The Boob Group
Breastfeeding Expectations: The Sixth Month

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Please be advised, this transcription was performed from a company independent of New Mommy Media, LLC. As such, translation was required which may alter the accuracy of the transcription.

[Theme Music]

ROBIN KAPLAN: A mother’s breastfeeding experience changes drastically overtime starting from her child’s birth throughout the months of her baby’s life. Today we continue our conversation in our series called, “Breastfeeding Expectations.”

Over 12 months, we are following three new moms along their breastfeeding journey, learning how they cope with breastfeeding challenges and settle into a breastfeeding rhythm with their babies. This is The Boob Group Episode 35.

[Theme Music/Intro]

ROBIN KAPLAN: Welcome to The Boob Group broadcasting from the Birth Education Centre of San Diego. I’m your host Robin Kaplan. I’m also a Board Certified Lactation Consultant and owner of the San Diego Breastfeeding Centre.

At The Boob Group, we’re your online support group for all things related to breastfeeding. Did you know that we have a Boob Group Club? This is an exclusive membership club available to all of our listeners. Since only our most recent 10 episodes are available online, this club gives you access to all of our archive episodes – a shorter version of each episode, if you’re press for time, written transcripts of the shows plus the monthly newsletter with special giveaways, discounts and much more.

You can access all of this great information through the website or through our new Boob Group app. For more information, visit us our website, TheBoobGroup.com and click on the member’s link at the top of the page.

Now, it’s time for me to re-introduce our lovely moms who we are following now for the next six months. Ladies, will you introduce yourselves please. I should mention we have Cherri via Skype right now because she is enjoying a nice lovely vacation with her family. So, Cherri would you like to introduce yourself please?

CHERRI CHRISTIANSEN: Sure, I’m Cherri Christiansen. I’m 31 years-old and I have a daughter, her name is Cali and she just turned five months.

ROBIN KAPLAN: All right, fantastic.

JENNIFER OLIVER: I’m Jennifer Oliver. I have a, almost three year-old and a five month-old and I work in Arts Education.

ROBIN KAPLAN: All right and last but not least.

ANNEY HALL: I’m Anney Hall. I’m an architect. I’m 36 years-old and I have a daughter who’s six months-old.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Six going on 36. Well, welcome back to the show ladies.

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ROBIN KAPLAN: Let’s kick off today’s episode with some unbelievable breastfeeding stories making headlines around the internet. The story would be posted on The Boob Group Pinterest board with the other ones we’ve spoken about in previous episodes. So, the topic is, “The Breastfeeding Doll.” Breast milk babies sparks controversy – so, just a little back story on all these.

So, the Spanish Toy Company is facing fiery criticisms today after releasing the breast milk baby on Friday in the United States. So, I guess it was for Black Friday. I actually know these as couple of weeks ago. So, in the beginning in November, this company that produces this breast milk baby – these babies at around in Europe for quite a while. Actually, people really, really like this doll. They brought it to the United States.

It’s spark quite of controversy. So, for those of you who are not familiar with the breast milk baby, this is the baby doll. Its price point is $89 and it comes in a plethora of skin colours and ethnicity so that we can choose the baby that looks most like your child. It comes with a tube top with little flowers where I guess nipples would be. When you put your baby to the flowers, the baby makes a sucking sound.

So, I found this article and I was like, “I really don’t know how I feel about that.” So, I thought, “I would just bring it and share it with you all and see what you thought.” So, Anney – what do you think about this doll?

ANNEY HALL: I don’t know how I feel about it either. I think that – well, in the United States in our society, I don’t know that it works.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Yes, how come?

ANNEY HALL: There’s such a difference between Europe and here. Europe has a much – maybe we can get to what I want to say about it, I’m not sure. But, there’s a lot less, it’s like drinking in United States versus Europe.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Sure.

ANNEY HALL: Europeans or Italians start drinking at the dinner table and they take a sip with dinner and it’s appreciated. It’s not used in a way like we do in the United States where you can’t drink until your 21 – and then when you do, you just blow your mind and get wasted. I’m sure Europeans get wasted as well but it’s just different.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Yes.

