Perry County Breastfeeding Support

12/10/2025

Hey Perry County Illinois Today is the day! Come get your free diapers.

12/04/2025

Don't forget to mark your calendar!

Diapers in December is fast approaching. Be sure to mark your calendars.

11/07/2025

Diapers in December is fast approaching. Be sure to mark your calendars.

08/08/2025

Do I need to wait until my breasts feel full to pump or feed next?

The answer is simply... NO.

Breastmilk is continuously being made. However, by letting your breasts get full and feeling tight, you are sending a signal to your body to slow down milk production. And we DON’T want that 😬.

After the first few weeks, as your supply regulates to your baby’s needs, soft breast are a good thing! 👏🏻

Remember: If you feed often, you will produce often.

08/07/2025

Did you know???

Your breastmilk is full of nutrients that not only feed your baby but also protect your baby. There are over 200 components in your breastmilk that support your baby’s body, such as:
• millions of live cells
• over 1,000 proteins
• multiple compounds of amino acids
• over 200 oligosaccharides, complex sugars
• more than 40 enzymes
• hormones
• vitamins
• minerals
• antibodies
• growth factors
• long-chain fatty acids
• over 1,000 microRNAs
And these are only a few of the components found in your breastmilk. Scientists are still discovering more.

What is even more amazing is that all these components fluctuate over time depending on your baby’s age and needs.

08/06/2025

Cracked ni***es are the worst! 😣

While we care for our cracked ni***es, we have to remember to find the source of the problem and fix it.

A cracked ni**le is a result of something going/went wrong, and working with a certified lactationist will help you resolve the problem quicker.

Remember to also empty your breast from the injured side, whether it’s feeding off of it with a breast shield, pumping from it, or hand expressing. We want to avoid additional issues like plugged ducts, engorgement, and/or mastitis.

* * * *
Note: Breastmilk has antibacterial properties in it, and can be used to help care for cracked ni***es. Just express some breastmilk on your ni**le and let it air dry. HOWEVER, this should NOT be substituted as a form of treatment if there is an infection such as a yeast infection. Always call your healthcare provider if you suspect an infection.

08/05/2025

New moms (whether you’re a first time mom or a seasoned mom) need more support, more help. Hold the cards and flowers and offer to make a meal, or do the laundry, or clean the kitchen/bathrooms/family room. Don’t hold the baby, but rather hold the mom. Offer to watch the the kids so she can shower in peace.

We need to normalize that a mom asking for help is a strong mom! We don’t have to sugar coat it or be super heroes 24/7. It takes time to recover from having a baby. Postpartum is not only for the first few weeks, it can last anywhere between six months to a year. So let’s join the movement to slow down postpartum!

08/04/2025

If you’ve experienced nausea while breastfeeding, you’re not alone. And it doesn’t mean there is something wrong. Most of the time this goes away by the 8th week postpartum.

So why does this happen??? Here a few reasons:
1.) Our lovely hormone called . This hormone is high in breastfeeding moms and it plays a role with your milk ejection reflex (aka let-down). BUT, it also plays a role with other gut hormones that cause nausea.

2.) We may be very tired. Especially in the beginning weeks and months, let’s face it, we barely get any sleep. How we function during the day is all part of our supernatural powers we gain when we become moms. But, exhaustion does bring on that nauseous feeling we all hate.

3.) Not eating enough. We have to remember as breastfeeding/exclusively pumping moms, we need to consume an extra 500 calories on-top of our regular diet.

This all makes sense why we would feel nauseous when breastfeeding, especially in the early weeks/months. It’s easy for us moms to push through the day and forget to eat a full meal, or not drink enough water, or even get enough sleep.

But to avoid that nasty feeling while breastfeeding, we can:
• Snack often (even during breastfeeding- best time to whip out those complex carbohydrates that we usually try to avoid)
• Make sure we eat our meals (even if it takes us longer to finish it)
• Drink up- some of us need to drink a little more than just the “drink to thirst”
• Rest

08/03/2025

I thought I’d share with you a poll that was done recently by LMJ Infant Feeding Support.

It was asked if your little one wakes and/or feeds at night and nearly 10K parents responded.

We’re not alone! Just remember, it is biologically normal for babies to wake at night and that there are plenty of benefits to night feeding (even past 6months of age).

Which bracket do you fall in?

08/02/2025

There are many reasons why we choose to breastfeed our little ones. Don’t let anyone ever change your mind or belittle your decision.

The benefits to breastmilk and breastfeeding go beyond just nutritional value. And whatever the reason why YOU chose to breastfeed may be, know that it opened the door to so many additional benefits that you and baby will gain.

08/01/2025

Our favorite hormone! It not only makes us feel good, loved, trusted, connected, it also provides aid to our health.

Every time we breastfeed oxytocin gets released and works it’s wonders not just in us but in our babies too!

It helps both of us by:
✨️Lowering blood pressure
✨️Reducing stress
✨️Decreasing sensitivity to pain
✨️Promoting healing

It also contains antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties. Did you know women who breastfeed have significantly higher oxytocin levels than women who exclusively formula feed? One study done in 2016 showed at 8 weeks postpartum, moms who had higher levels of oxytocin scored lower on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression screening. BIG points for breastfeeding!

This important hormone also plays a role in helping us bond with our little one and breastfeed for a longer duration. A study was done in 2006 and concluded that moms who breastfed had enhanced sensitivity and encouraged secure attachment early on in infancy. This finding then showed that these moms ended up breastfeeding for a longer duration in the first year postpartum.

What’s even more astonishing is that once your milk is established, whenever your baby sees, smells, or hears you, your little one’s brain will begin to release oxytocin before they are even latched on to you - and they start feeling effects of the hormone. 🤯

This wonderful hormone is created and regulated between us and our little one in four different ways:
➡️Via our ni**le - with every suckle
➡️Via our baby’s mouth - with every suckle
➡️Via our baby’s gastrointestinal tract - as the milk arrives
➡️Via our skin - by the warmth and touch of our little one at our breast
➡️Via our baby’s skin - by the warmth and touch of our little one at our breast

So ladies, there we have it. All the more reason to keep breastfeeding. The things that happen behind the scene are amazing.

Happy feedings! 🤱

12/11/2024