Breastfeeding is a broad topic, this is where this blog comes in. This monthly series by Le Leche Leader Bec Taylor, who shares her ever growing knowledge on the subject will be beneficial for soon to be parents. 

“If only I knew all this before I started nursing my baby!” is a lament we often hear from new mothers at La Leche League Series Meetings. Many mothers belatedly realize that the most helpful time to learn about breastfeeding is during pregnancy.

If you, or someone close to you is pregnant and planning on breastfeeding, these tips could help get breastfeeding off to an easier start.

1. Be informed. This can mean different things to different people but could include:

• Going to an LLL Series Meeting while you are pregnant so you can get correct, up to date and realistic information from mothers who have been there and can share the realities of a breastfeeding relationship.
• While you are at an LLL Series Meeting, you will learn much about breastfeeding–what’s normal, what to watch for, and how to overcome any problems you might run into. You’ll also develop a supportive network of other breastfeeding mothers which can make a difference to breastfeeding success.
• Be brave and ask questions during LLL Series Meetings – this is your chance to get to know your local Leaders, who can be a helpful resource after your baby is born.
• Empower yourself for success by researching how medical interventions during birth impact breastfeeding and write a birth plan accordingly. Mothers who are alert and active participants in labour often have an easier time initiating breastfeeding.
• Know what early hunger cues are so your baby is relaxed and calm when latching-on – getting a stressed, hungry baby to attach well to the breast is very difficult and frustrating for both the mother and baby.
• Almost all mothers worry that they aren’t making enough milk for their babies. Learning about normal weight gain and how to count wet and dirty diapers before your baby is born is really helpful in putting your mind at ease.

2. Be a breastfeeding advocate for you and your baby at birth.

• Make arrangements with your midwife or doctor to give your baby the chance to breastfeed as soon after birth as possible. The earlier and more often a babyhas the chance to breastfeed after birth, the more easily breastfeeding is established.
• Ensure the staff at the hospital know that you plan to breastfeed, so that they will avoid giving your baby formula (sugar water or a pacifier) unless it is truly needed.
• Rooming-in with your baby (instead of having your baby cared for in the nursery) can also be very helpful because it allows you to breastfeed whenever your baby shows early signs of hunger. Try breastfeeding in a variety of positions to find out which one works best for you.

3. Communicate openly with your family and friends about your breastfeeding goals.

• As much as possible, share all this information with the people in your life that will be helping you the most with your baby. One of the most critical factors in breastfeeding success is the positive and unfailing support of a spouse or other primary caregiver of your child.
• Talk with female family members and friends about their breastfeeding experiences as it may affect how they support you during your time as a nursing mother.
• You can find many articles, tear-off sheets, and pamphlets from La Leche League International in Simplified Chinese on the LLL China website at: http://www.muruhui/org/ so family members and ayis can be just as well informed as the mother.

4. Trust your instincts.

• No one knows your baby better than you do. If you feel like something is wrong – you are in pain or are worried about your baby’s health – ask for help. If you are being pressured by well meaning family or friends to do something that doesn’t feel right, trust yourself to make the right choice for you and your baby.

5. Look after yourself, Mama!

• Let go of expectations for yourself, especially in the first few weeks, if not months. Breastfeeding an infant on cue (which is what all babies biologically expect and need) is a full-time job, especially while you are getting the hang of it! The chores and errands can wait, and most certainly be outsourced to ayis, friends, family members or your spouse.
• It is important to know that some mothers experience challenges in the early days of breastfeeding, but that almost every problem can be overcome with good information and support. LLL is only a phone call, text or email away and we are always willing to listen and give information so you can make the decision that will work best for your family.

La Leche Leader, Bec Taylor, is a woman of many hats – WAHM to two children under 5, Masters of Teacher Librarianship student, scrapbooker, avid reader, wife and a painfully eternal optimist. Australians by birth and travellers by nature, Bec and her educator husband have happily lived and taught overseas for most of their adult lives. Bec is blessed to live in walking distance to both her parents as well as her brother and his family. It is her pleasure and privilege to support mothers through her role in LLL. 

 Photos: Daquella Manera, Daily Cloudt (flickr)

My nursing friend’s son took ill recently. Colicky, bloated, and suffering from rashes, through a gradual process of elimination, her doctor discovered her little boy is allergic to dairy, gluten and soy. She since has revamped her diet, and in the process they’ve both reaped the benefits. His skin, digestive and respiratory systems have cleared up, and she also feels a new balance and lightness. Interested to learn more, I asked Bec Taylor, a leader at La Leche League (LLL), some basic questions about the impact of diet on breastfeeding.

