The Boob Group
Breastfeeding After Formula Feeding Your First Baby

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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]

SUNNY GAULT: Breastfeeding didn't turn out exactly how you had planned and you need to at least partially formula feed your baby or perhaps that was the plan all along but you want things to be different with your second child. This time your plan is to breastfeed your baby for as long as possible. Well that's easy to say. How difficult is this transition and what tips can help you along the way?

Today we are talking about Breastfeeding After Formula Feeding your First Baby. We're The Boob Group.

[Intro/Theme Music]

SUNNY GAULT: Welcome to The Boob Group! We're here to support all moms wanting to provide breast milk for their babies. I'm Sunny Gault and I'm leading today's conversation with a few other mammas which you're going to meet in just a second.

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Alright so let's meet the momma's joining our conversation today. Ladies tell us a little bit about yourself and your family, and also let us know more about your experience with breastfeeding and formula feeding. So Graeme let's start with you.

GRAEME SEABROOK: Hi! My name is Graeme and I have two kiddos. Andrew is almost three and Lori is five months. I tried in my hardest to breastfeed with Andrew and it didn't work for a variety of reasons. I had so much milk like I can't even explain it to you guys. So much milk and this poor little baby he just could not keep up with the amount that was coming out.

I also had really bad post-partum depression and a lot of really bad hormonal swings and it all just kind of hit at the same time. So pretty much everytime I tried to breastfeed or to pump I started sobbing just crying uncontrollably. And I wanted to do it so bad and it just never really worked out. I ended up pumping for a couple of months and then we just switch to formula mostly for me not really for him, for me and my mental health, for me to be okay.

Then got pregnant again and I really want to do it again but this time I told myself, "Okay, if it doesn't work, it doesn't work a mix." It's okay and I tried to go into it as clear headed as possible and she eats like a champ. This kid eats like it is her job. And it actually heals a lot of the issues that I had from breastfeeding. The first time it's been wonderful, it can totally work.

SUNNY GAULT: That's awesome! Shelly tell us a little bit about your experience.

SHELLY ROGERS: Hi! I'm Shelly Rogers. I am married to Nathan and we have three daughters. Caroline is six, Nora is three and Marygold is eight months. And with Caroline, I formula fed and nourished her. I nourished her exclusively until she was about four months old and started having issues with my supply that could have been pumper waited and it could have been just my lack of education related, I'm not so sure. I supplemented with formula for about ten months or maybe not quite that long.

Then when I had Nora I decided that I was not going to stress out about nursing or whether I wasn't going to stress out about my milk supply and actually ended up continuing to nourish Caroline until she was I believe five. When Nora came along I was tandem nursing and had a huge supply. I was actually able to donate milk the whole time I nurse Nora.

Then when Marygold came along again I have a big supply. Didn't have any need to supplement with her up until a month or so ago I was donating milk. That's what kind of makes me think I may have sabotaged myself and not realized it with Caroline because I have such an abundance of milk with Nora and Marygold.

SUNNY GAULT: That's awesome though that you have that second time around. We'll dive into that a little bit more in the conversation because Helen might be able to shed some light on that.

So Helen your mamma is well, you're also the expert for our episode today. But tell us a little bit more about your role as a mom. Who you are mom to?

HELEN ANDERSON: Sure. I have three kiddos. I have an eight and nine year old and then I have a three year old daughter. They are all breastfed but not exclusively especially my first one who did go exclusively to formula at ten months. I have some experience both ways and my experience with switching to formula after seeing my supply dwindle is kind of what gave me the inspiration to start "Milkies" and to talk to moms about breastfeeding and kind of share good information. Share the data about how we can near breastfeeding goals because I didn't really have a clue and I think like a lot of all the other moms that are on the podcasts today, I sabotaged myself and didn't even realize it. And I think that was the most frustrating part.

SUNNY GAULT: I think we all of kind of do that. There might be a common denominator as we continue with our conversation today because I can relate to that too. You guys know me but I'm Sunny and I have four kids of my own. I was not happy with the way things turnout with my first two children. Both singleton babies my last two are twins.

