Transcript: Breastfeeding After Sexual Abuse

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The Boob Group
Breastfeeding After Sexual Abuse

[00:00:00]

Please be advised, this transcription was performed by a company independent of New Mommy Media, LLC. As such, translation was required which may alter the accuracy of the transcription.

[Theme Music]

DIANA SJOSTROM: Are you concerned about breastfeeding after being sexually abused and how this may affect your breastfeeding relationship? I'm Dr. Diana Sjostrom I am a clinical psychologist and licensed marriage family therapist. My specialty is in understanding sexual trauma. Today we’re talking about being a survivor of sexual abuse and how this can affect our breastfeeding relationship. This is The Boob Group.

[Theme music]

LEILANI WILDE: Welcome to The Boob Group, broadcasting from the Birth Education Center of San Diego. The Boob Group is your weekly, online, on the go support group for all things related to breastfeeding. I'm your host, Leilani Wilde, I'm also an IBCLC and owner of Leilani’s Lactation and Doula Services.

If you are a busy mom who is always on the go we encourage you to download the free Boob Group app available in android, iTunes and windows marketplace. You can also download our new network app so you can listen to all the shows we produce including the boob group and if you want more breastfeeding information week after week considers joining our club, you’ll get bonus content, transcripts, discounts from our partners and more. Visit our website www.newmommymedia.com for more information. Now Sunny is going to tell us about how you can be part of The Boob Group.

SUNNY GAULT: Alright hi everybody, so The Boob Group has a Facebook page, we also have a Twitter page that you guys can join us and be part of. New mommy media has an instagram page and I always take a bunch of photos as we’re recording our episodes and I put them up there so if you’re ever curious what we all look like here in the studio, be sure to check that out.

There are a couple of segments that you guys can participate if you want to be part of the actual boob group podcast. So we have a segment we do call “boob oops” and it’s where we share our funny breastfeeding stories pumping stories as well. You can recommend an app for us to discuss on the show. And you can also ask our experts any questions you want regarding breastfeeding or even just being a new parent in general.

So if you go to our website www.newmommymedia.com it has all of our experts there for any of our segments you can submit via our website just go to the contact link and there’s also way for you to ask your questions via voicemail or submit your experiences via voicemail. All that information is on the website.

LEILANI WILDE: Today in our studio we have Christine?

KRISTEN STRATTON: Hi I’m Kristen, I am 29 years old, I am a birth doula and post pre term doula. And I'm also the mother of three kids ages five and a half, three and a half and two.

SUNNY GAULT: And she’s also the host of the newbie’s podcast which is our newest podcast here on the new mommy media network.

KRISTEN STRATTON: Yay!

LEILANI WILDE: And on the phone we have Nikki.

NIKKI: Hi I'm Nikki. I’m 31 years old, I am a stay-at-home mom with two children, two and half year daughter, and a seven-month-old son.

[Theme music]

SUNNY GAULT: Okay before we kick off our show today we have a news headline that I thought was interesting that I wanted to bring up. Many of you guys have heard of the big latch on that was earlier this month and it was a way that women can publicly breastfeed, show their support and they try to get as many mothers together in different locations to do that. They actually try to break records with this.

So it’s a very pro-breastfeeding effort and it ties into our news headlines today because a mother had some photos taken of her at a big latch on event and she wanted to have these photos printed so she took them to her local Wal-Mart and this took place in New Hampshire and the Wal-Mart employee refused to develop the photos citing that it was against company policy. And so she was really upset by that, obviously, this is something that she is proud of and a memory that she wanted to preserve. I do have to say though that Wal-Mart did come back and have since apologized and said that that was not okay that that happened.

But I put this on our Facebook page for The Boob Group to see if other people had experienced something like this, I guess and I really thought about I don’t know if I have any selfies or any photos I’ve taken of breastfeeding have been done with my iPhone and I haven’t tried to get them developed but what do you guys think about this, are you surprised that they wouldn’t do it, Kristen what do you think?

KRISTEN STRATTON: I'm not particularly surprised just because our culture still sexualizes women’s breasts so much that we forget that one of their purposes is for feeding children so I am not particularly surprised I am disappointed because I'm sure that that kind of put a damper of this mom’s proud moment to bring these in and I’m sure she thought about taking them home where she was going to frame it or whatever she was going to do with them so and I don’t know that we shouldn’t necessarily feel like we have to print all the pictures at home anytime we want to do something related to breastfeeding but I think it’s also something that companies really need to discuss.

We’re hearing about a lot of companies coming up target. For example, really being more supportive of breastfeeding so I think now especially because women are doing things like latch on and being so vocal about being able to breastfeed openly. I think a lot of companies are going to have to reevaluate their policies because these women are not going to be quiet. They’re not going to back off, so they going to have to meet them where they at or they are going to lose business.

SUNNY GAULT: Nikki what do you think?

NIKKI: It surprises me a little bit that in this day people aren’t more accepting but it doesn’t shock me. It disappoints me that a mother’s beautiful moment was probably tainted by that person’s actions. And I think that it’s important that as we hear stories like that we rally around that mother and her right inability to print those pictures and display that moment because obviously, it was important to her.

SUNNY GAULT: I agree.

KRISTEN STRATTON: You know I can see a positive in all these though. Because it opens up the doors to more communication and more exposure so this mom she not only got her moment broadcasted worldwide right but now she has that to stand by to tell her child about how well she stood up for her rights and they did rectify it. So in an essence, this has actually been a blessing in disguise so I’m kind of glad about that.

SUNNY GAULT: What I thought was interesting is that they didn’t really say, one more didn’t come out and say no we’re now going to print these type of photos, all they did okay all the article says they did was apologize. So now I'm wondering if someone else tried to do this, I mean one more service like a huge company, a huge business with locations all over the country what would happen? You know

KRISTEN STRATTON: And you know what you can self-develop too so I bet no matter what they had a lot of negative inexperience to that from their standpoint. So I bet that they probably did have to print them.

SUNNY GAULT: Yeah I bet they did.

[Theme music]

LEILANI WILDE: Today on The Boob Group we’re discussing the effects of being a survivor of sexual abuse and breastfeeding. Our expert, Diana Sjostrom is a marriage and family therapist for over 40 years in practice. She also specializes in helping survivors of sexual trauma. Thank you for joining us Diana and welcome to the show.

DIANA SJOSTROM: Nice to be here, hope I will be helpful.

LEILANI WILDE: I'm sure you will. Thank you. Diana how common is it to work with a mom who has a history of sexual abuse?

