Determined Mom Breastfeeds Second Baby Successfully

By Lowie Morgan, guest blogger

Here's my story with my little nursling, 

I have an almost 8 month old little boy named Isayiah. But I want to rewind to a few years ago when I had my daughter. I was walking down a hall with no info or support with breastfeeding. I had a lactation consultant and doctors telling me to supplement to help her gain weight and help prevent jaundice. So because I knew little to nothing about breastfeeding I did just that. I would supplement more and more because she would prefer it. When she was 4 months old that journey ended; I was devastated. I cried for months and just learned to tell myself, "It's okay; you're a wonderful mommy either way. But I felt a bond was ripped from me because I had no support or good info. 

Fast forward almost 2 years when I got pregnant with my son. I was determined to breastfeed him. I researched, read articles, youtubed  info, read books, and asked questions. I told my husband my wishes, and he totally supported me like he always has. When my son artived, he was an amazing nursling; he came out ready to nurse. I felt complete, and I couldn't wait to nurse him. I nursed him on demand, feeding him any time he was hungry. At his check up they mentioned that if he needed to supplement, I could give him some; nurses even gave me formula. I threw it out and said, "Oh no, this is not the way we're doing this! " 

We kept going strong, and at 6 weeks my menstrual cycle came,  and my supply dipped. I just kept pumping and nursing. It picked back up, and we were nursing happily along. His 4 month check up came, and he was in the less then 10 percentile for height and weight, so here comes the doctor saying, "You may need to supplement." 

My response: "Nope, not happening." We kept on  nursing. At 5 months we hit a nursing strike for a day; he was cutting teeth, and I was on my cycle again. I called a lactation consultant who said, "Keep trying, keep trying, unless you're ready for your journey to end." I said I was not even close. He came back full force, and at almost 8 months is going strong and growing like a little weed.

 My journey has had its ups and downs, days where I have said I'm done and days where it was such an amazing blessing to nurse him. There were days where I thought he wasn't going to nurse any more,  and I cried and cried. But the joys that come when his sweet little brown eyes look at me while he is nursing and he smiles at me outweigh any bad times. The fact that he can find comfort in his mommy and his milk that I make for him is beyond exciting and makes me proud to be a nursing mother. I have been on both sides of the table from an ashamed formula-feeding mom because I felt like I failed her, to a proud breastfeeding mommy. Either way, though, I was able to be a great mom to both of them, regardless of how I fed them.

I hope this helps or gives encouragement to another mom who is walking in the same shoes I was. 

Mom Achieves Beautiful Breastfeeding Goal Despite Difficult Hospital Start

by Kim Jones, Guest blogger

Hi my name is Kimberly Jones. I have one child who is 16 months old. From day one I knew I wanted to breastfeed.  I attempted to breastfeed her from the moment my daughter was born. Everything was going great for the first 24 hours, then the nurse gave her a pacifier (after my husband had written on the information card that we don't want to use a pacifier). My daughter refused to latch back onto the breast after that.

I asked the nurse for a pump and some bottle nipples so that I could feed my daughter. I continued to pump for her for 5 days. My husband went to the local Walmart to get me a nipple shield so I could get baby back on the breast. After I started feeling depressed from not being able to keep to my goal I posted to Facebook for help. One of my friends gave me information for a store on South Parkway named A Nurturing Moment. I called to speak to the lactation consultant so I could get help. She immediately told me to come in the next morning.

 I went to talk to Glenni Lorick the next day. She helped me with our latch issues and talked about more ways to work on getting her on the breast without the shield. I was so happy with our consult that within the next week my daughter was back on the breast without the shield. Glenni helped me continue breastfeeding! I was ready to give up and just start giving my daughter formula. I am glad she helped us achieve our breastfeeding goal.


Not only did I achieve our goal, but I also had to pump because I had an over supply. I pumped so much milk I had to store most of my milk in my husband's grandparent's deep freezer. I eventually couldn't store anymore there or at my house, so I had to donate it. I asked a few people who could use the milk and they sent me many names. I became a donor for a little boy that was only 1 month and 1 day younger than my daughter. My daughter is still being breastfed and will continue to be until she decides to stop. I love our bond and am not ready to stop yet. I will not let anyone tell me that I need to stop feeding because my daughter is a toddler.

The Mom Foundation Provided Over $1500 in Lactation Services in 2013

by Glenni Lorick, IBCLC

We've just finished tallying our figures from 2013, and this year The MOM Foundation provided $1781 in lactation consultation services to mothers who otherwise wouldn't have been able to afford to get breastfeeding help! An average of 1 out of every 4 consults this year has been reduced fee. We are so thankful that we have been able to help these moms!

