Ask Anne… Question: My baby boy just turned 2 weeks old, and breastfeeding is going well. He seems very healthy and contented. Here’s why I’m worried: I read that newborns should nurse at least 8 times a day, or they will become dehydrated.  My little bub nurses on demand, about every 2-4 hours. However, he sometimes sleeps a 6 hour stretch …

Ask Anne… Question: I successfully nursed my first baby. I am now expecting my second child and plan on breastfeeding her as well.  I was told by a pediatric nurse that breast fed babies need water – about a cup a day. Is this true? I never gave my son water. Answer: It sounds like your nurse needs a refresher course …

Ask Anne… Question: How common is it for babies to be sensitive to what a nursing mom is eating? Also, what is the usual time frame for a baby to get gassy after mom has eaten something “wrong?” Answer: Substances from the foods you eat can appear in your milk anywhere from 1-24 hours after ingestion, with the average being …

Before I had my first baby, I read several baby books and talked to some of my friends about breastfeeding. I felt completely prepared. But just like when I was in college and reading about a career, it’s completely different when you read an example in a book versus applying it to real life. The first surprise came when my …

Webster’s Dictionary defines weaning as “accustoming a young mammal to take food otherwise than by nursing.” Although this event may be very cut and dried in the animal world, for humans the process of weaning is much more complicated, but only because we make it that way. Weaning your baby is part of the natural breastfeeding experience. It doesn’t have …

Many new mothers wonder how long they should breastfeed their baby. While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends nursing for at least the first year of life, this may not be a realistic goal for all mothers. It is important to know that even if you only nurse your baby for a few weeks or even a few days, you will both …

Relactation is the process of rebuilding your milk supply once you have started nursing and then stopped for a period of weeks or months. Induced lactation is the process of building a milk supply in a mother who has either never nursed a baby, or who has nursed years before. Relacation and induced lactation both take time, patience, dedication, and …

Nearly all babies will spit up after some feedings, whether they are breastfed or bottle-fed. In a healthy baby who is gaining weight well and has good  urine output (6-8 wet cloth diapers or 5-6 disposable) and at least 3 bowel movements in 24 hours (in babies over 6 weeks old, stooling less often is normal), then spitting up is …