Welcome back to the Milk Minute! Maureen and Heather are back from their hiatus and finally finished with holiday madness. Today we recap Heather’s birth and postpartum experience for those of you who don’t also listen to Beyond the Boob. We also chat about the way Heather has changed as a clinician after her recent trouble breastfeeding baby Martie.
Ahh… nipple shields! Some call them friends, some call them foes. This episode covers it all! Listen in as Maureen and Heather talk through nipple shields, what they are, how and when to properly use them and how to help wean baby off of the shield once they are able to get a great latch without it. Don’t miss this one!
Let’s talk about caffeine! Every parents’ BFF is their morning coffee, but is it safe during lactation? Join Heather & Maureen as they share what we know and what the guidelines say now.
One of the most common breastfeeding problems is when baby just won’t stay latched! Popping on and off through feeds is frustrating for both parent and baby. Today we chat about how we manage this issue in consultation and what some possible causes and solutions are. This problem is complex, but your friends at the Milk Minute are here to help!
We interrupt your scheduled Milk Minute episodes to bring you a special birthday announcement! Our little podcast baby arrived just after 39 weeks and we made a special little recording just for you.
If this is your first time listening, here’s a recap: Nine months ago Heather surprised Maureen by announcing her pregnancy on the Milk Minute and asking Maureen to be her (homebirth) midwife. From this Beyond the Boob was born; a spin off from the Milk Minute where we took time to just focus on the pregnancy.
Since then its been a wild ride of TMI, prenatal education, and so much more. Today we bring you a very anticipated episode where we document the last prenatal and birth of the baby! While this isn’t the full birth story, we kept a mic set up for updates during labor and kept a little captain’s log just for you. Enjoy some birth deets and raw emotions and get excited for the full story next week!!
If you want to hear the birth story and every other week of Beyond the Boob there’s still time to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or on our Patreon at www.patreon.com/milkminutepodcast
The Milk Minute welcomes author and very special guest, Emese Parker, who wrote a new kind of pregnancy book, To Carry Wonder: A Memoir and Guide to Adventures in Pregnancy and Beyond. It combines stories and art with evidence-based information on all 4 trimesters of pregnancy with a BIG mental health focus (which we love). It also includes her personal memoir of her pregnancy journey, which Heather has thoroughly enjoyed reading during her pregnancy! Emese is a WHNP, MPH, and Perinatal Mental Health Specialist. She literally could not be more qualified to write this gem of a book and we are so lucky to have her. Make sure to check out the links below to get your own copy of her WONDERful book!
This week on the Milk Minute, Maureen and Heather talk all about thyroid, specifically hypothyroidism and how it affects milk supply. The thyroid is a gland found in the front of your neck. It secretes hormones that play an important part in lactation by regulating prolactin and oxytocin. Now how the thyroid affects lactation is a pretty complex issue. They try and break it down for you as simply as they can. Tune in to learn more!
Everyone talks about breastfeeding your newborn, but today the Milk Minute is here to talk about breastfeeding your 9 month old. Maureen and Heather answer some of their most asked questions in terms of what to expect, how to handle obstacles and what you can do to feel the most prepared. Distracted nursing, busy older babies, adding solids, offering water, biting, maintaining milk supply, breast refusal and weaning are all covered in today’s episode!
This week on the Milk Minute, your favorite hosts talk all about…you guessed it, nipples. Heather’s bump has been in the spotlight but today they’re shining a light on different kinds of bumps. Maybe you’ve wondered, “What are those bumps on my nipples? Should I pop them?” (Spoiler alert: you shouldn’t!) “Does milk come out of those bumps? What exactly is an areola?”
Maureen and Heather answer all of these questions and more when it comes to those two extra sensitive milk dispensers on your chest. Tune in for an episode on anatomy and learn more about how your body is incredibly designed to facilitate breastfeeding.
Join Maureen for a special episode to chat all about lactation Herbs! Heather needed some time away so we get to branch out from our normal content and dive a little deeper into herbal galactagogues.Tune into hear how to use some of Maureen’s favorite plant allies to boost your milk supply. This episode is for the folks out there who have tried everything else. You’ve seen the LC, you’ve optimized pumping/feeding, you’ve looked for deeper problems, etc – if that describes you then you’re a great candidate for some herbal support.
