June 25th, 2020

// Safe and Healthy Breastfeeding During COVID-19: What Every New Mom Needs to Know

Safe and Healthy Breastfeeding During COVID-19: What Every New Mom Needs to Know  

Celebrity breastfeeding specialist and two-time author Jennifer Ritchie, IBCLC shares essential tips to support both mom and baby during Coronavirus outbreak  

Dana Point, CA – (June 25th, 2020): For new and expecting mothers concerned about breastfeeding safely during COVID-19, trained breastfeeding specialist and renowned author Jennifer Ritchie shares five keys to success. For more than a decade, Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) Jennifer Ritchie has provided hands-on guidance to help moms navigate a variety of breastfeeding challenges. She has worked with celebrities as an on-location consultant, in addition to authoring two guidebooks to successful breastfeeding. Now, Ritchie provides essential tips to keep both mom and baby healthy amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

For 12 years, Jennifer Ritchie has grown an impressive catalog of resources - including a series of “how-to” YouTube videos and personal consulting services - that have helped thousands of new moms successfully breastfeed. Countless parents rely on her books, entitled “I Make Milk, What’s Your Superpower?” and “Bringing Baby Home - A New Parent’s Guide to Breastfeeding,” to overcome challenges such as latching difficulties, painful nursing, and low milk production. Here, Ritchie offers insights new and expecting moms need to know in order to safely breastfeed and confidently bond with baby during COVID-19:

  1. Rest assured: your breastmilk is still a safe bet. According to the CDC, breastmilk is still the best source of nutrition for most infants and is believed safe to consume even after mom has been infected. In limited reports of lactating women infected with SARS-CoV,* virus was not detected in breast milk, and antibodies against SARS-CoV were detected in at least one sample.
  2. Reduce stress in any way you can. This is a stressful time to have a baby, and anxiety can have a substantial impact on a child's developing oxytocin systems. Oxytocin helps us relate to others, strengthens trust, fosters closeness in relationships, and can be triggered by eye contact, empathy, or touch. Studies show a new mother's oxytocin levels can influence her behavior and, as a result, the bond she makes with her baby - so reduce stress in any way you can.
  3. Focus on the first two weeks. Most breastfeeding problems occur in the first two weeks of a child’s life, leading many moms to give up too early. Your focus, in the beginning, should be to make it past these first two weeks before throwing in the towel.
  4. Supplementing with formula is perfectly okay. Some mothers cannot find adequate time to pump or simply cannot produce enough milk to completely nourish baby with breast milk alone - don’t give up! Just one drop of breastmilk contains one million white blood cells. If your baby gets at least 1 teaspoon of breastmilk per day, they will still get the antibody benefits and bacteria-eating cells that are so important to a developing immune system.
  5. Stay connected to what really matters. Finding answers to your questions can be frustrating. When you look online, less than half of the websites on breastfeeding are accurate. What really matters is the scientific evidence, so look for published research and (preferably) “randomized triple blinded” studies. In the end, trust your gut, love your baby, and take care of yourself. After delivery, your Left Brain stops working as well, so you may find yourself experiencing more emotions than logic (much like when you were a teenager). Don’t give in to guilt, focus on learning through experience, and build that family unit with lots of skin to skin contact!

Find more insights and answers to a wide range of breastfeeding questions online at JenniferRitchie.tv, Discover articles, videos, and more information about Ritchie’s breastfeeding books. Plus, get to know a bit about her own journey as a mom to a 15-year old daughter and 12-year old son. For an exclusive interview with Ritchie, reach out to Leigh-Anne Anderson at LeighAnne@Anderson-PR.com.            

                                                                     # # #

About Jennifer Ritchie, IBCLC:

Jennifer Ritchie is an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), Ritchie spent more than a decade helping countless parents navigate breastfeeding challenges, including latching difficulties, painful nursing, low milk production, inadequate weight gain, and induced lactation. She has worked with big-name celebrities and as an on-location consultant, in addition to authoring "I Make Milk What's Your Superpower?" and "Bringing Baby Home - A New Parents Guide to Breastfeeding.” Committed to providing community-based, long-term support to breastfeeding mothers, Ritchie’s insights and approach empower thousands of new and expecting moms to embrace the joys and challenges of motherhood. Find answers to a wide range of breastfeeding questions online at JenniferRitchie.tv, along with articles, “how-to” videos, and more. For an exclusive interview with Ritchie, reach out to Leigh-Anne Anderson at LeighAnne@Anderson-PR.com

TRAIN IT RIGHT NEWSLETTER

Sign Up and get a free 7 day Train it Right HIIT Program!

Top