how-to-make-mom-friends

How Not To Make Mom Friends

This story goes out to any new parents struggling to make connections and feel like themselves again. Lonely and isolated at home with an eight week old baby, I desperately longed for companionship with people in the same season of life. Instead of continuing to perfect my cyberstalker skills on Facebook, I convinced myself I…

best-strollers-2021

Our Top Five Strollers for 2021

Picking out the perfect stroller can feel a little daunting with so many options available. You may be unsure of what features you’ll like or need until your baby arrives. Whether you are pregnant and creating your baby registry, working on establishing a nap schedule with your newborn, or juggling an infant and a toddler…

postpartum-sleep-deprivation

Postpartum Sleep Deprivation

Four days and one unexpected c-section later we were discharged and on our way home at last. I could no longer lean on the quiet protection of the hospital. Nurses would not be checking on me periodically. Meals would not be brought to me on a schedule. Ready or not I was now a Mom…

my-surprise-breech-baby-and-tips

My Surprise Breech Baby and Tips

My first baby was breech and was born via an emergency c-section. We only discovered he was breech when I was well into labor, which is pretty unusual. “I think we need to head to the birth center,” I told my husband. At 37 ½ weeks pregnant, I had gotten up in the middle of…

helping-baby-accept-a-bottle

Helping Baby Accept a Bottle

It’s a bit of a terrifying scenario for breastfeeding parents who are returning to paid work: your baby refuses to feed from a bottle. Everyone panics. Your caregiver is nervous about how they will take care of your baby while you’re away. You are scared about your baby getting the nutrition and hydration that she…

natural-birth-at-the-hospital

Six Tips for a Natural Birth at the Hospital

So you want to have a natural birth at the hospital!? Navigating our current maternity health care system can be a little tricky. However, a natural birth in the hospital is possible. Lots of families before you have done it. It is a feasible and realistic goal. So we say – you can do it!…

Building-Confidence-In-Ourselves-As-Mothers

Building Confidence in Ourselves as Mothers

I was invited by Kylie Kelly of the “This Mama Means Business” podcast, to talk about building confidence in ourselves as mothers. It was a great experience, and I hope you’ll take a listen here. Building Confidence In Ourselves As Mothers Podcast The ideas I share below are based on my own experiences as mother…

tongue-ties-and-breastfeeding

Tongue Ties and Breastfeeding

Many families seek out the help of a lactation professional like me because they are struggling with breastfeeding. As a certified lactation counselor, one issue that I see frequently affecting breastfeeding is tongue ties. I’ve sent dozens of families for assessment and evaluation of suspected tethered oral tissue (TOTs.) Only a handful of times has…

let-children-think-for-themselves

Let Children Think For Themselves

What Growing Up in a Cult Taught Me About Parenting “College is overrated. You don’t have to go” my dad said to me. “L. Ron Hubbard, (founder of Scientology) says that in ancient Rome, by the age of 15, men were married, starting families and already working a trade. This modern system with so many…

foods-to-eat-when-breastfeeding

What Can I Eat When Breastfeeding? (updated July 2022)

What foods can I eat when breastfeeding?  The short answer is: anything that sounds good! Shortest. Blog. Ever.  Oh, you’re still reading? Okay! When it comes to a mother’s diet during breastfeeding, we hear the craziest stories from our clients about foods they were told to avoid. (And as a reminder, we are not licensed…

what-baby-nurse-does

Bethenny’s Baby Nurse

Believe it or not, I first learned what a baby nurse does on a Bravo TV show. Long before I became a doula, I was a “Real Housewives of NYC” fan. Oh, the gloriously trashy and mindless entertainment! When I watched this faux-reality series, the characters included Countess Luann de Lesseps and Bethenny Frankel. At…

looking-for-a-baby-nurse

Looking for a Baby Nurse?

Looking for a baby nurse to help you after the baby is born?  I recently spoke to a grandmother-to-be. She called in looking for a “baby nurse” to help her expecting daughter after her baby arrives. “When I was a young woman in New York city” she told me, “people with newborns would hire a…