With my boys now ages five and three I think with my five year old I really didn't know much about breastfeeding. That's kind of sound silly because we were doing this podcasts but I was just kind of learning about the whole thing works. Honestly until you've got a baby to practice on, it's all in theory. I mean you really don't know because every baby is just so different. And so really with my first two boys I would say I breastfed for an average of six months but that was even incorporating formula into the mix. Then after six months I pretty much just gave up and went straight to formula for those last six months before incorporated more foods and things of that sort.

I was really unhappy with that and when I got pregnant with my twins I really want to do things differently and I was really concerned overall about supply because I thought I think we all kind of go to that. Supply, it's got to be supply, it's all about supply. And one thing that I did know is that in those first few days after I have a baby, I just have milk gushing.

One thing I didn't take advantage of with my boys was continuing to pump and do all that throughout the night so I could use that milk because my body was like "you don't need it so much" and then your body kind of regulate itself. With the twins I'm like "I'm going to really need that milk" and so once I established kind of a pattern of pump throughout the night. Then I was able to have enough milk for both babies and never have a supply issue.

So I'm kind of in the boat with you ladies that I originally kind of blamed it on supply with my boys and I don't know if that was necessarily the case. I'm sure we'll talk about that a little bit more. Ladies thanks so much for joining our conversation, we're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

[Theme music]

SUNNY GAULT: Alright so before we kickoff our conversation today. We have a fun segment. We don't do it a lot but I really liked it. It's called "What's Your Breastfeeding IQ" and I really should modify it to be like "What's Your Breastfeeding Pumping Breast milk IQ" because we talk about lot of different topics but here's what's going to happen. I'm going to ask you guys a few questions and don't worry because it's either multiple choice or true or false and shout out what you think the answer is. We're going to kind of test each other and then Helen will kind of give us the answer at the end as to what the legitimate answer is. And I actually don't have the answers here so I don't even know the answers so I'm going to play along as well.

Let's just go through some of these. Here's our first question.

Breastfeeding can save a family how much money in formula related expenses during a baby’s first year?
A. At least four thousand dollars
B. Four hundred seventy seven dollars and sixty two cents
C. Formula doesn't cost much more than breastfeeding
D. Over one thousand two hundred dollars

What do you guys think? A, B, C or D.

HELEN ANDERSON: I just like how specific B was. I think it's kind of funny. I think that's the right answer but that just made me laugh.

SUNNY GAULT: I don't think that's the right answer.

GRAEME SEABROOK: But that just cracked me up.

SUNNY GAULT: That's when shopping at Costco. Okay, what do you guys think? What's your favourite answer?

SHELLY ROGERS: I think A probably.

SUNNY GAULT: A?

GRAEME SEABROOK: What was A again?

SUNNY GAULT: A was four thousand dollars. At least four thousand dollars.

GRAEME SEABROOK: I would say at least A.

SUNNY GAULT: I'm going to go with A too. Helen what do you think?

HELEN ANDERSON: Well the data that I see is right around fifteen hundred dollars. Actually when you're just looking at the cost of formula but there's a lot of auxiliary expenses to go along with formula. Of course we have our bottles and nipples, we have our bottle warmers above these other things that go along with formula feeding so it could definitely be as high as four thousand but I've seen the Math worked out to be right around fifteen hundred dollar range just for the formula.

SHELLY ROGERS: We had to give my son really specific formula because of some tummy issues he had so I know it was way more than that.

SUNNY GAULT: That's a really good point.

HELEN ANDERSON: I think it would probably really depend a little.

SUNNY GAULT: For sure. But the point is it cost a lot of money to formula feed your baby right? That is a benefit of breastfeeding for sure. Next question.

Breastfed babies have a reduced risk of
A. Diarrhea
B. Ear infections
C. Allergies
D. All of these things

GRAEME SEABROOK: All of these things.

SHELLY ROGERS: Plus a whole alphabet of other benefits as well so we could leave everything that breast milk really helps out with.

SUNNY GAULT: Okay, next question.

A breastfeed feeding mamma needs to space feedings so her breasts have time to refill. Is this true or false?

GRAEME SEABROOK: That's false.

SHELLY ROGERS: False, I would say false.

HELEN ANDERSON: You're constantly making milk. Milk is in a constant state of creation. You could nurse your baby constantly, he would just be getting a small stream of milk without the build-up but your cells are always producing.

