Photo Info: The photo above is hilarious! I'm the one not looking at the camera and instead gazing lovingly in the direction of that baby! The other girls (one got cropped out) are sisters and as I recall they were French. I wish I could remember everyone's names but it was a long long time ago. 

The other morning I was having some random thoughts/memories and wanted to share them. It always interests me to hear how someone developed their feelings surrounding breastfeeding. The following is one of my earliest memories of breastfeeding which I believe shaped me.

When I was little I lived in the tiny village of Ellon in Scotland. My Father is in the oil business and at the time the North Sea was where oil families lived. I loved my little village. We had no big stores, no malls, no nothing. What we did have was village charm. It was truly an idyllic way to grow up. We lived on a cul-de-sac and we knew everyone on the street. One of the ladies at the end of the street had a baby when I was about six or seven years old. This is when my love of babies and maybe Motherhood first started.

I would walk home from school each day and change out of my school uniform (picture Harry Potter style clothes). I'd ask my Mom if it was ok for me to go down the street to see the baby. Our neighbor was so lovely and she would welcome me each afternoon. We would sit together and she would have a cup of tea and make me a cup of hot Ribena (British berry drink). We would chat about my day and hers and about the baby. At some point the baby would get hungry and she would breastfeed the baby. I don't remember any hesitation on her part and I don't remember me thinking it should be done any other way. We would sit there and enjoy each other's company. It was all so simple and normal. 

Seeing that baby being fed at the breast and having her Mother not question for a second whether or not she should do it in front of me was wonderful. I'm so glad that my own children have seen literally hundreds if not thousands of women breastfeed in front of them. Their whole world is made up of birth, babies and breastfeeding. It's normal life and that is so lovely. 

I hope this little post gets you thinking about your first memories of breastfeeding and I hope they are at least half as positive as mine. 

I read or hear this statement, sometimes daily, but definitely weekly. A desperate parent posting on the Internet that they are about to "give up" on breastfeeding. When asked if they have seen an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant), they say that they have. They often add that they have seen "lots" of them. They say that the visits helped a bit with latch or positioning, but for whatever reason their nipples are still sore or baby is still not gaining weight appropriately. This is where I wish I could say, "but you haven't seen us!"

Why don't I say it? Essentially because it's rude. How do I say that we are better? What makes us better?

Many parents have met with a breastfeeding helper (hopefully they are an IBCLC) in the hospital in the days immediately after baby is born. Unfortunately, during their shift the hospital IBCLC is tasked with seeing an entire list of new families as well as the babies in the NICU. They are allotted about 15 minutes per family. Sometimes a family gets lucky and the IBCLC has more time to spend with them.

During an appointment with The MILC Group we spend 1.5 to 2 hours with families. We have the opportunity to fully listen and discuss the issues the breastfeeding dyad is having. We can examine the baby and observe a relaxed nursing session. We feel privileged to have this time with you.

Some families have gone back to the hospital lactation centers for outpatient visits to work on the latch, etc. It would be my expectation that during that consult a full and thorough oral examination would be done as well as looking at the baby's structure and function. Time should be taken to listen. A full health history can show much about what is going on. Sadly this is often not the case.

Why do the IBCLCs of The MILC Group take more time doing the type of exam mentioned above? Part of it is experience, but more so training we have received. We have chosen to pursue additional hands-on training as well as other professional development which has assisted us in identifying issues that others miss. Taking the time to really look at a baby. Is the baby's alignment straight or crooked? Does their body curve one way or their neck twist another? How does their mouth move when nursing? How does their jaw look? What is going on inside of their mouth?

This past week, a parent posted in an online group. They wrote they were switching to exclusively pumping and bottle feeding. They had seen several IBCLCs at the hospital and they were still having latch and pain issues. I tried to explain the bottle can get the job done feeding their baby, but the issue causing feeding at the breast to go poorly is still there. This is a hard thing to explain to someone who is in pain and desperate.

How many kids do you know who get pulled out for speech therapy in elementary school? How many times do you hear a parent say that their kids are picky eaters, won't eat foods with certain textures, that they can't swalllow pills, etc.? These are often signs of an oral issue that might have been caught with a thorough examination by a well-trained IBCLC. Taking a full and thorough health history and asking questions about family oral anatomy can tell so much! I always get excited putting the dots together for people. You can switch to bottles as so many families have done for the past 100 or so years BUT that oral anatomy won't change.

