Back and shoulder ache, breastfeeding and some yoga poses
I don’t know about you but even when I use my boppy (”my breast friend”) or any friendly pillow I find to prop up baby while breastfeeding, my shoulders are firmly set in a U shape and my head seems to be down staring at my gorgeous creation. Once my baby has finished feeding everything aches and I have this strong desire to push my arms behind me to stretch my chest.
Some of the best ways to get your posture back and prevent pain while opening up your chest are good old Cobra, Sphinx and Locust poses in yoga. For any inspiration, and if you are unsure what to do, and if you think you don’t have time, take a look at your growing baby as he wriggles around the floor on his belly…..he’s giving you a hint that you need to do the same too! So get down on the floor and join him…..
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October 31st, 2007 | Permalink | No Comments
Shall I make this easy for you….. Nearly every place I have researched says that a woman while breastfeeding can eat whatever she likes and that each baby is unique and will respond with sensitivities or allergies accordingly. Just keep in mind there are many cultures out there which thrive on spicey and strong-flavored food and their children are absolutely fine.
If you are looking for natural pain medication following a c-section and are concerned about the effects of the medication on your baby while you breastfeed, it might be worth trying out a few herbal analgesics that are effective substitutes for painkillers. (The image is of Jamaican dogwood).
I have to thank Dr. Dean Raffelock for turning me onto Vitex… a friend of mine has to rather abruptly stop breastfeeding and she is naturally concerned about a hormonal crash. Enter Vitex….
Picture this scenario. You’re a first time mom, you’ve been working up to the last minute, you’ve just bought a new house and plan to move in two months, you think you’ve bought everything you need for your new life with baby and then he arrives two weeks early. After a gruelling 20 hour labor with an epidural and multiple tears, you come home and find it extremely painful to breastfeed and your baby doesn’t stop crying half the night and you can’t figure out why? Then come the onslaught of phone calls, the advice from everyone and his mother and night after night of dreadful sleep combined with raging hormones and aching breasts. What’s a girl to do????
I was lucky enough to attend a La Leche League breastfeeding class before my first baby was born. I am not entirely sure what the class did for me, but it was extremely informative and I believe it gave me the confidence to get going. But some people find breastfeeding a really painful and frustrating experience and it seems there are various pitfalls that might not always be under your control such as a colicky baby, or a problematic delivery that has left you exhausted and teary. Enter The Booby Brigade (”The WHAT???), a group of West Coast new mothers who meet online and in person to give each other breast-feeding advice. The interesting thing here… for once you might actually want your chilled out breastfeeding buddies around to show you a thing or two. Another thought…. don’t rule out breast pumps. Here’s the 
Sometimes I feel like I have been talking about when I am going to stop breastfeeding before I even got started. I don’t think that attitude is very good or healthy for anyone. So why fight something so natural that actually is biochemically designed to be pleasurable? Why would I want to stop hormones such as oxytocin and prolactin that are supped to keep me mellow and feel more nurturing towards my baby? Why wouldn’t I want to carry on breastfeeding if it is meant to help me lose my baby fat? Yes, this website is all about the mother, I am not even touching on the benefits for sweet baby. (Symbol for breastfeeding was designed by Matt Daigle, Mothering magazine contest winner 2006).
I know we talk about the recovery period as the first six weeks postpartum but in my opinion, as long as you are breastfeeding, changing diapers and getting up in the middle of the night, you are still in postpartum mode. Sometimes it feels relentless. Night after night of bad sleep followed by 6AM wake-up calls. If you are feeling exhausted, then you might want to check out 
I found this interesting outline in 
I found this recent 
