tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59119936412158399242024-02-26T07:03:03.637+00:00Breastfeeding Support in DublinThe insider guide to the world of a lactation consultant in private practice.Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-87865076598511003622016-04-07T18:39:00.000+01:002016-04-07T19:01:51.612+01:00Joint Statement on the Upcoming Pregnancy and Baby Fairs
We, Amanda Glynn IBCLC (www.lactation.ie), Carol Smyth IBCLC (www.carolsmyth.co.uk) and Nicola O’Byrne IBCLC (www.breastfeedingsupport.ie ) have come together to make the following statement re International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) attending non-WHO Code compliant baby fairs.
The adoption of and adherence to the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-55059036861608520392016-02-17T21:30:00.002+00:002019-04-14T16:05:52.455+01:00No... Your Baby Won't Swallow His Tongue!I can't believe I'm writing this post but this needs to be addressed. Today at the tongue tie clinic, I was asked three times by different parents if this was possible? To divide so far back the baby might swallow it's own tongue.... It is years since I heard this myth being touted by doctors, midwives and lactation consultants (it's the latter that really astonishes me..)
One very anxious Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-76151330111213988572015-06-29T18:12:00.001+01:002015-06-29T18:12:55.060+01:00HOW TO PREPARE FOR BREASTFEEDING: TOP TIPS FROM A LACTATION CONSULTANTHere is a piece I wrote for herfamily.ie recently...
Are you thinking about breastfeeding? If so, you might be confused about where to even start. I was.
And even when I did feed, I encountered problems. The details of which are for another day. But, with perseverance and some professional help from a Lactation Consultant (aka Lifesaver/Legend/Fairy Godmother), I got there in the endNicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-86063119134137585352015-01-21T21:38:00.003+00:002015-12-05T20:12:52.063+00:00What does crawling have to do with breastfeeding? Sometimes I will suggest a mother brings her baby to a bodyworker ( CST, Osteopath or chiropractor) . If a baby is having problems breastfeeding on one side or if a baby won't extend it's tongue and or head to feed, or if the baby clamps its jaws- it causes problems breastfeeding. Most of these babies hate being on their tummies (because its not comfortable).
This Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-29228658909722637272014-01-20T10:19:00.002+00:002015-05-22T18:29:03.499+01:00Officemum InterviewA quick hello from Lactation Land.
Today OfficeMum published an interview with me about the realities of being a working mother with 5 children.
I guess reading it might explain why theres so few posts on this blog!
So I do hope to post a bit more this year. If anyone has suggestions about what they'd like to see then please let me know.
http://officemum.ie/office-mum-stories-nicola-obyrne/Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-7115831405806797742013-08-17T13:34:00.001+01:002013-08-17T18:08:57.531+01:00Tongue Ties again - common questions asked . Are there more tongue ties than ten years ago ? I suspect there are more . Posterior tongue ties are very different to anteriors , they tend to have thicker , restrictive lip ties . This combination really makes obtaining a good effective latch quite difficult . Some people think its not that we now recognise them more but they are a result of environmental Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-1620407155280016122013-05-16T09:57:00.005+01:002015-05-22T18:39:18.401+01:00Every Breastfeed Counts !
I was talking about this yesterday at my breastfeeding class .
Some mums say to me "I only breastfed for 3 weeks or 6 months".
While I recognise it's a source of disappointment for mothers when they don't reach their goal, it's really important to recognise what you did you do!
Remember the Irish national statistic for ANY Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-15497191099035915802013-05-04T21:36:00.000+01:002013-05-04T21:54:28.279+01:00Preparing For Breastfeeding ...Is it possible ?
Every so often I hear somebody say "there is no possible way to prepare for breastfeeding , you can only learn once you have a baby in your arms !"