Can The MILC Group fix every problem? No. We can do our best though and through our Weight Check Wednesdays and Friday Breastfeeding Support Group we do our very best to continue supporting families who are having issues and working through problems. We offer support and encouragement. We provide referrals. We hope to be the people who keep you going. We do this because someone did it for us.

A week ago I put my home on the market. If you have ever sold a home you know how hard it is to keep it picked up and looking show worthy every day. Today I had to leave my house with my dog in order for the house to be shown. When I returned the folks who had been here were still standing across the street talking to their realtor. It made me wonder....what do people think of my house? 

On the surface I think that my house looks very "normal." It is a simple three bedroom house. The color palate is neutral. I love all things "natural" looking. You can tell I have two daughters that live at home. There are lots of pictures of my children on the walls and in frames scattered around. Then there are the "extras" that probably set my home apart as that of a birth worker/IBCLC/hippie....
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• Mixed among the art on my living room wall is a gorgeous collage of prints that were given to me by a client. They all depict breastfeeding. I think they are pretty subtle. 
• My Peace corner serves to keep me calm. I love all the little tidbits that have been added to it by friends and family. Underneath are two beautiful books. One was a client gift from The 4th Trimester Bodies Project  and the other is a cookbook my son and his girlfriend gave to me titled Share: The Cookbook that Celebrates our Common Humanity. 
• My bookshelves are filled with birth and breastfeeding books that I have gathered over the years. 
• In my bedroom I keep a bag filled with the things I use when teaching my childbirth classes. On top is the doll that I use for demonstrations. There she lies in her tie dyed baby t-shirt. 
• On my dresser are the remnants of the recent United States Lactation Consultant Association Conference. Just some boob friendly items including some nipple shield samples. 
• My stove hood is home to some boob magnets that I made for some events.
• My water bottle is hanging around my kitchen with the "Boobs The Original Organic Food" sticker.

I wonder if people notice these things? I wonder if they have an image of me? Hopefully it makes them smile. Maybe they will be my clients one day. Just my random thoughts for today. 

Getting through the week can sometimes be so challenging. For new parents the week can seem to drag on forever. Having something to look forward to can really keep you going. I can't remember how we decided to host our Breastfeeding Support Group on Friday afternoons but it was a great idea!

What do we talk about during our Friday Support Group? I wanted to share a sample of last week's topics...

One of our Mamas asked how everyone enjoyed Mother's Day. No one seemed to do anything overly special but it was a nice way to start our chat.

Another Mama asked about feeding older breastmilk to her baby. This Mama will be enjoying a special event with some friends in the fall and was wondering if milk she pumps now will still be good to leave. Breastmilk  is always good even though the composition changes as baby's grow. We suggested leaving a mixture of fresh and frozen milk for baby.

We discussed spit up and babies who are happy excessive spit-uppers. We talked about the lovely odor after you have been spit up on and how spit up down your bra gives off a nice cheesy smell by days end.

One of the babies had a tongue and lip tie revision that week so we asked how he is doing and discussed the procedure and changes in latch. 

Birth control came up which led to discussing the lack of sex after babies and to a description of lactational amenorrhea.

Many of our parents will weigh their babies on our scale when they are at the Support Group. It helps them to keep a track of their baby's growth and development. We love providing this service at no charge.

Other random topics....super random :)

Natural cleaning products
The meaning of "Seventh Generation"
Menstrual cups
Cloth menstrual pads
Family cloth (look that one up yourself)
Healthy foods and your babies

This particular Friday we had a nice group of parents with babies in tow and a Grandmother was in attendance too! Our Group is casual and lively. The parents look forward to having a safe space to share and discuss their questions and concerns. Ginger and I look forward to seeing these parents and their babies too. Seeing the babies grow and change is so lovely. 

If you have been on the fence about whether or not to attend a MILC Breastfeeding Support Group maybe this will make you feel more comfortable. We hope to see you soon!

Find our Schedule of Events here. 