Do nursing mothers need to follow a special diet?
A breastfeeding mother doesn’t require special foods to produce or increase her milk supply, nor must she avoid any food in particular. A baby’s sucking determines the quantity of milk that is produced. A breastfeeding mother’s body uses a combination of all the foods that she eats, completing them with nutrients stored in her body to produce the milk that she gives her child. What this means is that mother’s milk is made every time, following the same process and resulting in milk that has a fairly constant composition. If the mother’s diet is not adequate, it is her body that makes up the difference. It has been seen that even in cases bordering on malnutrition in poor countries, the milk produced by these mothers satisfies the needs of the child, who will grow adequately if he is breastfed on cue. You can read more here.

An "ideal" diet for a breastfeeding woman is simply a varied, balanced, natural diet. Every woman will choose the diet that is best adapted to her, depending on culture, lifestyle, personal preferences, as well as the information available to her. A whole food diet that is as close to nature as possible is the recommendation we share in our LLL meetings. LLL have published a variety of cookbooks especially for nursing mothers and their growing families. My family are loving two new recipes in particular (Red Kidney Bean and Quinoa Chili and Karen’s Sesame Noodles) from one book called Feed your Family, Feed Yourself.

What do mums need to know about alcohol? Is it necessary to pump and dump?
There is no reason to pump and dump if the mother has drunk limited amounts of alcohol.

The occasional alcoholic beverage is not going to cause harm to the baby as very little alcohol passes through to the milk if drunk in moderation. The LLL FAQ on alcohol explains more here. I also recommend Feed Safe, which is an app that helps nursing mothers determine when they are safe to breastfeed their baby.

Is caffeine ok?
A moderate intake of caffeine (1-3 cups of coffee or tea) per day is unlikely to upset a nursing baby. However, every baby is different so reactions will vary widely. As with all parenting, look to your baby first before following any general guidelines. See the LLL caffeine FAQ here.

Many parents keep their kids away from foods that commonly trigger food intolerance, once they are off the breast and on solids. But as my friend’s story illustrates intolerance can be triggered much earlier through mum’s milk. Does LLL have any guidance on potential allergens to avoid?
Sometimes mothers feel that because a food could be a potential allergen, it is best to avoid it entirely. If there is no history of allergy to these foods in the mother’s or father’s family, this may be an unnecessary precaution. Eating foods a mother enjoys will help her to find breastfeeding more satisfying. Mothers do not have to give up foods they love while breastfeeding. Only if a baby shows allergic symptoms should a mother consider avoiding certain foods.

In general, if an immediate family member has a known allergy, it is recommended that that/those foods are introduced later in the first year, or into the second year. The big three (gluten, dairy and soy) are the most common allergens avoided by nursing mothers, simply because they cause the most reactions and are the first three to be targeted in an elimination diet. (Nursing mothers of colicky or very upset babies are often encouraged by their health care providers to try eliminating these allergens one at a time to see if it makes a difference.)
Find out more here and here.

Spicy foods can upset our digestive systems; do they pass through to breast milk and affect the baby?
Babies are given a continuous flow of flavors in utero so if mothers are eating a wide variety of foods while pregnant, it is unlikely that those same foods will cause upset for their newborn babies. More info here.

LLL meetings are always free, and held every second and last Tuesday of the month, at 2067 Gahood Villas, Shunyi,
Address in Chinese:
顺义区后沙峪
白辛庄村
嘉浩别墅2067
(80462585 for directions in Chinese and English)
LLL Leaders can be contacted via email: lelechebeijing@gmail.com or text/WeChat 18600628481

Photo courtesy of Piknikas (Flickr)

This being the last week before we enjoy the National Holiday, there is lots to do or take note of. Most families in Shunyi will go off to enjoy the seven-day break; others will stay behind to take advantage of the best time of year in Beijing. Wherever you are, we wish you a pleasant and safe Golden Week. Here is our roundup of Shunyi events over the next two weeks:

Clicia’s Gem Sale
Running throughout the week, this is the biggest gem sale that a lot of Shunyi residents look forward to. Clicia has some great tips for how to prepare before going off to her shop.

