For all of the planning and dreaming we might do, birth is never quite what we think it will be. When the unexpected brings baby out sooner, plans can change in dramatic ways. The good news is, the milk you make for a pre-term baby is just as good as for one born closer to term. Actually, it’s even better.

Breastfeeding a pre-term baby has its challenges, and it might not even look like normal breastfeeding for awhile. But the antibodies and nutrients that your milk provides are life-saving and worth every drop of effort.

It’s always a journey to establish your breastfeeding relationship. Twice the babies seems like twice the efforts and logistics. When you are breastfeeding twins, the things that apply to a single baby aren’t quite the same. In some ways, it might be easier, and in other ways it will be more challenging. Knowing what to expect can help you successfully breastfeed your twins. 

Our Nursing Nectar tea is a wonderful way to support your body when you are breastfeeding twins.

Breastfeeding is an incredible way to bond with your child and nourish them with exactly the components they need. And at the same time, that nourishment can eventually become part of our every day lives without a second thought. All of us have kinks to work out as we get to that point -- learning our baby’s cues, checking latches, counting poopy diapers. And then, there are special instances where the learning curve stretches even further. Today, we’re going to cover a few of these special cases: breastfeeding pre-term babies, breastfeeding twins, and tandem breastfeeding with an older baby.

The severity of complications from a lip- or tongue-tied latch can range from clear and frustrating to hardly noticeable. In generations past, wise women, midwives, and mothers knew to check the lips and tongues of babies at birth when they first learned to breastfeed. We lost some of that wisdom in the middle of the past century, so the most recent generation of care providers have fallen out of the habit of checking and correcting ties when helping a mama breastfeed.

If you are struggling with your baby’s latch, your milk supply, or their weight gain, a lip tie or tongue tie could be at the root of the problem and you will want to read this post to resolve the issue.

The first week with a new baby is a haze of sheer bliss and utter confusion. It’s absolutely amazing that you’re getting to know this new little person that was inside of you just moments ago...but it’s absolutely terrifying that you’re getting to know a new person! What do they need? What are they communicating? What is your body telling you? How is it changing? And why is it all still so challenging?

Fenugreek is an ancient herb with uses dating back to our earliest knowledge of human medicine – regularly centering around women’s health. Today, we use fenugreek to support lactation, carrying on the tradition of herbalists and medicine makers who came before us.