...Day 4
What is so special about Day 4 of an infant's life?
What does Day 4 have to do with breastfeeding moms?
What we offer at your Day 4 appointment:
-Lactation and pediatric assessment of both mother and baby for potential challenges that may arise.
-Techniques and tools to assist with nursing challenges based on lactation and pediatric assessment.
-We work alongside your pediatrician to develop a comprehensive plan for helping you meet your breastfeeding goals.
Call us today to schedule your Day 4 appointment with Dr. Lisa Kahikina,
a board-certified pediatrician and board-certified IBCLC.
PH: 808-737-4675 * Fax: 808-737-4978
Day 4 of your infant's life is an important time to follow up with a breast-feeding specialist. Often breastfeeding can go well in the hospital, but when mother's milk comes in, around day 3-5 of baby's life, things can change.
How your baby latches and nurses can change.
Development of engorgement or mastitis can begin.
Stresses around baby's weight loss can be emotionally challenging
for breastfeeding moms.
...Day 4
A preventive visit for a comprehensive breastfeeding care plan
Just for you and baby
We provide lactation services for all nursing mothers and their babies, from hospital discharge to toddlers.
We offer:
-One-on-one lactation services provided by a board-certified pediatrician with additional training as a board-certified IBCLC.
-Infant tongue-tie assessment, management and treatment, and coordination of care, as it relates to breastfeeding concerns.
-Oral (mouth) assessment for infant muscular weakness that may impact breastfeeding success.
-Telemedicine communication capabilities
-Medical care for mothers as it relates to lactation concerns.
* To qualify for insurance-based services, a physician referral is needed. With medical insurance, no out-of-pocket fees. We take all Hawaii-based medical insurances. Ask your pediatrician to fax the referral form below and schedule your appointment with our office today.
The start to a healthy life: it's more than just the milk...
Whether you feel you will struggle with breast-feeding or not, or whether you feel you are struggling with breast-feeding or not, the best way to be prepared is to plug-in to a support network. Schedule an appointment with our office for your baby's visit, and receive on-going breast-feeding support when you need it.
Click on our opportunities page...
...and learn how we provide ways to meet your breastfeeding support needs.
Whether you are pregnant with multiples and want to prepare for your breastfeeding experience, or currently breastfeeding multiples - we can support your breastfeeding needs.
Think a stroller is one of the must-have baby gear? Think again! Join the baby-wearing movement. Not only will you improve breastfeeding, but you will provide an amazing way to grow your child's brain through carrying your child as much as possible, especially in the first year of life!
Often mothers are not aware of the challenges they will face when they embark on the journey of nursing their child. Images every where, on the internet, on social media, on television and movies, make breastfeeding seem so easy. You just pop the baby on the breast, and nature takes care of the rest, right? When it doesn't happen that easily, many women blame themselves. They feel guilty that they can't seem to get it right. They worry that there is something wrong with them. They think that their baby just doesn't like their milk, or that their baby just doesn't want to nurse. But that is rarely, if ever, true.
Fathers play an important role in raising a newborn baby. It's amazing how a well-involved father can greatly improve mother's success with breast-feeding. Fathers are welcome, and encouraged, to attend lactation visits with mother and baby.
Did you know...
...Colostrum is produced in pregnancy. Therefore mom has colostrum for baby's first feeding session, immediately after birth. Therefore stimulation by an effectively feeding baby is not necessary for mother to have colostrum for the first 24-48 hours after delivery.
...Breast milk "comes in" typically by Day 3-5. If a baby does not nurse effectively, meaning adequate seal and suction, both baby and mother can run into problems. Such problems for babies mainly center around excessive weight-loss and excessive jaundice. Problems for mothers include painful latches, engorgement and mastitis. Often it may seem that there is no problem with how a baby nurses in the hospital, but when the milk starts to come in, it begins to unmask underlying difficulties that may arise for mothers and babies.
...Many babies need assistance with latching, since their desire to self-latch can sometimes actually cause trauma to the mother. Learning to assist your babies with latching is a skill that mothers often need to practice in order to eventually nurse their babies easily and well. Mothers often need to practice the skill of assisting their babies to latch correctly to ensure adequate milk extraction and minimize mothers' pain. Having lactation support early to review mother's latching skills, can ensure a smooth transition towards successful breastfeeding.
...Mothers have all different breast and nipple anatomies, and babies sometimes come with their own oral (mouth) challenges as well. These differences do not predict whether a baby will or should nurse well. It's the combination of mother's breast and nipple anatomy, as well as baby's oral anatomy, that can affect how smoothly the nursing experience goes. Just because everyone you know can breast-feed well, and you are struggling, doesn't mean that you cannot breast-feed. And just because no one you know has been able to breast-feed, doesn't mean that you cannot. Appropriate support, adequate assessments of both you and baby, can give you the tools you need to be successful at breast-feeding. By having a full assessment of both mother and baby, you can better get a sense of whether the breast-feeding challenges you are facing are ones that could be overcome with appropriate support.
Learn what to expect when breastfeeding before your baby comes. Click on the link below from Stanford Medical to view their breastfeeding resources.
Why is breast-feeding so hard?
Despite lactation support, physician support, and even family and friend support, some babies and mom still continue to have difficulties with breastfeeding beyond 2-4 weeks after delivery. Some moms have so much pain with nursing that even after the first few attempts of trying to nurse, the pain is absolutely unbearable, and nursing seems unobtainable. This is not normal. Pain with nursing should immediately receive lactation support in order to prevent mothers from giving up on the nursing experience. In some cases, despite all that mothers and lactation specialist try to do, the pain never improves. This could be because your baby has a tongue-tie and should be evaluated by someone knowledgeable in making the correct diagnosis. With on-going lactation support, a baby who is treated for a tongue-tie correctly, can have a significantly better nursing experience. With our full oral assessment during the initial visit, we help to provide you the information you need, to either manage oral (mouth) issues conservatively or with surgical intervention. With the right information you can make the best decision that is personally right for you. Not every diagnosis of tongue-tie means that surgical treatment is the only necessary means towards achieving your breastfeeding goals. But it's important to know what your options are; to be given tools and techniques that you can use to help you manage the challenges of nursing a baby with either tongue-tie or weakened oral (mouth) muscles. Please check out our resources below to learn more about tongue-ties, as well as lactation support available here on Oahu.
Learn about the many opportunities that we offer to help support parents. Click on the link below.
Connect with us on facebook and pinterest to learn more about parenting, nutrition, and breastfeeding support!