Birth & Breastfeeding Resources As one whom his mother
comforts so shall I (God) comfort you in Jerusalem. Isaiah 66:11 Along the bank of the of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither nor will their fruit fail. They will bear fruit every month, because water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for medicine. Ezekiel 47:12
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Herbal help for Breastfeeding Situations chamomile
Breastfeeding- important nurse the baby early and often, watch his cues. Call and get help immediately for problems, don’t give up too soon. Engorgement, plenty of fluids, cabbage leaf poultice to breast for 20 min 3-4 times daily. Sage tea helps but only ½ cup every 8 hours for two days any more and the supply will dry up. Cabbage needs to be clean and cool from the refrigerator-but out of the garden does well also. If you have lots of selling in the extremities use a little dandelion. Engorgement must be treated with milk extraction, by babe, hand expression or good quality pump. Even moms who are not breastfeeding need to pump for comfort and to prevent mastitis, plugged duct or even abscess. Engorgement left untreated or unresolved can dry milk supplies, it is also uncomfortable. Mastitis – can be caused by not enough nursing, nursing on schedule or due to infection of staph, strep or even yeast. Add zinc to your diet, 40mg daily. Also you may use goldenseal for babes over 1 month of age For about 10 days, Myrrh is a good anti -infective so use a little around 500 mg daily for 10 days. Echinacea is also used during this time. Mastitis needs to be worked through with your health care professional. and Antibiotics are sometimes required. That is ok, Many medications can be used while breastfeeding without having to pump and dump or wean. Rest is important in preventing mastitis; rest when babe rests and use a supportive bra. Try to use one without under-wires and that is too tight. Also drink plenty of fluids, they help flush infection and toxins. Mastitis is caused by infection or stasis of milk that results in infection. General assistance and research shows that cold therapy is helpful with plugged ducts and the engorgement that may result in mastitis. Warmth is not recommended for more than 2-5 minutes because the warmth aggravates the inflammation of the already painful and edematous breast tissue. A Yeast Infection is another problem that plagues moms and even little babies. Some general helps for yeast include the following ideas. ALWAYS TREAT MOTHER AND BABY AT THE SAME TIME- FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME. AT TIMES IT IS NECESSARY TO TREAT THE ENTIRE FAMILY. NEVER- use the same towel to dry family members while yeast is in the house. It grows everywhere. Launder/wash bras, underwear and anything that would touch the breasts. Wash with cider vinegar or bleach, and in the hottest water possible, dry in hot dryer or in hot sunshine. Also wash any thing that comes in contact with babes mouth with vinegar, of if you can afford to do so, start over with pacifiers and bottle nipples as these hold yeast as well. Boil pump parts that touch the breast as well and add a bit of vinegar to change ph and kill yeast. Yeast may be evident in baby in diaper area, that is red and has white cheesy patches. These patches may be in the mouth as well. I have seen many babes with yeast without patches. In babes eating may be painful, and exhibited by pulling on and off the breast, crying. Try using grapefruit seed extract mom may take 250mg 3x daily. If you need take 5 drops of extract into 1 ounce of water and paint your nipples and babes mouth several times a day. Another over the counter remedy is gentian violet. This can be messy but treatment needs to be for a minimum of four days, and no longer than 7 days. usually 0.05 %works well. Do wear breast pads as you nipples and bras may be purple as well. The traditional medical treatment is Nystatin and antifungal/antibiotic however in my practice some yeast strains are resistant. It also contains alcohol and sugar. You may also have to stop eating bread, and alcohol for a while for things to clear up. Also another prescription medication is Diflucan there are other links on the help page to find out more about the usage of this medication while nursing.
Sore nipples; the much dreaded sore nipples. Breastfeeding is not supposed to hurt. Check the baby's positioning at the breast. make sure babe is level with your breast and facing tummy to tummy. the lips should be wide open and flanged around the nipple and areola. Sore nipples can be caused by poor latch, yeast, infections or trying to nurse on and engorged breasts. If engorgement is the case, hand express off some milk to soften the areola and then latch the baby on. On babes part he might have tongue- tie, small mouth with a large breast. This is called with some humor and pity oroboobulular disproportion. Tincture of time helps this. Baby may be pulling off due to yeast or even mom's strong let down reflex. Sore nipples can also be caused by moms trying to prepare their nipples in pregnancy. This is a myth. Preparing them only breaks down a protective keratin layer that is put down during pregnancy. Some people also think they have to wash the nipple prior to pumping, or breastfeeding. However the Montgomery glands secrete lysosome, natural cleansing agent. Avoid harsh soaps and chemicals on the nipples or preparing them. A little soap when bathing is not bad. i prefer using a little olive oil on nipples as a first try. Calendula salve helps with soreness and is anti-fungal as well. Next in line i try the homeopathics. I like graphites as a first line. If these do not work, especially if the breast has craters and cracks castor equi works well. Check my wound salve or the calendula salve in the catalog. |
This is intended for educational purposes and is by no means meant to
diagnose or treat conditions. It is not a substitute for a Lactation
consultation or a visit to your health care provider. However you may share this
information with your care providers.