ANNEY HALL: So, I think it’s the same thing. If there’s an extreme over here that’s not in Europe; however, I also don’t think that I need a doll to make an extra emphasis on the breastfeeding. I’m not sure. I think that it’s – I have lots of thoughts about it. But, Jen it’s your turn.

JENNIFER OLIVER: You know what – the first thing I had was thinking of just picturing, “One, buying a doll for $89 which

ANNEY HALL: Well, that’s part of it too.

JENNIFER OLIVER: I have a three year old and she has a couple of dolls. I did not spend $89 on her dolls. The other thing I was thinking about was just that, “It’s sort of an interesting gimmick but my daughter doesn’t need the gimmick because she sort of does it already.” She kind of takes her baby doll and she puts it up to her chest and holds it there. She goes, “Look, mom she’s eating.” So, it just seems a little bit excessive.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Yes.

JENNIFER OLIVER: But, I see it as sort of a promotion. There used to be those baby dolls where they had the bottles and it would disappear, the fluid in the bottle.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Right.

JENNIFER OLIVER: It was sort of that same idea.

ROBIN KAPLAN: They had the babies and the babies wet the diaper too.

JENNIFER OLIVER: There were was the ones that wet the diaper.

ANNEY HALL: Wetsy-Wetsy, isn’t that her name?

JENNIFER OLIVER: I don’t know.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Yes.

ANNEY HALL: I think its wetsy-wetsy.

JENNIFER OLIVER: It could be. So, I think – I see this as being definitely a something appositive. But, I don’t know. I just like the good old dolls that don’t do anything.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Yes, imagination.

JENNIFER OLIVER: I don’t like flash.

ROBIN KAPLAN: How about you Cherri, what do you think?

CHERRI CHRISTIANSEN: You know, I think there are a lot of different views especially the ones that $89 doll. But, I think it’s great. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I mean, “I have a hard time with the people who object to the dolls.” I heard about those and I’ve heard a lot of the comments about people saying that, “It was offensive and things like that.” I think the comments that they’re saying about the doll being offensive are basically then saying, “that breastfeeding is offensive.”

So, I remember those days, I don’t know who is mentioning at the bottle where the milk would disappear when you fed it to the baby in. For me, it’s no different to that. That’s why I think, “Maybe if it helps children to be more exposed. Your little girl saying that, “You’re breastfeeding doll and with your friends who don’t know anything about breastfeeding – see that you playing with it.” Maybe we’re going to start awareness in a much, much earlier age – maybe that’s a good thing.

ROBIN KAPLAN: That’s a really good point Cherri. Well, thanks for sharing your opinions ladies and we’ll be right back.

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ROBIN KAPLAN: So today on The Boob Group, we’re discussing what Anney, Jen and Cherri’s breastfeeding experiences have been like during their babies six month of life. I cannot believe your children are five and six months-old – that is absolutely insane to me.

So, I would love to start off this episode which what breastfeeding looks like for you as a mother who’s been – let me start that over. So, ladies – I’d love to start this episode off with what breastfeeding looks like for a mother whose child as the same age as yours? So, how often are you breastfeeding your baby and do you feel like you’ve attained progress feeding status like you could breastfeed anywhere – kind of like a breastfeeding ninja? How about you Jen, what do you think?

JENNIFER OLIVER: I’m totally a breastfeeding ninja. I can walk around the house holding him, breastfeeding. I help my daughter pull down her pants to go potty while breastfeeding him at the same time, definitely ninja status. I’m trying to count in my head how many times I feed him. But, a lot – I feel like he’s eating a lot right now. I feel like I’m not producing a lot in sort of at one time a massive quantity – so I think I’m feeding him more often.

When he is being baby sat which is about five hours a day, he feeds twice but they’re feeding him something like six ounces each time. I’m not feeding him six ounces when I’m breastfeeding him. I’m feeding him close to maybe four. So, when I have him – I’m feeding him I think more often.

