If I’m being honest, there isn’t much that a baby needs. What a baby needs is to breastfeed and to be held. And you as a mother are great at doing both! But motherhood is not to be done alone. Every mother needs support and love. Baby showers are a great way to show our love and support to new moms. When giving a thoughtful gift, this love and support are felt even more! Here I have collected 7 baby gifts that will not be returned to Target but that the mother will use and reuse with gratitude!
We know that prenatal breastfeeding education is a big factor in breastfeeding success (1). We are thrilled to help moms get the information they need prior to birth to have a successful breastfeeding experience. In addition to prenatal education, there are a few ways to help breastfeeding get off to a good start. Labor and delivery is one place to look.
When all the focus is on helping mom and baby have a safe delivery, we might forget about a few things during labor and delivery that can help make breastfeeding easier. Here are a few things about labor and delivery that not only help you have a more enjoyable experience, they can also help get breastfeeding started well. Be sure to discuss any of these options with your healthcare provider and place of birth.
As part of our World Breastfeeding Week celebrations last week, we heard from moms in South Africa, India, Belguim and more. This week, we are interviewing moms from Australia, Venezuela, Brazil and more about their breastfeeding stories. We hope that their experiences help put your breastfeeding journey into perspective and help you feel connected to mothers around the world. Enjoy!
Breastfeeding, like many aspects of motherhood, is a universal phenomenon that can connect us to other mothers. This week, during World Breastfeeding Week, we are talking with moms from around the world about their experience breastfeeding. We hope you can feel connected to these moms and know that we are all doing our best to provide the best start for our children. Enjoy!
We are starting today what we hope will be an on-going tradition here on the Lactation Link blog, a round-up of recent news about breastfeeding. I hope the thoughts from our lactation educators and consultants about these news items will give the headlines some context for you. Please share and comment, we would love to answer your questions and hear your opinions. Read on for recent breastfeeding news and why it matters!
After healing and resting from pregnancy and childbirth, many moms feel the need to bring some more movement into their routine. Often moms are concerned about how exercise and breastfeeding can go together. Luckily, studies have shown that moderate exercise will not affect your milk supply (1). So why do so many moms worry about exercise and breastfeeding? Lots of new moms begin exercising around 6 weeks postpartum and at the same time, baby often starts nursing more frequently. Many moms think this means they are having issues with supply, related to their exercise. But actually, 6 weeks is a normal growth spurt when baby will need to nurse more often. So feel free to start moving your body in healthy ways without any worries about supply. If you do have consistent worries about supply, please contact a lactation consultant. We have 4 lactation consultants here at Lactation Link that can help online or in-person.
There are some things I wish I would have known as a first-time mom. From my thorough Pinterest research (snicker) I assumed that the best thing I could do for my baby was to create a beautiful nursery and buy a bunch of stuff. Spoiler alert: we didn’t use the nursery or much of the stuff. Baby slept in a pack n’ play next to our bed for most of his first year. Creating a cute nautical-themed nursery was fun, but unnecessary.
What I wish I would have done was prepare to learn how to breastfeed. I thought I would just figure it out at the hospital. The nurses were great and encouraged me but had other patients to help too. So I went home not quite knowing what to do. I devoured every book on breastfeeding at my local library and went to several lactation appointments and we eventually hit our stride. We had a wonderful breastfeeding experience for over 13 months which led to even better experiences with my second and third children. But learning how to breastfeed didn’t have to happen when I was sleep deprived and anxious about my newborn. If I would have had access to a breastfeeding class like our Breastfeeding Basics class, I know breastfeeding would have come much easier.
Hi mamas, I’m Lacey Parr, a certified lactation educator counselor and mom of 3. I’m here today to talk about something I am particularly passionate about… helping moms feel confident…
Hi mamas! I’m Lacey Parr, a lactation educator and mom of 3. I’m here on the blog today to talk about how to find the perfect nursing pad for you!…
Hi mamas! I’m Lacey Parr, a certified lactation educator counselor and mom of 3. One our most commonly asked questions at Lactation Link is whether or not you should wake…