Throughout my first pregnancy I had always planned on breastfeeding. I did a lot of reading about the benefits to both mum and bub but that was all I knew as I had never actually seen anyone breastfeed their baby in real life! I know this sounds crazy but many mums I speak to have had the same experience, the first time they saw a baby being breastfed was when they fed their own for the first time. This pretty much sums up the current culture that we live in where breastfeeding is recommended but mothers are not really prepared or supported. I had a really tough time learning to breastfeed with my first son. I had an oversupply so was regularly getting engorged and blocked milk ducts which caused me discomfort plus my baby had a slight tongue tie so his latching attempts caused me a lot of pain. Fortunately I had lots of support from my midwives and my husband was also very helpful in encouraging me and reminding me about all of the tips the midwives had told me when it came to position and techniques for getting the latch right.
After the initial difficulties which involved lots of tears and loathing breastfeeding, things got easier and I ended up loving being able to feed my baby with so much ease! Second time around with my youngest son it was still tough in the first few weeks getting the latch right and there where a few days there where I had a blocked duct the size of a golf ball (which I massaged out under hot water in the shower each day and increased feedings on that side to get the milk moving!) but I got the hang of it much more quickly due to experience and a bit more knowledge!
Breastfeeding can be really tough and there are often lots of ailments that can come with it in the early days making it easy for women to just want to throw the towel in such as painful cracked nipples (this is often due to repeated poor latch), blocked ducts, mastitis and low milk supply. Herbal medicine is great for helping these issues and there are many herbs that are safe to use to treat the following!
Low Milk Supply – Some effective ways to boost milk supply include feeding your baby on demand or using a pump to increase supply (the more demand the greater the supply). Foods such as oatmeal, barley soups and stews plus plenty of water (aim for 2-3lt per day). Increasing skin to skin contact and ensuring baby is latching properly are also important. Because stress can can interfere with the let down reflex it is important to encourage relaxation, you can do this with herbs such as Motherwort, Hops and Chamomile. Specific herbs for increasing milk supply, known as 'Galactagogues' include Anise, Fennel, Dill, Fenugreek, Goats Rue, Carraway and Blessed Thistle. In many cultures gifting cookies made with these herbs is a post partum tradition. You could ask someone to make you a big batch of oat cookies with anise seeds to munch on whilst you are feeding!
Cracked Nipples – Very common during the early weeks is cracked and painful nipples which I remember oh so well from the first time. Using gentle herbs to decrease inflammation, infection and aid healing include salves made from Calendula, Almond Oil, Cocoa Butter and Coconut Oil. Ti Tree oil diluted in water or carrier oil is also great if there is infection present. The best time to apply herbal topical applications is after each feed, ensuring you wipe it off before the next feed.
Blocked Duct – This can be very painful but relieved with a potato poultice using fresh grated potato wrapped in muslin cloth and applied to the affected area three times per day (replace with fresh potato when it gets warm), gentle massage at the affected site, alternate heat packs before feeds and cool packs after feeds, empty breast regularly, avoid tight fitting bras and run hot water of breasts in the shower whilst massaging and expressing just enough to give relief.
Mastitis – Mastitis is similar to a blocked duct as there is a blockage of milk however it involves infection and can cause not only swollen painful breasts but redness due to inflammation as well as fever. Bed rest is important as is plenty of water (3lt per day), empty breasts regularly, ginger root and chamomile compress, potato poultice, Echinacea tincture to promote lymphatic flow and fight infection, Elderberry and Spearmint tea infusion for fever, Lemon Balm and Catnip tea infusion to relieve muscle tension associated with fever and herbs such as Cramp Bark, Passionflower and Hops to aid sleep and reduce stress and anxiety.
Herbal Medicine is great for supporting breastfeeding. From boosting milk supply to treating cracked nipples, blocked ducts, mastitis and low milk supply!