So, right now I think that’s probably what it looks like as I feel like, “Probably ever a couple of hours I’m feeding him.” He’s waking up a lot at night right now. So, he’s waking up three times to feed at night.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Which is a lot different than what he was doing a month ago?

JENNIFER OLIVER: Yes, he was this awesome sleeper couple of months ago and now he’s waking up pretty regularly three times a night to feed.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Yes.

JENNIFER OLIVER: That’s the point and then we’re going to talk about solids.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Which are?

JENNIFER OLIVER: We’re definitely feeling – I’m definitely feeling like

ROBIN KAPLAN: It’s a good time to start introducing to him.

JENNIFER OLIVER: Yes, we need to start introducing solids otherwise; I’m going to be breastfeeding him all day long.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Yes, how about you Anney?

ANNEY HALL: Breastfeeding ninja, a little different. I didn’t master walking around with her.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Something to try tonight.

ANNEY HALL: I know but it definitely – I think that it just, I’ve had issues with the one side hurting and then getting it positioned right so that it wouldn’t hurt. So, walking around – I always feel unsupported and just feels weird to me. I’m also not chasing my older daughter around either, so I don’t have to get up if I don’t need to. Anyway, but sort of a ninja I guess.

I feel a 100% than I did even a month ago. The pain that I was feeling from the Vassal Spasm is gone. The remedy is vitamins and cutting out coffee been a huge difference. So, really the coffee I think was probably the biggest issue and recognizing how that affects me. I get migraines and coffee is the trigger and so that all makes sense. There’s an imbalance in the [unclear] levels in me. So, that’s kind of nice to recognize that as an overall thing that happens with me.

So, that has been great and then pumping at work and at home – everything has been pretty good. I’m definitely giving her six ounces when she’s baby sat. So, she gets I think three bottles a day and I feed her in the morning and two times at night and then in the middle of the night – so 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 or 7 times.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Okay.

ANNEY HALL: I love to cut up that time at night. But, it’s at you know three or four and I’m okay with that as long as she goes back down. So, I’m recognizing that that’s because she’s hungry and not just waking up because she’s not – hasn’t learn how to soothe herself. So, we’re kind of in that between-state I think right now.

She’s kind of learning or waking up because she hasn’t figure out that skill to put herself back up, back down – but then she also eats too, so I’m not really sure. But, we’re going to introduce him solids as well. So, I’m curious to see how that affects and changes everything.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Absolutely, how about you Cherri? What’s out looking like for you? Are you a breastfeeding ninja?

CHERRI CHRISTIANSEN: I feel like I’m a total breastfeeding ninja. I’m amazed at myself. I will nurse anywhere, anytime. I could even [unclear] with being in a restaurant with my whole family. I was like, “I better go in 10 minutes so I’m going to nurse you now.” Then they would be like, “How many times?” In the time they take someone to say that, “It’s time to nurse her now.” I either undress, shake my boobs. It was like so fast. So, that’s going really well.

We’ve had an interesting time about too. I went to, maybe two weeks ago, maybe even three weeks ago – we had a couple of days where Cali was just up all night long and she never really slept through the night. But I guess, sitting through in that for a baby, she had four to six hours stretch every night. So, for me that was peeping through the night.

All of a sudden, she was just up all night. Day two, day three – I was tired but I was probably engrossed first than I know that before you only lost the few days – and then all of a sudden, we’re on day seven and it was day ten. Then, it was suddenly day 14. I was like, “This is not a great story.”

I was kind of bizarre, just up all night long and I was nursing her and she opens like fully awake and go out there “dreams eating” that she was constantly waking herself up and constantly hungry. It seems that it’s gotten better, maybe like a few days. Last night, I got more sleep last night than I probably had in two weeks.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Good.

CHERRI CHRISTIANSEN: I’m thinking it’s teething actually. So, we’ve got a lot of green poop but nothing has changed in my diet. Certainly, not a formal fine, what issue going on with her mouth that she’s nursing.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Yes, I was going to say, “That’s such a really good point because I remember looking back and my kiddo’s baby’s books and seeing that – they’re slipping good chunks at three months, four months and all of a sudden just all the way down.” They started waking up more frequently and it’s that teething – and the green poop often comes with teething as well. It’s just there are more mucous, more saliva and all that kind of stuff.

