I haven’t written any posts on breastfeeding lately, so I spoke with Sara Chana, a bicoastal expert for early childhood development as well as a homeopath, herbalist, breastfeeding expert and birthing instructor. With seven children of her own guides parents through the challenging worlds of being a working parent. Sara is a consultant to many obstetricians, midwives and pediatricians and guides mothers in how to ask the proper questions of their doctors to ensure that they and their children receive the most appropriate and comprehensive healthcare.

Tips for new Moms of Multiples that want to breastfeed their children:

  • Whenever I work with new moms of multiples I always see each baby separately for the first visit. It is very important that you learn the strengths and weaknesses of each baby and lean them as an individual rather than just a multiple.
  • After I have analyzed each baby as an individual and taught the mother about each child as an individual then we are ready to learn how to set up a schedule for the mother so she can stay ‘sane,’ and teach her babies to nurse from her quickly and effectively.

What if you planned on going back to work?

  • Some women are great ‘pumpers’ and can pump easily whenthey are at work, other woman just do not pump well. If a woman cannot pump well she can still nurse her baby before she leaves for work, and every few hours when she gets home, also, important to note, that if she is not working on the weekends she will have enough milk for the entire weekend even if she does not pump during her work hours.
  • I also suggest to not offer the baby a bottle during the first six weeks of the baby’s life. It is important to allow the baby to really become proficient at the breast before offering a bottle. If a baby is a good ‘nurser,’ the baby can learn how to use a bottle, but if a baby never really understands how the breast works, the baby may reject the breast once offered the bottle.

Tips for breastfeeding in public:

  • I feel it is important to breastfeed modestly and make sure that her breastfeeding is an intimate relationship between her and her baby (babies). I nursed 7 children, and two past the age of three and I was never ever asked not to breastfeed. I just learned to breast feed in an extremely modest way. I nursed everywhere all over the US. In dressingrooms, hallways, movie theaters, coffee shops, parking lots, cars and even on the subway. I nursed under my clothing and I don’t think it ever caused a person to look twice. I am just concerned that women who are getting into trouble nursing in public are so busy trying to make a statement that they disregard the important goal of breastfeeding which is nursing quickly and effectively and for as long as she can!
  • I suggest mom’s wear a big wide tee-shirt or a button-down shirt that is a size too big. It is really easier to nurse a baby under her shirt, rather than these new shirts that have these openings in the front. Once a mother latches her baby onto the breast, the big shirt can work as a cover. The line of clothing called J.Jill has a lot of very classy shirts made of a great material that is wrinkle-proof (and washes well if the child spits up on mom!).

Tips on what products to use:

  • I like moms to learn how to breastfeed without any tools or products. We teach the baby how to nurse properly using just her breast and her baby’s mouth, then and I teach the mother how to hand express their breasts without the use of a pump.
  • For nipple pain I first fix the latch properly and then a woman usually doesn’t need any nipple creams, if she is cracked we first try plain olive oil, or there is a nice product made my motherlove.

Do you have any tips you want to add?

For more info on Sara Chana visit her website, Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter.

Sara Chana