You know that breastfeeding is best for your baby, but what do you do when you encounter challenges? If things don’t go as planned, don’t worry – many nursing mothers experience one or more of these problems.
Breast engorgement (painful swelling of breasts) is the most common breastfeeding problem and is completely natural. It occurs when breasts are not emptied adequately. Some women produce more breast milk than others and experience engorgement more frequently. Breast engorgement may interfere with breastfeeding because your baby may not be able to latch on properly. The best remedy for engorgement is to nurse your baby frequently and to express extra milk by pump or hand when your little one isn’t hungry. MedlinePlus, a service of the US National Library of Medicine, recommends taking warm showers and using cold compresses to treat engorgement (MedLine, 2012).
Sore nipples are another common problem for breastfeeding mothers, especially when they first begin nursing. Since sore and cracked nipples are usually caused by an improper latch, they usually heal as soon as your baby learns to latch on properly. You may need to enlist the help of a professional lactation consultant to correct your baby’s latch. Otherwise, you may be unable to continue breastfeeding due to pain. To relieve pain and help cracked nipples heal faster, use clean warm water and lanolin ointment.
Another frequent breastfeeding problem involves plugged ducts. According to Wolters Kluwer Health, “Plugged ducts are areas in the breast where the flow of milk is blocked, usually by plugs of skin cells and milk. As the milk duct fills and stretches, the surrounding breast tissue becomes tender” (Schenler & Enger, 2010). Plugged ducts can be large and painful and you should contact your doctor if your condition doesn’t improve within a few days. The best way to treat plugged ducts at home is by nursing more often on the affected breast and gentle breast massage.
Mastitis (breast infection) is a painful condition that usually occurs two to three weeks after giving birth due to cracked nipples or plugged milk ducts, and is frequently accompanied by fever and other flu-like symptoms, says Sharon Mass, a doctor from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ (Amy Sirot, Parents Magazine, 2012). This condition causes a part of your breast to become red, engorged and hot. Mastitis often requires a treatment with antibiotics. You should continue breastfeeding your baby, as well as get rest and drink plenty of water. Always contact your doctor if you experience any symptoms of mastitis.
If you experience engorgement, plugged ducts or mastitis, be sure to wear a comfortable nursing bra and avoid underwire bras or bras that are too tight.
Amy Sirot, Parents Magazine. (2012). Nursing Roadblocks. Retrieved June 23, 2012, from Parents
MedLine. (2012). MedlinePlus-Health Information From The National Library of Medicine. Retrieved June
Schenler, R. J., & Enger, L. (2010, August 9). Patient information: Common breastfeeding problems
Welcome to July’s first Thank You! Thursday Giveaway!!! Today we are proud to offer something from our friends at Drool Monkey Organics. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Drool Monkey Organics produces the finest quality eco-friendly baby products.
The featured product of DMO is the Drool Monkey lovie. The Drool Monkey is an ultra-soft and absorbent teething toy made of organic cotton. This wonderful product helps prevent drool & teething rash in two ways. First, the unique fabric composition provides wicking action keeping saliva off your infant’s skin. Second, the knotable corners provide something for your little one to chew on for teething relief.
Celebrities like Selma Blair (left) and Ali Landry’s son Marcelo (right) have been spotted with their Drool Monkeys and now is your chance to have one too!!!
One lucky Mama will win a Drool Monkey Lovie for their baby. To enter, use the widget below to “like” Drool Monkey on Facebook and tell us my you want a Drool Monkey in the comment section. Earn more chances to win by “liking” You! Lingerie, “liking” this blog post below, joining our You! newsletter and Drool Monkey Organics mailing list. Open to Mamas in the U.S. only. Contest ends July 6, 2012 at 12:01 a.m. EST. Be sure to check back to find out if you are a winner and remember our basic rules apply.
PLEASE NOTE: If you are chosen as a winner, we will send you an email alerting you of your winnings. If we do not hear back from you within 48hours, we will pick another winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
It’s that time of the month again when we feature one of You! Lingerie’s retailer; and this month, it’s Rondom Eva. Rondom Eva is a web based store located in the Netherlands that carries delicious maternity and nursing lingerie, swimwear and sleepwear. Like most mompreneurs, Rondom Eva was launched when owner Eva was pregnant with her first child and had a difficult time shopping for stylish yet comfortable maternity Lingerie. With her second child due any day now, we couldn’t be more excited for Eva as her and her store continues to strive that mummies everywhere feel their absolute best during and after pregnancy.
We had the wonderful opportunity to interview the founder and owner of Dutch maternity retailer Rondom Eva, and below are some excerpts from that interview.
