My wonderful women's studies professor in Hawaii told me about the Oketani Method. It's a method of breastfeeding from a Japanese midwife who believes that breastfeeding is best and that although there are obstacles, everyone should at least try to breastfeed and seek help if she runs into problems. She has also developed a breast massage healing technique to help women overcome some of the problems such as engorgement, mastitis and other breastfeeding related issues.
I emailed midwife Masayo Awano to ask how I could learn more about the Oketani Method and she was kind enough to send me the written material called "Breastfeeding Your Child: The Oketani Method" translated from Japanese to English. I am very much enjoying reading it. I'm not sure how else to get this material as I wasn't able to find it in English anywhere on the internet. If you are interested in learning how to get material related to Oketani method, please contact me at doulaura@gmail.com.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
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2 comments:
Hello Laura,
do you know about real benefits received from people applying this tecnique? That is, have you (or "real" people you know) ever "witness'd" the efficacy of this method?
Hello, I had the chance to meet Ms Awano when I had my baby at Sugiura Clinic in Japan; Not only she tought me how to breastfeed (positions, correct latch on, confident in myself as a new mother...) but also how to increase my milk supply and how to express the milk when my baby wouldn't nurse. She used the Oketani method with me after each breastfeeding session, which would help increase my milk supplies; She also used it twice to relieve the pain from mastitis, she expressed the milk and I felt NO pain at all (a nurse had tried earlier to express the milk but it was like a torture ),then I went home and my baby could start latching on again without hurting me; I had a treatment for the mastitis and the fever went down; I really don't know what I would have done at that time without her and the Oketani method because it was too painful when my baby latched on and still the milk had to be express some way.
Today my "baby" is 3 years and 4 months old and still breastfeeds at least twice a day.
(Thank you Ms M. Awano )
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