We have also given out dozens of nursing bras this year. We have plenty of bras in 38, but are low on 32 and 34 band sizes as well as the larger sizes over 40. Remember that any time you bring in a bra for our Bosom Buddy program, we give you a discount on that day's purchases!

We have several projects in the works as we enter 2014. Of course we will continue to offer a sliding fee scale for our in-store consults. We are also focused on educating the demographic of moms who might not normally consider breastfeeding as an option. Our goal is to make sure that every mom in the Tennessee Valley knows the benefits of breastfeeding and can get the support she needs.

One of our newest initiatives at A Nurturing Moment is our Skype consults. If you can't make it to the store, we can actually do a consult via Skype. You will be in the privacy of your own home, and we will be able to evaluate your breastfeeding via webcam and make suggestions. The cost for a Skype consult is just $45. The best part is that a portion of every Skype consult fee goes toward helping a low-income or teen mom get breastfeeding support!

If you've been abundantly blessed this year and want to make an end-of-the year donation to an organization that is making a difference in the lives of local moms, please consider the MOM Foundation! If you have any questions, feel free to call Glenni at 256-658-8210.

Breastfeeding Support the Way You Want It!

One of the things that makes A Nurturing Moment different from any other baby store in North Alabama is our emphasis on providing you the very best lactation support possible. Whether you are looking for help with your baby's latch, your milk supply, sore nipples, pumping or weaning, we are happy to help you in any way we can! All of our services are provided by International Board Certified Lactation Consultants, so you can be confident that you are receiving the best care possible. Our staff of IBCLC's have over 30 years combined experience working with nursing moms and babies!

In - Home Consultation

Our in-home consultation service allows you to nurse your baby in the comfort of your home in the place and with the pillows you normally use. The advantage to this service is that it allows the lactation consultant to offer suggestions specific to your every day breastfeeding setting. Mothers of multiples often find it is much easier to have an in-home consultation because they don't have to load up two babies and all their gear! We also find that mothers who have had a Cesarean birth often prefer an In-Home Consultation.

Your lactation consultant will bring a scale so she can weigh your baby before and after the feed. She will also have curved tip syringes, hydrogel pads and nipple shields just in case you need them. If you need a hospital grade breast pump, she will have that available for you, as well! She will stay with you as long as it takes to complete a feed. If you're engorged, she will help you relieve the engorgement. 

The cost for an In-Home Consultation in Madison County is $100. If you live in an adjacent county, the cost depends upon mileage. We charge an additional $1/mile after the first 20 miles, so our LC will set her odometer when she leaves. Upon arrival she will subtract 20 from her mileage, and the remainder will be your additional mileage fee.

In-Store Consult

You can come into our office at A Nurturing Moment for a consult, if you prefer. We will still weigh your baby before and after the feed. In the comfort of our office, we will help you get baby latched on and work through whatever issues you might be having. Our lactation consultants will assess your baby's oral anatomy, positioning and latch, offering suggestions to help you have a successful nursing experience. We have a variety of nursing pillows, so we will do all we can to simulate your home nursing situation as much as possible.

We will spend as much time as it takes to get your questions answered and your situation resolved to your satisfaction. Whether we see you at home or in our office,  we will send a fax to your baby's doctor detailing our visit if you'd like us to. The cost for an in-store consult is $65. However, we offer a sliding fee scale. Because we want all mothers to receive the help they need, we will accept as little as $10. Basically you pay whatever you feel you can afford to pay. We don't ask for any documentation; after your consult, we will simply ask you what payment amount works for you.

NEW:  Skype Consult

We realize that those who don't live very close to Huntsville may not be able to afford a home visit and may not be able to come into town for a consult. So this month we are beginning to offer Skype Consults. We will set up an appointment to meet you via Skype. You need to have a good webcam because we will be assessing a variety of things via Skype, including baby's latch, baby's oral anatomy, positioning, and your nipples. We will offer you a variety of suggestions tailored to your situation and spend the time necessary to help you finish the feed. Because of the flexibility of Skype, these consults can be scheduled almost any time you need them! The cost is $45, and can be paid via Paypal to anm@knology.net when you schedule your appointment or by credit card at the beginning of the appointment.

Whether you choose a consult in your home, in our office of via Skype, you can be assured that you will be receiving top quality breastfeeding support. Our goal is to help you and your little one get off to the best possible start!

Congratulations to Our New IBCLC!

