Infant Feeding Journeys
As a pediatric and perinatal chiropractor, I see a lot of moms and babies in my practice. Chiropractic care is beneficial for helping both mom and baby adapt--and this can be beneficial for feeding especially!
When I had my daughter, my dream was to breastfeed. I had met with a IBCLC prior to delivering where we chatted all things breastfeeding, pumping, return to work, and things I could expect. Having seen all of the struggles and potential challenges many moms go through firsthand, I wanted to be prepared for everything as much as I could, and have the emotional and physical support from an expert right at my fingertips.
My daughter was born with a posterior tongue and lip tie. This can present challenges with latching onto the breast, as well as transfer. Overall, we were doing okay, but she was continuing to drop weight before we left the hospital, and as well as the first couple of days home. Per recommendations from our health care team, we saw lactation at the hospital as well as at our house (which was amazing!).
What transpired was not what I had dreamed of, but after going through it, it was necessary and needed at the time.
When I was looking to exclusively breastfeed for the first couple of weeks, we were struggling to ensure she was transferring enough milk. Although she was having enough diapers and was a happy little newborn, the weight loss was more concerning for our team. We ended up deciding I would have to pump after feeds, introduce the bottle, and for the first couple of days, we actually were using 5ml syringes to feed her after breastfeeding.
I'm not going to lie, there were a lot of tears shed. I was feeling disappointed in myself, in my body, and mourning the loss of what I had idealized our feeding journey would be. And I want to mention, grieving and allowing myself to cry was a good thing! I encourage moms, if need be, to do the same. My doula, midwife, lactation consultant, the pediatric OTs at Adaptive Pediatric Therapy we saw...they all were so helpful in supporting my daughter and I through this!
With all of the different feeding methods, by the two week mark, luckily we had gotten to, and surpassed birth weight, so we got the all clear to try more breastfeeding, with continuing one to two bottle feeds a day. This was also a nice way for my husband to connect with my daughter through feeding her. The challenge for me, was breastfeeding, then pumping at night. It was a long and arduous process that definitely took some of those precious hours of sleep away. In the end though, I do think it helped with my milk supply, and obviously helped our daughter grow, develop, and feed.
Fast forward to today, we have been able to breastfeed and bottle feed with my pumped milk, which made it easier when I was returning to the office at 7 weeks postpartum. I'm so grateful for the team of providers who supported all of our decisions, supported me through my emotional rollercoaster (hello postpartum hormones), and continue to send a text to check in here and there.
If I can recommend anything to a mom, it is have a support team in place before baby arrives. Meet with an IBCLC prenatally. Go to a feeding support group ( I co-host with Adaptive Pediatric Therapy every other Wednesday at 11am at LIFE!), and get the support you need. Each feeding journey is so unique, and it is not a one size fits all approach!
If you and your baby are looking for support in your feeding journey, or are having difficulty with latch, head preference, reflux, colic, or tension in your upper back and neck--please reach out! I'm happy to chat and see if chiropractic care would be a good next step!
With health and abundance,
Dr Mackenzie Briley