So, I think you nailed it Cherri. I think that’s absolutely was going on and then, once that they get that relief – either the tooth starts to pop through or it just not hurting that much anymore. They kind of go back to a nice little pace.

CHERRI CHRISTIANSEN: Yes, exactly. We’re on up [unclear] now. So, I did leave her with my husband for the first time this week ever like a good 10 hour a day. I was so nervous because nothing [unclear] about the boob and she was great. She’s fantastic, she wasn’t fuzzy and she’s totally fine with him.

I left him with like 25 ounces of milk because I didn’t know how long I was to be gone for. I was like, “Whatever you do, do not give it all to her.” Do not do this. He can always opposite extreme and she only takes seven ounces the whole day. So, I was like – Great, now I’m definitely going to be up all night long with her. So, yes hopefully, things are getting better but at the same time I know that the teething could go on for a while. So, if that happens, I’m okay with that too.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Absolutely.

JENNIFER OLIVER: Robin, I think that Cherri brought up a good point about teething versus sleeping through the night – that they could be waking up because they’re in pain or they’re waking up because they’re hungry. So, I feel like right now – I’m in the place of I’m not sure if she’s teething or if she’s hungry or if she doesn’t know how to soothe her herself and get back to sleep.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Absolutely.

JENNIFER OLIVER: So, it’s like it’s there’s juggle on all those things.

CHERRI CHRISTIANSEN: Or combination of all three maybe.

JENNIFER OLIVER: Yes, my husband’s saying, “She sleeps through the night.” At the night, I find myself battling that because, “No, what if she’s in pain?”

ROBIN KAPLAN: Don’t tell me about my baby.”

ANNEY HALL: I know you’re like, “Just tell me what you need kiddo.” Once they start talking you’re like, “They never shut up.”

JENNIFER OLIVER: Yes, stop telling me what you need.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Stop telling me what to do.

JENNIFER OLIVER: Just stop it.

ANNEY HALL: Mama, mama, mama. So, yes but it does hard when they’re at this age because you’re right. There’s so many things going on in that little body that they don’t even know what’s bothering them either. Even if they could talk, they wouldn’t know.

So, it does get better obviously because Sunny and I are still here. We’ve survived two kids but yes, I think it’s so common what all of you are were describing and obviously, your babies will eventually sleep through the night

JENNIFER OLIVER: Or not.

ROBIN KAPLAN: I know. Well, you’ve got Miss Fiona – like I don’t know.

ANNEY HALL: She will, by the time she hits college –

JENNIFER OLIVER: Yes, exactly.

ROBIN KAPLAN: All right, when we come back Anney, Jen and Cherri will be discussing their thoughts on introducing solid foods. So, we’ll be right back.

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ROBIN KAPLAN: Okay, well we’re back here with Anney, Jen and Cherri. Their five and six month-old babies and we’re going to discuss some solid foods because now is the time I’m sure you all our noticing that your kiddos are eyeing those platefuls of food that we’re all eating as adult’s are eating. You’re wondering, “What are some good ideas for how to introduce solid foods?” I know Anney is actually started.

So, for just like us a little bit of background before we get started – just in case some of our listeners haven’t done a ton of research about introducing solids. So, for exclusively breastfed babies – you should definitely wait until at least six months before you’re introducing solid foods and that’s for many reasons.

So, one of those is delaying solids actually gives baby the greater protection for illness. Also, because it’s really allowing their digestive system to fully mature. Up until about six or seven months, they kind of like open gut – if you prefer the leaky guts. If they have this immature gut that allows pathogens to get in and get absorbed into their gut and the issue with that is that, “The gut is about 75% of our immune system comes from our gut. So, pathogens are getting in there. It’s kind of compromising our immune system.”