We are thrilled to announce that one of our very own employees just passed her IBCLC exam! Kelly Clements is a labor/delivery nurse at Huntsville Hospital who also works at A Nurturing Moment occasionally! With Kelly's new certification, we now have three IBCLC's available to serve you around the clock!

What Is an IBCLC?
That's a great question! An IBCLC is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. In order to receive that designation, she (or he -- I do know some male doctors who are IBCLC's, and one male midwife who is) must pass a highly specialized board exam which is given once a year on the last Monday of July.

However, not just anybody can sit for the exam. First a candidate must have a university level educational background in the health sciences. Then she must complete at least 90 hours of education in breastfeeding and human lactation. Finally, she must obtain a specified number of clinical hours in breastfeeding depending upon the pathway to certification she chooses to follow. It is a challenging and rigorous preparation which insures that those who sit for the exam are well prepared.

Why Choose an IBCLC?
Many breastfeeding moms can offer great advice. That's the reason that mother-to-mother support groups like Mommy Milk Meet-up and La Leche League are so helpful. La Leche League leaders receive training that enables them to help most nursing mothers very effectively, but they also know when to refer a mother to an IBCLC. In fact, many La Leche League leaders actually end up becoming IBCLC's.

However, if you want to be certain that you're getting the very best evidence-based information about your specific situation, then you need to see an IBCLC. She is the only health-care professional who has the advanced educational level specific to breastfeeding and human lactation that will enable her to provide the most effective intervention possible.

There are other types of breastfeeding professionals. The Healthy Children Project offers a Certified Lactation Counselor program which actually fulfills half of the required 90 hours in lactation education that is needed for IBCLC certification. This course offers excellent preparation with instructors who are personally committed to seeing students succeed in the field of human lactation. Breastfeeding Support Consultants offers a Breastfeeding Counselor course which provides the full 90+ hours needed to sit for the IBCLC exam.

Both of these breastfeeding professionals are very capable. However, they also realize that there are occasions when they may need to refer a mother to an IBCLC. A critical component of a truly professional practice is recognizing one's limitations and knowing when to refer.

How Do I Know if Someone is an IBCLC?
There are a couple of ways to verify that you are working with an IBCLC. You can go to the IBCLC registry and look for her last name. Or you can ask to see her IBCLC card. All IBCLC's have a laminated card that identifies them with their name, IBCLC number and certification expiration date. If someone claims to be a lactation counselor, ask her where she received her training - she should have a card or certificate verifying her claim.

Be very careful about accepting breastfeeding advice from someone who claims to be a lactation counselor but is unable to substantiate her claim in some way. We have seen cases where mothers were actually given very inaccurate information by someone claiming to be a lactation counselor. Recently we heard from a mother who actually quit breastfeeding because of the advice she had been given by one of these "pseudo-lactation counselors." So if you are at all unsure about a person's credentials, ask for proof! When you come into A Nurturing Moment, Glenni, Melissa and Kelly will all be happy to show you our cards!

Action Step 14: Employer Support

This is the final week of the US Breastfeeding Committee's 20 Actions in 20 Days Campaign. Today's action step is one that is a high priority for us at A Nurturing Moment - such a high priority, in fact, that we have an entire program designed to help employers in this area!

Today's step comes from pages 50-51 of the Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support  Breastfeeding.


Action 14. Ensure that employers establish and maintain  comprehensive, high-quality lactation support programs for their employees. 

Photo courtesy of Stockfree images

In the United States, a majority of mothers have returned to the workplace by the time their infants are six months old. Continuation of breastfeeding after returning to work is facilitated if the employer offers a lactation support program. The evidence demonstrates that supportive policies and programs at the workplace enable women to continue providing human milk for their infants for signfiicant periods after they return to work. High-quality lactation programs go beyond just providing time and space for breast milk expression, but also provide employees with breastfeeding education, access to lactation consultation, and equipment such as highgrade, electric breast pumps. Currently, only a quarter of U.S. employers provide breastfeeding employees with a place to express breast milk at the workplace.

Implementation Strategies 

Develop resources to help employers comply with federal law that requires employers to provide the time and a place for nursing mothers to express breast milk. As part of the Affordable Care Act enacted in 2010, the Fair Labor Standards Act was amended to require employers to provide reasonable break time and a private place for nursing mothers to express milk while at work. Programs are needed to educate employers about the new law, supply examples of how it can be implemented in a variety of work settings, and provide assistance to businesses that find compliance difficult.

