A glance through the lense of a dual Speech-Language Pathologist, Certified Lactation Counselor who is here to help you feed your baby
Hi moms! Your feeding fanatic, back at it again to tell you more about the wonderful world of feeding children! Have you ever heard or said the following statements? “Breast is best!”, “Breast pain is normal!”, “I don’t produce enough milk!”, “The lactation consultant at the hospital said I was fine!”, or “My baby just doesn’t like the breast”.
These statements are far too familiar to the new mamas out there. It can be difficult to get into the groove of breast or bottle feeding your infant, absolutely. This can be especially hard after a C-section/emergency delivery, or a premature birth followed by a NICU stay. There are many additional reasons why feeding can be difficult and why parents are desperate for help after leaving the hospital, with seemingly nowhere to turn.
So your lactation consultant at the hospital released you and your baby home, but something just doesn’t feel right.
Feeding your baby is best — breastmilk or formula! For those mothers who are having difficulty feeding their babies either at the breast or with a bottle and who feel alone, I am here for you. As a Speech-Language Pathologist, I have extensive training in swallowing and infant feeding development (see Not in the Title: Feeding Therapist). I am able to diagnose and treat infants who are at risk for aspiration or choking. Some treatments include trying different bottle systems with different milk-flow rates or changing feeding positions to aid in safe feeding.
This is wonderful for infants who are bottle feeding, however, after working with several mothers who wanted to breastfeed and were worried about latch, I suddenly felt like something was missing in my training! This is why I decided to pursue my Lactation Counselor Certification. I wanted to learn how latch and swallowing work together for safe and happy feeds and how to help answer additional questions regarding pumping, milk supply, and infant-led feeding cues so that I can best serve my patients’ mothers.
This is what I’ve learned:
If an infant is not latching onto the breast or bottle correctly, he or she is at risk for poor milk volume, poor weight gain, excess air intake resulting in gas and stomach pain, and poor swallowing coordination, which could result in aspiration, and increased infant stress while eating.
In addition, a mother’s milk supply can be impacted by low-frequency of feeds breastfeeding even more difficult.
Symptoms of Poor Latch:
- “Smacking” sound of lips when feeding
- Intermittent or abrupt fussiness during feeds
- Excess gas and stomach pain
- Lip curling in, instead of flanged out around nipple base
- Shallow latch where you can see sides of baby’s tongue
- Trembling of cheeks and lips during feeds
- Poor volume intake
- Spillage of milk out of the corners of mouth
Symptoms of Swallowing Dysfunction:
- Coughing/choking/gagging
- Rapid breathing during feeds
- Falling asleep during feeds
- Spillage of milk out of the corners of mouth
- Uncoordinated suck-swallow-breathe pattern
- Milk leaking out of nose
- Poor weight gain
- Prolonged feeds (longer than 20-30 minutes)
- Watery eyes
- Flushing or redness around face
Do you have difficulty feeding your baby? Do you feel like your baby is not enjoying mealtimes and is fussy during every feed? Will your baby only drink from the breast? Is every feeding stressful for you? Is your baby not gaining weight?
Infant feeding is complex and you are not alone. At Susan L. Cohn and Associates, we can help your family safely and happily feed your infant with lactation counseling and feeding therapy! Positive feeding experiences lead to healthy, happy, well-bonded children and we are here to help you.
SUSAN L. COHN & ASSOCIATES
710 NW Juniper Street Suite 108
Issaquah WA 98027
425-392-4965 or click here to request more information
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | 425-392-4965 or click here to request more information
