Breastfeeding support in Stockholm
I offer lactation support to expats and other English speaking mothers in Stockholm.
This service is for mothers who want holistic and evidence-based breastfeeding support in their home. If the lactation clinic (amningsmottagningen) is not an alternative for you, do not hesitate to get in touch. My breastfeeding support addresses common complications such as:
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Pain and nipple damage
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Low milk supply
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Oversupply
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When your baby struggles to latch on to the breast
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When your baby is fussing and screaming at the breast
I can also help you optimize your chaces of successful breastfeeding through preparatory breastfeeding consultations during pregnancy and breastfeeding support sessions right after birth.
Breastfeeding is a wonderful way to feed your baby, with many physical and emotional benefits for both mother and child. My support can help you to overcome the challenges you're facing so that you and your baby can enjoy your breastfeeding relationship.
The difference between an in-home lactation consultation with me and a visit to the lactation clinic
In Sweden, lactation clinics (amningsmottagningen) are valuable resources and I often refer clients to them in my work as a postpartum doula. At the lactation clinic, you will usually meet nurses or midwives who are specifically trained in providing breastfeeding support. Because the staff at these clinics are trained healthcare providers they can make medical assessments of things like the baby’s oral-motor function or breast complications. If necessary, they can of course also refer you to other more suitable healthcare professionals as well.
Unfortunately, lactation clinics are not always able to give all mothers the help that they need, when they need it. Despite the fact that breastfeeding complications are always at least somewhat acute, many mother-baby pairs have to wait days, or weeks, for a consultation, depending on the season. For postpartum expats navigating a foreign system, this can often be even more challenging.
Many new mothers also find it hard to follow the advice that they get at the clinic. Something that worked well in the breastfeeding chair at the clinic might not work as well when you try it at home. For the advice you get to be truly helpful it also needs to be tailored to your individual needs, take into account your values around parenting, and be sensitive to your practical or psychological reality.
I offer flexible breastfeeding support, tailored to your home environment where you most often breastfeed your baby. I don't give medical diagnoses, but I do offer advice that is grounded in an evidence-based understanding of the biomechanics of breastfeeding.
During a lactation consultation with me I will ask you questions about your routines, what you do during the day, how you sleep at night and of course how and how often you breastfeed. Understanding you and your baby's reality helps me to understand what is contributing to the challenges you are facing.
I'm interested in what breastfeeding means for you and how the breastfeeding problems you experience are affecting you. My primary goal is for you to enjoy your baby and thrive in your role as a mother.
Price and structure
My breastfeeding support is catered to your specific needs. This means that we plan one visit at the time. Payment can be done via an invoice, or Swish after each visit. Most families contact me within the first four months after birth, but I also offer preparatory breastfeeding sessions during pregnancy.
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550 kr per hour
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Usually 1 to 2 hours per visit
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Flexible, more visits can be added as you need
My approach to breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is a great way to feed and soothe a baby and it is something that mothers have done for as long as our species has existed. Despite this, breastfeeding doesn't always come easily, no matter how important it is for you. There are many reasons why this can be the case, for example, today we are less exposed to breastfeeding and see fewer women breastfeeding in our daily lives. Still, one of the biggest reasons why breastfeeding is so hard for many women today is simply due to poor advice – many of the solutions that we are given just don't solve the problems that are so common today.
Some of the most common pieces of breastfeeding advice that mothers are given include:
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To sit upright, with a breastfeeding pillow supporting baby's body
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To shape the breast like a sandwich (also called c-shape)
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To hold the baby away from the breast until he opens his mouth wide, then quickly push the breast into his mouth
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To make sure that baby's lips are flanged, and that his chin, but not nose, touches the breast
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To remove baby from the breast and start again if the latch is shallow
Thanks to research from, among others, Maria Widström, Tina Smillie and Suzanne Colson, we understand today that newborn babies have a strong instinct to find their way to the breast and feed. But babies' natural instincts don't just influence their behaviour and actions in those first few hours after birth. They can be reactivated again for every feed. We also understand that successful breastfeeding is about much more than just fitting the baby's mouth to the nipple. It is about supporting the synchronized interactions between the mother and baby.
Laid-back breastfeeding, which is the popular name for the method developed by Colson and others, is a great way to initiate your breastfeeding relationship with your baby. But despite a good start, you may still experience problems with pain and milk transfer efficiency. This is the reason why Pamela Douglas, physician, IBCLC and researcher from Brisbane, Australia, decided to build on the laidback approach and develop a method that not only activates the baby's innate feeding reflexes, but also addresses the biomechanic problems that are the common cause of pain, low milk supply, and a baby that fusses and cries at the breast.
The method that Dr. Pam developed with her team, and that I am trained in, is called the Gestalt Method or the Possums Approach. It is built on the latest research-based understanding of the anatomy of the lactating breast and the biomechanics of milk transfer.
Some common Gestalt interventions are:
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To feed in a relaxed laid back position so that your body carries the weight of your baby
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To let your baby fit onto the breast where it naturally falls, and stabilize it with the baby's face, rather than lifting and shaping the breast with your hand
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To start off with your baby's face a bit higher that the nipple and let her bob her way down, which actives her feeding reflexes
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To aim for a symmetrical face-breast bury where the baby is so close to your body that you cannot see the lips
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To deepen baby's face-breast bury with the help of micro-adjustments instead of removing baby and starting over as that routine can lead to a conditioned dialling-up at the breast
Every new parent is exposed to so much conflicting advice. It can be very tiring, and weaken your confidence. I see my breastfeeding support as a way to help you reach a larger goal: to enjoy your bub and life as a parent. You are the expert on your little one, and I encourage you to experiment and see what might work for the two of you.
Have you discovered Possums evidence-based programs for building confidence and joy in parenthood?
Possum’s parenting programs are based on Dr. Pamela Douglas’s 40 years of experience as a physician and breastfeeding specialist, as well as her 30+ peer-reviewed research articles. So far, the methods have been evaluated by 10 universities, with positive results.
I am able to offer a 50% discount on Possum’s parenting programs, available through Possums.org, to all current and former clients. Visit the website to take a look at the programs, and get in touch with me to receive the discount code.