SUNNY GAULT: Alright, last question.

A woman typically produces the same amount of milk from each of her breast. True or false?

GRAEME SEABROOK: False.

SHELLY ROGERS: I'll say false because I've seen a proof of that.

GRAEME SEABROOK: So false.

SUNNY GAULT: A lopsided boob effect is that what you’re saying?

GRAEME SEABROOK: Actually I pump and one side I will get 4 ounces and the other side I will consistently get half. Half of whatever the other side does. Right is always doubled, left is always half.

SHELLY ROGERS: I'm the opposite of you but okay.

SUNNY GAULT: Helen is there anything to elaborate on that one.

HELEN ANDERSON: Well lactation works on supply and demand and that can work on either side as well. Demand doesn't happen bilaterally. It happens on the side the baby's nursing from. Sometimes the baby prefers one side to another or the internal structures of the breast can have some different convoluted twistiness that can make it more difficult for baby to get milk from one side or another. There are a lot of things happening inside the breast that we don't get to see going on but definitely can affect how much milk is made and how much is extracted.

SUNNY GAULT: You know what's funny, when my twins nurse because I'm tandem feeding my twins most of the time because when one sees the other's nursing they have to have a piece of the action. It's so funny they started this thing where they start on one side and then they switch. It's not like one breast wasn't being used. And I make fun of them when they do that I'm like "Is one side chocolate?" I don't know what's the difference between the two sides? I don't know they just kind of what a different view maybe while they are nursing.

GRAEME SEABROOK: What kind of thinking if we think if it's right handed or left handed and you could be like right boob or a left boob as well. That is one dominant.

SUNNY GAULT: Alright that wraps up our "Breastfeeding IQ Quiz" hope you guys had some fun with that and we're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

[Theme Music]

SUNNY GAULT: Today we are talking about "Breastfeeding Your After Formula Feeding Your First Baby" and we are excited about having Helen Anderson joining us today as our expert. Helen is an RN and a Certified Lactation Educator. She's also the mastermind behind Milkies. And Milkies is a company that creates several products for breastfeeding moms including the "Milkies Milksaver" which you probably have heard of. We've actually reviewed that product here for The Boob Group and a bunch of other products as well. So make sure to link to that site so you guys can check out all the products. Helen welcome to The Boob Group.

HELEN ANDERSON: Thanks for having me Sunny.

SUNNY GAULT: Let's just dive-in to this. Helen, how common is it for moms to make this switch from formula feeding their first baby to breastfeeding their second baby?

HELEN ANDERSON: It's very common. We know that almost a hundred percent of moms want to breastfeed. And the second baby really we don't see a lot of difference between the first and second whether moms want to nurse or not. They're giving it a try the second time even if the first time didn't work out exactly how they wanted to.

The things that would preclude going back to the breast after the second baby would be different changes in medication like if moms taking a medication for instance from seizure medication or some anti-depressant medications that can show up in the breast milk that might be a reason why mom doesn't breastfeed the second baby. Or if there has been some trauma. Maybe she's had a breast reduction or an injury to the breast or something that's going to keep her from breastfeeding the second time around.

SUNNY GAULT: So if moms don't have any experience with breastfeeding at all. Their first baby was completely formula fed. Is there any additional advice that you would give a mom that had a completely formula fed baby in coming into this situation since it is going to be a little bit outside the box for them?

HELEN ANDERSON: Well even if they haven't breastfed? They have dealt with breast milk right? Unless somebody has a problem with insufficient glandular tissue or some other hormonal issue. Even if they didn't breastfeed, they had engorgement; they dealt somehow with breast milk. Whether it was binding their breast to kind of make that go away and then they continue to formula feed or however they manage their milk coming in. Because whether or not you breastfeed, almost all of us do have milk come in.

With any mom, Yes, take a breastfeeding class. We know the data shows that moms or parents it's most effective when you have a partner there with you that takes breastfeeding classes have a much higher rate of success at achieving their breastfeeding goals simply because they know what to expect. A lot of us don't see breastfeeding in our everyday lives. We don't maybe have people in our peer group or family that are breastfeeding and they talk about what's normal. So we have to go to a class to get that information because it's not something typically that's going to be shared just in our typical day to day interactions.

