Breastfeeding

Congratulations on the birth of your baby (or babies!) and blessings for a restful, peaceful babymoon. Here is encouragement and helpful links for supporting your breastfeeding experience. Breastfeeding is a continuation of the miracle of birth and the amazing way mothers nurture and protect our babies.

Like anything so powerful (conception! pregnancy! childbirth!), sometimes it comes naturally and is blissful and easy and 'just happens'. And sometimes (as with all the other miraculous stages of bringing forth new life), there are challenges. With good information and support and perseverance, these can be overcome. You are doing a beautiful thing, be encouraged dear sweet mama, and I hope the following information may be of help.

You can call the Australian Breastfeeding Society hotline any time of the day or night:

A nourishing galactogogue herbal tea to promote ample milk supply and help soothe wind and colic in the baby:

Breastfeeding Bliss herbal tea 

100g Breastfeeding Bliss tea, $16.00

Mother's Milk herbal bath - to support rest, relaxation and the flow of oxytocin. You can bring your bay into the bath with you for some extra skin-to-skin cuddles.

Low Milk Supply - I personally experienced this with my 4th baby. Breastfeeding can be such a joy, so satisfying, and a wonderful bonding time between mother and baby. For most women, there is always just the right amount of milk and low supply is not something you even have to think about. It can be a shock to find yourself inexplicably in the small minority of women who struggle with adequate supply, for reasons known or even unknown. I hope the links within this post will help you know, you're not alone, others have been right where you're at now, and help is out there.

Sore Nipple Bliss - healing, soothing, moisturising herbal wash to support the healing of sore or cracked nipples.  The Soothing Salve for sensitive skin  is also excellent for protecting and healing sore nipples. This variation on the original Soothing Salve contains no essential oils and no goldenseal, so it is safe and suitable to use on sore nipples. The ingredients are: Cold-pressed olive oil infused with Calendula and Oatstraw; organic coconut oil; organic rosehip oil, organic calendula oil and organic beeswax. A 15ml jar is $5.00; a 30 ml jar is $9.50; and a 60 ml jar is $16.50

30 ml Soothing Salve, $9.50

Reynaud's Syndrome and Nipple Vasospasm can affect your breastfeeding bliss. Bilberry and Prickly Ash are herbs that can warm and support optimal circulation. Contact me if you would like a warming herbal tea containing these herbs: blissfulherbs@bigpond.com 
The Warming Bliss tea contains:  Prickly Ash, Gingko Biloba, Ginger, Cinnamon, Fennel, Bilberry, Cardamom & Cayenne.

Mastitis Blitz tea, compress herbs and ointment - this links takes you to details about these products, as well as heaps of other useful links for getting on top of Mastitis.

Mastitis Blitz tea, 50g = $8.50 or 100g = $16.00; and Mastitis Blitz compress herbs, also in the two sizes.

Mastitis Ointment, with Pokeroot, Comfrey, Lavender & Ginger, 60 ml = $16.50

To order any of these products, email blissfulherbs@bigpond.com and provide your postal address too please. Postage is $8.00 Australia-wide, and that stays the same up to 500g gross before increasing. This means you can normally fit about a $50.00 order into a 500g package, for the $8.00 postage.

More links for support and information for breastfeeding:

Pinky McKay's articles on breastfeeding

Dr. Jack Newman breastfeeding videos

Kellymom articles on breastfeeding

On Raynauds and Nipple Vasospasm 

Vasospasm, from the ABA 

Facebook pages and groups:

Human Milk for Human Babies Victoria (this is where I sourced my EBM). HM4HB is worldwide - you will be able to find a group in your area.

Low Milk Supply (a Facebook page set up by me. Scroll down the page and check out the 'notes' to find useful resources.)

Breastfeeding - give it a go!

IGT and Low Milk Supply Support Group

Breastfeeding Support

Breastfeeding Consultants


Dr Robyn Thompson can come to see you i your home, or do a consult via Skype.