DIANA SJOSTROM: Actually it’s very common. The latest statistic tells us its one in three women has a history of sexual abuse. So I see that quite frequently in my private practice and since birth and breastfeeding is the very essence of our sexuality if your sexuality has been violated in any way will most often affect your breastfeeding experience.

LEILANI WILDE: Do they often experience PDST?

DIANA SJOSTROM: Frequently in fact most of them when they look back through their history do talk about the inability to sleep or to have anxiety or flashbacks which we’ll talk about in a minute the types of flashbacks and so that’s what they present with is anxieties and phobias and different types of trauma.

LEILANI WILDE: And Nikki did you experience sexual abuse as a child or as an adult?

NIKKI: I was sexually abused as a child and raped as an adult.

LEILANI WILDE: Oh my. And did it affect your desire to breastfeed prior to giving birth or with that first latch?

NIKKI: I had absolutely no desire to breastfeed I was very vocal about the fact that I was not going to breastfeed, I brought the formula to the hospital with me because I didn’t want to breastfeed. I made it clear to every nurse, every doctor every person in the delivery room, my husband everybody knew there was not a chance in the world that I was going to breastfeed.

LEILANI WILDE: What about you Kristen?

KRISTEN STRATTON: I had sexual trauma as a young child around four or five years old and then I also was assaulted by a high school boyfriend when I was 16.

LEILANI WILDE: And how about yours, did it affect your desire to want to breastfeed?

KRISTEN STRATTON: It did I when I was pregnant with my first child I was very fearful of how I was going to feel about even trying to breastfeed her because at that point in my life that was exclusively sexually part of my body and I just could not imagine having any sort of different association with that part of my body especially for the purpose of feeding my child so yeah I was definitely very nervous about how that was going to play out when she was born.

LEILANI WILDE: I also had an experience with that as a child and I remember my first latch and it was an emotional moment I believe but I was so empowered about breastfeeding that it kind of over I don’t know it kind of covered up some of what I was feeling internal and I didn’t voice it but I was feeling it emotionally. And so it was an internal battle that I remember feeling.

Diana, can breastfeeding trigger flashbacks?

DIANA SJOSTROM: Yes it can because the most intimate you’ll ever as between mother and baby latches on the heart of the mother it literary connects with her pelvis, and then a healthy person that has not been violated that is a very warm nurturing streaming kind of experience.

So what’s actually being damaged the most through sexual abuse is the ability to be okay with intimacy and to feel that it’s okay to have those feelings and to ground them and feel comfortable and graceful with them. Because if the baby picks up that you’re uncomfortable the baby will internalize that it has something to do with him or her. So what we’re looking here I think is how do we establish comfortable intimacy?

LEILANI WILDE: Do they, do the babies pick that up from the very beginning or is that something as time goes on…

DIANA SJOSTROM: I think they pick it up in uteri, and it’s really important when you’re pregnant to admit pout loud that you have violated and but this has nothing to do with you the baby and that you are a good strong healthy adult and that you’re going to be working on these feelings has nothing to do with the baby. And so right from the beginning the baby learns that feeling are okay and mom’s in charge, she will protect me she’s an adult and she will process this and it has nothing to do with me.

LEILANI WILDE: Right that’s wonderful too because there are so many moms that are not in touch with that concept. I remember taking a seminar course on how the babies connect in uteri and how much they feel and actually can in a way see. It’s like an inside window.

DIANA SJOSTROM: It’s very true.

LEILANI WILDE: And it’s really quite amazing and I am glad that you said that because it’s a reminder for me and for everyone out there that’s listening.

DIANA SJOSTROM: And it’s more important not just to think it but to say it out loud and really say what you mean and mean what you’re saying and to really feel the honor of being a mother and the responsibility to tell your truth out loud and to deal with things.

LEILANI WILDE: Nikki did you experience any flashbacks?

NIKKI: I did, the first time I got latched on like I said was not a moment I anticipated or planned for it was exactly the opposite, but she was born not breathing so they took her away and when they brought her back I don’t know exactly what happened anyway I can't really tell you about that moment what was going on because it was so [surreal] for me until this day.

But they put her on me to skin-to-skin and something in my heart just said this is what’s right, this is what’s supposed to happen and she did the breast curl, curled up and latched on and I can tell you that I think in that moment the 29 years of hurt and pain that I had been carrying around from very small part of it but a very important and significant part of it was healed in that moment.

And it wasn’t always fulfilling, it still isn't always fulfilling weeks after she was born I experienced intense flashbacks especially in the middle of the night because that’s when most of my abuse happened when I was a child and I had to do a lot of grounding work out a lot of techniques to help me stay in the moment and remind myself that she is my now and not my past.

LEILANI WILDE: That’s great. How about you Kristen?

KRISTEN STRATTON: I don’t remember having vivid flashbacks I do remember having anxiety attacks both while I was still pregnant and afterward just because I also had traumatic care of an infant made it even worse because I couldn’t address what I was going through because I had someone else depending on me.

I think that’s part of the problem when you have previous life trauma then you become a mother is you don’t really get to compartmentalize everything just kind of happens all at once because there’s no time to just take time for yourself and process what’s happened to you and what is happening to you.

So I definitely had anxiety attacks and I actually remember vividly just crying on the floor with my husband and just telling him what was coming back for me and why I was just so upset but I actually did find some healing with breastfeeding I was really worried that I wasn’t going to want to do it or that I was going to feel like sexual and I didn’t feel like that at all and I was able to breastfeed all three of my kids I'm really glad that I got to have that relationship with them.

LEILANI WILDE: That’s good. Do you know or can you recall how long it took you to overcome those feelings?

KRISTEN STRATTON: It kind of just feel like a big blow to be honest at first I'm proud with each of my kids but I think my first week I struggled with our breastfeeding relationship for multiple reasons but with my second and third child it didn’t feel like something I had to force myself do like it with me first. With my second and third it just felt like something natural to do so I think just going through that process with my first and she was my learning curve sorry baby girl. But she and I healed each other. Yeah.

LEILANI WILDE: That’s beautiful and Nikki how about you do you recall how long it took you to overcome those feelings, those flashbacks and make it all okay?

NIKKI: Honestly I still struggle with these things sometimes. I experience sort of a resurgence of everything when my son was born, I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that he was a male. A very small one but he is still a male so he had almost deal with everything and then try to again find techniques to work through it because it brought up some of those strange feeling and still to this day I'm still nursing my two and a half-year-old, I'm still nursing my seven-month-old.

