Feeding
Support & Resources for Body/Breastfeeding + Impacts on Mental Health
Lactation Support
Fed is best. For those that want to breastfeed and need some assistance or support, there are amazing consultants to help you reach your goals. Two such lactation consultant are Chrisie Rosenthal, BS, IBCLC and Inna Henry, IBCLC. Ideally, you'll want a IBCLC who also has training in perinatal mental health.
IBCLC stands for International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.
The Lactation Network connects families with the lactation consultations, breast pumps, and products they need to thrive. You can even check what your insurance covers.
If you need support with breastfeeding, bodyfeeding, or accessing human milk, the Le Leche League International website is a great resource.
Expert, confidential, and no-cost information about medications and other exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding by phone, text, email, and chat.
Podcasts
- Mom & Mind - Breastfeeding, D-MER and Mental Health with Heidi Koss Ep. 104
- Mom & Mind - Birth Trauma, Breastfeeding and Mental Health Ep. 169
Newspaper/Online Articles
- Sometimes, Breast Isn't Best (Really)
- The Data All Guilt-Ridden Parents Need
- Stop the Bottle Shaming: Why It’s OK to Not Breastfeed
- Everybody Calm Down About Breastfeeding
- When Is It Okay Not To Breastfeed?
Book
Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool
There are a few chapters on breastfeeding that highlight evidence on benefits and why a lot of other claims don’t hold up.
Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Women's Mental Health
MGH Center for Women's Mental Health Reproductive Psychiatry Resource and Information Center is filled with some excellent resources.
- Psychological Distress in the Mother May Affect Levels of Immunoglobulins in Breast Milk (2015)
- Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy and Mood in First-Time Mothers (2016)
Research
- Psychological stress reduces the immunological benefits of breast milk (2019) Fee to access (email me if you'd like it). This study suggests that the established link between psychological stress and immunity may also extend to the immunity of the newborn by reducing the immunological benefits of breast milk. It also suggests that breastfeeding might be a potential mechanism of the relationship between maternal stress and the health of the offspring.
- Early Breastfeeding Experiences and Postpartum Depression (2011) Negative early breastfeeding experiences, including feelings about breastfeeding and pain with breastfeeding, are associated with postpartum depression at 2 months.
- New Evidence on Breastfeeding and Postpartum Depression: The Importance of Understanding Women’s Intentions (2014) Results underline the importance of providing expert breastfeeding support to women who want to breastfeed; but also, of providing compassionate support for women who had intended to breastfeed, but who find themselves unable to.