Blog Archives

Breastfeeding Home Visits and Postpartum Doula

3/23/2015

The Pillars of Nurtured Beginnings:

1) Postpartum Doula Visits / Mother’s Helper / Newborn Care Specialist Visits- Whatever word you use to describe my visits, my focus is on helping Nurture the Nurturer. I help moms have time for naps, showers, and “me time.” I care for babies and older brothers or sisters, and help make meals, clean up, or help out in other ways, so moms can get a much-needed break!

2) Breastfeeding Home Visits – I like to focus on prevention of problems, rather than reacting to them. I provide prenatal education, visits right after birth and through the first 2 – 3 weeks, and follow-up support as needed. By coming into the home, I can help moms who have trouble packing up baby and everything else before getting out the door. I can also help moms find a comfortable nursing position on THEIR couch, using their pillows. Together we can help make nursing a comfortable and enjoyable experience for both mom and baby!

Where I work:

I serve Indianapolis and the surrounding areas (Zionsville, Carmel, Avon, Brownsburg, Fishers, etc)

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Body Image After Having a Baby

3/18/2015

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A lot of women want to know “How can I lose weight after having a baby?” “How can I get back to my pre-baby weight?” and “How can I get rid of my baby bump?”

Losing weight after having a baby can come easily for some, and it can be a HUGE challenge for others. We know that there are health benefits to returning to a pre-pregnancy weight, but even when you eat right, and exercise regularly, losing weight is easier said than done.

I want to change the conversation a bit, and focus on how to love your body after having a baby, and how to return to a healthy lifestyle. If we focus too much on the numbers on a scale or how we look in a swimsuit, we can lose focus what is really important.

I believe there is importance in not only eating healthy foods, but having a healthy relationship with food, exercise, and body image. If you pay too much attention to calorie-counting apps, and ignore your hunger cues, you are damaging your relationship with food.

What if we embrace the beauty of our bodies? Stretch marks from pregnancy and all! What if we were proud of our body’s ability to grow and feed a baby, and gave our bodies respect for the gift it gave us?

Would embracing our bodies as they are, be a sign of giving up on health? I don’t think so. I think it is possible to both love our bodies now and strive to live a healthy lifestyle.

It’s horrible to feel like you have to look a certain way before you can be happy! Let’s try to encourage each other to love our bodies. Remind your friends that they are beautiful in their own skin. You can encourage people to have health goals—exercising for heart health, eating fruits and vegetables to reduce risk of disease, not to reach a certain weight.

What are some steps you can take to have a healthy relationship with food, excersise and body image?

*Exercise because it’s fun! Find activities you actually ENJOY. For example, I love working in the yard, doing yoga, and rock wall climbing. I go to the gym in the winter when it’s too cold to enjoy being outside, but I listen to one of my favorite podcasts (The Moth, if you’re curious), so I have a reason to look forward to it! I work out because I know it makes my heart stronger, and it gives me more energy. I feel happier after I get exercise. I try not to get on the scale too often, so I don’t get obsessed with numbers.

*Eat foods that are healthy and foods that just taste good! It’s ok to have variety in your diet, including occasional treats. Enjoy your salads, but embrace a little chocolate or ice cream too! It can all fit.

*Love the body that you are in! Find clothes that flatter your body style. Whether you’re a stick shaped, or pear shaped or anything in between, strive to embrace your body. Encourage your friends, sisters, daughters, and other loved ones to have positive body language.

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Baby Swim Class

3/14/2015

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I joined a client this morning for swim class at Goldfish Swim School in Carmel, Indiana. I was impressed by the class! I never knew what to think of baby swim classes, but after going, I would recommend it.

If you have twins or multiples and need an extra hand, reach out. I have a lot of experience working with families with infant twins, and I love it! I have learned a lot of tricks and tips over the years, and I would love to pass them onto you. Whether you want an extra hand for swim lessons, or you want someone to hold the babies while you take a nap, I would love to help! I serve the Indianapolis area, including Carmel, Zionsville, Brownsburg, Avon, Broad Ripple,

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Pumping Breast Milk to Go Back to Work

3/10/2015

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If you’re breastfeeding, and planning to go back to work, you probably have lots of questions about pumping and storing milk! Here are some of the most common questions I get.

“When should I start pumping?”

Assuming baby is nursing well, I recommend waiting at least 2 – 3 weeks before starting to pump. This will give you time to bond with baby and enjoy the nursing experience, without the extra hassle of pumping. It will also help you body learn the perfect amount of milk to make for baby. (If you start pumping too much and storing up milk before 2 – 3 weeks postpartum, you can accidentally create an over-supply, which can be a frustrating problem to have.)

