The Breastfeeding Blueprint: How to Get Started and Keep It Flowing for a Year

One thing lactation professionals know for sure is that to keep breastfeeding going you need a good start. Beware! Many hospitals are failing us when it comes to breastfeeding. They routinely separate healthy mothers and new babies in the first hours of life – a big mistake. They employ staff with little or no training in breastfeeding, and, worst of all, they allow formula sales representatives to roam the halls of the maternity unit and cut back door deals that are not in the interest of mothers and babies. It can be rough out there for new parents committed to starting the healthiest options for their babies. Now Barbara L. Philipp, MD, pediatrician, breastfeeding expert, and Professor of Pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine, is on a mission to empower new mothers and fathers with the information they need to make informed decisions about what to look for in a hospital, how to start breastfeeding, and how to keep it going.As Pediatric Medical Director of the Mother Baby Unit at Boston Medical Center for more than a decade and a member of the Division of Newborn Medicine attending team, Dr. Philipp has cared for more than 20,000 newborns. Working on the front lines, she sees the joys and hardships new mothers face every day. When she learned of her older daughter’s pregnancy, Dr. Philipp decided it was time to write down all she has learned and share with you what she told her daughter.In The Breastfeeding Blueprint you’ll learn:•How to choose a maternity hospital•What questions to ask at the “Meet the Hospital” session•Why skin-to-skin contact in the first hours is so important and how to practice it safely•Normal baby feeding behaviors in the first few days•Breastfeeding tips for the baby’s first months•Breastfeeding tips for the baby’s first year•How to keep your milk flowing when you are back at work•Information on breast milk storage and breast pumps•Fun tips like recipes for lactation cookies and how to make breast milk popsicles•And more