Lactation Consultant Services

Peggy offers Lactation support to first time mothers as well as mothers who may have breastfeeding experience but are having difficulty presently. She has completed specific training through UCSD to become a Lactation Consultant. Peggy has 2 grown daughters who she breastfeed for the first year. She has been working with infants for the past 18 years. Peggy has a private practice offering services in 2 San Diego locations as well home visits for newborns.

Lactation Picture

How do I know if I need help from an LC?

We encourage first-time breastfeeding mothers to seek hands-on help from a professional lactation consultant within the first few days after birth. Reading about latch-on basics and trying to translate text and pictures into what to do with your baby at your breast can be difficult. It’s much easier to have someone show you early on, before latch-on problems turn into sore nipples or problems with baby not getting enough milk.

If your baby has difficulties with latch-on or sucking, or has other health problems that complicate breastfeeding, seeing a lactation consultant can help you resolve these issues. If you find yourself in an especially difficult breastfeeding situation, Peggy may be able to help you and your baby before you give up.

Breastfeeding should not hurt, it may take some help in the beginning if your baby has issues related to proper latch or has difficulty just being in the world after a difficult or rapid birth. Peggy combines her skills in craniosacral therapy with lactation to more fully attend to the whole of what is going on. Many times mom, baby and dad are still affected by the birth and this can get in the way of breastfeeding. Peggy’s skills in Pre and Peri-Natal psychology are helpful in unraveling early issues pertaining to family dynamics, bonding and attachment. These issues can create another obstacle to breastfeeding.

Bonding and Attachment

When women look back on the time they spent breastfeeding their babies, what they most remember is the closeness, the intimacy of feeding a baby at the breast. Whether you’re someone who is swept away by the romance of motherhood or a more practical person who feels the milk is there for a reason, the feeling of satisfying your baby’s hunger with your own milk will strike you as incredibly fulfilling.

The closeness between the breastfeeding mother and baby is important. When you feed your baby at the breast, you tap into a valuable resource for mothering and nurturing your baby that is tested and true, as old as time itself. When you choose to breastfeed, you continue the “oneness” that you and your baby experienced during pregnancy. Your body continues to provide nourishment, warmth, comfort and safety, just as it did when baby was inside you. Once you’ve mastered the basics, breastfeeding will make mothering easier.

Breastfeeding is convenient. Food is available for baby within seconds wherever you go. No sterilizing bottles and nipples, and taking the time and effort to prepare formula.
Breastfeeding helps you know and understand your baby. It can affect the way you listen to your child, the way you communicate and the way you respond for many years to come.
Breastfeeding makes discipline easier as your child grows, since a breastfeeding mothers knows her baby well.
Breastfeeding mothers take pride in providing food for their babies, and they feel confident about parenting children they know so well.

How does breastfeeding do all this? To breastfeed successfully, mothers must learn to pay attention to baby’s cues and trust them. Mothers learn to be child-centered, to think in terms of the baby’s needs and how to meet them. The many, many times and different ways in which a breastfeeding mother interacts with her baby make both members of the breastfeeding pair more sensitive to one another’s social signals.

Of course, it’s possible to breastfeed and ignore these lessons in lifelong parenting, but for most mothers and babies (and fathers, too) learning to breastfeed is an important step in building a trusting relationship that extends well beyond the baby years.