However, you don’t HAVE to start pumping at 3 weeks. Some people don’t start pumping until 3-4 weeks before they go back to work. If you have 10 – 12 weeks off work, you have a window do decide when is the right time for you. If you start on the early side of the window, you can get a head start on the freezer stash. If you wait a little longer, so you can focus on bonding and enjoying simply nursing, before starting to think about work. The choice is yours. Just do what feels right!

“How much milk should I save up in the freezer”

The quick answer is “not as much as you think you do.” Some women envision needing hundreds of ounces in the freezer, so they can provide breast milk for months. The goal is actually a lot smaller. Basically, you need enough milk for baby on Day 1 of going back to work, plus some amount extra, that I like to think of as “insurance milk.”

The key is that on Day 1 you’re pumping enough for Day 2, and Day 2 you’re pumping enough for Day 3, and so on. If baby is drinking more milk than you’re making at work, you can pull from your insurance milk on occasion.

But if you’re consistently pulling from the freezer stash, you will eventually run out (no matter how much you have stored), so it’s important to increase the amount you’re pumping at work to maintain your supply. You can work with a Lactation Consultant or Lactation Counselor to help you learn ways increase your milk milk supply. If you're in the Indianapolis area, you can contact me for a one-on-one home visit.

If you’re a numbers person and really want some data points, you can estimate that baby will take about 10-15 ounces during a workday. Some people might have 3 ounces above that, and some have 100 ounces extra. A lot of moms find that 30 – 40 ounces is plenty. You can decide the right amount for you!

“How long can I store breast milk?”

I think this chart from Medela is very helpful for storage times. Other organizations have different charts with slightly different ranges of time, but they are all fairly similar. Note, these guidelines are for a healthy, full term baby. If you have a preemie, or your baby has other health conditions, ask your doctor.

"Which breast pump should I get?"

Insurance companies are now required to provide a breast pump for moms after they have a baby. Check with your insurance to see if they will only cover a certain brand, or if they will reimburse for any pump. If you get a choice, and are looking for recommendation, I have worked with moms who have had good experiences with Medela Pump in Style, Medela Freestyle, Lansinoh, and Hygeia pumps.

If you’re going back to work, you probably want a double electric pump (the ones I mentioned above are all double electric). Some moms also like having a manual breast pump for occasional use. (It’s nice to throw in the diaper bag if needed while on-the-go). There are many brands that are good including the Medela Harmony and Avent Manual Breast Pump.

Other helpful tips

When freezing bags, lie them down flat in the freezer. Once they’re frozen the flat bags stack much easier than if they were frozen while upright.

Here are a couple great ways to store breast milk and save space.

I hope those tips are helpful!

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Vaccination

3/1/2015

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There is a lot of controversy around vaccination. A lot of people wonder “Should I vaccinate my child?” My answer is an emphatic “yes!”

I am very supportive of different parenting choices. If you breastfeed, or formula feed, I support your choice. Whether you like alternative medicine or conventional medicine, I support you. Whether you like making all your food from scratch or if you enjoy Chinese take-out, I’m fine with that.

But when it comes to vaccinations, I have a hard time being supportive of any choice. I want as many people as possible to be fully immunized against vaccine-preventable diseases.

There is a lot of misinformation spreading about the supposed dangers of vaccinations. While there may be mild side effects to vaccinations, the advantages FAR outweigh the risks.

If one person decides not to vaccinate, it’s not that dangerous, because herd immunity keeps them safe. However the danger comes with the trend of non-vaccination. As we saw in California with the measles outbreak, if too many people skip vaccinations, an outbreak of a disease can happen.

If you skip vaccinations for your child or yourself, you’re putting other people (especially babies, children, and immunocompromised people) at risk for life-threatening diseases.

Here is a good article talking about a few common myths with vaccines. www.parenting.com/article/10-vaccine-myths---busted.

Some people also wonder if they should use a delayed vaccination schedule. In my opinion, it’s not necessary. If you’re concerned and on the fence, I would much rather you use an augmented schedule than not vaccinate at all. However, I think this gives a false amount of credibility to arguments against vaccines, and I don’t think it’s necessary to veer from the CDC-recommended schedule.

I get my flu shot every year. I am up to date on all of my vaccinations (including adult booster shots). I hope you do the same for yourself and your children.

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Breastfeeding Home Visits and Postpartum Doula

Body Image After Having a Baby

Baby Swim Class

Pumping Breast Milk to Go Back to Work

Vaccination

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