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**Special thanks to all the moms and community leaders that joined us for Mom's Day Out.  There were great prizes and lots of great information! Read below some excerpts from our conversation with Dawn Teeple, M.S., RN.  Dawn has worked in the nursing profession for years and now teaches at Anne Arundel Community College.

a la mode: What are the most common problems with breast feeding?

Dawn: I think the biggest is that people just expect it then, expect that its just going to happen naturally and that they don’t have to work for it;  That once the baby is born they put the baby to the breast and not have any issues and I think that’s where a lot of girls get confused and frustrated they’re tired they just went through labor and deliver and the baby just through it too the baby has never done it before and the mom never done it before and not with that baby. That’s what I tell moms too they could have 10 kids and have nursed 10 kids but this is a very different baby. Every baby is different so even if she’s nursed before it’s a unique experience each time every baby’s different all 3 of my kids were totally different nursing.

a la mode: Do some kids naturally take to it take to it?

Dawn:Oh yeah my daughter went right to it no problem. My oldest it took 10 weeks before I could say “this is working really well” and my 3^rd was 2 month preemie and I had to work with him everyday. I never had to give any of my kids a drop of formula but it took a lot of work  And that’s just it, I think nurses need to be supportive,  the provider whether it’s a midwife or OB needs to be supportive the family needs to be support and realize its gonna take work.

It is much easier to just give a bottle but if they understand the benefits and respects mom’s desire to keep trying  it takes practice, they’ve got to do lots of positioning practice that’s the biggest misconception is a lot them think that its just so easy because that’s how a lot of the publicity is it takes a little bit of work, not that its hard, you just have to work at it a little bit.

a la mode: How long should a mother keep trying?

Dawn: I would say if that’s what she really wants to do then I would tell her to continue keep trying because it will come around. The baby won’t starve you know. They’ve got lots of fluid and glucose on board from the pregnancy and delivery and as long as she’s trying to do frequent nursings the baby’s gonna be fine.

Lots and lots of skin to skin, especially first time moms and moms that may not be very comfortable with showing themselves just need to know; put that baby skin to skin as much as possible That way when the baby is ready and they smell the breast milk , they can slide down, can try latch on, mom can try to nurse them as often as possible just keep them up underneath her gown or pajamas lots of skin to skin that make a huge difference. That’s what we really propose in the NICU and for preemies.

a la mode: Other than making sure the breast is accessible what are some of the other benefits of skin to skin contact?

Dawn: For the baby it keeps their temperature regulated, keeps their vital signs like respirations and heart rate calm and happy it keeps that baby very in tune to moms body.

They can smell the breast milk.  Babies know their moms breast milk very instinctively and they recognize her heartbeat and its just very calming to them. For moms it helps to keep that hormone oxytocin flowing (which is that natural very protective hormone).   

a la mode: So the skin to skin contact helps with the oxytocin even if your not breastfeeding yet?

Dawn: Yes, that Skin to skin contact with the baby is going to help keep those hormones circulating, help produce that breast milk and get that baby to nurse

Especially if you put them right between the breasts, close to the heartbeat, the breast tissue helps keep that baby warm it will increase or decrease temperature to help keep that baby warm its very calming. Even dads, we tell them to do lots of skin to skin contact.

a la mode: I think a lot of dads maybe missed out on in previous generations, so having all this information is definitely helpful.

Dawn: Especially if the dad was a big part of the pregnancy, the babies will recognize the voice they know what to listen for they love the really deep voice. A lot of dads a scared to do that, because they think the hair on their chest, oh the baby wont like that. but that’s not true. Babies don’t care.  A lot of skin to skin really helps boost moms milk supply really helps keep them both calm and relaxed.  if you have a baby that’s having a hard time getting to the breast initially it’s a big benefit.

The other biggies, for most moms will find that because sometimes it may have been a little difficult getting the baby latched on, or their not sure if they did it right, they can end up with sore nipples

Just doing some different positioning techniques will help, there are lots of great resources out there that they can use to look for positioning. La Leche League is a great resource. Just try different positions so that the baby’s not nursing the same spot every time. If she's struggling, she definitely needs to get in touch with a lactation consultant if she doesn’t already have contact at the hospital or birthing center to make sure they can check the positioning and make sure that the baby is latching on.

If the baby is latching on well, it could have been just one attempt that made her sore and its just gonna take time to heal she needs to let it heal, express some milk on it to help it heal because there’s antibodies in the breastmilk. Sore nipples tend to be the biggest issue initially more so than anything else.

a la mode: How do you feel about nursing bras with wires?

Dawn: I find them more comfortable. I’m not an expert in that area you guys are more than I am but I have no problem with wire. What I’ve always read and heard concerns about with wires is that it could cause plugged ducts because of the pressure against the ducts.  But if mom’s totally emptying her breast with each feeding it should be fine. I’ve worn underwires.

a la mode: If 80% of women are wearing the wrong size before they’re pregnant, before they’re nursing and their size is changing chances are they are still wearing the wrong size.  Its hard to get reliable data because its mostly based on wearing bras incorrectly.

Dawn: Even when I got fitted, I’m wearing a totally different bra size, I know my bras didn’t fit correctly before. Plus your breasts will vary in size with your milk supply, how well the babies nursing all those things and the biggest thing is as long as you are massaging the ducts and making sure your breasts are empty after each feeding and you’re wearing a good sized bra it should be alright.