Sometimes I still under nursing them and I still have breastfeeding techniques sometimes when anxiety or flashbacks hit me. So I think it’s just something I'm just going to struggle with but it’s something that I'm committed to working through and maybe someday overcome it.

LEILANI WILDE: Diana do you have something to add?

DIANA SJOSTROM: Yes you have to realize that your body contains emotion especially anger and fear is cumulative it stays in your viscera and your muscles and your skeletal system and if you don’t literally discharge it out of your body you will carry it and then it will get restimulated every time you nurse or every time you think about it or every time you have a flashback.

And often that’s why you are having flashbacks as the body is trying to get you to process those feelings literally out of your body so you can get grounded and then authentically get over it so that it doesn’t keep reoccurring and a lot of women don’t know how to discharge that feeling and the best way I can tell you do is to lay down on your bed and kick your legs up and down and breathe and just say I hate being afraid, I hate abuse or back off or leave me alone or whatever comes to you, as long as you are kicking and only using your legs and breathing you will not overwhelm yourself or get yourself into trouble.

It will actually drain the anger and fear out of your body and discharge it out of your feet. So it goes out your feet, out into the universe rather than you carrying it around for the rest of your life and being the container of the negativity and the fear and the abuse. It’s not you didn’t sign up for the abuse, you didn’t cause it, you didn’t deserve it, it’s not your job to contain it and carry it around. It’s your job to release it and let it go.

LEILANI WILDE: When we come back, we will discuss with Diana what we can do to establish a positive experience with breastfeeding and the tools along with knowing where to get the right support. We will be right back.

[Theme Music]

LEILANI WILDE: Welcome back to the show we are here with Diana Sjostrom and we’re talking about how we can create a positive breastfeeding experience after being sexually abused. Diana, what are some of the ways that we can help a mom work through the struggle, you mentioned earlier about kicking and kind of releasing it but are there medications or like maybe an explanation of what sensations are normal?

DIANA SJOSTROM: Well ideally it’s best to address these issues before you get pregnant because then you could access different medications for anxiety attacks or for panic disorders. And also when you are preparing your nipples for breastfeeding you will get a big clue for those times if that’s uncomfortable, if you get a queasy feeling in your stomach and if you feel uneasy.

The big clue is if you pull your chin up and You start breathing there’s a sign that something’s about to bubble up in your memory that’s really uncomfortable and it’s best then to address that may be by seeking counseling with a licensed professional but you have to be really sure that that licensed professional socializes the sexual abuse and ideally has given birth and breastfed herself.

It’s usually not a good idea to see a male because most often it’s the male that violated you and it’s just too restimulating and very difficult but I find the most help come from other mothers and from self-help groups of women that have been violated, there’s nothing more healing than to meet another victim and to have her be a partner in working through your feelings. Does that answer your question?

LEILANI WILDE: Yes someone that has been, someone that has successfully gotten through it.

DIANA SJOSTROM: Right or they’re in the middle of working it through and feel uncomfortable with it and having hope because they might be in a relationship with the therapist in working that out.

LEILANI WILDE: Maybe they are a few steps ahead of where you are.

DIANA SJOSTROM: Because you don’t want to reabuse yourself by being with someone that’s uncomfortable of questioning you or having a funny look on their face or in that easiness in their body is they’re trying to help you because simply you get re-abused and so now you’ve got a double problem. So it’s really important to be very careful who you pick it would be better to go to a massage therapist and get a deep massage and breath and knowing that she has had awareness of those issues and is comfortable with them and just allow you to cry very deeply or to work on your feelings as you’re being massaged.

LEILANI WILDE: What about Ricky?

DIANA SJOSTROM: Ricky is good, bioenergetic analysis is good, [Rolfing] is also good to get EMDR or trauma releasing exercises and people can look up to find out what those are but it’s a way of releasing post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms by working with the brain. When you work with EMDR or TRE which is trauma-releasing exercises.

LEILANI WILDE: Yeah I’ve never heard of any of that, it sounds interesting.

DIANA SJOSTROM: Yeah it’s a very powerful way of working with PTST they are doing it a lot with the military.

LEILANI WILDE: Okay and how long, or is it individually how long it takes for someone to get that kind of help? Is it like one session or many sessions or?

DIANA SJOSTROM: I tell you what it depends on the earlier the abuse, the more severe the trauma. The younger the child is, or the younger you were when you experienced the abuse, the bigger impact it has on your ability to trust, ability to understand, ability to processability to reach out for help, so probably as a rule of thumb the younger the person is when they were sexually abused, the longer it will take, the older they are, the more they are able to cognitively understand and work things through.

LEILANI WILDE: Interesting. I'm sure it has a lot to do with being, not having a voice, I mean you don’t feel like you have a voice whether you’re a child or an adult but more so as a small child.

DIANA SJOSTROM: Exactly, know the cognitive ability to understand what’s going on.

LEILANI WILDE: Right that makes sense. So I know that some people recommend using a nipple shield to kind of transfer the sensation of direct contact from breastfeeding from the baby’s mouth to the breast. Do you recommend anything like that?

DIANA SJOSTROM: No, because it’s really about establishing an honest relationship with being intimate and only to the level that you can feel comfortable with intimacy is really good for the baby to breastfeed.

In fact, I feel that bottle-feeding if a woman cannot establish feeling okay and relaxed and being able to breathe and enjoy and feeling peaceful and god about the breastfeeding it would be better to bottle feed and feel relaxed and comfortable and feel that joy and goodness that she can transmit to the child.

In fact research shows us the more comfortable we are with our bodies and our sexuality in a wholesome way the more milk that we make. And it’s just, it’s about the relationship it’s not so much about can I breastfeed and am I successful at producing milk and getting this job done. The concern should be with the baby and what they are experiencing with you, because they will absorb what you’re experiencing.

LEILANI WILDE: Nikki did you have any particular methods that worked well for you?

NIKKI: I have done expensive therapy and basically been on therapy for 12 years so I have a lot of grounding techniques that I use sort of transferred that stuff over to breastfeeding so a lot of rubbing my daughter’ feet or smelling her head. When I was starting to experience some of the things that I would experience when I was having a flashback to remind myself that that was my daughter and not my (inaudible) I did a lot of, I wore a rubber band around my wrist and I would snap it to cause myself pain but I was sort of sit and it gave me something to focus on rather than the thoughts in my head. And honestly just talking about it.

