Birth, Breastfeeding & Before

05/31/2024

Many daycares don’t allow breast milk after 1 year of age
There’s a disconnect between medical guidance around extended breastfeeding and many mothers’ lived experience.

By Emily C. Shepard
May 30, 2024
https://www.mother.ly/news/daycares-prohibit-breast-milk/

05/31/2024

We are establishing a workgroup to evaluate the necessity, relevance, purpose, and content for a new edition of the Templates for Protocols and Procedures for Maternity Services. Offer your expertise to help us develop this updated resource, which will address clinical areas of nursery/NICU, antepartum and intrapartum care, and postpartum/mother-baby care. Apply by June 30. https://awhonn.wufoo.com/forms/rrzoz1z17yxkyu/?mkt_tok=ODA2LVNSWi04MTUAAAGTX9CddEuIrBKFl-1byZMUTnuP_ZxBC_7ZOjH0Q8x7U5OQYaM0j_GotFRItu8HUGpsepFpNZfV3rTUseHujTwvCXm-IQRugFxSqbc272eu

05/31/2024

This isn’t doing nothing.

This is doing *everything*. 💜

05/18/2024

It’s tough being a baby 🥱

05/18/2024

“I know we’re done.
I’ve “made peace” with that decision. Whatever TF that means.
(I don’t feel particularly peaceful right now.)
I packed up the newborn clothes and the cloth diapers for my sister or my bff
The boxes are deep in the basement.
Where I won’t be tempted to pull them out and hold those tiny onesies up to my sobbing face

I know we’re done because...
I know I never want to go back to the depths of HG hell.
I honestly don’t think my body could do it again.
I can’t go back there.
I know I don’t want to put my children through that.
Tell me there is no darker nightmare than trying to parent a tiny human when you feel like you’re being turned inside out and dragged into the underworld.
(“Morning sickness” is the most insulting term for a condition that is truly h*ll on earth.)

And yeah...I’m kind of enjoying sleeping for the first time in 14 years.

But. OMG. I scrolled past a picture of a mama with a newborn at her chest and
I crumbled
My whole body melted off my chair, into a puddle of nostalgia on the floor
Bent over in tears under my dining room table remembering the sweet bliss of it all
Tell me there is no greater ecstasy than holding a little bundle of love to your breast
No greater peace than falling asleep with a tiny warm body snuggled next to yours
What I wouldn’t do to relive it all, one last time
Maybe I could do it again, one last time?

But no.
On the cold brick floor, through my nostalgic tears, I find that
I am at peace
I can’t go back
and I can’t do it again

But I will carry the memory of carrying their tiny bodies
Within mine
That otherworldly sensation of watching my belly roll with their kicks
Of birthing them, triumphantly, in peace
Of feeding them, from my breast, pure love flowing from my body to theirs
Of holding them close, as long as I could

I will breathe my way towards truly making peace with the end of this chapter
Through tears and a tightness in my throat and a heavy weight on my chest
I will let go
But hold on
Forever
To the memories
Of those most magical days”

Gorgeous words and artwork by 🩵

04/03/2024

We are so excited that the Guttenberg birth center called Our Birthing Center on the Hudson, will open soon. It is so beautiful with views of the Hudson river and Manhattan from each birth room. The Midwives of New Jersey office will be housed within the birth center. We are accepting patients for the birth center now in anticipation of a May 2024 opening. we are only accepting a limited number of clients for the new birth center each month until we can hire an adequate staff so register soon! Visit the Orientation link in bio to register.

04/03/2024

How is this justifiable?

Oh and this baby has a huge amount of milk in that huge bottle. We have been overfeeding babies for generations. 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 maybe 4 or 5 ounces sometimes, each feeding for a total of 19 to 30 ounces, not the same every day, but around 25-26 ounce average in 24 hours. And that is before baby starts adding complimentary foods. It then goes down from there.

Records and interviews show that the U.S. government repeatedly used its muscle to advance the interests of large baby formula companies while thwarting the efforts of Thailand and other developing countries to safeguard children’s health.

03/19/2024

A healthy human immune system is stronger than COVID-19 virus and a healthy immune system demands Vitamin D to be at its very best.

03/07/2024

You need to hear this.

There are companies that let you choose your pump in the US. See what's covered, choose what you want, and they bill your insurance. Sounds great, right?

Unfortunately those companies have found ways to make extra money off unsuspecting parents. You may notice that some pumps come with lactation classes at no charge. Doesn't that sound convenient? What you don't know is that those same companies bill your insurance for those classes. Your insurance may only cover six lactation visits. Guess how many classes these companies bill for. Six. When you go to use your benefits after your baby is born to get help with feeding them, they're used up and you have to pay out of pocket or go without help.

This is predatory and wrong. A lot of times it looks like you can't even decline the classes! Be VERY clear about declining any "free" class unless you're okay with your insurance being billed. If you have limited visits, we are ALWAYS up front with you about that if you reach out to book a prenatal appointment.

Did your pump company try to get you to take their classes? Let us know in the comments and please share this so others are aware!

12/30/2023

As 2023 draws to a close... read our latest newsletter here - https://mailchi.mp/8ed14943692e/as-2023-draws-to-a-close

12/10/2023

Rumer Willis Shares Empowering Message About Avoiding Breastfeeding "Shame"
Rumer Willis offered words of wisdom to anyone struggling with their breastfeeding journey and why it's important to block out the critics.
By ALYSSA MORIN NOV 30, 2023
https://www.eonline.com/news/1390666/rumer-willis-shares-empowering-message-about-avoiding-breastfeeding-shame

12/09/2023

What I have to explain over and over!!!