FARGO — Friends Kayla Vogele and Amy Sinclair just gave birth to two little girls, Noah and Sawyer. Both moms have made it through their first few months of breastfeeding. It's something new for Vogele.
"Just to kind of know what to expect, I did one of the lactation classes through Sanford," Vogele said. This journey was not so new for Sinclair. "So this is my second round breastfeeding, and I can say that both experiences have been very different for me.
With my first, I struggled with a little bit of a lower supply," Sinclair said. That's when lactation services at Sanford saved the day. "They kind of helped guide me through that, and then we ended up breastfeeding all the way up to 14 months with her.
And so with Noah being my second, this round has been just a little bit more seamless," Sinclair said. Both of their followup appointments led them to Baby Cafe — a group that meets twice a week to get help from lactation consultants for free at Fargo Cass Public Health. The meetings are Mondays from 9 a.
m. to noon and Wednesdays from 1 to 4 p.m.
"They can reach us and weigh their baby before and after a feeding, and have a community of women supporting them as well," said Jackee Haak, Director of Sanford Family Birth Center. "For me, it was a lot of reassurance. Like one week she would be eating every two hours, and then the next week, she would want to sleep more.
And then I'd come in and ask, and they'd be like, yep, that's totally normal. Or if we had a latch issue or a latch problem,they would kind of tell me, okay, adjust this or, you know, maybe she needs to go a little bit more this way," Vogele said. For Sinclair, she was drawn to the bonding in the group.
"In the beginning stages of motherhood, sometimes you can feel a little bit lonely in your breastfeeding journey because you're sitting at home on your couch, feeding your baby every hour, every two hours," Sinclair said. This week is World Breastfeeding Week. Even though breastfeeding can be hard, the mothers say it's worth it.
And for a lifetime of health benefits, Melissa Christofferson with Essentia Health encourages breastfeeding. If you are able to breastfeed, Christofferson recommends doing it 8-12 times a day. If it's going into a bottle, she says the norm is to have 2 ounces of milk.
She says that breastmilk helps with the development of a baby. And for moms, it reduces the risk of female cancers, diabetes, osteoporosis and anemia. According to the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is suggested to breastfeed until your child is 2 years old.
If you need help after breastfeeding, she says there are free in-person and virtual services. Breastfeeding is emphasized at Essentia Health in Fargo. It is one of two facilities in North Dakota with this designation , and the only one in the F-M area.
"We have childbirth preparation classes, parent classes, safety, car seat, breastfeeding women. We have a back to work class that's really helpful, too, so that can be taken prenatally and postpartum," said Melissa Christoffersen, Essentia lactation program manager. You don't have to be a patient at Sanford or Essentia to use any of those resources.
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