Design and disseminate materials to educate employers about the beneits of providing 
more comprehensive, high-quality support for breastfeeding employees. The Health Resources and Services Administration resource kit, The Business Case for Breastfeeding: Steps for Creating a Breastfeeding Friendly Worksite, is one model of how to promote employer support for breastfeeding employees. Developing Web sites, videos, conference exhibits, and peer-to­-peer marketing strategies could all be useful for expanding the use of lactation programs and implementing effective programs across a variety of work settings. New materials that focus on the unique concerns of non-office work environments and workplaces with few employees should be developed.

Develop and share innovative solutions to the obstacles to breastfeeding that women face when returning to work in non-office settings. While there are numerous examples of creating lactation rooms in office buildings and large stores, many work environments are more challenging for breastfeeding women returning to work. For example, farm workers may find it difficult to access a private place shielded from public view. Service workers who are on the road may not have a regular workplace where they can express milk. Challenges also exist in allowing break time for breast milk expression in businesses where there are few employees to cover during breaks. Many employers have already worked with workplace lactation consultants to develop innovative solutions, such as special trailers, makeshift temporary spaces, or “floater” employees, to enable nursing mothers to take breaks.


Promote comprehensive, high-quality lactation support programs as part of a basic 
employee beneits package. There are cost savings from better retention of experienced workers, higher employee morale, greater loyalty and productivity of employees, reduction in absenteeism and sick leave taken by parents of young children, and lower costs for health care and health insurance. While the percentage of employers having lactation support programs has increased over the past decade, many women still find it difficult to combine breastfeeding with work.

Getting Involved

If you've been around A Nurturing Moment very long, you probably know how committed we are to supporting working mothers. We often consult with moms who are returning to work to help them figure out how they will manage pumping and working. We've worked with mothers in a wide variety of industries and love to help them make continued breastfeeding a success.

Last year we began a special program designed specifically to help employers support their nursing employees - just like the last point of the Surgeon General's call suggests! ANM Workplace Solutions is available to any company in the Tennessee Valley who wants to offer exemplary support. We provide an on-site support group, hospital grade breast pumps, and in-home lactation consultation for employees! If your company isn't offering you this kind of support, then have your HR people get in touch with us! We'd love to help!

Action 10: Basic Breastfeeding Support from Health Care Providers

This is the second article in our series about the Surgeon General's Call to Action for Breastfeeding Promotion. Today we're focusing on an action step that we can actually help with significantly.

Action 10. Include basic support for breastfeeding as a standard of care for midwives, obstetricians, family physicians, nurse practitioners, and pediatricians. 

Photo courtesy of the IBLCE   

Midwives, obstetricians, family physicians, nurse practitioners, and pediatricians provide care that supports their patients’ interests and health needs, including breastfeeding. Their full support of breastfeeding may be limited by the use of  practices that unintentionally and unnecessarily interfere with breastfeeding. These practices directly affect mothers’ and babies’ abilities to start and continue breastfeeding.

Implementation Strategies 

Define standards for clinical practice that will ensure continuity of care for pregnant women and mother-baby pairs in the first four weeks of life. The standard of care should include actions that are important for the promotion and support of breastfeeding, including providing prenatal counseling on feeding decisions, setting accountability standards for postpartum follow-up care, monitoring neonatal weight gain, and establishing referral mechanisms for skilled lactation care. Models should be established to integrate assistance with breastfeeding into routine practice settings.

 Conduct analyses and disseminate their findings on the comparative efectiveness of different models for integrating skilled lactation support into settings where midwives, obstetricians, family physicians, nurse practitioners, and pediatricians practice. Skilled lactation support may be provided by trained physicians, by lactation consultants affiliated with a physician practice, through stand-alone clinics, or by referrals. Models of care differ in the degree to which care is provided for all breastfeeding mothers to prevent difficulties and the extent to which care is provided for women already having problems. Identification of best practices and optimal care models is needed.

Getting Involved

We are blessed to live in an area where excellent health-care is available. Many pediatricians are quick to refer mothers to lactation consultants for breastfeeding support. We regularly get calls from their offices requesting consultations for their patients. However, some pediatricians are still quick to suggest that mother's supplement unnecessarily or even stop nursing altogether. Whereas some ob/gyn's are extremely supportive of their breastfeeding patients, others are dismissive at best. 

In many parts of the country lactation consultants are an integral part of the pediatric practice. Therefore, we have designed a program especially for our local doctors to give them the benefit of having a lactation consultant available without having to hire another staff member. Our LC in Your Office program allows even the smallest pediatric or family practice to provide professional breastfeeding support to their patients in the privacy of their office.