Booby Traps! - take this 8 question quiz to bust some myths about feeding your baby - from a Toronto based lactation consultant
Take our quiz to learn more about breastfeeding and infant feeding!
It’s a confusing world out there - not only is there too much information, there’s also inconsistent and lots of false information.
Whether you’ve had your baby and you’re already breastfeeding, bottle feeding or pumping, or you are still pregnant and prepping to feed your baby, we’re here to lay out the facts.
We’re not keeping score and you shouldn’t either! Feeding and caring for a baby is a rollercoaster of a ride - sometimes we’re up and sometimes we’re way down and It. Is. ALL. Okay. Whatever score you’ve gotten, on our quiz, if you’re baby is fed, loved and cared for - and you are too, you’re winning.
A+, 5 stars, Olympic Gold in feeding your baby 🥇- you’re the best parent your baby could ever have.
Question 1: Timing Feeds
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a. 10 minutes per side.
b. 30 minutes total.
c. As long as the feed is working for parent and baby.
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c. As long as the feed is working for parent and baby.
The clock only tells us how much time has passed. Aim to watch the baby and not the clock. Getting to know the difference between drinking vs nibbling is key! Use breast compressions and switch sides when your baby is no longer actively drinking, regardless of how long it's been.
Not sure what I mean? Get in touch to book a feeding consult and find out more!
Question 2: Nipple Pain
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a. Pain is normal for the first two weeks.
b. Pain is common, but not "normal" or ideal.
c. No pain, no gain. If you're not feeling pain, you are not doing it right.
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b. Pain is common, but not "normal" or ideal. We do not want you in pain!!
Pain can happen with breastfeeding for many reasons. Seeing a Lactation Consultant can help you get to the bottom of it and eliminate it!
Question 3: Drink Milk to Make Milk?
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a. Drinking milk is not necessary. Drink enough water to quench thirst.
b. At least 6L of liquid per day.
c. A few cups, here and there, is great.
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a. Drinking milk is not necessary. Drink enough water to quench thirst (you know you are getting enough if your urine is clear to pale yellow).
It is a myth that you need to drink milk to make milk.
Question 4: Tongue Ties & Releases
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a. Definitely have a trained medical professional release the tissue. A release will always help with breastfeeding.
b. It will cause speech issues in the future, so parents should consider a tongue tie release.
c. Offer parents evidence based information on what a tongue tie means, alongside a variety of options, that meets their feeding goals.
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c. Offer parents evidence based information on what a tongue tie means, alongside a variety of options, that meets their feeding goals.
If you suspect a tongue tie, see a trained Lactation Consultant and a doctor specializing in Breastfeeding Medicine.
Read more about tongue ties here.
Question 5: Pumping
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a. After every single feed.
b. It depends on their feeding goals.
c. As often as desired.
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b. It depends on their feeding goals.
c. As often as desired.
Pumping is not necessary for everyone.
When people are choosing to pump, in place of breastfeeding, the general rule is to match pumping with the number of feedings a baby is having.
The regular removal of milk, is what signals to the body to keep making milk. So if a feed at the breast is missed, pumping is a good idea.
We also want to think - feed the baby, not the fridge! Many people want to build up a freezer stash. This isn't always necessary! We also don't want to get into oversupply situations.
However, if you wanted to choose a feed to pump AFTER breastfeeding, choose a morning feed. You're more likely to have greater volumes in overnight and morning feeds.
The world of pumping is confusing - there are so many pumps. If you choose to pump, finding the right pump for your needs and the right sized flanges, can make a huge difference.
Question 6: Milk Supply
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a. How often milk is removed.
b. The delivery of the placenta.
c. How large a person's breasts are.
d. How much fenugreek a person is ingesting.
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a. How often milk is removed. Supply and demand, is the name of the game!
b. The delivery of the placenta. The delivery of the placenta triggers the second stage of lactation, following colostrum.
d. How much fenugreek a person is ingesting. Fenugreek is a galactagogue. Taking certain herbs and foods does have the potential to increase supply.
Question 7: Nipple Shape and Breast Size
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a. Large breasts with large everted nipples.
b. Smaller breasts with flat nipples.
c. There is no best breast! Breastfeeding can work with any size breast or nipple shape.
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c. There is no best breast! Breastfeeding can work with any size breast or nipple shape.
As a lactation consultant, who has worked with 100s of families, I can tell you with all honesty, human breast and nipple anatomy is SO incredibly variable!
The size of the breast does not matter, it's the internal structure of glandular tissue that impacts milk production. Small and large breasts can have more or less glandular tissue.
The actual size of breasts can impact "storage capacity" or how much milk the breast holds between feeds.
Babies are breastfeeders, not nipple feeders - we need them to grasp onto breast tissue.
However, some babies do struggle to latch if nipples are quite large for their mouth or if they are flat and inverted. It's important to seek out skilled lactation support to help in these situations.
Question 8: True or False
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FALSE. Breastmilk can change colour based on foods the parent eats!
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FALSE.
There are multiple reasons (i.e. certain health conditions, birth related reasons etc.) why a body may face challenges to produce enough milk for a baby.
See this post here for reasons why there may be a lower milk supply.
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TRUE.
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FALSE.
Babies are fed in a myriad of ways - solely at the breast, sometimes at the breast, solely via bottle, via finger feeding, with formula, expressed breastmilk, donor milk AND any combination of the above.
The best method is what is working for parents and the baby, meaning that everyone is healthy and satisfied.
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TRUE.
Wow. Nature is so very unkind - no time to process the immensity of birth, just get on to feeding a baby!
Yes, there is intuition involved. But breastfeeding a baby is a huge, new mostly learned skill (for parent and baby).
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FALSE.
If the intention is to primarily breastfeed, get help from a lactation consultant to improve the efficiency and the milk supply.
But the bottom line is, a baby needs to eat.
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TRUE.
It's been proven that baby's are exposed to the flavours of food through breastmilk!
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TRUE...
BUT this also deserves some words of caution. Fore milk and hind milk have different properties, and babies need both.
But there is no reason to control a feed (i.e. keep a baby on each side for 15 minutes) to "get the hindmilk". We do not know when this transition happens and your newborn will most likely be asleep or fussy and not full if you time feeds.
Trust that babies will get the adequate amounts of foremilk and hindmilk that they need across 24 hours.
See this post to learn more about foremilk and hindmilk
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TRUE.
Colostrum is extra rich in antibodies, but transitional and mature milk is protective to babies too.
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FALSE.
There's really not many shoulds! Try not to get caught up in them - parenting guilt is real and can be all consuming.
Sometimes families NEED to introduce a bottle on day 1 and others choose to introduce a bottle later on.
The key with mixing bottles and breastfeeding is paying attention to the baby's latch on the bottle and controlling the flow of the milk.
See this post for more information on bottles and how and when to offer them.
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TRUE.
Bottle shape, size and flow rate matter. Don't believe the marketing (they ALL say things like anti-colic or same as the breast) and do your research.
See this post on bottles for more information.
How’d you do? Do you feel more knowledgeable about feeding your baby?
Want more information and support?
Request in person lactation and infant feeding support (in your Toronto based home or in our Toronto clinic locations) from a Lactation Consultant here.