It's going to be something that we need to go to a class for. So we definitely recommend that any mom that hasn't breastfed or mom that maybe breastfed and wants to exclusively breastfeed on the next time around that she definitely go to a class definitely get some good information and be prepared. We know that moms that go into the delivery room prepared to breastfeed with that information and that know how before they have their baby are much more likely to meet their goals. So definitely be ready.

SUNNY GAULT: Okay. Alright mom let's get you guys involve in the conversation. Let's talk about a little bit why ladies decided to make the switch or may have been something that you were struggling with breastfeeding the first time around. So let's dive into this a little bit. Graeme, why did you make the switch?

GRAEME SEABROOK: I had always really wanted to breastfeed I was that little girl who was like five who was breastfeeding my baby dolls. That was part of what I felt being a mom was. It was important to me. It was one of the things that were in my head when I saw when I was day dreaming about what it's going to be like to have children. That was one of the pictures I had in my head and I wanted it.

Especially because I didn't get it the first time. That just made me want it more because it was so hard for me and it was a thing that I had to give up on the first time or it was kind of taken from me or whatever. I wanted it even more, so I did just like Helen said, I went to a class I found a La Leche League meeting here in town. And I'm really lucky I have two really good friends, one is a post-partum doula and one is a lactation consultant. I talked to both of them about the problems I have with my son and they gave me videos to watch on YouTube and recommendations of different holds.

By the time my daughter was born, I had like a million different things to try. So many different things, so that if it hadn't work the second time at least I could've felt like I did everything.

SUNNY GAULT: Leave everything on the table.

GRAEME SEABROOK: Yeah, try it all.

SUNNY GAULT: Shelly tell us a little bit about your experiences as far as making the switch from formula feeding or at least supplementing with your first baby to the second. Why was that important to you?

SHELLY ROGERS: It just was, I know that's not an easy answer but it was almost like there wasn't really an option. I don't know I was so determined I guess but I made a conscious decision way but it was just "I'm going to breastfeed, that's just all I'm going to do." For some reason I was remarkably calm with all my decisions I made with my second one and I actually decided part of the reason why I feel like that is sabotaged myself is because I made a lot of decisions based on how much something costs.

A lactation consultant was going to be so expensive and it was going to be easier to do formula because we couldn't afford all the medications and supplements and everything else to try and make more milk. It was a lot of decisions like that and so I made a calm conscious decision when I was pregnant with Nora that I didn't care what anything costs, I was just doing it the way I originally wanted it to do it and that's just all there was to it. And I'm still paying off loans from that even though she's over three but I'm very, very glad I did that because I waited a year to see a lactation consultant with Caroline and I waited two days with Nora.

HELEN ANDERSON: I love about your story is that you made this decision and you did what you have to do to make it work. You didn't just say "Hey, I'm going to try the same things again and just cross my fingers and hope it works." But you say "Hey, I'm going to like arm myself with this new toolbox of information and then I'm going to give it my best shot." I think that's great that you kind of recognize where you needed to kind of shore up your knowledge and then you went out and you did those things.

Graeme I think you did that as well. I think that's a sign of a really somebody that doesn't just kind of wish things are going to be different but actually does the analysis and says "What do I need to do to make it really work this time" I really admire that, so nice work.

GRAEME SEABROOK: Thank you. I also had a lactation consultant at the hospital that was just part of giving birth at the hospital was that the LC and choose up IBCLC is that right? And then she just comes by to everybody within the first two or three hours after birth just to make sure that everything is working and then comes by everyday that you are there. And if you want to see her more you just let them know and she works you into the schedule and that's just part of giving birth there that's not like an extra fee. I'm sure there's a fee but it's folded into what it costs. It's not like an extra choice that you make. So it just makes me sad that other people are paying like that Shelly had to pay extra for that.

SHELLY ROGERS: Well it does by deliver. Actually they do have an IBCLC and she actually helped me with all three kids. I saw her in my independent IBCLC together a few weeks ago and got a picture of the three of us. She's good for "Here's you’re Lache, let's fix your Lache, let's do this. Okay, you're good to go." While in the hospital. The independent IBCLC and the honest, the goodness, the best in Middle Tennessee which is where I'm at. She is very good at diagnosing. "Okay, this is something that a chiropractor needs to see here.