Take a look at pieces you already have at home. Recycling is always a good idea so you can give seldom-used pieces a second life. Define your wardrobe color palette to see if you want to have statement pieces in a contrasting color, or use several gems in different shades for a quieter but attractive accessory. Pull jewelry ideas from magazines or the web, and set up an appointment with Clicia to discuss your needs. Appointments will be available during the sale for selecting but not for designing. If you need more time to talk about your design ideas, Clicia will be happy to sit down with you after the sale week.

Cash purchases will enjoy an additional 5 percent off the sale price.

Sale hours: Sep 23-27, 10am-5pm; Regular hours: Daily 10am-6pm. Clicia’s Designs and Shayne’s Treasures, Lake View Place, Dragon Bay Villa, Shunyi District (8042 2203 , 139 1110 5431)

INN Shunyi Coffee Mornings
This is a great way for newcomers to build their Shunyi network and old timers to catch up and make new contacts. The INN Coffee Mornings now have a new location in Shunyi. Meet up at Roundabout for some coffee or tea, then peek into the charity store and learn about the great work Leslie and company have been doing. If you are so inclined, ask about volunteer opportunities as well.

For this month only, the INN Shunyi Coffee Morning has been rescheduled to Thursday, September 26 due to the Mid-Autumn Festival last week. Regular coffee mornings are held on the third Thursday of every month from 10am-noon.

Call Roundabout at 137 1805 3814 for inquiries.

La Leche League Monthly Meetings
La Leche League is an international, non-profit organization dedicated to providing information, support, and encouragement to women who want to breastfeed. All breastfeeding mothers and pregnant women interested in breastfeeding are welcome to attend their meetings or call their leaders for breastfeeding-related questions.

La Leche League of Beijing offers monthly meetings, mother-to-mother support, telephone help from accredited leaders, a lending library for resources, sales of breastfeeding items.

Meetings are held on the second and last Tuesday of each month from 9.30 to 11.30am at 2067 Gahood Villas. Nursing babies are always welcome.

Contact Bec at 186 0062 8481 or via email at bdwteamtaylor@gmail.com

House of Knowledge Mini Hoks German Playgroup
Enjoy a fun-filled class with songs, music and games. Meet other moms and their little ones and engage in activities offered by House of Knowledge’s experienced and fun-loving teacher. There will be a variety of themes for your toddlers to explore via finger rhymes, dance, art sessions and other activities. Non-German speakers also welcome.

Every Wednesday from 2.30 to 3.30pm for toddlers aged 1-3 with mom. RMB 100 per playgroup at the House of Knowledge new QuanFa Campus.

Please contact Cecily at 6431 8452 weekday mornings to register and obtain address and directions.

Sports Beijing Barcelona October Soccer Camp
Sports Beijing has teamed up with Celebreight F.C. to bring former Barcelona youth team coaches for a week-long training camp to be held at ISB during the October holiday week, from Sep 30 to Oct 5.

This camp is a unique opportunity for serious soccer players to be taught by the same coaches that started the careers of world stars such as Cesc Fabregas, Jordi Alba, Gerard Pique and Carlos Puyol, and also to experience the teaching methodology that has made Barcelona into the world’s number one club team today.

The camp will feature daily technical training sessions and a one hour classroom session, as well as a three-hour tournament on the final morning. Players should be between 12 and 17 years old to sign up. 10 and 11 year old players of exceptional ability may also be eligible to join, please contact Sports Beijing for inquiries.

You can register for the program online at www.sportsbj.org. It costs RMB 4,000 for the six-day camp.

CISB Preschool Campus Closed
Across from the exit gate of River Garden, there used to be the Canadian International School of Beijing’s preschool campus. It has not reopened this school year, but the building recently hosted the Roundabout book fair. Stay tuned for future announcements on whether CISB will be reopening in our neighborhood.

Construction Beside Jenny Wang
Over a year ago, the big news was that Jenny Wang in Pinnacle Plaza built its own wine section. Several months into the business, the dedicated entrance to the cave and check out was closed down and access was restricted to the main store’s entrance. A portion of the cave is now undergoing renovation, creating a separate entrance to a second-floor establishment. The exterior is modernized Chinese; could this signal a new Chinese restaurant in the works? If so, it would be a welcome addition to the Western fare now available in Pinnacle Plaza.

Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography (Flickr)

Dana is the beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent. Originally from the Philippines, she moved to Beijing in 2011 (via Europe) with her husband, two sons and Rusty the dog. She enjoys writing, photography, theater, visual arts, and trying new food. In her free time, she can be found exploring the city and driving along the mountain roads of Huairou, Miyun and Pinggu.