DEAL.  There would be criticism by others.  There was the dilemma about how and whether to cover up.  It made it pretty challenging to leave the house and still feel like you could meet the needs of your baby.  What really surprises me is that this situation hasn't changed much since then - even though many more parents are breastfeeding now!  But I hope that change is on the horizon. Robin gives us lots of information on how today's new parents can be part of that change to make nursing in public more accessible and comfortable for all. 

This podcast episode is so absolutely rich with information and ideas, no matter what your breastfeeding outside the box situation, you won't want to pass this one up.  Starting with her own "lactastrophe", Kristen shares with us how to find help, causes of low milk production such as insufficient glandular tissue (IGT) and insulin resistance, herbs and medications that can help increase milk production, sources of milk donations, LGBTQ breastfeeding, and more.

​It was a shock for Rosalie when it was determined postpartum that she had a condition called Insufficient Glandular Tissue, more commonly referred to as IGT.  IGT is a breast condition that makes it difficult - and in most cases impossible - for a nursing parent to produce enough milk to meet all her baby's feeding requirements. Rosalie understands firsthand how difficult this diagnosis can be.  She also understands that it doesn't mean the end of breastfeeding.  Today, as a lactation consultant working with nursing parents with IGT, Rosalie focuses on developing a plan for long-term breastfeeding success, which she believes (and we agree!) is very possible for parents with IGT.  In this week's podcast, Rosalie shares with us about IGT with the heart of someone who has been there and the wisdom of her professional experience.  

You are in for a treat with this lovely same-sex female couple who shared the role of breastfeeding their daughter. Rachel and Talana explain that co-nursing has been a delicate balance but with many advantages.  It enhanced the closeness each parent experienced with their daughter.  It made meeting their child's needs easier.  And it strengthened their bond as a couple.  The fact that Rachel is a lactation consultant helped get them though some tough spots - and lucky for many of you, Rachel and Talana's wise words can guide you through as well.

What?! How can you have a "breastfeeding" podcast episode on bottle-feeding?  Well pretty easily as it turns out.  We at Breastfeeding Outside the Box understand that breastfeeding cannot always look like exclusive breastfeeding, and there are many situations in which nursing parents may need to use a bottle to feed their baby.  Through her groundbreaking (and frankly, courageous) efforts, Dee Kassing has developed a method of bottle-feeding that not only doesn't cause the dreaded nipple confusion, flow confusion or flow preference, but actually helps babies with nursing.  Some parents have even called it "therapeutic".  Dee honors us once again with her expertise and wisdom on this week's podcast episode.