I talked about it constantly in the beginning to anybody who was around or who would listen because I needed to say I feel this or this is what I'm remembering in this moment of this is how this is making me feel and that was honestly coupled with the most helpful thing to me is to be able to vocalize what I was going through and have people around me who understood and if they didn’t know what I was going through they listened and they were empathetic and they could take in that moment with me and they didn’t judge or they didn’t make me feel bad or make me feel like what I was experiencing was wrong and having people around me who knew my past.

You know my husband already knew what had happened to me, my mother in law already knew what had happened to me so when these things came up it wasn’t news to them it wasn’t something shocking they already knew and so they I think they sort of anticipated this despite my being adamant I wasn’t going to breastfeed I think once I made the decision that I was going to I think everybody expected that I was going to have some of these reactions so it was really helpful to have people supportive people around me who knew what I was up against they what had happened to me.

LEILANI WILDE: I have to say you are very brave because I did not take that stance I kept that to myself. Very few people even to this day even knew about my past history so this is for me putting this you know episode together was kind of eye-opening and heart-wrenching at the same time. Just listening to you gives me courage to open up more about that to other people. Kristen how about you?

KRISTEN STRATTON: I would do therapy on and off since when I was in college my husband knows my past but I don’t really have more people outside of my marriage that I have shared this with nor want to share with, just a few close friends and of course my spouse and I feel like it’s a lifelong thing, it’s an ongoing process I just take it when something triggers it, I try to just talk to myself about it, he saw me when I really feel safe having that conversation with.

It’s interesting that Nikki mentioned that when she found out she’s having a boy that she is more concerned about that because I remember I did the same exact thing when I found out my second child was going to be our first son.

And so just and so I’ve really that brought back a pretty vivid memory of my husband and I just really having that conversation about you know. I was so worried that my son was going to grow up to be an abuser just because he was a man and he’s the sweetest little being you’ll ever meet but I also had a nip session with my kid’s feet and maybe that was totally subconscious but I just love how like sweet and innocent they are and I just remembered totally like their toes crawling on my fingers as I nursed and so maybe less consciously than the Nikki did but I guess that was also my way of treasuring that moment with my child. So I'm glad she shared that.

LEILANI WILDE: Yeah that’s good. Actually, I had four boys and I guess I never really put any thought behind having the difference between a girl and a boy so for me it was always a little bit of a concern and you know it did carry on through even the connection I remember not being able to say I love you it was always third party I used to always say mommy loves you and it took me a while to connect that it was me as a person that I was the one that loved him and so connecting it and maybe that was part of the separation for a while but when I connected that and realized that I think that’s when things turned around for me as becoming the I person instead of the third person.

DIANA SJOSTROM: Yeah good

LEILANI WILDE: Diana where can someone get the kind of support and help they need?

DIANA SJOSTROM: Well there are several places and a lot of it depends on what you can afford. If you can find a good licensed therapist whether they be marriage family therapy or a licensed clinical social worker or a psychiatrist or a PhD just make sure that they specialize in women and understanding women’s issues and sexual abuse.

You can also contact women centers and Jewish family services, catholic family services and ask if they have groups or individuals on staff that specialize in sexual abuse, they often do. Also [inaudible] this to hospital has a cognitive structuring program for people that have been sexually abused, they have individual as well as group and I still think that the self help group maybe through a women’s center of other victims that are in the group creates an atmosphere of safety and knowing that other people have experienced the same thing you have just helps you move along much quicker.

NIKKI: I completely agree with that. There’s nothing more empowering as being in a room of survivors. I mean there’s just nothing that’s more helpful than that. I guess I have been in therapy for 12 years and I can tell you that the most helpful “therapy” did not come from professionals; it came from other survivors walking the same walk that I have.

LEILANI WILDE: That’s wonderful, good. Well thank you so much Diana and Nikki and Kristen for taking the time out to help other moms who might be facing the same fears and knowing that they can find the right support and learn that they too can enjoy their breastfeeding relationship with their baby as well. And for our boob group club members our conversation will continue after the end of this show as Diana shares with us the best advice that was given to her and what advice she would give other. For more information about our boob group club please visit our website www.newmommymedia.com

[Theme music]

AMBER McCANN: Hello boob group listeners I'm Amber McCann an international board certified lactation consultant and the owner of Nourish Breastfeeding Support just outside of Washington DC, I'm here to answer sort of your most common questions when it comes to finding quality breastfeeding researches online such as Google isn't cutting it. We’re going to find some face-to-face support even though I distinctly remember ‘ the day the internet came to town’ in my college. I would consider myself a digital native.

I tend to check my email before I even get out of bed and my online life sometimes gets in the way of real life. Even before my first child was born I went straight to the internet for information and support but as wonderful as the help was it simply couldn’t replace sitting face to face with another breastfeeding mother who would tell me you can do this.

But finding the right support can be confusing, I need quick and easy access to schedule and locations for such meetings and so breastfeeding USA they are new and growing mother to mother support organizations that recognize that you the breastfeeding mother are online and also need in person support to help you along and engage you on Facebook and Twitter. Check them out www.breastfeedingUSA.org and click on the find a breastfeeding counselor button.

Thank you for listening, I'm Amber McCann and I’d love for you to check out my website www.nourishbreastfeeding.com . for more information about my business and a little bit about where to get connected with great online breastfeeding support or you can join me on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/nourishbreastfeeding and if you have great online breastfeeding resource you’d like us to know about please send me an email to amber@nourshbreastfeeding.com or share it on The Boob Group Facebook page. Be sure to listen to The Boob Group each week for more fantastic conversations about breastfeeding support.

LEILANI WILDE: That wraps up our show for today. We appreciate you listening to The Boob Group.
Don’t forget to check out our sister shows:
• Preggie Pals for expecting parents
• Newbies for postpartum moms during baby’s first year
• Parent Savers for moms and dads with newborns, infants and toddlers
• Twin Talks, for our show with parents of multiples.

Thanks for listening to The Boob Group: “Your judgment-free breastfeeding resource.”

[Disclaimer]
This has been a New Mommy Media production. Information and material contained in this episode are presented for educational purposes only. Statements and opinions expressed in this episode are not necessarily those of New Mommy Media and should not be considered facts. Though information in which areas are related to be accurate, it is not intended to replace or substitute for professional, Medical or advisor care and should not be used for diagnosing or treating health care problem or disease or prescribing any medications. If you have questions or concerns regarding your physical or mental health or the health of your baby, please seek assistance from a qualified health care provider.

SUNNY GAULT: New Mommy Media is expanding our line up of shows for new and expecting parents. If you have an idea for a new series or if you’re a business or organization interested in joining our network of shows through a co-branded podcast, visit www.NewMommyMedia.com.