So that’s why we don’t really want to introduce solid foods yet because although different proteins and enzymes and things like that are pass through our breast milk – it’s not like a huge dose of carrots essentially. So, we want to make sure that babies guts have started to closed up and seal so that where they can tolerate at any types of these allergens. Because again, delaying solids also decreases their risk of food allergies, it helps protect them from iron deficient anaemia.

Babies who are exclusively breastfed, all babies are actually born with enough iron in their – as stored in their body so that way they can kind of power through until solid foods are introduced. When we introduce them to earlier, they get too much iron, the body’s overwhelmed with it and it doesn’t absorb merely as much as it needs to. It’s not as readily available as it is in breast milk.

So, again – we don’t want to introduce those iron rich foods or iron supplemented cereals and things like that before six months because their body won’t know what to do with that in excess. It also helps protect babies from future obesity. Also, delaying solids helps mom maintain her milk supply.

So, there are lots of good reasons for delaying solids until your baby is at least six months-old and then also there are some developmental sciences that show you that your body is ready for solids. So, this includes:

• They can sit up well without support – so without maybe the pillow behind them but they can actually sit pretty well on their own.
• They’ve lost that tongue thrust reflex. So, a reflex I should say is they’re not automatically pushing food out with their tongue but they actually will keep their tongue in their mouth and help to kind of chew – and chew the food that they’re going to be getting.
• They need to have a pincer grasp – so that means they can pick up food between their thumb and their fore finger. So, that way – you can put little small manageable pieces on their – if they’re in a high chair or if they’re sitting on your lap in front of them, that they can actually pick it up on their own.
• Also, the baby is eager to participate in meal time and tries to kind of grab your own food that you’re eating and putting in your mouth. But again, that’s not only thing you should be looking for. Really, the sitting up is super important as well as the pincer grasp.

So, that being said – I know Anney, you would ask me as well as if there is a window of opportunity to introduce solids. It seems like this varies pretty widely. So, at some point, usually around 68 months – babies will become developmentally ready to introduce solids. But, it’s not actually, absolutely necessary to introduce it at six months, seven months even eight months.

There are some babies for many different reasons are actually delayed even longer – but right around 68 months is a nice time to introduce it because they are showing this interest in it. So, that being said – now, that you’ve got all the goods, there are obviously many philosophies for introducing solid foods. So, some people will do purees. Some will do Baby Led Weaning where babies will actually do more pincer grasp putting things in their mouth rather than you, feeding it by spoon.

So, I was going to ask you all, “What are your plans for introducing solid foods?” Anney, since you’ve already started them – you want to tell us what you’re doing?

ANNEY HALL: Sure, I have never heard of Baby-Led Weaning until actually one of our friends had mentioned that’s what she had done with Evelyn. So, I didn’t know that there was even that – that’s what you could do. I’ve always just seen people using the spoon with food – so, that’s kind of what’s in my mind. But, when I’ve started with this I have heard from friends to do avocado and egg yolk.

So, I started with the avocado and she gags. I think it’s the texture. So, I moved to egg yolk and she loved it. So, I just did a soft boiled egg and poured out the egg yolk of the soft boiled egg to make sure. A friend said to make sure that there was no egg white in it because the egg white has lot of more allergens in it that at six months, they can’t process yet. So, it’s just the egg yolk.

So, I did that – I gave that to her warm with the spoon and she just was grabbing the spoon and it was like, “She could do that on her own if she could.”

ROBIN KAPLAN: Yes.

ANNEY HALL: I’m just looking – well, but I would say that this thing what some of the cues are, she definitely is looking at our food and looks like she could eat five eggs if I let her. But, she hasn’t quite completely sit-up yet. We still have to help her because she leans definitely to one side and falls down. I don’t know. I haven’t even tried to see if she would pick the – what is it called?

ROBIN KAPLAN: Pincer grasp.

ANNEY HALL: Pincer grasp, so I don’t know if she could do that yet. So, I’m not quite ready for her to be in a high chair yet.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Yes.

