Today’s breastfeeding stories start when Claire Labrosa had breast reductions at age 17. Claire shares how she was able to breastfeed – and even tandem feed- her three kids, but not without her share of obstacles. Many of them having nothing to do with her reduction, but rather lack of support, conflicting information from care providers, and dealing with lip ties, tongue ties, and sensitive babies. Check it out.
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What we talked about:
- Breast reduction at 17
- Off to a complicated breastfeeding start
- Dealing with a baby that won’t latch, and is too sleepy to feed
- Fear-mongering and baby weight loss
- Having to advocate for a pump
- The curse of the nipple-shield
- Finally finding an IBCLC that actually listened and helped
- Setting a plan to get off the shield, satisfy baby’s needs, and increase her supply
- Finding a breastmilk donor
- Breastfeeding while pregnant
- Pumping during pregnancy to reduce anxiety and stimulate the body
- Second baby: so much better on the breastfeeding front!
- Non-stop screaming from 6 to 11 pm
- Tandem nursing until kids self-weaned
- Another rewarding homebirth
- #3: pinch-y latch, with all the restrictions
- “If it hurts, we need to fix it”
- Kids that “revise” their lip ties on their own
- Line up a great IBCLC during pregnancy, set up a meeting for day 3-4
Claire uses a SNS to breastfeed
Related resources*:
- Defining your own success: Breastfeeding after Breast reduction, by Diana West
- Breastfeeding After Breast and Nipple Surgeries (bfar.org)
- The BFAR Facebook Group
- Breastfeeding With a Supplemental Nursing System (SNS), from breastfeeding.support
- Human Milk for Human Babies
- Tongue-Tied: How a Tiny String Under the Tongue Impacts Nursing, Speech, Feeding, and More
- 10ml Oral Dispenser with Cover- 100 Syringes by Care Touch (No needle), similar to what Claire used to freeze colostrum
- Find a Doula – DONA International
- Find A Lactation Consultant Directory – ILCA
- TeamDoula.com, Claire’s doula website
Pregnant Claire with her two older children (photo by Jessica LK Photography)
Related Birthful episodes:
- Milksharing, with Amber Mccann
- Epidurals & Breastfeeding, with Dianne Cassidy
- Suck, Swallow and Breathe, with Alison Hazelbaker
- Tongue and Lip Ties, with Dianne Cassidy
- Prenatal Yoga, with Deena Blumenfeld
- Chiropractic Care, with Dr. Elliot Berlin
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Courtesy of Claire Labrosa (photo by Jessica LK Photography)
About Claire Labrosa
Claire is a teacher, doula, childbirth educator, and mother who lives in Rochester, NY. You can find more about Claire’s doula team and childbirth education classes at teamdoula.com. Claire is passionate about social justice and birth justice for women and POC, most recently advocating for the NY Health Act which aims to provide universal access to equitable healthcare in NYS. Learn more at nyhcampaign.org.
Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, from the Free Music Archive / CC BY (edited for length).
Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, from the Free Music Archive / CC BY (edited for length).
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