[00:35:03]
[End of Audio]

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Episode Transcript

The Boob Group
Breastfeeding After Sexual Abuse

[00:00:00]

Please be advised, this transcription was performed by a company independent of New Mommy Media, LLC. As such, translation was required which may alter the accuracy of the transcription.

[Theme Music]

DIANA SJOSTROM: Are you concerned about breastfeeding after being sexually abused and how this may affect your breastfeeding relationship? I'm Dr. Diana Sjostrom I am a clinical psychologist and licensed marriage family therapist. My specialty is in understanding sexual trauma. Today we’re talking about being a survivor of sexual abuse and how this can affect our breastfeeding relationship. This is The Boob Group.

[Theme music]

LEILANI WILDE: Welcome to The Boob Group, broadcasting from the Birth Education Center of San Diego. The Boob Group is your weekly, online, on the go support group for all things related to breastfeeding. I'm your host, Leilani Wilde, I'm also an IBCLC and owner of Leilani’s Lactation and Doula Services.

If you are a busy mom who is always on the go we encourage you to download the free Boob Group app available in android, iTunes and windows marketplace. You can also download our new network app so you can listen to all the shows we produce including the boob group and if you want more breastfeeding information week after week considers joining our club, you’ll get bonus content, transcripts, discounts from our partners and more. Visit our website www.newmommymedia.com for more information. Now Sunny is going to tell us about how you can be part of The Boob Group.

SUNNY GAULT: Alright hi everybody, so The Boob Group has a Facebook page, we also have a Twitter page that you guys can join us and be part of. New mommy media has an instagram page and I always take a bunch of photos as we’re recording our episodes and I put them up there so if you’re ever curious what we all look like here in the studio, be sure to check that out.

There are a couple of segments that you guys can participate if you want to be part of the actual boob group podcast. So we have a segment we do call “boob oops” and it’s where we share our funny breastfeeding stories pumping stories as well. You can recommend an app for us to discuss on the show. And you can also ask our experts any questions you want regarding breastfeeding or even just being a new parent in general.

So if you go to our website www.newmommymedia.com it has all of our experts there for any of our segments you can submit via our website just go to the contact link and there’s also way for you to ask your questions via voicemail or submit your experiences via voicemail. All that information is on the website.

LEILANI WILDE: Today in our studio we have Christine?

KRISTEN STRATTON: Hi I’m Kristen, I am 29 years old, I am a birth doula and post pre term doula. And I'm also the mother of three kids ages five and a half, three and a half and two.

SUNNY GAULT: And she’s also the host of the newbie’s podcast which is our newest podcast here on the new mommy media network.

KRISTEN STRATTON: Yay!

LEILANI WILDE: And on the phone we have Nikki.

NIKKI: Hi I'm Nikki. I’m 31 years old, I am a stay-at-home mom with two children, two and half year daughter, and a seven-month-old son.

[Theme music]

SUNNY GAULT: Okay before we kick off our show today we have a news headline that I thought was interesting that I wanted to bring up. Many of you guys have heard of the big latch on that was earlier this month and it was a way that women can publicly breastfeed, show their support and they try to get as many mothers together in different locations to do that. They actually try to break records with this.

So it’s a very pro-breastfeeding effort and it ties into our news headlines today because a mother had some photos taken of her at a big latch on event and she wanted to have these photos printed so she took them to her local Wal-Mart and this took place in New Hampshire and the Wal-Mart employee refused to develop the photos citing that it was against company policy. And so she was really upset by that, obviously, this is something that she is proud of and a memory that she wanted to preserve. I do have to say though that Wal-Mart did come back and have since apologized and said that that was not okay that that happened.

But I put this on our Facebook page for The Boob Group to see if other people had experienced something like this, I guess and I really thought about I don’t know if I have any selfies or any photos I’ve taken of breastfeeding have been done with my iPhone and I haven’t tried to get them developed but what do you guys think about this, are you surprised that they wouldn’t do it, Kristen what do you think?

KRISTEN STRATTON: I'm not particularly surprised just because our culture still sexualizes women’s breasts so much that we forget that one of their purposes is for feeding children so I am not particularly surprised I am disappointed because I'm sure that that kind of put a damper of this mom’s proud moment to bring these in and I’m sure she thought about taking them home where she was going to frame it or whatever she was going to do with them so and I don’t know that we shouldn’t necessarily feel like we have to print all the pictures at home anytime we want to do something related to breastfeeding but I think it’s also something that companies really need to discuss.

We’re hearing about a lot of companies coming up target. For example, really being more supportive of breastfeeding so I think now especially because women are doing things like latch on and being so vocal about being able to breastfeed openly. I think a lot of companies are going to have to reevaluate their policies because these women are not going to be quiet. They’re not going to back off, so they going to have to meet them where they at or they are going to lose business.

SUNNY GAULT: Nikki what do you think?

NIKKI: It surprises me a little bit that in this day people aren’t more accepting but it doesn’t shock me. It disappoints me that a mother’s beautiful moment was probably tainted by that person’s actions. And I think that it’s important that as we hear stories like that we rally around that mother and her right inability to print those pictures and display that moment because obviously, it was important to her.

SUNNY GAULT: I agree.

KRISTEN STRATTON: You know I can see a positive in all these though. Because it opens up the doors to more communication and more exposure so this mom she not only got her moment broadcasted worldwide right but now she has that to stand by to tell her child about how well she stood up for her rights and they did rectify it. So in an essence, this has actually been a blessing in disguise so I’m kind of glad about that.

SUNNY GAULT: What I thought was interesting is that they didn’t really say, one more didn’t come out and say no we’re now going to print these type of photos, all they did okay all the article says they did was apologize. So now I'm wondering if someone else tried to do this, I mean one more service like a huge company, a huge business with locations all over the country what would happen? You know

KRISTEN STRATTON: And you know what you can self-develop too so I bet no matter what they had a lot of negative inexperience to that from their standpoint. So I bet that they probably did have to print them.

SUNNY GAULT: Yeah I bet they did.

[Theme music]

LEILANI WILDE: Today on The Boob Group we’re discussing the effects of being a survivor of sexual abuse and breastfeeding. Our expert, Diana Sjostrom is a marriage and family therapist for over 40 years in practice. She also specializes in helping survivors of sexual trauma. Thank you for joining us Diana and welcome to the show.

DIANA SJOSTROM: Nice to be here, hope I will be helpful.

LEILANI WILDE: I'm sure you will. Thank you. Diana how common is it to work with a mom who has a history of sexual abuse?

