Who are the real breastfeeding experts?
I’ll tell you, they are not your average pediatrician. Most pediatricians are not breastfeeding experts, but I’ll start by saying that this blog post does not apply to every pediatrician. There are some awesome providers out there and we are proud to know a few of them.
However, the bad advice we hear some pediatricians give to our clients is INSANE!
Pediatricians are not lactation experts! They do not go to school for or spend countless hours in the lactation field, and it shows.
Unfortunately, this means that their advice can be outdated, plain wrong, or their own biased opinion.
One of the areas we see this lack of knowledge the most is in adequate weight gain of the breastfed baby.
Breastfed babies’ growth patterns are different than formula-fed babies. There are two standard weight gain charts. One by the WHO and one by the CDC. The CDC chart is based on the weight patterns of babies that were not exclusively breastfed.
This makes a huge difference. Formula fed babies and breastfed babies have different weight gain patterns. Exclusively breastfed babies can be wrongly labeled as “failure to thrive” which causes much undue stress on the breastfeeding diad. Not to mention unnecessary supplementation and the occasional CPS phone call. (Yes, this happened to one of our clients!)
Some pediatricians go strait to formula. We’ve heard it all. “My nipples are cracked.” – “That means baby can’t feed well. He needs formula.” How about we work on latch and body work first?!
Tongue and Lip Ties
This is where a pediatrician can say your baby does not have oral restrictions (tongue/lip ties) when they do. They are not trained in oral ties in school. Sometimes, these restrictions need body work or a revision to help. Other times they do not.
Sometimes baby just needs some body work such as myofascial unwinding and craniosacral therapy or a gentle adjustment by a webster certified chiropractor. Often, baby can benefit from both of these services.
Read all about my tongue tie revision as an adult.
Or, “My baby is really gassy. – “Your breastmilk is making him that way. I’d suggest cutting out all dairy or just formula feed instead.” … There is way too much to unpack there but we did and they continued to breastfeed for 2 years.
Who are the Breastfeeding Experts?!
A Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) or a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC).
These professionals spend countless hours, even years, learning their craft to help the breastfeeding dyad succeed. You can find out more information about them in the links above. Your midwife or care provider might even have a favorite IBCLC or CLC that they can refer you to.
Who else can help?
Your midwife, friend or family member might also be a good resource of information. We are trained to assist in lactation and often times can help fix an issue without further help. If that extra help is needed, we have a network of amazing professionals to refer to.
Here are a few of our favorite IBCLCs.
