Ep 39: Breastfeeding Basics: How to Set Yourself Up For Success with Robin Kaplan, M.Ed., IBCLC

Explicit content warning

06/07/18 • 67 min

Robin Kaplan, M.Ed., IBCLC is a lactation consultant in San Diego, CA. She launched the San Diego Breastfeeding Center in 2009 and has recently published her first book, Latch: A Handbook for Breastfeeding with Confidence at Every Stage. Robin was kind enough to sit down with the Birth Kweens to discuss breastfeeding. Here’s an overview of what’s covered in this episode:

A bit about Robin’s background and how she became a lactation consultant
Info about Robin’s non-profit, the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation
The Boob Group Podcast
An overview of the benefits of breastfeeding
Some of the most common challenges that arise with breastfeeding
The importance of getting support early on in a breastfeeding journey, especially if you’re having any challenges
The role that partners/other family members can play in supporting the breastfeeding journey
What the average breastfeeding journey looks like for the first couple of weeks
The number of wet and dirty diapers you want to see and the number of feedings a baby should be doing in a 24 hour period
The importance of honoring the forth trimester and how doing so supports breastfeeding
If/when pacifiers and bottles should be introduced to a baby
What the ‘witching hour’ is and why it happens
How having flat or inverted nipples might impact breastfeeding and some tools that can be used to assist with breastfeeding in these situations
Some info about drinking alcohol while breastfeeding. Click hereto read the article from KellyMom.com that Robin references.
Robin’s suggestions for helpful breastfeeding gear:
- Coconut oil (to use as nipple cream)
- Nursing pillow
- Something to baby wear in (some popular options are wraps,ring slings, or structured carriers such as the Ergo 360)
- An electric breast pump (a popular option is the Spectra)
- A hand pump
Click here to buy Robin’s new book!

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A bit about Robin’s background and how she became a lactation consultant
Info about Robin’s non-profit, the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation
The Boob Group Podcast
An overview of the benefits of breastfeeding
Some of the most common challenges that arise with breastfeeding
The importance of getting support early on in a breastfeeding journey, especially if you’re having any challenges
The role that partners/other family members can play in supporting the breastfeeding journey
What the average breastfeeding journey looks like for the first couple of weeks
The number of wet and dirty diapers you want to see and the number of feedings a baby should be doing in a 24 hour period
The importance of honoring the forth trimester and how doing so supports breastfeeding
If/when pacifiers and bottles should be introduced to a baby
What the ‘witching hour’ is and why it happens
How having flat or inverted nipples might impact breastfeeding and some tools that can be used to assist with breastfeeding in these situations
Some info about drinking alcohol while breastfeeding. Click hereto read the article from KellyMom.com that Robin references.
Robin’s suggestions for helpful breastfeeding gear:
- Coconut oil (to use as nipple cream)
- Nursing pillow
- Something to baby wear in (some popular options are wraps,ring slings, or structured carriers such as the Ergo 360)
- An electric breast pump (a popular option is the Spectra)
- A hand pump
Click here to buy Robin’s new book!

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Previous Episode

Ep 38: Big Babies & Backseat Deliveries: Jessica's Birth Stories

Jessica Yahfoufi shares her two birth stories with us on this episode of Birth Kweens. Jessica lives in San Diego with her husband and their kids. She gave birth to their daughter Francesca in a hospital-based birth center in January 2015. Their son Leo was born in September 2017 in the backseat of the car after a fast and furious 2 hour labor. Jessica shares candidly about the intensity and beauty of natural birth, the challenges of transitioning into the role of a stay-at-home mom, and how her two birth experiences have shaped her. You can find the Super Sibling Activity Book that Jessica mentions on Amazon.

Support our sponsor!Order your own FemmyCycle menstrual cup today by going to www.FemmyCycle.com/BirthKweens and entering the code “kweens” at checkout. You get 10% off your order plus free shipping! YAS KWEEN!

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Next Episode

Ep 40: Surviving Postpartum with Multiples with Ashley Stetson, CD(DONA)

Ashley Stetson, CD(DONA) joins us on the podcast again, this time to discuss navigating the infant stage with multiples. Ashley is a Certified Birth Doula, San Diego HypnoBirthing Educator, and Doula Match Facilitator at the Birth Education Center of San Diego. She became a mother to spontaneous triplets in 2011. Their birth inspired her to join the childbirth community and help families achieve the birth experiences they deserve. She is a highly trained doula with much experience in high risk pregnancy, multiples pregnancies, cesarean births, and induction.Here’s what we covered in our chat with Ashley:

A brief review of the birth of Ashley’s triplets
What it was like bringing all three babies home and how they survived the early months with three newborns
The importance of having adequate support in place for the postpartum period (and why hiring a postpartum doula is SO worth it!)
An estimation of what Ashley and her husband spent on diapers and formula in the first few years (plus some money saving tips that she discovered along the way!)
Some ideas for feeding/sleeping schedules with multiples
Special considerations when caring for preemies/babies who spent time in the NICU
Some notes about postpartum healing and how it might be different than with a singleton
The importance of getting involved with a community of other multiples families
The essential baby gear that Ashley suggests
Resources mentioned in this episode: