I was recently asked to write a guest blog for Motherlove, on the topic of childhood sexual abuse and breastfeeding. I was honored to be asked, and more than happy to comply. When I was completing my bachelors degree, I chose the topic of Trauma and Breastfeeding as the focus of my capstone project. In…
Lactation is known to halt ovulation, delaying regular periods for many women who are exclusively breastfeeding. Personally, this was one of my favorite benefits when I was nursing my babies. Of course, as with anything, there are no guarantees. However, most women I have met have had several months without a period after the baby…
Being a mom is hard. How do you know if you are doing the right things? Teaching the right things, setting the right example, making the right decisions? I don’t know if it’s ever possible to feel confident in mothering. Once I started feeling confident, a new challenge snuck in from behind the scenes. Breastfeeding…
This is an encouraging research study regarding Vitamin D supplementation in the newborn baby. It has become more common to recommend babies be supplemented early in the newborn period if they are exclusively breastfeeding. Babies that are partially breastfed or exclusively bottle fed are receiving Vitamin D in other ways. So often, new mothers are…
Being a new mother can be a lonely time. It can be full of doubt, sleepless nights, and the nagging feeling that no one understands what you’re feeling. Having a core group to lean on, ask questions to, and cry to can be very therapeutic. Identify who those individuals are for you, and embrace them.…
I have often heard new moms and dads voice concern over the differences of feeding by bottle, whether it be expressed breast milk or formula, or feeding exclusively from the breast. Sometimes they ask because they are concerned about bottle feeding being easier, and are fearful that introducing bottles too soon will be problematic. Sometimes…
I spent most of last week at the Healthy Children International Conference. This was my second year at this conference. Last year I had the pleasure of presenting a breakout workshop and this year a poster presentation. I love conferences. I love learning new things about maternal child health. I love enhancing my knowledge so…
I was a mom with 3 young children and a piecemeal education when I began working with breastfeeding mothers. My first son was born on the heels of my Army experience (born in an Army hospital, actually), so this should put into perspective what a different direction I had been in when I started my…
I’ve written a couple blogs discussing the way breastfeeding is regarded in this society. It’s discouraging that we still struggle to normalize breastfeeding. In a world where women have been sexualized and symbolized, breasts and bodies used to sell everything from underwear to food to cars, many still look at the beauty of a mother…
One of the wonderful things about the work that I do is the constant reminder that women are amazing beings. We marvel at the gift of pregnancy and childbirth, looking on in wonder time and time again when a new life is brought into the world. If it ended here, that would be more than…