When to begin breastfeeding? It's important to start within the first six hours after birth. The importance of breastfeeding within the first six hours is found within the top four benefits to mom and baby. Welcome to the "Power Hours"! Oxytocin:  Your baby is born and placed upon your chest, you take mental pictures of your baby's 10 perfect fingers and 10 perfect toes and real photos too. You say your first "hello" and then offer your breast to your baby. You gift your baby the best start to life they can receive and help release oxytocin within your body too. Oxytocin helps your uterus to continue to contract and funnels breast milk … [Read more...]

Breastfeeding while pregnant: Is it possible? Women's bodies are wonderful and they can do amazing things! Did you know that a woman's body will protect itself, and an unborn baby, by shutting down its milk supply (for a child that's been born) to nourish the growth of one that's in utero? I didn't know this until I lived through it, sequentially, twice!     I nursed my firstborn for six months, and he and I benefited immensely. However, as my boy made it to the halfway point of his first year, nursing took a turn:  It had been a pleasure, nourishment for souls and bodies alike, until it began to feel as though I was … [Read more...]

After delivering your little bundle of joy, you may begin to wonder when you will be fertile again. Some women don’t get their period back for a while, and others seem to resume their period like clockwork shortly after baby is born. What causes a delay in resuming your period while breastfeeding? Why do some women become fertile very soon after delivering a child while others can’t get pregnant for a months? In talking about fertility and breastfeeding, it seems that there are two major schools of thought, neither of which is fully accurate. Many women believe that any amount of breastfeeding prevents pregnancy, and are surprised to … [Read more...]

Do you feel awkward when your year-old toddler wants to breastfeed when you are in public places? Are you trying to wean him off this habit? You’ll be surprised to know that doctors and researchers will advise you differently. Extended breastfeeding has numerous benefits for mothers and babies. The World Health Organization (WHO) encourages mothers to nurse their babies until they are at least two years old or continue as long as the mother and toddler desire. This encouragement for extended breastfeeding comes after developments in research that claim benefits for both mother and toddler. Here are five interesting benefits from extended … [Read more...]

Right after you have a baby, the last thing you feel like doing (or should be doing) is getting up to exercise. Fortunately, if you breastfeed, your body is willing to do some of the work for you. Breastfeeding is hard work. Many women want to know, "How many calories do you burn breastfeeding?" How Many Calories Do You Burn Breastfeeding? Although the amount varies for each woman, the average is around 500 calories a day. The number depends on how frequently you're nursing, whether you're supplementing with formula, and how much milk your body produces. While burning 500 calories when breastfeeding sounds like a lot, it's important … [Read more...]

Mamas, have you ever felt like breastfeeding was going to take over your life? Sometimes it seems like baby wants to eat constantly. Or you have to stop what you're doing to nurse so often you never get anything done. Or baby insists on only eating in quiet, dim places, so you can't go anywhere when there's the slightest chance they might get hungry. Does being a breastfeeding mom mean you have to give up everything--or what feels like everything--until your baby weans? It definitely does not! Far from being something that might take over your life, breastfeeding can become a precious part of your life: your new life as a … [Read more...]

There is no such thing as infant sleep, there is no such thing as breastfeeding, there is only breastsleeping. Have you ever hesitated to answer for a moment when asked whether baby is sleeping through the night? Or whether you co-sleep or use a crib? Do you worry that you'll have to explain or justify your nighttime parenting style? It's no secret that bed sharing (also called co-sleeping) is a controversial topic. Sleep decisions are often made stressful by the official recommendations of organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics which forbid any kind of same-surface sleep with infants, and the contradictory cultural customs … [Read more...]

Breastfeeding after a c-section can present many challenges. Particularly if you were not planning to deliver by c-section, plans may not have been in place as to how to implement nursing under these changed circumstances. With a little help and the right support, you'll be off to a great start for breastfeeding after a c-section! Breastfeeding After a C-Section: 5 Tips 1. Arrange for skin-to-skin as soon as possible. This is an important subject to broach with your obstetrician or midwife during the course of your pregnancy, since even women who are planning for vaginal deliveries can wind up delivering via cesarean. Many hospitals … [Read more...]