The Impact of Body Image and Breastfeeding with Lo Nigrosh
Forget what you know about motherhood, it's time to get real on Kasey's Korner. In this episode, you will learn:
1. How medicalization of birth and breastfeeding has led to decreased rates of breastfeeding
2. The lack of education around breastfeeding among medical professionals
3. The impact of body image messaging on mothers' breastfeeding journeys
Lo Nigrosh is a mom of two and an IBCLC who hosts the Milk Making Minutes podcast. She is passionate about helping moms overcome breastfeeding anxiety and providing them with resources to navigate the challenges of breastfeeding. "The heart and soul of the podcast is sharing stories, whether they were euphoric amazing breastfeeding stories, or whether they were the stories of struggle and disconnection and feeling misunderstood and frustrated. Both are important to hear."
Some Show Highlights (Please note, quotes are automatically generated)
[00:01:00] - Lo is a mom of two. She is an IBCLC and she has a Podcast called “milk making minutes“ about breastfeeding. Lo had a horrible experience with breastfeeding with her first baby, she wants to help other women navigate around that experience. Lo is not anti-medicine or anti medical professionals. Only 35% of women breastfeed after three months. Over 90% say they want to rescue Lo and she have talked about this on her show. She went to a breastfeeding class and she dragged her husband along with her. She thought it was the natural thing to do, but it was intimidating.
[00:08:18] - There is a baby industry that plays to people's fears and anxieties around mothers. People are undermined and made to feel like their bodies aren't good enough. The Big Letdown by Kimberly Seals all was written by a breastfeeding advocate. She has her own podcast and an app to help people get birth support. There are studies that say the quality of breastfeeding advice and support that you receive in hospitals is determined by the nurse's attitude towards breastfeeding and their own breastfeeding experience. If a nurse struggled to breastfeed herself, she's going to walk into and switch to formula and have low milk supply.
[00:16:38] - The American Academy of Pediatrics put out a new policy statement last month. According to the new policy, breastfeeding should be done for the first two years of life or for as long as both mom and baby are happy. The World Health Organization has always said one year the policy statement increased from one to two and called out hospitals for lack of support.
[00:21:25] - There is a difference between stepping into the drama with your child and being the calm in the storm for them. Some people have fussier or more sensitive babies than others. It's not your job to fix their emotions. When it comes to weaning, some people are ready to have their body back. As a mother, I feel the need to take care of crying babies away from me. I did better with that with my second child than I did with my first. I think some of it is a counter response to the reaction of overfeeding not picking up crying babies and not sleeping with crying babies.
[00:28:15] - There is a book called Hunt Parent Gather written by an NPR journalist. She had a three-year-old and she was struggling with parenting. She went to a Mayan tribe and Inuit group in Africa to do some research on the subject. Her husband and she live on the west coast. There is no village.
[00:31:03] - In places where breastfeeding is seen all the time, everywhere, people struggle less. If somebody chose to pump and they could sit out at a theme park and pump because it was time to pump, that would change the game for people. However, a skimpy swimsuit doesn't matter.
[00:32:34] - Feminism is trying to make it easier for women to find their own independence. New mothers should be careful about sprinkling their own experiences on new mothers. If you had a difficult birth or a traumatic birth or a difficult breastfeeding experience, be careful when and how you share that to somebody who is pregnant.
[00:37:03] - Don't give advice to new mothers if they don't ask. If they do, they will let you know if they decide to have a natural birth or if they had a difficult or an amazing experience. And they will tell you about it later.
[00:38:52] - If she could go back in time and be any age, she would want to redo her first birth and breastfeeding experience. She had a home birth as her second, but she had to be induced. She has a physical disability and wears a prosthetic leg. She was on IV fluid for three days and she swelled up.
[00:42:07] - Lo is studying to become an international board-certified practitioner and IBCLC in lactation care. She is currently a certified Lactation counselor. She will sit for the board exam in September. She hopes to be an IBCL by the fall.
Resources:
The Milk Making Minutes
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast by clicking here. Liked what you heard? Take a moment and share it with your friends on social media and be sure to tag @itskaseypotts. Why don’t you give me a follow over there while you’re at it too.
Want to learn more about Kasey Potts? Check out www.kaseypotts.com