ANNEY HALL: So, I don’t know if that means I should just keep doing what I’m doing which is like a tablespoon of egg yolk and just gradually

ROBIN KAPLAN: I think it’s a great idea absolutely, especially because she’s enjoying it too and she is over six month – and so, but if she doesn’t have pincer grasp yet then, “I would recommend not leaving chunks of food on her plate because she probably just isn’t ready to pick up on her own.” But, the liquid goodness that she’s having right now – it sounds like she’s super excited about it.

ANNEY HALL: Yes, and so I guess my next question would be, “When do I introduce something like another vegetable or another fruit like a puree?”

ROBIN KAPLAN: What I have read is – then we’ll get to Jen and Cherri in how they’re doing this as well, what they’re thinking about doing. But, it sounds like the standard to me is, “Anywhere between four and seven days of the same food over and over again.” As long as you don’t see some sort of allergic reaction or intolerance or hives or rash – then, that’s when you would pick another single food to try. You can mix the two.

Once you’ve managed couple of single food, you can mix those two together. But, you don’t want to mix it with something you haven’t tried on its own as a single food yet. So, make sense? Okay, cool. Jen what are you thinking about doing? You might even share what you did with Fiona as well.

JENNIFER OLIVER: I was just trying to remember. So, with Fiona who’s three – she’ll be three on Christmas. She’s crazy to me. I waited till after six months and I want to say that she was closer to seven months when I finally sorted of feeding her, I was being very hesitant.

With her, I started with the rice cereal mixing it with breast milk. So, that it was mostly breast milk and a little bit of rice cereal and then spooning it. To be honest, I can’t remember how that went but you know part of the reason why I think I can’t remember is because I don’t actually feed her for the first month or so. It’s usually something that happens with either my husband or with my mother-in-law who’s on her. So, I actually never see it and not until much later – until she’s sort of eating more than once – solid food, more than once a day.

So, with Bryson who is five months – we actually started already. I mean, “Okay, so we’ve done it twice now.” The first one is I guess a complete failure. Again, I didn’t see it. But, I heard it did not go well and then the second time went better. It’s the same thing with just our – we have a little bit of the rice. Is it the rice? I’m pretty sure it’s the rice cereal and we’ve mixed it with breast milk.

I guess the first time we just pushed it out of his mouth and didn’t take it at all. In the second time, I think he took it a little bit. So, we’re kind of pushing it a little bit earlier for the very specific reason is that, “I’m actually just not pumping enough at work for him to have enough to eat during the time in which I’m away.” So, we’ve sort of decided that he’s very interested. He’s sitting up on his own. We can put him on a high chair. He seems very ready so we’ve just sort of decided that, “We would start trying.”

It seems like – I think it’s going to go well. But, we’re only going to do the one-time-a-day during the five hours that I’m away for a while. So, I actually probably won’t see it for a while. But, I heard again – we did at the second time; I heard it went better that he actually took it. I guess the first time, we just kept pushing out of his mouth very eager to put the spoon in his mouth. But, I guess also too I heard that he’s really hungry – so, we got really frustrated.

So, the second time – my husband said that, “Basically, he had fed him in about an hour later – he did the solid food and then it went much better because he wasn’t really hungry.” So, he was able to kind of take it in stride.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Perfect! How about you Cherri? Have you thought about this?

CHERRI CHRISTIANSEN: I have been thinking about it, we haven’t done anything yet. Cali just turned five months and its funny because it’s the question that I’m getting all the time that everyone’s asking me, “Has he eaten solid yet? Is he eating solid?” I’m in no hurry. So many people would be super excited for this. Maybe because I cross diaper and I’m like the swan. I keep move away from the nice odourless breast milk food that we have at the moment.

But, she’s really – to be honest from her perspective, “She’s showing no signs of interests.” I sometimes I think that she eyeing my food. But, then I realized that she’s teething and she just wants to put anything in her mouth. She put a carbon box in her mouth. I really think with the food, she’s not sitting up. She’s kind of grasping things that her baby own thing that she has.

So, I’m definitely not in any rush. I was originally, actually super excited about making all of my own baby food. I have done a lot of research. I knew what I was going to make and we’re going to start with the avocado as well. I had a whole bunch of supplies and everything.

