New mother from Greer shares breastfeeding challenges (2024)

August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, and according to new research from the Cleveland Clinic, the longer a woman is on maternity leave, the longer she is likely to breastfeed.Dr. Suet Kam Lam, one of the lead researchers for the Cleveland Clinic, said, "For the mother, there's decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, decreased risks of cancers such as breast cancer. And then for the baby, decreased risks of infections like ear infections, lung infections, increased IQ over time, and it's really a dose-dependent relationship. So, the longer you're able to provide breast milk and the longer and the more you're able to give it, the higher those benefits are."The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends women exclusively breastfeed for the first six months of a baby's life. But for a new mom, this may sound intimidating. And not everyone has access to maternity leave so they decide to skip breastfeeding altogether. Or they may stop early because they find pumping at work to be difficult. Kammy Barton is a new mom of 7-week-old Brooks. "I thought breastfeeding would be easy. Brooks had issues latching," she says.Latching is essential for a baby to effectively remove milk.Barton reached out to Lauren Vanpelt with the Prisma Health Breastfeeding and Newborn Care Center in Greenville, where they do in-person and over the phone calls.According to Prisma Health, their internationally board-certified lactation consultants (IBLCs) provide one-on-one sessions to provide hands-on assistance, expert help and individualized planning for issues such as:Complications with latchSore nipplesMilk supply issuesSwelling of the breast, called engorgementCollection and storage of breast milkFollow up for preterm feeding difficultiesThere are multiple factors that may affect a newborn's ability to coordinate the suck-swallow-breathe actions. Some of these may include:Latch issuesSleepiness/arousalInability to suckRespirationOropharyngeal skillsStructuresSometimes the cause is obvious, but often it’s not. Our occupational therapists, led by a board-certified feeding specialist, can help identify and correct many of these newborn feeder issues. In addition, our therapists can help with the following conditions:Cranial facial anomalies (cleft lip, cleft palate, micrognathia)TorticollisShoulder dystociaErb’s palsyClavicle fracturesNeonatal abstinence syndromeVanpelt says, "We have a phone on seven days a week, the outpatient services, there is an amazing support group here every Thursday, it's 1:30-4 in the Patewood community room, it's free. There's a test weigh scale there."Barton says, "Lauren told me, like, maybe talk to some of your friends who have had babies and see if they're having some of the same issues that you are. And you know, when you just start talking to people you realize like it some of these things that you think you're alone in, they're actually really common."WYFF asked Vanpelt what types of formulas are best for mothers. "I feel like we need to do better as a country with the formulas that we have available in the U.S. You know, just some of the ingredients. And and I don't know, I just feel like some of the formulas, and other countries just just better choices of what's best. And I think it may help moms have a little more, you know, be more comfortable with it if we had some better formula choices in the US that were easily accessible. I do feel like so about 10 years ago, it seems like there was a study about the cost of formula. At that point. It was like $1500 $1500 that year. So that's been a decade ago. I mean, it's probably, you know, $2500 or so a year now. And even since COVID families still have a hard time finding the formula that their baby needs, and that's frustrating," she said.Doctors with the Cleveland Clinic say they hope its newest research helps lead to policy change. Ideally, they'd like to see at least six months of paid leave offered to mothers and increased time off for their partners.