AboutSally Wendkos Olds Expertise What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good
for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s
related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to
overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF
BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200
articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible
advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.
Experience I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition.
I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009.
I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.
Credentials
I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.
Other points of interest
I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding.
To find out more about me, go to
Expert: Sally Wendkos Olds Date: 6/20/2008 Subject: Leaking colostrum from a nipple piercings
Question I am currently 31 weeks pregnant. At 20 weeks I removed my nipple
piercings. Recently I have started to leak a little bit from both breasts. Today
I noticed that on one of my breasts the colostrum seems to be leaking out of
one of the piercing holes. It is only happening on one side of one nipple and
its actually quite a bit more leakage than from the other breast. I am leaking
from the actually nipple as well, but not nearly as much as the from the side
where the piercing used to be. I can squeeze my breast and it comes
dripping out. Is this normal? Is it harmful? Will it prove to be problematic to
breastfeed?
Answer Dear Samantha,
I have received an answer to your question from Elayne Angel, who is about to publish a book on body piercing and is very knowledgeable about the subject because she has done a lot of piercings. Her answer is below. Hope it helps. Regards, Sally
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Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters. Now in revision for a fourth edition, with Laura M. Marks, M.D.
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>>That looks like a great answer. My book says essentially the same thing, though I think I"ll add colostrum in addition to milk in my discussion below.
Nipple Piercing and Breastfeeding
Many pierced women express concerns about breastfeeding, but there does not appear to be any evidence that nipple piercings negatively affect the ability to breastfeed.* A normal female nipple has several pore-like milk ducts, rather than a single spout. Therefore, a nipple piercing of ordinary size and uneventful healing is quite unlikely to block them all. The ability to nurse could be impaired if a troubled nipple piercing results in excess scarring. When jewelry is removed from a well-healed nipple piercing, some milk might seep or flow from the empty channel.
Leaving out your nipple jewelry during breastfeeding is safest for your infant, although some women do successfully nurse with it in place. Jewelry removal eliminates the most serious risk of your baby choking on a ball, ring, or bar that becomes unfastened. You also diminish the potential for other nursing problems such as difficulty latching on, or damage to the soft tissue of your infant's mouth. Another concern is that body jewelry might be a source of bacteria that could enter a baby's system. Some women have had success nursing with flexible jewelry like PTFE barbells instead of metal. Do not wear a retainer that has an O-ring closure because it is not sufficiently secure to stay on during nursing.
If you decide to take out your jewelry for nursing, the piercing may shrink or close up by the time your baby is weaned. If your piercing is fully healed, there is some chance the hole could remain open. It may be possible to encourage a well-established channel to stay viable by passing a small, clean insertion taper through it on a regular basis. If the piercing has sealed shut and you wish to be repierced, it is best to wait at least three months after you stop nursing to allow the tissue to normalize.
You can also get information from this URL:
*http://www.lalecheleague.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVJunJul99p64.html
