Author Archives: Tanya Lieberman, IBCLC
Science You Can Use: Can skin-to-skin and laid-back breastfeeding help older, non-latching babies?
We all know about the importance of skin-to-skin contact in the early hours and days of breastfeeding. But a new study from Sweden takes a look at a different question: can skin-to-skin contact and a laid back position resolve severe latching-on … Continue reading
Science You Can Use: Anxious after baby? New study says anxiety is common and associated with shorter breastfeeding duration.
Did you struggle with postpartum anxiety? Were you assessed for postpartum depression and wonder why your anxiety was overlooked? And did anxiety affect your breastfeeding relationship? You might be interested in a new study published in Pediatrics that has shown … Continue reading
Science You Can Use: For sexual assault survivors, does breastfeeding affect depression and sleep?
An area of breastfeeding that gets little attention – but impacts an astoundingly large number of women – is the experience of sexual abuse survivors. When I spoke with Penny Simkin, author of When Survivors Give Birth, for a podcast … Continue reading
Science You Can Use: Racial gaps narrowing in breastfeeding rates
The CDC’s announcement today of its updated breastfeeding statistics by race contained some especially good news for the “breastfeeding gap” between African American mothers and mothers of other races. First, there is good news across the board. The CDC reports … Continue reading
Science You Can Use: Think donor milk is expensive? Wait ’til you see the alternative.
As Neil Patrick Harris declared on a late night talk show a few years ago, pasteurized donor breastmilk doesn’t come cheap. At the time he was purchasing it directly for his daughter who had some gastrointestinal problems. “It cost more … Continue reading
Science You Can Use: Could your blood pressure medication be causing breastfeeding pain?
A recent case study has raised an interesting issue: For women with a vascular condition called Raynaud’s phenomenon, could taking a certain blood pressure medication – Labetalol – cause breastfeeding pain?* This article told the story of a woman in … Continue reading
Science You Can Use: Breastfeeding may reduce ovarian cancer risk by up to 91%, finds new study.
One in 72 American women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer sometime during their lives. It’s a hard disease to detect, and is the most deadly of all gynecological cancers. So prevention of ovarian cancer is especially important. Past research … Continue reading
Science You Can Use: Study finds over 700 types of bacteria in breastmilk
We are learning more and more about the complex fluid that is human milk. We know, for example, that breastmilk contains hundreds of types of complex sugars to feed good bacteria, pathogen-specific antibodies, even cancer-fighting properties, among many other remarkable … Continue reading
Science You Can Use: As states legalize medicinal and recreational marijuana, what does it mean for use while breastfeeding?
Last year’s November’s election legalized medicinal marijuana in two states, bringing the total to 18 states and the District of Columbia. And two states also legalized it for recreational use. So what does it mean to use marijuana while breastfeeding, … Continue reading











