MyBelly Live: Expert's best advice for breastfeeding with Lone Liisberg

What can a lactation consultant help you with? A lactation consultant is a professional who specializes in helping you as a mother breastfeed your baby by offering advice and support in areas such as breastfeeding techniques, milk production, breast problems, bottle feeding, special situations, as well as advice and support to create a positive breastfeeding experience for both you and your baby.

Live with Lone Liisberg

I, Angela Namere, founded MyBelly, and I held a live session with Lone Liisberg, who is a trained nurse, health visitor, and an IBCLC-certified lactation consultant. We discussed the most searched questions about breastfeeding on Google. You can read more about breastfeeding at Ammeliv.dk.

Lone and I discussed, among other things, why it is so important to breastfeed your baby. Lone began by explaining that it offers great health benefits for both mother and baby.

Breastfeeding babies has many health benefits for both you and your baby. Breast milk is full of living ingredients, such as stem cells, white blood cells, beneficial bacteria, and other bioactive components like antibodies, enzymes, and hormones. These substances help fight infections, prevent diseases, and contribute to your baby's normal and healthy development. Additionally, breastfeeding can also have a protective effect against diseases and conditions for you and your baby. For example, breastfeeding can reduce the risk of childhood asthma, allergies, diabetes, and obesity in children, and reduce the risk of breast cancer, uterine cancer, and osteoporosis in mothers.

Lone mentions, among other things:

“As a lactation consultant, it's just important to me that a mother who wants to stop breastfeeding does so on an informed basis. This means it's crucial that she has received the help she needs before stopping breastfeeding. Sometimes, only a few corrections/changes are needed before a problematic breastfeeding experience becomes a pleasant one.”

How often should a baby be breastfed?

We also discussed how often one should actually breastfeed their baby. You can also read our guide on how often a baby should be breastfed.

Lone mentions the following:

“When I meet new mothers, I often find that they are surprised by how often they actually need to breastfeed their baby.”

According to the Danish Health Authority, there is no specific number of times a baby should be breastfed. However, the Danish Health Authority recommends breastfeeding as often as the child wishes and at least 8-12 times a day. A healthy, thriving baby should on average be breastfed 8 times a day, but it is also normal for a baby to need to be breastfed 7, 9, 12, or 14 times a day. It is important to follow the baby's signals and let the child breastfeed when they show signs of hunger.

I ask Lone:

“Can it really be true that a mother needs to breastfeed every two hours or more frequently?”

And Lone answers the question as follows:

“I hear that question very often. And, yes, it’s not unusual, and often it’s necessary to maintain milk production.”

Physical training during pregnancy and after childbirth

We also naturally discussed physical training during pregnancy and after childbirth.

Lone mentions, among other things:

“It is always good to be in good physical shape, and especially before a period that is as demanding on the body as pregnancy, childbirth, and the breastfeeding period are. You can easily continue training during pregnancy and after childbirth. The message is: Listen to your body and stop if you feel discomfort – discuss it with your doctor if you are in doubt about whether it's too much.”

Pregnancy, breastfeeding and alcohol

We concluded by discussing pregnancy, breastfeeding, and alcohol, where the Danish Health Authority advises against alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

Lone says:

“During the breastfeeding period, the Danish Health Authority also advises restraint regarding alcohol consumption. As a general rule, the milk contains the same alcohol percentage as the blood, which means that pumping and discarding the milk does not help.”

I ask, among other things, if it's allowed during holidays, and Lone says the following:

“Consume alcohol mindfully. Wait to breastfeed until 2-3 hours after you have had one drink - and enjoy it with a clear conscience.”