All About Breastfeeding Podcast: Breastfeeding|mothering|parenting|pregnancy|postpartum|birth|expert Advice

Extra nipples or breast tissue is fairly common.  It is a result of incomplete regression of the mammary ridge, also known as the milk line and happens the during development of the embryo before birth.

Jennifer Grayson is an environmental journalist and the author of Unlatched: The Evolution of Breastfeeding and the Making of a Controversy, out now from HarperCollins. Her writing and commentary have appeared in publications including The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, American Baby and The Huffington Post, where she wrote two long-running columns for the Green section. A leading expert on environmental issues, she has been featured by MSNBC, WGN and NPR, as well as numerous online outlets and blogs.

She also volunteers as social media manager for Circle of Peace International which is a nonprofit helping children in Uganda get a better education. She has numerous passions but most enjoys event planning and choreographing dance dramas. Her passion is to help other parents find that perfect balance between culture, parenting, and self.

Breastfeeding is not advisable if one or more of the conditions is true:       An infant diagnosed with galactosemia, a rare genetic metabolic disorder The infant whose mother: Has been infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Is taking antiretroviral medications Has untreated, active tuberculosis Is infected with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I or type II Is using or is dependent upon an illicit drug Is taking prescribed cancer chemotherapy agents, such as antimetabolites that interfere with DNA replication and cell division Is undergoing radiation therapies; however, such nuclear medicine therapies require only a temporary interruption in breastfeeding   The conditions I just listed will require you being advised by your healthcare professional

Sarah Fletcher is a twenty six year old mom she is a two time surrogate. She is from Oklahoma City she has breastfed two babies these two babies and she has breast fed her own nine year old daughter.

We can prepare up the wazoo and we can work like the dickens to prevent some things from happening, but realistically speaking... sometimes life just gets in the way and things happen and we find ourselves in a bit of a pickle.  We are going to address this too - because - life does get in the way of the best laid plans.  

In our show today, Tressa talks about the homebirth of her two daughters.  She gives us a window into her postpartum life and talks about the difficulties she had.  Tressa attempted to hold in her postpartum depression feelings, not even wanting to talk to her family about it.  She tells us how a frank discussion with her husband led her to seek help and how she realized that was the best decision she every could have had.  Tressa then brings us deeper into her family's life and tells us how she came to tandem nurse her daughters and what it  meant to her and her family.

I think the biggest misconception when it comes to babies feeding and sleeping cycles is that it is our job as parents to get our babies on a schedule.  In theory, this sounds like it would really work and is in the best interest of the baby and parents.  If your baby ate and slept on a schedule that you designed, this would fit nicely into your day and you would have a routine that you can count on.  In theory, seems good, However, when adults attempt to have this degree of control over a new baby, it typically is a hard thing to make happen and if you are breastfeeding your baby, this forced routine causes lots of breastfeeding difficulty.    There are some very real common sense and practical reasons why this is just not a safe way to go about feeding your baby. 

Kathy grew up in the 60's and 70's in Southern California and was the oldest of 4 kids.  Her father was a veterinarian and her mother stayed at home raising her kids. She never really thought much about breastfeeding until she was pregnant with her first baby.  

Chrissie Wywrot is a content and social media strategist who works with passionate entrepreneurs focused on helping others and making a difference with their businesses.

We are going to be talking about a very personal and very sensitive subject amongst the breastfeeding community.  Your milk supply.  I know this is personal and I know this sensitive.  I also know that this is a huge topic of concern and based on the great response I have had from the last several shows that I talked about milk supply, I know this is a subject you want to hear more about.  

Katy and I began today's show talking about the need to educate the public about the basics of breastfeeding.  We agreed that it is more than likely the lack of knowledge about how breastfeeding works rather than judgments that gets in the way of the public having patience and tolerance for the breastfeeding mother.  You do you.  I am going to worry about me and let's just be kind and supportive of each other. 

Stacy tells me that she has a lot of friends who are breastfeeding and decided she really want to have this experience with her baby.   Stacy tells me that she exclusively breastfed her new baby, Alex and 8 lb 1 oz boy during her 2 days hospital stay.  She was told the latch was good, although Stacy complained that it was pinching her a lot.  Everyone agreed that baby seemed happy at breast and content after most feedings.  A few hours before discharge, she was given news that upset her greatly.  Her baby Luke had lost 10 oz and that was way too much weight loss.  Stacy said that she felt like her world was crashing down around her as she had flashbacks to her first baby. 

Laura is the oldest of 6 kids. The first 4 kids were very close in age. Her dad was a  truck driver. Her Mom took care of the kids and worked part time.   Laura tells us that they did not have a lot of money, but as kids, she really did not know that.

Why would a mother need to increase her milk supply? Don't all mothers make enough milk for their babies? Can it be that some mothers do make enough, but think they don't?   Can it be that some mothers do make enough, but they want to make lots more? Can it be that some mothers don't make enough milk for their babies?