I just recently started doing a lot of research about Baby-Led Weaning which kind of made me realize that, “There goes all of my plans for making the baby food” which I guess with all the research that I have read says, “A lot of people just kind of skip the puree altogether and just go straight towards giving the baby what you’re eating and letting them have chunks – things like that.”

I know so many people who have done successfully that I don’t know enough to not be nervous about the idea of her having this chunks of food especially my mother used to tell me stories of how when I was a baby, I almost choke on a piece of apple. So, that’s something that I’m looking for more information on. But, I feel like I had a little bit more time and obviously, she’s showing a lot of interest. I’m not going to deny her that just because I’d like to delay the solids that I’ve heard.

So, now – I think I’m going to continue. I’ll probably -- no rush and maybe we’ll revisit it on around seven to eight months. I’d really like to kept her [unclear] interested. But, some of those reasons you were talking about like immunities in their health system and things for a little bit longer if I can do that.

ROBIN KAPLAN: Very cool, all right ladies – well, as always thank you so much for sharing your experience as breastfeeding your babies during their six month of life. It’s always such a pleasure to hang out with you guys. I know we could talk for hours upon end. It stings that we have to end this in 30 minutes.

If you’re one of our Boob Group Club Members, this interview isn’t over for you. As we have extended this interview just for you. If you want to learn more about The Boob Group Club, please check out our website at www.theboobgroup.com . Before, we end today’s episode – here’s a question from one of our listeners for one of the experts of the show.

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SUNNY GAULT: Hi, this is Sunny and I have a question when it comes to pumping. I am trying to build up my milk supply and I’m trying to pump as much as possible but this pump is just not really working for me. I’ve had it – this is my second baby.

I had the pump with my first baby and I kind of have the same problem. But, I have cleaned up the pumps several times. There’s nothing clogging it or anything like that. My question is, “How do I know when I either need to replace the entire pump? How do I know if there’s certain parts that I need to replace and what are the common parts that typically need to be replaced?” Thanks so much.

ROSE DEVIGNE - JACKIEWICZ: Hi, Sunny this is Rose deVigne - Jackiewicz. I’m a Board Certified Lactation Consultant of Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. I wanted to answer your question about your pumping. Well, the fact that you have mentioned that you’re pump is not really working well. It tells me that, “Maybe it’s an older pump but you can actually find maybe a lactation consultant who can check it to see what the suction level is like.”

Sometimes it will last and last – other pumps sometimes that if been used a lot, moms find after one or two babies that it doesn’t have that the real effectiveness that it needed to. So, if you’re finding that in the past pump used to work well and it’s not working – have a lactation consultant check it. They usually have a gauge.

Some pump companies are can refurnish the pump – so, you might want to check in for that as well. But, as new kit doesn’t necessarily make a difference if you haven’t had the pump evaluated. So, that’s what I would do. If it’s worked well in the past – have it checked in. If it’s just an older pump, you may need to get a new pump. Thank you so much.

ROBIN KAPLAN: If you have a question about breastfeeding or parenting and you would like to ask one of our experts, please call our Boob Group Hotline at 619-866-47-75 and we’ll highlight it in our upcoming episode.

Thank you to all of our listeners. I hope you’ll visit our website www.theboobgroup.com and add your stories about breastfeeding your six month-old in the comment section of this episode’s page. Coming up next week, we’ll be discussing Biological Nurturing and Breastfeeding. Thanks for listening to The Boob Group because, “Mothers know breast.”

[Disclaimer]
This has been a New Mommy Media production. Information and material contained in this episode are presented for educational purposes only. Statements and opinions expressed in this episode are not necessarily those of New Mommy Media and should not be considered facts. Though information in which areas are related to be accurate, it is not intended to replace or substitute for professional, Medical or advisor care and should not be used for diagnosing or treating health care problem or disease or prescribing any medications. If you have questions or concerns regarding your physical or mental health or the health of your baby, please seek assistance from a qualified health care provider.

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