DIANA SJOSTROM: Actually it’s very common. The latest statistic tells us its one in three women has a history of sexual abuse. So I see that quite frequently in my private practice and since birth and breastfeeding is the very essence of our sexuality if your sexuality has been violated in any way will most often affect your breastfeeding experience.

LEILANI WILDE: Do they often experience PDST?

DIANA SJOSTROM: Frequently in fact most of them when they look back through their history do talk about the inability to sleep or to have anxiety or flashbacks which we’ll talk about in a minute the types of flashbacks and so that’s what they present with is anxieties and phobias and different types of trauma.

LEILANI WILDE: And Nikki did you experience sexual abuse as a child or as an adult?

NIKKI: I was sexually abused as a child and raped as an adult.

LEILANI WILDE: Oh my. And did it affect your desire to breastfeed prior to giving birth or with that first latch?

NIKKI: I had absolutely no desire to breastfeed I was very vocal about the fact that I was not going to breastfeed, I brought the formula to the hospital with me because I didn’t want to breastfeed. I made it clear to every nurse, every doctor every person in the delivery room, my husband everybody knew there was not a chance in the world that I was going to breastfeed.

LEILANI WILDE: What about you Kristen?

KRISTEN STRATTON: I had sexual trauma as a young child around four or five years old and then I also was assaulted by a high school boyfriend when I was 16.

LEILANI WILDE: And how about yours, did it affect your desire to want to breastfeed?

KRISTEN STRATTON: It did I when I was pregnant with my first child I was very fearful of how I was going to feel about even trying to breastfeed her because at that point in my life that was exclusively sexually part of my body and I just could not imagine having any sort of different association with that part of my body especially for the purpose of feeding my child so yeah I was definitely very nervous about how that was going to play out when she was born.

LEILANI WILDE: I also had an experience with that as a child and I remember my first latch and it was an emotional moment I believe but I was so empowered about breastfeeding that it kind of over I don’t know it kind of covered up some of what I was feeling internal and I didn’t voice it but I was feeling it emotionally. And so it was an internal battle that I remember feeling.

Diana, can breastfeeding trigger flashbacks?

DIANA SJOSTROM: Yes it can because the most intimate you’ll ever as between mother and baby latches on the heart of the mother it literary connects with her pelvis, and then a healthy person that has not been violated that is a very warm nurturing streaming kind of experience.

So what’s actually being damaged the most through sexual abuse is the ability to be okay with intimacy and to feel that it’s okay to have those feelings and to ground them and feel comfortable and graceful with them. Because if the baby picks up that you’re uncomfortable the baby will internalize that it has something to do with him or her. So what we’re looking here I think is how do we establish comfortable intimacy?

LEILANI WILDE: Do they, do the babies pick that up from the very beginning or is that something as time goes on…

DIANA SJOSTROM: I think they pick it up in uteri, and it’s really important when you’re pregnant to admit pout loud that you have violated and but this has nothing to do with you the baby and that you are a good strong healthy adult and that you’re going to be working on these feelings has nothing to do with the baby. And so right from the beginning the baby learns that feeling are okay and mom’s in charge, she will protect me she’s an adult and she will process this and it has nothing to do with me.

LEILANI WILDE: Right that’s wonderful too because there are so many moms that are not in touch with that concept. I remember taking a seminar course on how the babies connect in uteri and how much they feel and actually can in a way see. It’s like an inside window.

DIANA SJOSTROM: It’s very true.

LEILANI WILDE: And it’s really quite amazing and I am glad that you said that because it’s a reminder for me and for everyone out there that’s listening.

DIANA SJOSTROM: And it’s more important not just to think it but to say it out loud and really say what you mean and mean what you’re saying and to really feel the honor of being a mother and the responsibility to tell your truth out loud and to deal with things.

LEILANI WILDE: Nikki did you experience any flashbacks?

NIKKI: I did, the first time I got latched on like I said was not a moment I anticipated or planned for it was exactly the opposite, but she was born not breathing so they took her away and when they brought her back I don’t know exactly what happened anyway I can't really tell you about that moment what was going on because it was so [surreal] for me until this day.

But they put her on me to skin-to-skin and something in my heart just said this is what’s right, this is what’s supposed to happen and she did the breast curl, curled up and latched on and I can tell you that I think in that moment the 29 years of hurt and pain that I had been carrying around from very small part of it but a very important and significant part of it was healed in that moment.

And it wasn’t always fulfilling, it still isn't always fulfilling weeks after she was born I experienced intense flashbacks especially in the middle of the night because that’s when most of my abuse happened when I was a child and I had to do a lot of grounding work out a lot of techniques to help me stay in the moment and remind myself that she is my now and not my past.

LEILANI WILDE: That’s great. How about you Kristen?

KRISTEN STRATTON: I don’t remember having vivid flashbacks I do remember having anxiety attacks both while I was still pregnant and afterward just because I also had traumatic care of an infant made it even worse because I couldn’t address what I was going through because I had someone else depending on me.

I think that’s part of the problem when you have previous life trauma then you become a mother is you don’t really get to compartmentalize everything just kind of happens all at once because there’s no time to just take time for yourself and process what’s happened to you and what is happening to you.

So I definitely had anxiety attacks and I actually remember vividly just crying on the floor with my husband and just telling him what was coming back for me and why I was just so upset but I actually did find some healing with breastfeeding I was really worried that I wasn’t going to want to do it or that I was going to feel like sexual and I didn’t feel like that at all and I was able to breastfeed all three of my kids I'm really glad that I got to have that relationship with them.

LEILANI WILDE: That’s good. Do you know or can you recall how long it took you to overcome those feelings?

KRISTEN STRATTON: It kind of just feel like a big blow to be honest at first I'm proud with each of my kids but I think my first week I struggled with our breastfeeding relationship for multiple reasons but with my second and third child it didn’t feel like something I had to force myself do like it with me first. With my second and third it just felt like something natural to do so I think just going through that process with my first and she was my learning curve sorry baby girl. But she and I healed each other. Yeah.

LEILANI WILDE: That’s beautiful and Nikki how about you do you recall how long it took you to overcome those feelings, those flashbacks and make it all okay?

NIKKI: Honestly I still struggle with these things sometimes. I experience sort of a resurgence of everything when my son was born, I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that he was a male. A very small one but he is still a male so he had almost deal with everything and then try to again find techniques to work through it because it brought up some of those strange feeling and still to this day I'm still nursing my two and a half-year-old, I'm still nursing my seven-month-old.

