[Breastfeeding] Common Struggles

Lactation may be perfectly natural, but it’s not perfectly easy. Many people think it will just happen, without realizing there’s a steep learning curve. So what are the most common lactation struggles, and how can you navigate them? Kathleen Kendall-Tackett tells us more. Check it out!

What we talked about:

• Why can nursing be so hard?
• How your birth impacts your milk production
• Paying attention to stress!
• Doing the “milkshake” to help your milk come in
• What to do with a fussy or sleepy baby
• Adjustments in milk production
• Having realistic expectations!
• What to do with sore or cracked nipples
• If nursing is hurting…
• Blocked ducts, thrush and mastitis
• Tongue and lip ties
• Concerns about baby’s weight
• Are they really listening to you?
• The beauty of drop-in cafes
• How to keep the oxytocin flowing
• Going back to work

Related resources*:

• When Breastfeeding is Hard, KellyMom
• 8 common breastfeeding struggles new mums need to know about, Babyology
• 6 Common Breastfeeding Problems and How to Overcome Them, Fit Pregnancy
• A Loving Weaning: How to Move Forward Together, by Winema Wilson Lanoue
• The Early Weeks of Breastfeeding (mini-book), excerpt from Working and Breastfeeding Made Simple by Nancy Mohrbacher
• Trouble Shooting Milk Production (mini-book), excerpt from Working and Breastfeeding Made Simple by Nancy Mohrbacher
• Back to Work for the Breastfeeding Mother (mini-book), excerpt from Working and Breastfeeding Made Simple by Nancy Mohrbacher
• Jiggle, roll, stroke— inducing milk letdown YouTube video of the “milkshake” technique
• ILCA’s Find a Lactation Consultant directory
• naturalbreastfeeding.com has a great video on biological nurturing (aka “laid-back feeding”)
• Free to Breastfeed: Voices of Black Mothers, by Jeanine Valrie Logan
• Know your rights: breastfeedinglaw.com

Related Birthful episodes:

• What Are Tongue and Lip Ties?
• [Breastfeeding] 11 Need-to-Knows
• [Breastfeeding] Working while Breastfeeding

Courtesy of Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett

About Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, PhD, IBCLC, FAPA

Dr. Kendall-Tackett is a health psychologist and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and the Owner and Editor-in-Chief of Praeclarus Press, a small press specializing in perinatal health. Dr. Kendall-Tackett is Editor-in-Chief of two peer-reviewed journals: Clinical Lactation and Psychological Trauma. She is Fellow of the American Psychological Association in Health and Trauma Psychology, Past President of the APA Division of Trauma Psychology, and a member of the APA’s Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest. Dr. Kendall-Tackett specializes in perinatal health research including lactation, depression, trauma, and health psychology, and has won many awards for her work including the 2017 President’s Award for Outstanding Service to the Field of Trauma Psychology from the American Psychological Association’s Division 56. Dr. Kendall-Tackett has authored more than 420 articles or chapters, and has recently completed her 35th book, The Phantom of the Opera: A Social History of the World’s Most Popular Musical. Her most recent books include: Depression in New Mothers, 3rd Edition (2017, Routledge UK), Women’s Mental Health Across the Lifespan (2017, Routledge US, with Lesia Ruglass), Psychology of Trauma 101 (2015, Springer, with Lesia Ruglass) and The Science of Mother-Infant Sleep (2014, Praeclarus, with Wendy Middlemiss). Her websites are uppitysciencechick.com, breastfeedingmadesimple.com, kathleenkendall-tackett.com, and praeclaruspress.com.

You can also find her scholarly articles via Google Scholar!