Families in the San Antonio area have a good number of choices for their breastfeeding support needs. We wanted to compile a list of reasons that you should choose The MILC Group. 
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1. Ginger and Tina have a combined 25 plus years of experience working with breastfeeding families! That's a lot of experience.
2. Ginger and Tina both started their careers as La Leche League Leaders. Why does this matter? La Leche League is the largest non-profit breastfeeding organization in the world. As La Leche League Leaders both Ginger and Tina have had the privilege of working with families from birth into the toddler years which creates a wide range of knowledge. They also show an obvious passion for this work since they continue to volunteer their time to La Leche League instead of only doing paid lactation work. 
3. Giving to their community is of the utmost important to The MILC Group. Both Ginger and Tina still are active with La Leche League leading monthly meetings and attend many outreach events in our area to give as much to our community as possible. 
4. Education is the foundation of what Ginger and Tina do. They both attend in person and online conferences regularly to keep their skills up-to-date. 
5. Both of the MILC ladies have sought out additional hands-on training in the evaluation of tongue and lip ties as well as other structural issues. Other IBCLCs may have taken online trainings or sat through talks, but hands-on training is so valuable to this profession. 
6. Integrity is of the utmost importance to both Ginger and Tina. We are who we say we are. 
7. Relationships with other care providers is also so important and so we work to develop these relationships to benefit our clients. 
8. Developing relationships with our clients matters to us. We strive to continue to support the families that see us for as long as they need. The MILC Group offers weekly Support Groups and Weight Check opportunities to help families keep on track with their breastfeeding goals without breaking the bank. 
9. Last but not least....we are awesome! We work daily to be the best International Board Certified Lactation Consultants that we can be :) 
10. I feel like I should make one more to create an even number.....how about the fact that we are amazing parents and our kids love us. That's pretty darned important!

Your baby has arrived and you are having problems breastfeeding. What should you do? Some of your knowledgeable friends suggest that you should see an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant). That sounds okay, but you want to know what to expect during a meeting with one. Here is what to expect if you choose to meet with an IBCLC from The MILC Group.

• The Lactation Consult  lasts about 1.5 - 2 hours whether in our office or in your home. 
• ​We make every effort to arrive on time and call or text you if we are running behind.
• We bring a high quality baby scale which we use to weigh your little one. 
• If we make a housecall,  we set up our scale on a flat surface (kitchen counter tops work great), otherwise we always have a scale in our office.
• We wash our hands thoroughly before we touch you or your baby and we also use non-latex gloves during our exam.
• We  ask you to fill in a brief intake sheet which can be found ahead of time on our website, but we always have them available to fill out in person.
• If baby is hungry, we skip ahead and weigh the baby so you can start to feed them. If baby is sleeping, we complete the paperwork before waking the baby to feed.
• We take a health history, talk about your birth and your breastfeeding experience so far and we ask some possibly odd seeming questions (we will always explain their purpose). We get a lot of insight into issues during this part of the meeting.
• We weigh your baby in a diaper only. We always ask you to put a clean diaper on your baby before the weight which stays the entire time for the most exact pre and post feed weight possible.
• The MILC Group IBCLC performs an examination of the baby including an oral assessment. We explain what we are doing as we do it so that you feel completely comfortable as well as to point out what we observe along the way.
• Getting you comfortable before nursing is important so we in your home we set up in whichever space you feel most at ease and in our office, you choose your spot and which pillows you want to use (or not use).
• We assist your baby in latching as needed and watch and listen as your baby feeds at the breast. We correct positioning as needed during the nursing session and make any other adjustments. 
• After the nursing session, we again weigh the baby to get an idea of how much baby has transferred at the breast. 
• All of this information will go into our assessment of what issues you may be having and we will write up a care plan for you to refer back to and to share with your care providers. 
• The MILC Group provides you with a Superbill for your insurance company to be reimbursed for our services.
• We take payment at the time that services are rendered. We accept cash, checks or credit cards. 
• It is extremely important to The MILC Group IBCLCs that all of your questions and concerns are addressed so we do not rush you through the appointment and we make sure along the way that you have time to ask questions. Feel free to have a list ready for our appointment :) 

We hope that this answered your questions about what to expect if you schedule a Lactation Consultation with The MILC Group. We look forward to meeting with you and your family!

​We can be reached by phone at 210-960-MILC/210-960-6452.

The topic of increasing iron intake for toddlers comes up often in our Support Groups. This recipe for a yummy quick bread was mentioned so I typed up the recipe for everyone to have. One tbsp. of blackstrap molasses provides 3.5 mg of iron. This provides half of the recommended daily intake for toddlers, and 13 percent of the recommended daily intake for pregnant women.

In honor of St. Valentine's Day I wanted to express my feelings about my children for they are truly the best Valentine's Gifts I could ever have received. ​