So chiropractor I recommend. This is something that I would recommend cranial sacral or tongue tied evaluated" that kind of thing. She's the in-depth IBCLC and so she was the one that I saw two or three days later with Nora. Whereas with Caroline I waited a year, my supply was really low.

So we do have IBCLC in the hospitals that are good but it's good for right now.

GRAEME SEABROOK: Mine at the hospital that where I delivered she actually started a breast feeding support group. Partially just because of what you are saying because women needed help afterwards. You know after you are out of the hospital. It could be kind of lonely especially if you're at home and you're not used to being home. And then you're with this baby and you’re having breastfeeding problems. She has that three times a week at her hospital.

SUNNY GAULT: I love the fact too Graeme that you mentioned the support group is a way to kind of to get your foot in the door because you're right there are lot of independent and maybe even through the hospital as well. Consultants that specifically do this because let's face it's an opportunity for them to meet other moms too and to increase their business but it's an opportunity for moms to get together, to breastfeed in the same room, to see kind of normalize breastfeeding a little bit more amongst that group. To see what other moms are doing.

You may get a totally new perspective on how to hold your baby and breastfeed. Helen, just continuing on our conversation, is there some women that in formula feeding their first baby that you would recommend actually stick with formula? I know that's kind of a controversial topic because we all want to think that we should be able to breastfeed and stuff but are there specific situations that you can think of now where it might be best for moms to continue on the path of formula?

HELEN ANDERSON: Well we always recommend donor milk. I know Shelly mentioned that she was a breast milk donor and I've been a breast milk donor in the past. So check with your insurance provider about costs but donor milk is very safe. Moms with an oversupply donate their extra milk and then it's pasteurize and divided up into sort of serving sizes and then it's distributed to moms that need it.

So that's kind of the first choice after moms own milk and then if that's not a possibility for whatever reason then formula can be the best choice for moms that maybe have like Graeme was saying post-partum depression issues where caring for a newborn. I don't care who you are in the best situation caring for a newborn is so exhausting, so stressful and for some moms to add breastfeeding on to that is just not a good situation. It kind of torpedoes the whole joy of having a new baby, the whole post-partum experience.

So for those moms, go ahead and make the switch to formula because the flipside of continuing to force yourself to breastfeed is more of a detriment, more of a risk to baby’s health than anything that can be provided by formula. Bottom line is really we want baby to be fed and if for whatever the situation is if that's not possible then of course formula is going to be your best bet. And we always want baby to be healthy taken care of that means moms healthy as well and if breastfeeding is causing her mental health to go downhill then she's going to make some other choices in caring for her baby that may not be in their best interests as well.

We always want to look at what's best for mom and baby and a lot of times that is breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is the mom's goal and that's best for that whole dyad, that's good for the pair the mom and the baby but if mom is feeling too stressed out from breastfeeding then formula is going to be your best option.

SUNNY GAULT: Well deciding to make the switch from formula to breast milk is one thing but following through that decision that can look completely different and it can prove to be challenging so we'll discuss some ways to prepare for making that switch when we come back.

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[Theme Music]

SUNNY GAULT: Welcome back, we're continuing our discussion about "Breastfeeding After Formula Feeding Your First Baby" and Helen Anderson is our expert. Helen, what are some of the biggest concerns moms have about making the switch from formula feeding to breastfeeding?

HELEN ANDERSON: Well we see moms especially once that have had a kind of traumatic breastfeeding experience with the first baby come in to their second baby almost dreading their due date of going back into this situation that's really fraught with anxiety and pressure. So what we want moms to do is give themselves the grace, give themselves the permission to try again, kind of have a fresh start and realize that your body is more prepared to make milk the second time around.

Research shows that moms on their second baby’s makes thirty percent more milk in the first week than moms that are on their first baby. So our bodies are preparing us for the second baby to make milk faster. Our cells are already programmed to go ahead and do that. So that's kind of setting ourselves up for success with the second baby.

The other thing is moms are sort of more able to identify issues and go ahead and address those early so if they want to kind of have a different experience the second time around, just realize your body's more prepared and also your second baby is a different human being. Your first baby may have had latch issues, may have had some aversion to breastfeeding or just some weird habits that didn't really mesh with you.