Sometimes I still under nursing them and I still have breastfeeding techniques sometimes when anxiety or flashbacks hit me. So I think it’s just something I'm just going to struggle with but it’s something that I'm committed to working through and maybe someday overcome it.

LEILANI WILDE: Diana do you have something to add?

DIANA SJOSTROM: Yes you have to realize that your body contains emotion especially anger and fear is cumulative it stays in your viscera and your muscles and your skeletal system and if you don’t literally discharge it out of your body you will carry it and then it will get restimulated every time you nurse or every time you think about it or every time you have a flashback.

And often that’s why you are having flashbacks as the body is trying to get you to process those feelings literally out of your body so you can get grounded and then authentically get over it so that it doesn’t keep reoccurring and a lot of women don’t know how to discharge that feeling and the best way I can tell you do is to lay down on your bed and kick your legs up and down and breathe and just say I hate being afraid, I hate abuse or back off or leave me alone or whatever comes to you, as long as you are kicking and only using your legs and breathing you will not overwhelm yourself or get yourself into trouble.

It will actually drain the anger and fear out of your body and discharge it out of your feet. So it goes out your feet, out into the universe rather than you carrying it around for the rest of your life and being the container of the negativity and the fear and the abuse. It’s not you didn’t sign up for the abuse, you didn’t cause it, you didn’t deserve it, it’s not your job to contain it and carry it around. It’s your job to release it and let it go.

LEILANI WILDE: When we come back, we will discuss with Diana what we can do to establish a positive experience with breastfeeding and the tools along with knowing where to get the right support. We will be right back.

[Theme Music]

LEILANI WILDE: Welcome back to the show we are here with Diana Sjostrom and we’re talking about how we can create a positive breastfeeding experience after being sexually abused. Diana, what are some of the ways that we can help a mom work through the struggle, you mentioned earlier about kicking and kind of releasing it but are there medications or like maybe an explanation of what sensations are normal?

DIANA SJOSTROM: Well ideally it’s best to address these issues before you get pregnant because then you could access different medications for anxiety attacks or for panic disorders. And also when you are preparing your nipples for breastfeeding you will get a big clue for those times if that’s uncomfortable, if you get a queasy feeling in your stomach and if you feel uneasy.

The big clue is if you pull your chin up and You start breathing there’s a sign that something’s about to bubble up in your memory that’s really uncomfortable and it’s best then to address that may be by seeking counseling with a licensed professional but you have to be really sure that that licensed professional socializes the sexual abuse and ideally has given birth and breastfed herself.

It’s usually not a good idea to see a male because most often it’s the male that violated you and it’s just too restimulating and very difficult but I find the most help come from other mothers and from self-help groups of women that have been violated, there’s nothing more healing than to meet another victim and to have her be a partner in working through your feelings. Does that answer your question?

LEILANI WILDE: Yes someone that has been, someone that has successfully gotten through it.

DIANA SJOSTROM: Right or they’re in the middle of working it through and feel uncomfortable with it and having hope because they might be in a relationship with the therapist in working that out.

LEILANI WILDE: Maybe they are a few steps ahead of where you are.

DIANA SJOSTROM: Because you don’t want to reabuse yourself by being with someone that’s uncomfortable of questioning you or having a funny look on their face or in that easiness in their body is they’re trying to help you because simply you get re-abused and so now you’ve got a double problem. So it’s really important to be very careful who you pick it would be better to go to a massage therapist and get a deep massage and breath and knowing that she has had awareness of those issues and is comfortable with them and just allow you to cry very deeply or to work on your feelings as you’re being massaged.

LEILANI WILDE: What about Ricky?

DIANA SJOSTROM: Ricky is good, bioenergetic analysis is good, [Rolfing] is also good to get EMDR or trauma releasing exercises and people can look up to find out what those are but it’s a way of releasing post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms by working with the brain. When you work with EMDR or TRE which is trauma-releasing exercises.

LEILANI WILDE: Yeah I’ve never heard of any of that, it sounds interesting.

DIANA SJOSTROM: Yeah it’s a very powerful way of working with PTST they are doing it a lot with the military.

LEILANI WILDE: Okay and how long, or is it individually how long it takes for someone to get that kind of help? Is it like one session or many sessions or?

DIANA SJOSTROM: I tell you what it depends on the earlier the abuse, the more severe the trauma. The younger the child is, or the younger you were when you experienced the abuse, the bigger impact it has on your ability to trust, ability to understand, ability to processability to reach out for help, so probably as a rule of thumb the younger the person is when they were sexually abused, the longer it will take, the older they are, the more they are able to cognitively understand and work things through.

LEILANI WILDE: Interesting. I'm sure it has a lot to do with being, not having a voice, I mean you don’t feel like you have a voice whether you’re a child or an adult but more so as a small child.

DIANA SJOSTROM: Exactly, know the cognitive ability to understand what’s going on.

LEILANI WILDE: Right that makes sense. So I know that some people recommend using a nipple shield to kind of transfer the sensation of direct contact from breastfeeding from the baby’s mouth to the breast. Do you recommend anything like that?

DIANA SJOSTROM: No, because it’s really about establishing an honest relationship with being intimate and only to the level that you can feel comfortable with intimacy is really good for the baby to breastfeed.

In fact, I feel that bottle-feeding if a woman cannot establish feeling okay and relaxed and being able to breathe and enjoy and feeling peaceful and god about the breastfeeding it would be better to bottle feed and feel relaxed and comfortable and feel that joy and goodness that she can transmit to the child.

In fact research shows us the more comfortable we are with our bodies and our sexuality in a wholesome way the more milk that we make. And it’s just, it’s about the relationship it’s not so much about can I breastfeed and am I successful at producing milk and getting this job done. The concern should be with the baby and what they are experiencing with you, because they will absorb what you’re experiencing.

LEILANI WILDE: Nikki did you have any particular methods that worked well for you?

NIKKI: I have done expensive therapy and basically been on therapy for 12 years so I have a lot of grounding techniques that I use sort of transferred that stuff over to breastfeeding so a lot of rubbing my daughter’ feet or smelling her head. When I was starting to experience some of the things that I would experience when I was having a flashback to remind myself that that was my daughter and not my (inaudible) I did a lot of, I wore a rubber band around my wrist and I would snap it to cause myself pain but I was sort of sit and it gave me something to focus on rather than the thoughts in my head. And honestly just talking about it.

