The More Ya Know: Featuring Robin Dietel, RN, IBCLC & CAPPA Doula Certified

Join me for a conversation with one of my favorite humans - Robin Dietel! Robin is a National Board Certified Inpatient Obstetric Nurse, Certified Lactation Consultant, Lamaze Childbirth Educator and Certified Doula (labor and post-partum). She was my doula for both of my deliveries and is always my #1 emergency contact for all things related to breastfeeding/pumping. Keep reading to learn more about how Doulas and Lactation Consultants can support you throughout early motherhood, as well as some FAQs.

What exactly is a doula? How can a doula support women through labor & delivery and beyond?

Robin says that the word doula is an ancient Greek word that translates into "female slave". She shares that there are multiple different types of doulas, not just for mamas, but also for hospice/death, male doulas for paternal support, etc.

When I first heard of "doula" translating into a "female slave", it sounded a little harsh, but then after reflecting on my experience with her, it made sense. What did having a doula look like for me? It looked like having her dim the lights and hang fairy lights around the room, it looked like her preparing the whirlpool tub with warm water and lavender. It looked like someone anticipating my every need before I even needed to say anything. Constant massages whenever I needed it, physical assistance for repositioning or trying to move baby into a better position (without needing to press the call light), words of encouragement and affirmations, the list can go on and on. It is important to note that doulas can assist mamas no matter if your goal is an unmedicated birth, medicated birth or even with C-sections. Post-partum, doulas can help with meal prep, soothing the baby, allowing you to shower and rest while caring for baby and having someone to talk to as needed about all things motherhood.

In short, Robin likes to say that when you work with a doula, you are working with someone who will actively support you in whatever way you need. More so than just holding your hand (which is still obviously nice - no denying that!).

Not only is Robin a doula, but she is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.

She shares that she wanted to become a Lactation Consultant to help women through their breast feeding journey because she never had that type of support when nursing her children. The main area of focus Robin helps mamas with is ensuring that their baby is getting a good latch on the breast. If there isn't a good latch, she can help problem solve what might be the problem including: tightness in neck/back muscles from delivery, tongue/lip ties, improper holds, etc. Having a good latch is important to prevent pain and frustration for mom and ensure good milk transfer for full feeds and establishing a good supply. Robin also says that she is starting to support more and more "exclusive pumpers", or moms desiring to only feed pumped breastmilk through a bottle instead of feeding directly from the breast. She helps out these mamas by making sure they have a good breast pump - this should be a double electric pump. She encourages mothers to only use wearable pumps on occasion/as a secondary pump. She can also help make sure you are using the right flange size to avoid nipple damage and again help with supply. She uses a silicone measuring tool to assist in sizing. In addition to having a good latch or the correct flanges, she shares that frequently emptying the breasts and/or stimulating the breasts will help establish a healthy supply.

So why is breast truly the "best"?

Robin encourages all moms desiring to breast feed, or considering to breast feed, to remember that the literal purpose of our breasts as mammals is to feed our young! It is natural, economical and efficient to breast feed. In addition to that, breastmilk is easily digested by baby and actually serves as a laxative to prevent your baby from getting constipated and regulate their gut. She states that in addition to having all of the nutrients needed to support your baby, breast milk also aides in building immunity. The mother's antigens and antibodies are transferred over to the milk which then gets ingested by baby. If baby is sick, the mother's body will actually start producing antibodies to help fight the illness the baby has. This occurs from the baby's salvia transferring over to the nipple and entering the body. Exclusive pumpers can still have this benefit if they rub some baby spit on their nipple! This phenomenon is something that formula companies will never be able to reproduce, no matter how hard they try. Another thing that formula companies cannot do is change its nutritional content as baby grows, this is something that our bodies naturally does as baby needs more and less fat/water content.

So now you've chosen to breast feed and you're getting a good routine down, baby starts sleeping longer stretches at night! That is a welcome change for most moms, but what happens to milk supply when that happens? Do you need to do anything differently?

Robin reports that once your baby starts sleeping longer stretches, they will probably start feeding more frequently throughout the day or feed for longer stretches at once. This ensures that baby is still getting the same amount of calories per day, just more daytime calories and less nighttime calories. Robin says that for breast feeding moms, there is no need to wake up in the middle of night and pump - your body will adjust to your baby's new feeding schedule and your supply will stay the same. Exclusive pumpers might need to still wake up and pump during the night due to pumping not emptying the breast as efficiently as breast feeding, and not by not having baby actually regulate your milk supply.

Wait a minute. We have now learned that breast milk is more easily digested by the body, so it stays in baby's system for a shorter amount of time than formula, but then we just talked about babies sleeping longer stretches at night. Can an exclusively breastfed baby actually sleep through the night?!

Robin says absolutely! Babies are amazing little humans! She states that some babies will naturally have the ability to sleep through the night and others might not, but this would happen regardless of breast feeding or not. Especially in the newborn phase, frequent night wakings and feedings are going to be normal and expected. This can be hard for parents, because who wouldn't want more sleep, but it is just a small chapter of your child's life.

This is where I personally think working with a sleep consultant can help teach your baby healthy sleep habits. That way, as a parent you know if your child is waking up due to true needs, or maybe just struggling to stay asleep. Make sure if you do work with a sleep consultant, you are choosing one that is breastfeeding friendly.

What about pacifiers? How do we use pacifiers to follow safe sleep guidelines, but not ruin the chances of establishing a good latch?

Robin recommends following safe sleep guidelines which states to introduce a pacifier at 3-4 weeks of age during periods of sleep to decrease risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome for breast feeding moms. This ensures enough time to establish a proper latch and good milk supply. She reports that when using a pacifier during periods of sleep, you can start with the pacifier in the mouth, but if it falls out you should not replace it. If a pacifier is needed for soothing purposes before 3-4 weeks of age, she says don't sweat it. This is all personal preference and you should never feel guilty for offering a pacifier earlier! The one thing she cautions against, is using a pacifier to replace or push-out a feed. Early on you do not want to ignore any signals of hunger. This can not only hurt your breast milk supply, but also lead to slower weight gain in baby.

Robin, as an experienced mother, mema, doula and Lactation Consultant, what is your biggest piece of advice to new parents?

Don't sweat over the small stuff and rest, rest, rest! If you can lay on the couch and do nothing other than feed your baby and go to the bathroom for a 1 week, you will feel so much better post-partum!

She says being prepared before your baby arrives is also key to having a smooth post-partum recovery. This can include having frozen meals prepped, a support system in place to help with home management tasks, making sure you have information about parenting or caring for a newborn from classes or books, and more!

Lastly, especially for those type A personalities, lower your expectations a little when you first come home from the hospital and don't expect things to be perfect. The first night will probably be rough. You have someone else running the show now! Your baby is going from an environment of warmth and constant comfort in your womb, to a busy hospital and then a new home. They don't understand what is going around them, and they need to be the #1 priority.

I cannot thank Robin enough for taking the time to chat with me and I hope all of you new and expecting mothers were able to learn a little bit about what working with a doula or lactation consultant can look like. I truly believe that as women we wear so many hats and put so much pressure on ourselves to do things a certain way. If you have access to lactation consultant through your healthcare system, and/or have the resources to hire a doula, take something off your plate, show yourself some love, and accept the help.

If you are interested in learning more about about Robin's services, and you are local to the Central WI area, please visit her website by clicking this link: https://www.memadsdoulaservice.com/