Lessons Learned from Exclusively Pumping - How the Largest Pumping Facebook Group Became Established

postpartum pumping

My breastfeeding journey began in early 2017 after having my first son. However, my knowledge on breastfeeding did not begin there. Throughout college I took various health courses, including some of which that covered bits and pieces on lactation and breastfeeding.

As a baby, I was formula fed. Formula was all I'd ever heard of. It's almost safe to say I was initially grossed out by the thought of breastfeeding due to the lack of knowledge I had about the subject. I unlearned all of this once I learned about breastfeeding in a Nutrition course in 2010. Something about the topic grasped my attention and completely fascinated me. How had I not know about this? It certainly wasn't a taboo subject for my family or those I was familiar with, but it just wasn't the norm so it remained a foreign topic for me. My newly aspired interest in breastfeeding lead me to self-imposed studies. I had no plans for kids at that juncture in my life. Honestly, I was still deciding if I had ever...

CDC and AAP Revise Guidelines for Child Developmental Milestones

development education

The CDC in conjunction with the AAP has released new guidelines for infant and child development in the Learn The Signs. Act Early program. Prior to this, these milestones have not been revised for nearly 20 years.

Worry over your baby’s development is a huge primal instinct for new moms everywhere.

When should baby sit on his own? When should he start to crawl? Walk? What about sleeping through the night?

There are so many varying answers to these common questions because all babies are different! One thing is for absolute certain though, the AAP and CDC have never rarely wavered in their responses- until now. The updated milestones serve to help parents and caregivers understand and identify signs of developmental delays and autism sooner.

What does This Change Actually Mean?

In the past, the checklists developed by the AAP and CDC have used average-age as a benchmark for analysis of milestones. Only 50% of children were...

A Therapist’s Journey Through Postpartum Anxiety

postpartum anxiety postpartum mental health

Postpartum anxiety hit me hard. And, even as a trained therapist, I didn’t know what it was. Of course I’d heard of postpartum depression, but I thought that was for other moms, moms who didn’t have the resources or support they needed.

Postpartum anxiety was not remotely on my radar. However, looking back, I had so many of the risk factors:

A history of anxiety
A family history of postpartum (perinatal) mood disorders
A traumatic birth experience
Very little family and community support (I lived nine hours from my family and didn’t have any mom friends where I lived)

My primary symptom was worrying about EVERYTHING. If there was something to worry about, I worried like there was no tomorrow. If there was nothing to worry about, I found a reason to worry anyway. I researched everything. I read everything. I questioned everything.

Attachment parenting, baby food, toys (I even gave my family lists of things that they were allowed to buy...

The Battle of the Wearable Pump: Which is Better, the Elvie or the Willow?

feeding postpartum pumping

Pumping does not have to be specific to moms with infants who won’t latch. It can actually be a great resource for breastfeeding moms as well. When breastfeeding to prevent clogs and mastitis if you have an oversupply you’ll want to pump after a feed. If you’re a mother with an under supply the pump can help signal your breasts to produce more if pumping right after a feed. Pumps are also handy for moms who have to go back to work but want to keep feeding their baby breastmilk. In my case, my baby was born early and my milk didn’t come in until a few days after I’d given birth. The hospital where I delivered recommended that I try to latch baby and then pump after every feed for the first few days. All was fine at the hospital where I had NICU nurses, my husband, my parents and my in laws to help step up with the baby when I pumped after a feed. However, when we got home I was suddenly finding myself pressed for time- how was I going to feed for 20 mins...

Seven Common Fertility Myths

fertility ttc

Myth #1: Stress Causes Infertility

Stress can exacerbate the problem, it most certainly is not the root cause of an infertility problem. Infertility can be related to multiple different things: endometriosis, PCOS, low ovarian reserve, low AMH, poor egg quality, poor sperm quality, poor sperm motility, etc and let’s be real- infertility causes a whole lot of stress.

Myth #2: Women Under 30 Have No Problem Conceiving

Remember how growing up, you always hear that having sex just once will cause you to conceive? After battling infertility, this myth really gets under my skin. It’s true that some women can get pregnant on their first try (or without even trying), but for the majority of us that is just not the case. It can take up to one year for couples to conceive and timing must be perfect for conception to occur.

Myth #3: Infertility is a Female Issue

So not true! Infertility can be either due to male or female factor. In fact,...

What to Expect Postpartum with Multiples

multiples postpartum

A pregnancy with multiples can be scary and the daunting task of taking care of multiple newborns once home may seem impossible. This post will give expectant and new mothers tips and tricks on how to handle taking care of twins. These tips were all taken from When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads as well as real experiences from veteran moms of twins.

TIP #1: ASK FOR HELP

When you are home caring for a single newborn, life can get hectic, but you are able to provide your full attention to just one tiny human. When you have multiples, it can seem nearly impossible. That’s when you must reach out. Call family, friends, a postpartum doula, honestly anybody who will listen and ask them to come over and watch the kids so that you can take a quick nap or shower. It is okay to ask for help and advice from others, we are not meant to mother in seclusion. Read that again, we are not meant to mother in seclusion. It is OKAY to ask for help....

Perfectly Postpartum: Understanding Your Emotions and the Role of Postpartum Hormones

education hormones

The postpartum period is a time of high emotion as the body adjusts to changes in hormone levels. While hormones often fluctuate during pregnancy, the postpartum period is when there is a significant drop in estrogen and progesterone levels. This drop can lead to mood swings and depression for many women. We should note that these symptoms do not always occur and that it's normal for your mood to be up and down during this time period.

In general, our hormones are important because they impact how we feel, think, and act - both physically and mentally - from day-to-day. The postpartum period is a time when many people are likely to experience emotional disturbances. Women may have emotional symptoms that are related to childbirth, such as postpartum depression, anxiety, or psychosis.

There are many factors that can contribute to emotional disturbances in the postpartum period. These include the physiologic changes of pregnancy and childbirth, psychologic changes...

Let's Talk about Bottle Types and Picking The Best One For You

feeding

Did you know that babies are picky? It’s true. When it comes to what bottle to use when feeding your baby, there are so many different kinds to chose from, and for good reason. It is extremely common for babies to reject some bottle types, so it’s always best to have a small sample around before deciding on one specific bottle type. Ultimately, what type of bottle you chose is going to be up to your baby.

Bottles come in plastic, glass, stainless steel or silicone. They’ll range in price and sturdiness.

Plastic bottles are some of the most common that you’ll find in stores. These types of bottles are great because they’re lightweight and don’t break (easily!). Even the most careful parents will drop a bottle at SOME point throughout their journey. The plastic ones will not break on impact (now I can’t say that they won’t come apart if your dog gets ahold of it). Over time though, plastic bottles have a habit of deteriorating. Signs...

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Myth #1: Stress Causes Infertility

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