But your second baby could be a totally different experience. They may have a perfect latch from the beginning or they may have some different habits that are just more compatible with your sleeping and nursing habits. So kind of give yourself permission to have the fresh start on the second baby.

SUNNY GAULT: Moms what concerned you most about you know kind diving into this again and how did you kind of overcome some of those concerns? Graeme?

GRAEME SEABROOK: Just talking to people and asking a lot of questions I would say definitely look around for breastfeeding groups in your area. You could find them on meet up, you could find them just by you know by Googling your zip code and breastfeeding group like is it probably the easiest way to do it. And then you can go, you can go while you’re still pregnant they loved having pregnant women come in. The one I go to now, we love it when the pregnant mammas come in and we can give all the advice and just ask them all your questions and it's a great way to make new friends to that are in that same kind of period of life that you are. That's my best stuff.

SUNNY GAULT: Alright, and Shelly what would you'll say?

SHELLY: My concern really was giving in to the anxiety that can overwhelm me at times that's why I had to make the very clear decisions about not stressing about my milk and I don't think it was ever really a question of whether or not I was going to do it like I mean that I would succeed for lack of better words. But I have a tendency to give-in to fears and that was that was what I had to really focus on my concern with am I going to give-in to this fear and having to block that fear.

SUNNY GAULT: There's a lot of fear that's kind of tied into this and I think sometimes we're our own worst enemy and that stress. We actually did a whole episode about stress and breastfeeding because that can totally impact supply and your letdown and all this kind of stuff so I feel like snores were just working against ourselves in that regard. Helen, what advise do you have for moms that are trying to make this switch? What do you usually tell them? What words of encouragement do you give them?

Helen Anderson: The words of encouragement I want to say is I think we can all agree with this but give your body a chance to second time, and give your body that fresh start to try breastfeeding again. Especially it's a big goal of yours to breastfeed. There's a good chance that you going to be more successful the second time if you still have to supplement with formula? That's okay. Remember any breast milk is better than none, so if you're breastfeeding but your finding that for whatever reason your supply isn't keeping up with your babies to demands.
Do what you can to increase your supply. Pumping during the night, feeding on demand, try some different herbs but in the end we want baby to eat. That's the most important thing. Like Shelly said try not to stress out about your supply. Get your to do list there and then follow through with that.

SUNNY GAULT: Awesome, and mammas last question and any last words of advise that you would give to other moms out there that are kind of going through this right now? Graeme?

GRAEME SEABROOK: Don't be scared because of whatever happened the first time and if you're worried about it? Reach out for as much help as possible.

SUNNY GAULT: Okay. Anybody else have any thought? Shelly go ahead.

SHELLY ROGERS: I agree with Graeme. Have a reach out for help, have a support system ready. I went to a lot of La Leche League meetings. I had my IBCLC in place and let her know I might need her and this may seem kind of odd but this is help to me. Actually with all three is I expressed colostrum before I ever went to the hospital to have the babies and froze it and whenever I started getting stressed in the hospital about being not able to nurse, not giving in to latch. I knew that I had frozen colostrum there so that they wouldn't need a bottle and it made it easier for me calm them down to try and get them to latch in the hospital. So I try to start off from the very beginning with not a crotch but something to help.

HELEN ANDERSON: That's genius.

SUNNY GAULT: That is genius. I never heard of frozen colostrum before.

SHELLY ROGERS: Really? I read it in Ina May Gaskin's breastfeeding book.

SUNNY GAULT: Of course you did. She's a genius. Oh my gosh, my mind is just blown right now.

HELEN ANDERSON: I never think of that!

SHELLY ROGERS: The nurses were super supportive of that and actually with my last one she's a little bit more high needs and I was able to tell them, "Yes, please take her to the nursery so I can get two or three hours of sleep. Here's the colostrum. Do whatever you going to do with it. I'm going to rest for a few minutes or well for a couple of hours." But that's what I try to tell any new moms is all you need is a little bittie medicine syringes and I'd fill up about probably five of those and freeze them and then take them to the hospital on a little frozen pack. As odd as it sounds I would actually just stick one under my breasts and let it thaw out and get my body temperature there. And then just shoot it in their mouth when their crying just a little bit at a time. And it starts calming them down and then you can them to latch a little bit better.

