Sometimes, babies who primarily breastfeed start to struggle with drinking from a bottle around 2-3 months old.  This can happen even if the baby was able to drink from a bottle when they were younger.  Parents are often told that the baby is refusing the bottle because they prefer the breast.  Most of the time, the baby is refusing the bottle because drinking from the bottle feels too hard to them or they choke or gag.  This is often due to a baby’s oral anatomy or oral function.  If your baby is struggling to drink from a bottle, RK Lactation Care can schedule a bottle refusal consultation in the comfort of your home if you live in Louisville, Boulder, Gunbarrel, Niwot, Lafayette, Broomfield, Superior, and Westminster, CO.  Appointments are generally scheduled Monday-Friday between 9 AM and 5 PM, however, early evening or weekend appointments may be available if needed. [...]

For many parents, using a breast pump is part of their lactation experience.  For some families, it is a convenience so that other people can help to feed the baby occasionally.  For other families, it is a necessity to support milk production due to health issues for mom or baby or when mom returns to work and is separated from the baby.  Most breast pumps come with breast flanges (the part of the pump that goes on the breast) in sizes 21 mm and 24 mm.  These are too large for many parents.  When you use a breast flange that is too large, it pulls the areola (tissue around the nipple) into the tunnel of the breast flange too.  This can cause pain and swelling to the tissue and the pumping parent often doesn’t express as much milk.  You want to be able to express milk comfortably and as [...]

Becoming a new parent is often a mixture of excitement, uncertainty, and fatigue.  Parents who are breastfeeding often wonder “How do I know my baby is eating enough?”  The first few days after a baby is born, the breasts feel and look similar to how they did before the baby was born.  The baby is drinking the first milk, colostrum, which is thicker and in smaller quantities.  It is often clear or yellow colored.  The baby gets to practice sucking, swallowing, and breathing while eating the small amounts of colostrum.  Often, on the second night of the baby’s life, they will eat very frequently throughout the night.  All this time feeding at the breast sends signals to the parent’s brain to help drive more milk production.  Around 3 to 5 days after birth, the parent’s breasts begin to feel heavier and fuller as the volume of milk the body [...]

Many parents-to-be do not realize that they can meet with a lactation consultant before their baby is born for personalized assessment and education to support their lactation experience.  Parents expecting their second or third (or more!) child will also benefit as each lactation experience is different because the lactating parent and child are unique.  During the consultation, the lactation consultant reviews the parent’s health history, lactation history (if applicable), and assesses the parent’s breast anatomy.  The lactation consultant answers the family’s questions about lactation and breastfeeding and provides individualized education.  For example, if risk factors that may affect lactation are identified, the lactation consultant will suggest things that the parent can do to help optimize breastfeeding and milk production.  If you live in Louisville, Boulder, Gunbarrel, Niwot, Lafayette, Broomfield, Superior, and Westminster, CO, RK Lactation Care can schedule a prenatal lactation consultation in the comfort of your home.  Appointments [...]