You see the pink of baby’s lips. This tells you that baby’s lips are turned outward rather than tucked tightly inward.
There is a tight seal between the baby’s mouth and the areola. Baby has a good mouthful of breast.
Much of the areola (at least a one-inch radius) is inside baby’s mouth. As the baby is sucking, you do not see the base of your nipple, but only the outer part of your areola.
Baby’s tongue is between the lower gum and your breast. If you pull down gently on baby’s lower lip, you should be able to see it. With a good latch-on, baby’s tongue extends over the lower gum, forming a trough around the nipple and cushioning pressure from the jaw.
Baby’s ears are wiggling. During active sucking and swallowing the muscles in front of baby’s ears move, indicating a strong and efficient suck that uses the entire lower jaw.
You hear baby swallowing. During the first few days after birth, baby may suck 5 to 10 times before you hear a swallow. That’s because colostrum comes in small amounts. You may have to listen carefully to notice swallows. After your milk has “come in,” swallowing will be obvious. After the baby’s initial sucking has triggered the milk ejection reflex, you should hear a swallow after every suck or two. This active sucking and swallowing should continue for five to ten minutes on each breast.
Milk does not leak much from the corners of baby’s mouth. Baby swallows the milk instead.
You don’t hear clicking sounds, which would indicate that baby does not have his tongue positioned correctly and is latched on incorrectly.
You do not see dimpling (the middle of baby’s cheeks caving in) during sucking. This would indicate that the baby has a poor seal on the breast and is breaking suction as he moves his gum and tongue. Pull baby off and try latching on again.

Eventually, you will know that your baby is latched-on and sucking efficiently by the way it feels. If you have a lactation consultant helping you, (which is a must for a first-time mom) pay close attention to how your nipple feels after the two of you have gotten the baby latched on correctly. There should be no pain. Also pay attention to how the sucking feels on the areola. You will actually feel a tingling sensation as baby draws the milk out of the milk sinuses. There will be no doubt that your baby has a solid and secure connection to your breast.

When baby is not latched on securely to the areola, the painful sensations in your nipples will register “Red alert! Lousy latch-on.” Do not persist with an incorrect latch-on. Take your baby off and start again. Be sure that you wait until baby’s mouth is wide open and the tongue is down and forward before pulling baby onto the breast. Rushing the latch-on results in baby gumming just the nipple. You’ll get sore and baby won’t get enough milk.

Be patient. Take a few deep breaths, calm baby down, and stay calm yourself. It takes a week or two for most mothers and babies to become skilled at breastfeeding.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU JUST CAN’T SEEM TO GET IT RIGHT

With prompt attention, latch-on and sucking difficulties can usually be fixed within a few days. Here’s what to do:

Get help right away from a lactation consultant if you’re having trouble latching your baby onto the breast or feel that your baby is not sucking well. A lactation consultant will show you how to get baby to latch on better. She can also show you how to teach baby to suck correctly. Some newborns need to be taught how to suck more of the areola and with the back of the tongue instead of just sucking on the front of the areola with the front of the tongue. Incorrect sucking also causes sore nipples
Make certain that your baby is getting enough to eat. The first rule in solving breastfeeding problems is to feed the baby. Keep track of baby’s urine and stool output to determine if he is getting enough milk. After your milk has “come in,” baby should have 4 to 6 wet diapers a day (6 to 8 if you’re using cloth) and at least 2 to 3 substantial yellow, seedy stools. Some babies have a stool with every feeding. (The frequency of bowel movements decreases after the first month, as babies intestines mature.) If your baby is losing weight and is not having an adequate amount of wet diapers and bowel movements, talk to your doctor about supplementing your baby’s feedings until either your milk comes in or your baby learns to latch-on efficiently.
If supplementary feedings are necessary, avoid using bottles. Supplements can be given with a cup, spoon, eyedropper or feeding syringe, or a nursing supplementer. Using one of these will prevent the possibility of nipple confusion, caused by feeding baby with artificial nipples.
You may need to use a breast pump to keep up your milk supply until baby becomes a more efficient breastfeeder. The milk you pump can be given to your baby. To establish and maintain a milk supply for baby who can’t yet nurse very well, you need a high-quality electric pump. These can be purchased or rented. Check with your Doctor, your insurance may cover a hospital grade pump.

Don’t be discouraged. Breastfeeding does not come naturally to most breastfeeding pairs. Moms need to learn how to help their babies latch-on correctly and babies need to be taught how to suck correctly. This takes time and lots of commitment, like any worthwhile goal in life. Remember, it does get easier. Don’t give up!

Lactation Consultant Services