Breastfeeding isn’t just about feeding the baby. It’s about feeding the mother too. As the person producing the milk, the mother’s nutritional needs can’t be ignored. For any mother-to-be, there’s a lot that can be done well before the birth as well as afterward. Today’s guest explains how to get a head start on your nutrition so that you can calmly and confidently feed your newborn.
About Janai Meyer, RD, IBCLC
Janai mentors women through their life’s journey from preconception, pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause. While her specialty is nutrition, birthing, and lactation, Janai’s work extends beyond the realm of motherhood, presenting emotionally healthy solutions to physical wellbeing in the face of diet fads and stigma-driven inaccuracies.
Janai holds 25 years of experience in the field of nutrition, lactation, parenting, and wellbeing. Offers a unique opportunity for parents in Alaska to receive personalized, trained guidance as they navigate childbirth, breastfeeding, pumping, return to work, chest(bottle)feeding, and growth and feeding needs from preconception into adulthood.
With her widely applauded and recognized services throughout Alaska, Janai has helped hundreds of women reconnect with their own bodies and wisdom bolstering wellness for adults and children alike. Her unbiased support, evidence-based knowledge, and trained understanding of medical options during pregnancy and birth, along with infant feeding, allows her to be the ultimate mentor for new parents’ need for trustworthy guidance.
Understanding Your Amazing Anatomy for Breastfeeding
In this episode, Janai describes the importance of appreciating what your anatomy is bringing to the breastfeeding relationship. From understanding the nature of your nipples to the stages of breastfeeding, knowing what to expect will help set you and your newborn up for success.
Being armed with this knowledge goes a long way to reducing anxiety and frustration once the baby arrives. It will also help you understand what your newborn is trying to tell you concerning their own hunger and stress levels so that you can respond appropriately.
Why Breastfeeding is Essential
Janai also shares the benefits of breastfeeding your baby. It provides essential enzymes and antibodies. In fact, the nutrition in your milk will change depending on the age and stage of development of your baby. Your baby is even communicating what they need through biofeedback with their saliva which will actually change the composition of the milk.
She also describes the different stages of breastfeeding. From changing milk composition to breasts feeling full or empty, it’s crucially helpful to know where you are in the process. Understanding all this will help normalize the experience as well as provide your newborn with the best nutrition you can give them.
How can you prepare yourself and your baby for breastfeeding now? Leave a comment on the episode page!
In This Episode How Janai got involved in pre and post-natal nutrition [4:40] Why many new mothers don’t meet their breastfeeding goals [6:40] How understanding your nipple type will better prepare you for breastfeeding [10:30] The benefits of breastfeeding, even when it is difficult [15:00] Understanding the different stages of lactation [25:00] What it means to let your baby take the lead with feeding [33:50] Understanding and responding to your baby’s stress levels [45:30] Tips for partners to support mothers and newborns throughout the breastfeeding period [52:40]
Quotes “The baby brings half of the feeding relationship to the breastfeeding and we don’t know what that’s going to look like…. It’s so individual.” [9:33]
“How do newborns typically communicate hunger and fullness? We need to understand that because we need to honor that. It’s part of the trust relationship with your newborn.” [35:42]
“When your baby is sleeping, when they are beautifully still MORE…..