HELEN ANDERSON: Now I'm just angry I didn't think of that before.

SUNNY GAULT: That is so smart. If you have one take away?

SHELLY ROGERS: Well it wasn't my idea, it was Ina May’s that I totally take that from her book but it made a huge difference in the hospital at least. I knew my babies didn't get formula in the hospital which is what I was shooting for is for them to not get formula.

SUNNY GAULT: That is so smart. Well if you had one take away to take away from this episode and you didn't get anything else. Take away that, that's genius. Alright mammas, well thank you so much everyone for being part of our show today. If you're member of The Boob Group Club then be sure to check the bonus content for this episode. We're going to discuss what moms should do if they feel like breastfeeding just isn't working out and they need to supplement. So for more information about our club you can visit our website at www.newmommymedia.com

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SUNNY GAULT: So before we wrap up our show today. We have another segment that we do call "Mamma Hacks" and we're always looking, this was actually a segment that was inspired by a listener that was sending us like little tips when she would pump for her babies.
She's like, "Hey your listeners might be interested in this. This is what I would do" and I thought we have to make a whole segment out of it. So it's called "Mamma Hacks" and so if there's something that you do when you're breastfeeding your baby or you're pumping for your baby or like a little trick, a little hack that just makes the process work a little bit more easy for you, send those.

And so we have one, and this was actually responds. If you guys have heard of "The Smart Mom" app? This is an app that I use and I hop on there when I have general questions that I just want to ask other moms about and I don't want to post it on Facebook or whatever. It's a free app but it's really great because there's a bunch of moms on there and you can post whatever, it doesn't just have to be breastfeeding related. It can be about you could be pregnant and post questions. It's all moms that have fairly young kids and you can post whatever question you want and then other moms just kind of chime in. So if you're looking for that mom-to-mom support without having to go to a playground like this is a really good idea. So we post it, some questions there and Jackie Kaye said this is her Mamma Hack.

She said, when pumping I use a little nipple butter to help with friction. She said she also drinks tons of water to help her produce more as well. I think that is so smart and I just wanted to kind of throw it out there to our mammas. Have you ever used nipple butter? Has that helped at all in the process? I know we have some pumping moms here. Graeme?

GRAEME SEABROOK: I actually don't use nipple butter, I use coconut oil and I keep it in the fridge so it is nice and cool when I put it all on and it feels so good. But yes, I would totally use nipple butter.

SUNNY GAULT: It just sounds kind of yummy. Shelly do you use anything like this when you're pumping?

SHELLY ROGERS: Coconut oil actually just like Graeme and I didn't think to put it in the fridge and that does sound really wonderful. I'm definitely doing that from now on.

SUNNY GAULT: Yes, just nice and soothing. Absolutely! This is a great "Mamma Hack" Jackie thanks so much for sending it in. If you guys have a hack that you want to share with our listeners, we would love to hear that. You can email us to the contact link on our website at www.newmommymedia.com .

The best way I think to cement for these types of segments is again go to our website but there's a gray banner on all the pages for our website that says "send voicemail" and you can actually use the microphone on your computer to send it that way. In that way we can hear your voice because I love getting these stories but I really want to hear like literally hear your voice. That just brings your story to life so much more. If you want to submit that's the best way to do it through our website.

SUNNY GAULT: That wraps up our show for today. We appreciate you listening to The Boob Group.
Don’t forget to check out our sister show:
• Preggie Pals for expecting parents
• Newbies for newly postpartum moms
• Parent Savers for moms and dads with infants and toddlers and
• Twin Talks for parents with multiples.

Thanks for listening to The Boob Group. Your judgment free breastfeeding resource.

[Disclaimer]
This has been a New Mommy Media production. The 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. While such information and materials are believed to be accurate, it is not intended to replace or substitute for professional, medical advice or 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.

SUNNY GAULT: New Mommy Media is expanding our line-up of shows for new and expecting parents. If you have an idea for a new series, or if you’re a business, or organization interested in joining our network of shows through a co-branded podcast, visit www.NewMommyMedia.com.

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