Bottle Marketing

By Lauren Fuhrman – The number of different bottles out there is completely daunting.  Different shapes and sizes, materials, nipple flow rates and marketing claims.  Be most cautious of the last, the promise of eliminating colic or reflux, for example.  Bottles do exchange air differently but cannot prevent all air being swallowed.  This depends also…

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Commonly Occurring, Not Commonly Discussed

By Lauren Fuhrman – During pregnancy, nipples often get darker and bigger, literally becoming easier targets for babies to find.  And they may not be perfectly symmetrical, such as one nipple being inverted and one protruding.  Small bumps around the nipples become more prominent and secrete lubrication that helps during breastfeeding.  The secretion additionally provides…

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Breast Shields

By Lauren Fuhrman – I have talked with several parents lately who seemed disheartened by the thought of using a nipple shield.  Although it can feel cumbersome, when used appropriately it can really be a great tool that actually supports breastfeeding.  In the NICU, I help mothers with nipple shields daily.  It increases stimulation to…

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Skin to skin

By Lauren Fuhrman – We encourage and use skin to skin holding in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and on well baby floors in hospitals. The benefits are amazing: release of calming hormones for parents and baby, accelerated brain maturation in baby, increased breast milk production in Mom, stabilizing of respiratory and heart rate in…

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If baby refuses a bottle

By Lauren Fuhrman – When infants transition from reflexive to volitional feeding, they can have and show a very strong preference for breastfeeding.  Offering bottles prior to reaching this transition, which usually occurs around 6 to 10 weeks, can help – but does not guarantee a smooth transition.  My daughter went on strike despite being…

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