I talked about it constantly in the beginning to anybody who was around or who would listen because I needed to say I feel this or this is what I'm remembering in this moment of this is how this is making me feel and that was honestly coupled with the most helpful thing to me is to be able to vocalize what I was going through and have people around me who understood and if they didn’t know what I was going through they listened and they were empathetic and they could take in that moment with me and they didn’t judge or they didn’t make me feel bad or make me feel like what I was experiencing was wrong and having people around me who knew my past.

You know my husband already knew what had happened to me, my mother in law already knew what had happened to me so when these things came up it wasn’t news to them it wasn’t something shocking they already knew and so they I think they sort of anticipated this despite my being adamant I wasn’t going to breastfeed I think once I made the decision that I was going to I think everybody expected that I was going to have some of these reactions so it was really helpful to have people supportive people around me who knew what I was up against they what had happened to me.

LEILANI WILDE: I have to say you are very brave because I did not take that stance I kept that to myself. Very few people even to this day even knew about my past history so this is for me putting this you know episode together was kind of eye-opening and heart-wrenching at the same time. Just listening to you gives me courage to open up more about that to other people. Kristen how about you?

KRISTEN STRATTON: I would do therapy on and off since when I was in college my husband knows my past but I don’t really have more people outside of my marriage that I have shared this with nor want to share with, just a few close friends and of course my spouse and I feel like it’s a lifelong thing, it’s an ongoing process I just take it when something triggers it, I try to just talk to myself about it, he saw me when I really feel safe having that conversation with.

It’s interesting that Nikki mentioned that when she found out she’s having a boy that she is more concerned about that because I remember I did the same exact thing when I found out my second child was going to be our first son.

And so just and so I’ve really that brought back a pretty vivid memory of my husband and I just really having that conversation about you know. I was so worried that my son was going to grow up to be an abuser just because he was a man and he’s the sweetest little being you’ll ever meet but I also had a nip session with my kid’s feet and maybe that was totally subconscious but I just love how like sweet and innocent they are and I just remembered totally like their toes crawling on my fingers as I nursed and so maybe less consciously than the Nikki did but I guess that was also my way of treasuring that moment with my child. So I'm glad she shared that.

LEILANI WILDE: Yeah that’s good. Actually, I had four boys and I guess I never really put any thought behind having the difference between a girl and a boy so for me it was always a little bit of a concern and you know it did carry on through even the connection I remember not being able to say I love you it was always third party I used to always say mommy loves you and it took me a while to connect that it was me as a person that I was the one that loved him and so connecting it and maybe that was part of the separation for a while but when I connected that and realized that I think that’s when things turned around for me as becoming the I person instead of the third person.

DIANA SJOSTROM: Yeah good

LEILANI WILDE: Diana where can someone get the kind of support and help they need?

DIANA SJOSTROM: Well there are several places and a lot of it depends on what you can afford. If you can find a good licensed therapist whether they be marriage family therapy or a licensed clinical social worker or a psychiatrist or a PhD just make sure that they specialize in women and understanding women’s issues and sexual abuse.

You can also contact women centers and Jewish family services, catholic family services and ask if they have groups or individuals on staff that specialize in sexual abuse, they often do. Also [inaudible] this to hospital has a cognitive structuring program for people that have been sexually abused, they have individual as well as group and I still think that the self help group maybe through a women’s center of other victims that are in the group creates an atmosphere of safety and knowing that other people have experienced the same thing you have just helps you move along much quicker.

NIKKI: I completely agree with that. There’s nothing more empowering as being in a room of survivors. I mean there’s just nothing that’s more helpful than that. I guess I have been in therapy for 12 years and I can tell you that the most helpful “therapy” did not come from professionals; it came from other survivors walking the same walk that I have.

LEILANI WILDE: That’s wonderful, good. Well thank you so much Diana and Nikki and Kristen for taking the time out to help other moms who might be facing the same fears and knowing that they can find the right support and learn that they too can enjoy their breastfeeding relationship with their baby as well. And for our boob group club members our conversation will continue after the end of this show as Diana shares with us the best advice that was given to her and what advice she would give other. For more information about our boob group club please visit our website www.newmommymedia.com

[Theme music]

AMBER McCANN: Hello boob group listeners I'm Amber McCann an international board certified lactation consultant and the owner of Nourish Breastfeeding Support just outside of Washington DC, I'm here to answer sort of your most common questions when it comes to finding quality breastfeeding researches online such as Google isn't cutting it. We’re going to find some face-to-face support even though I distinctly remember ‘ the day the internet came to town’ in my college. I would consider myself a digital native.

I tend to check my email before I even get out of bed and my online life sometimes gets in the way of real life. Even before my first child was born I went straight to the internet for information and support but as wonderful as the help was it simply couldn’t replace sitting face to face with another breastfeeding mother who would tell me you can do this.

But finding the right support can be confusing, I need quick and easy access to schedule and locations for such meetings and so breastfeeding USA they are new and growing mother to mother support organizations that recognize that you the breastfeeding mother are online and also need in person support to help you along and engage you on Facebook and Twitter. Check them out www.breastfeedingUSA.org and click on the find a breastfeeding counselor button.

Thank you for listening, I'm Amber McCann and I’d love for you to check out my website www.nourishbreastfeeding.com . for more information about my business and a little bit about where to get connected with great online breastfeeding support or you can join me on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/nourishbreastfeeding and if you have great online breastfeeding resource you’d like us to know about please send me an email to amber@nourshbreastfeeding.com or share it on The Boob Group Facebook page. Be sure to listen to The Boob Group each week for more fantastic conversations about breastfeeding support.

LEILANI WILDE: That wraps up our show for today. We appreciate you listening to The Boob Group.
Don’t forget to check out our sister shows:
• Preggie Pals for expecting parents
• Newbies for postpartum moms during baby’s first year
• Parent Savers for moms and dads with newborns, infants and toddlers
• Twin Talks, for our show with parents of multiples.

Thanks for listening to The Boob Group: “Your judgment-free breastfeeding resource.”

[Disclaimer]
This has been a New Mommy Media production. Information and material contained in this episode are presented for educational purposes only. Statements and opinions expressed in this episode are not necessarily those of New Mommy Media and should not be considered facts. Though information in which areas are related to be accurate, it is not intended to replace or substitute for professional, Medical or advisor care and should not be used for diagnosing or treating health care problem or disease or prescribing any medications. If you have questions or concerns regarding your physical or mental health or the health of your baby, please seek assistance from a qualified health care provider.

SUNNY GAULT: New Mommy Media is expanding our line up of shows for new and expecting parents. If you have an idea for a new series or if you’re a business or organization interested in joining our network of shows through a co-branded podcast, visit www.NewMommyMedia.com.

[00:35:03]
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