YL: Tell us a little bit about your business
Eva: I launched my web-store last year October 1st on the Dutch celebration of World Breastfeeding Week. Website is now live for a little bit more than 6 months and in this short period of time; I have already met a lot of mums and professionals who are really enthusiastic about breastfeeding and my shop. With my Web-shop, it is my aim to make pregnancy and breastfeeding even more beautiful than it already is.
YL: Can you share details about your background, how and why you decided to become a maternity boutique owner?
Eva: After a career in several commercial jobs, I kept searching for a job to would be more satisfying to me. I was looking for products that I could relate to and also for a possibility to fully use my creativity. Being pregnant with my first child, I found that it was very difficult to find good and good looking maternity lingerie. That’s how my plan was born. I started investigating and found some very pretty lingerie brands that convinced me to give it a go. I love to make pregnant and breastfeeding women feel pretty and happy with their beautiful curves.
In the meanwhile, I am expecting my second baby on July 21st, that makes it easier for me to relate to all the mummies and what they are going through. We do not know if it is going to be a boy or girl yet, but we are very much looking forward to our second one. Our daughter (almost 2) is also very pleased; she’s kissing my growing belly everyday which is so cute!
YL: How did you come up with the name of your business?
Eva: My name is Eva (from Adam & Eve) which is very suitable for the market that I am in. Therefore I wanted to have my own name in my company name. As I also wanted to relate to the beautiful curves I chose the name “Rondom Eva”. Rondom can be translated as around, but also relates to curves. This also shows in my logo.
YL: What do you think your customers think when your store comes to mind?
Eva: My customers are excited to find out that there’s such a wide range of both functional, beautiful, and sexy maternity and nursing lingerie. During the past months, I have managed to create a personal relationship with some of my customers which made them return for more items. Which I view as a very large compliment.
YL: What type of products do you carry?
Eva: Besides maternity- and nursing lingerie, I also carry nightwear and swimwear. At this moment I am talking to a new supplier of another type of products which I am convinced many of the mums (to be) would be very pleased with.
YL: Why do you carry You! Lingerie?
Eva: As stated before it is my aim to make pregnancy and breastfeeding even more beautiful. You! Lingerie perfectly fits in that profile. I had the honor of being the first one to introduce You! Lingerie to the Dutch mums (to be) who are all very excited about it.
Be sure to check out out Rondom Eva’s super chic web-store: http://www.rondomeva.nl
Many women enjoy the support and form that underwire bras provide, but are they safe for nursing mothers? While most experts don’t outright rule out underwire bras, they recommend avoiding them in the last months of pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
Riverview Hospital Association (of Wisconsin Rapids, WI) says this with regard to underwire nursing bras, “Underwire bras can contribute to plugged ducts. If you choose to wear one, it is very important that the band of the wire falls beneath the natural crease where the breast meets the rib cage.” 1 Botsford Hospital also strongly cautions against using underwire nursing bras, citing not only plugged ducts, but restricted milk flow as potential dangers.2
Dr. Sears recommends avoiding underwire nursing bras as well, especially for the first few weeks postpartum. “The breast’s milk-producing tissue extends all the way back to your rib cage and up into your armpit,” says Sears, “An underwire may obstruct the milk ducts in this area–besides poking and annoying you.”2 California Pacific Medical Center also recommends avoiding underwire bras for the same reasons.3
It seems to be the consensus of the medical community that underwire bras are not a good choice for nursing mothers. It is best to opt for soft bras that are comfortable and won’t restrict milk flow.
1Riverview Hospital Association. (2012). Clothing and Nursing Bras. Retrieved on April 23, 2012 from http://www.rhahealthcare.org/clothingnursingbras.pdf
2 Ask Dr. Sears. (2012). Choosing the Right Nursing Bra. Retrieved on April 22, 2012 from http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/breastfeeding/helpful-products/choosing-right-nursing-bra
3Botsford Hospital Breastfeeding Services. (2012). How to Buy a Good Bra. Retrieved on April 23, 2012 from http://www.botsford.org/medical_services/new_beginnings_maternity/breastfeeding/Breastfeeding_How_to_buy_a_good_bra.pdf
4California Pacific Medical Center. (2012). Common Problems & Concerns About Breastfeeding. Retrieved on April 23,2012 from http://www.cpmc.org/services/pregnancy/information/breastfeeding-concerns.html
We are beyond thrilled to have our Ella Rose nursing bra be featured on the cover and several pages of the August issue of BabyTalk Magazine. This issue discusses “Breastfeeding Barriers” and we LOVE that it also shows that breastfeeding can be CHIC and BEAUTIFUL!!!
Whooohoooo!!! 
- You! Lingerie’s Ella Rose Nursing bra featured in the August issue of BabyTalk Magazine