If we lived in culture where we learned about breastfeeding as we grew up then there would be very little need for breastfeeding classes or finding out more before your baby is born . But we don' t , we live in a society where breastfeeding Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-42774136625411728152013-04-30T21:35:00.003+01:002015-05-26T22:32:14.660+01:00When your baby can't latch after birth ....<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-43570891240758318502013-01-07T21:20:00.001+00:002014-08-06T20:38:59.813+01:00Breastfeeding a Baby with Type 1 Diabetes.
This was sent to me by Caoimhe who is mum to Lorcan who has type 1 diabetes . The support and information for parents and professionals about breastfeeding a baby who has diabetes is very poor as you will see in the piece below . Lorcan has just weaned in the last few weeks at the grand age of 2 years and 4 months. This is due to his wonderful mums determination to listen to her gut instinct . Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com236tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-64931907984801270232013-01-02T14:12:00.000+00:002013-01-02T14:38:06.276+00:00Look back at 2012 ..
Early days of 2013 ...
thoughts about 2012 ..
There were some wonderful things happened in Ireland , lots of breastfeeding mothers came together on a Facebook group called Extended Breastfeeding in Ireland . It has been wonderful , all the voluntary groups such as Cuidiu , La Leche League and Friends of Breastfeeding are involved . There is plenty of fun , lots of chat and support Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-44790250913504222952012-03-28T10:36:00.002+01:002012-03-28T10:36:54.386+01:00Breastfeeding Classes
What should a breastfeeding class cover ? How do you know if the one you have
picked is any good . Here are some questions to ask beforehand ...
Do you cover the following ?
How breastfeeding works
How to establish a good milk supply
How to get my baby to latch
How to know if my baby is getting enough milk
Positions for breastfeeding (laid back breastfeeding Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-8627678252146524272012-03-22T09:43:00.005+00:002012-03-22T09:44:39.909+00:00When to start giving a Breastfed baby solid food .
There seems to be alot of discuss about guidelines for weaning changing in Ireland . They have not changed , nor are they going to . Breastfed babies need very little extra food up to one year . You can see from this graph (WHO guidelines for infant feeding ) that the amount of breastmilk needed from 6-12 months is still huge . I wish this graph was used more extensively to train HCPs .Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-52935231389771426822012-02-03T13:24:00.001+00:002012-02-03T13:24:13.918+00:00Advanced BiologyA little humour first :)
Students in an advanced Biology class were taking their mid-term exam. The last question was, 'Name seven advantages of Mother's Milk,' worth 70 points or none at all. One student, in particular, was hard put to think of seven advantages. He wrote:
1.) It is perfect formula for the child.
2.) It Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-54996306341207232982011-12-31T15:57:00.002+00:002011-12-31T16:25:53.642+00:00Looking back at 2011...Happy New Year everyoneI'm looking back at the year and feel very happy about it . This time last year I was starting back after maternity leave with my 5th baby . She is now 21 months old and a very independent little lady. I suspect this may be her last few months of breastfeeding , I will find it very hard not to be a breastfeeding mother anymore ..... I really dont want to Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-64104916331484081072011-11-25T11:41:00.000+00:002011-11-25T11:41:24.823+00:00Breastfeeding Pillows , Yes or No ?Im frequently asked about breastfeeding cushions in my class . Are they a necessary purchase to ensure breastfeeding works ?
When I started in private practice 6 years ago , I loved them , back then teaching breastfeeding and latching was full of instructions and mothers needed to have 20 hands to get it all right. So- cushions were quite handy to support the baby . Then, I Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-26197066069769631402011-09-09T16:47:00.001+01:002014-09-01T23:16:05.285+01:00Seminar Report - Tongue Tie and Breastfeeding My goodness it was a lot of work organising a seminar. I should start by saying that when I planned it I really didn't think I'd have 110 attendees . That is the level of interest in this issue in Ireland . We had IBCLCs , Midwives, nurses, dieticans , SLTs , GPs , paediatricians , Cuidiu breastfeeding Counsellors and La Leche League leaders . The wonderful thing about it was that we had Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-75529946170127250992011-09-07T15:36:00.000+01:002011-09-07T15:36:40.211+01:00Factors Associated With Duration of Breastfeeding in Ireland : Potential Areas for ImprovementAn Irish "study" in our own international journal. This is great to see . But really theres nothing in it that we don't know. The recommendations are to increase postnatal support, to recognise that Dads play a role in breastfeeding duration , to promote the first feed after birth as breastmilk and also promote exclusive breastfeeding. Enough we've tried all that , it doesn't work .
I Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-19653373954230631422011-04-13T22:06:00.000+01:002011-04-13T22:06:37.444+01:00Tales from the trenches – Nursing Strikes , Breast refusal ...<!--StartFragment-->
Well , this tale is from my own trench . In all my years breastfeeding I had never experienced a strike. And boy, do I not want to ever see one again . We have had a very easy year my youngest daughter and I – after a rough start with a posterior tongue tie , once that was divided and she sorted out her sucking – we never looked back . So Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-50056501477803478052011-03-08T12:06:00.003+00:002011-03-08T14:49:15.123+00:00So what if this advertising campaign ran in Ireland ?
I was reading the post below from phd in parenting and found myself thinking ...what if the food safety authority here in Ireland ran an ad like this ? What if they told parents that the claims that a certain formula will make your baby laugh all day are baloney? That the addition of DHA to infant formula is absolutely useless and the origin of the additives is fairly yuch? That the Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-57683721990276844392011-03-01T20:57:00.001+00:002011-03-01T21:03:37.725+00:00Its not thrush!A little bit of a rant here so be warned .. thrush (candida) is totally over diagnosed . Any mother that has sore nipples after one week is generally told that she has thrush . In my 5.5 years of being in private practice , seeing hundreds of mothers , I've seen real thrush less than 10 times. A baby with a white tongue does not have thrush - it may have a slight runny nose and Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-47121929884475956522010-11-27T23:00:00.001+00:002010-11-28T11:03:03.949+00:00The Breastfeeding Style of a 8 month old :)
Its funny how you forget some things about the ways babies behave during breastfeeding. My little girl is at the acrobatic stage . She twists ,turns, yanks her head back and laughs and genuinely thinks she can take my breast ( hers really) wherever she wants. It reminds me of a talk I gave once about the lexicon of breastfeeding styles . There's the social butterfly which i know well too , my Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-20106485425680686532010-10-16T09:51:00.000+01:002010-10-16T09:51:49.282+01:00Parenting and BreastfeedingI don't know if Im the only one noticing a huge increase in "baby training" ? You know those books that most new mothers buy? Im loath to even name them ! But it comes up in every class I teach. Its part of the process of becoming a parent where the mother/father searches for information ( because they feel they don't inherently know how to do it . ) This stage is called the anticipatory stage ofNicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-58299700473128997282010-10-08T09:08:00.000+01:002010-10-08T09:08:40.293+01:00Support GroupsIts funny really , I was in breastfeeding heaven yesterday ! Sometimes you don't know how much you needed something until you get it .. I went along to a breastfeeding support group here in Dublin for National Breastfeeding Week. There was LOADS of mums and babies there ( who says our breastfeeding rates are low ? well they were not in South County Dublin yesterday .)
Its just so normal , Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911993641215839924.post-45259247475007001842010-10-06T21:13:00.000+01:002010-10-06T21:13:52.202+01:00Laid Back Breastfeedingor Biological Nurturing . Truely the easiest way to breastfeed - but because its so easy , people are sceptical about it. Heres what I said on a private form last year ( when I was a sceptic :) ) I took a leap of faith this morning and tried biological nurturingwith a mum and baby . Mum had sore nipples , very anxious tense mumbut baby was great. It was pretty amazing - fabulous Nicola O'Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00237232810177616993noreply@blogger.com0