August is National Breastfeeding Month, and it feels like the right moment to talk about something we care about deeply at our practice: supporting new parents through whatever feeding journey is right for their family (Especially as I sit here pumping while writing!).
Let’s start here: there is NO ONE RIGHT WAY to feed a baby.
Breastfeeding is a beautiful, biologically remarkable process — and it’s also genuinely hard for many people, physically inaccessible for some, and simply not the right choice for others. Milk supply issues, medical conditions, mental health, return-to-work realities, adoption, past trauma, personal preference — there are countless valid reasons a parent might formula feed, exclusively or in part, from day one or after weeks of trying to breastfeed.
If that’s your story: your baby is not missing out on a happy, healthy life. Some of the most well-adjusted, thriving people you know grew up on formula. Fed is fed. A regulated nervous system in the parent holding that baby matters just as much as what’s in the bottle or at the breast.
We say this clearly because so many new parents carry quiet guilt around feeding — guilt that often does more harm than the feeding method itself ever could. You don’t owe anyone an explanation for how you feed your baby.
For those who want to breastfeed and are having a hard time
If breastfeeding is something you want, and it isn’t coming easily, you are not alone, and you are not failing. Supply struggles, painful latch, mastitis, exhaustion — these are common, and they are treatable, supportable challenges, not personal shortcomings. After a stomach bug, I had to work to increase my supply again. I talked to another parent who was sure her time breastfeeding was coming to an end after she started her period again. I have so many stories of working with parents who were struggling with the feeding process. If you’re there, you don’t have to be!
This is where we can help.
We work alongside a network of local lactation consultants who specialize in the clinical side of feeding — latch, positioning, supply assessment, tongue-tie evaluation, and more. If you don’t already have one, we’re glad to help you find the right fit.
Alongside that clinical support, East Asian medicine has centuries of experience addressing the layers underneath a feeding struggle:
- Acupuncture to support milk production, ease physical tension from feeding positions, and calm an overtaxed nervous system
- Herbal medicine, tailored to your body and constitution, to nourish blood and fluids— the classical building blocks of milk production
- Nutrition guidance rooted in postpartum recovery traditions, many of which specifically emphasize warm, nourishing foods to rebuild depleted reserves
- Lifestyle support for sleep, stress, and the emotional weight of early parenthood, which is real and deserves care in its own right
Postpartum recovery in East Asian medicine has always been treated as its own distinct season — one requiring replenishment, warmth, and rest. Feeding struggles rarely exist in isolation from that broader depletion. Supporting the whole system often supports the feeding relationship, too.
Supporting the full arc — including the end of it
Our support doesn’t stop at establishing feeding. We also work with parents experiencing mastitis — using acupuncture and herbal medicine to help address inflammation, clear blockages, and ease the pain and fatigue that come with it. We work alongside other healthcare workers if other medical care is needed.
When it’s time to stop breastfeeding – due to personal choice, a return to work, the natural end of that chapter or something else entirely – we can help support the weaning process, too. East Asian medicine offers gentle approaches to help ease milk supply down gradually and manage the physical discomfort that can come with drying up. We want this transition to feel less abrupt and more like the natural close it is.
The bottom line
However you feed your baby — breast, bottle, or both — you’re doing the work of raising a human being, and that work deserves support, not judgment. We can’t guarantee you’ll enjoy the feeding journey of your dreams, and we can help support you in finding a process that’s right for you and your family. If you want help on the breastfeeding side of things, we’re here. If you’re feeding with formula, we’re glad you have peace, and that’s enough. Parenting and life still have plenty of challenges and we’re happy to support you in other ways through all of them!
Whether you’re new to Jennum O’Hara Acupuncture or have been in our care for years, this welcome packet has useful information for how to get the most out of your treatments with us.
Keep this to refer back to when a new symptom arises or you receive an unfamiliar treatment.
As always, reach out to us with any questions or concerns!