Between the stress & hustle of the holidays and the daily whirlwind with littles, postpartum nursing mamas need gifts that help make life easier, not more complicated. This gift guide is all about gifts that support and empower the new breastfeeding or pumping nursing mama, without losing focus on self-care.
Read more
Do you know fact from fiction when it comes to breastfeeding? The rules of breastfeeding have changed so much in our history that it isn’t surprising that many mamas (myself included for most of my life) believe some things about breastfeeding that aren’t true —even after nursing several babies. You might have nursed two babies and learned something new with baby three or four, or maybe still never learned what I’m about to tell you. Right now, I’m nursing baby number three and completing a program to become a breastfeeding educator. This program is how I learned a lot about breastfeeding that I had no clue about, even though I breastfed my daughter to age 4.5, son to age 2, and am still nursing my last little one. Keep reading to see if you believe these breastfeeding myths and let me know if I missed some! Read more
We had just rushed to the hospital and I was worried we wouldn’t make it into labor and delivery in time before the baby started to come. When I got there, everything was rushed and my son was born within minutes of my kneeling on the bed. But when he was in my arms a relief washed over me — I did it. I had a drastically different birth than with my firstborn (a birth experience I was still bitter about 6 years later). But the journey didn’t end there. Postpartum after my second birth was nothing I’d expected. Read more
How does a mom go from infertility to postpartum psychosis? “It was a complete snap from reality.” Kayla shares her story, along with some warning signs to be aware of.
Read more
Melody had specific things in mind for her pregnancy, birth and postpartum with daughter, Molly, but life had an unexpected birth journey in store for them instead. She participated in the Navigating Postpartum forth trimester bodies project with Joy Lifestyle Photography to spread hope to other moms who are going through situations. Keep reading for Melody’s telling of her birth story (and to see her project photos).
annah Thrailkill, blogger at About Two More Years, shares her transition into postpartum as an American living in Lebanon, and her experience with postpartum depression.
Read more
I’ve been breastfeeding a total of about 6 years now and I still get super excited whenever I see a new breastfeeding-friendly item in stores or shoppable through Instagram. I recently came across a few new (to me) items that I wanted to share with other breastfeeding and pumping mamas to check out just in time for all your Fall and everyday breastfeeding and pumping needs.
Read more
Sometimes getting ready to go somewhere with the baby can feel like packing for a week-long trip. There’s the extra clothes, the teethers, the car toys, the backup toys for when we get to our destination, the water cup, the blanket, the stroller, the backpack… and let’s not forget diapers and wipes! So how do you do it all without forgetting the diapers? Here’s my secret to staying organized in the chaos of mommy brain. Read more
When you have a baby, you’ll realize very quickly that everyone has an opinion and they aren’t afraid to share it with you. What they don’t tell you, however, is what those first few months of postpartum are really like. This lack of disclosure creates a lot of confusing emotions post-baby. Your emotions are such a roller coaster and you often feel alone, both physically and mentally. My story has several elements that resulted in a fairly tough journey.
Read more
During my pregnancies, I had hardly any morning sickness, no backache, and I worked out up until the morning my water broke with each girl (both of whom decided to arrive at 37 weeks and 2 days, almost to the hour). Labor and delivery with each girl were also straightforward — no epidural, about 10 minutes of pushing, and those stinkers were out. No trauma, no epic story to share. One dissolvable stitch was all I needed. But my postpartum experience with each was very different. Read more
