Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/139497
A Weighty Issue Breastfeeding Moms Worried About Babies' Milk Consumption Find Answers, Comfort at Weigh-In/Support Groups by Debra Melani Baby Jackson suddenly loses his latch, his little head bobbing around in a blind search for his mother's breast. As Carol Anderson reaches over and gently guides the newborn back to his target, his teary-eyed mom continues venting her frustrations to the lactation consultant: "I don't know where I'm failing. It's a struggle for both of us. Sometimes, I can pump nothing." "You aren't failing," Anderson says soothingly, giving a nod toward the 23-day-old baby, who is again contentedly suckling. "Whatever you are doing now seems to be working," she tells new mom Jasmine Decelles of Denver. "Let's just talk about how we can duplicate this at home." Decelles sought out Rose Medical Center's support/ weigh-in group for its breastfeeding moms that day because she was worried her baby wasn't getting enough milk, a concern lactation consultants hear probably more than any other. "You can't see or measure what's coming out of the breast, so moms often worry," Anderson says. Groups such as hers help women realize they needn't go it alone. 32 "I live in the mountains, and I was kind of isolated with her," says Lake Grace, explaining why she sought out the group soon after 2-month-old Winter was born and has come with her baby girl ever since. Grace received help with latching issues (which relieved pain that had been plaguing her), learned more about feeding schedules, and gained support in monitoring Winter's weight (which had become a concern). "I'm emotionally better now. I feel like I'm doing everything I can," says Grace, of Conifer. Monitoring babies' weight (keeping in mind that breastfed newborns lose 7 percent to 10 percent of their birth weight in the first five to seven days) provides a picture of how well they are nursing. During support/weigh-in sessions, babies are weighed when they arrive, moms then nurse, and babies are weighed again. "But it's just a snapshot of how much they are getting," Anderson says. Continued monitoring of weight, along with their pediatricians, is crucial, she says. Moms should nurse as much as possible the first few days after birth to encourage milk production, says Mary-Beth