Just because breastfeeding is natural, doesn’t mean it’s always easy. If you are pregnant and plan on breastfeeding, set yourself up to succeed. Lactation Consultant If your hospital or midwife has a lactation consultant, meet with them to have your baby’s latch evaluated. Getting a good latch helps ensure baby is transferring milk and mama will not be in pain. A lactation consultant is a great resource for a new mom. Comfort Products When you first start breastfeeding, it is normal to experience engorgement and discomfort. Items like lanolin, nipple cream, and therapy packs provide relief. Lanolin or other nipple
Life After Labor
Recently, my middle daughter, Avianna, went to the doctor and was measured at 48 inches tall. This meant that she was only 1 inch away from outgrowing her Nuna Rava car seat. It was officially time for the great car seat shuffle! I already had a booster picked out for her, so I was ready to uninstall her Rava and install her new booster. I am a Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST), so I knew I could safely take on this task myself. I recommend always consulting a CPST for car seat installation or a safety check. I waited for
Things have changed a lot since I was a kid. A friend showed me a photo from their childhood nursery. There were big, plush bumpers, blankets and stuffed animals all in the crib set up for a newborn. It was basically an advertisement parents would get today for what not to do. Now, there are tons of products on the market that prey on exhausted new parents who are desperate for their baby to sleep. Unfortunately, some of these products have risks associated with them; risks that most parents would not take if they were aware of them. The AAP has outlined
To celebrate World Breastfeeding Week, we’re hosting a special Lottie Life Pop Up Shop on Saturday, August 4 from 1-4 pm at our Cotton Babies store in Fenton, MO. Lottie Life Pop Up Shop We’ll kick off the event with a Breastfeeding 101 class taught by our certified lactation counselor. Join other breastfeeding moms and families and shop great deals on the Lottie Life nursing line. Plus, our friends at Lottie Life are bringing treats! We’ll have in-store specials on our MilkDaze nursing line as well. You won’t want to miss this fun-filled event! Lottie Life is a St.
So many moms choose to breastfeed their babies, yet many of these moms find they are struggling soon after birth. I was one of these moms. I had a plan, education, all the tools I thought I needed, but I struggled. I really, really struggled with breastfeeding. Luckily, I found a great breastfeeding support team, and we persevered and managed to meet and exceed my breastfeeding goals. I did change my goals a bit along the way, but that’s okay! All moms have different breastfeeding goals. I always encourage moms to make both short-term and long-term goals. The more confident
One of the first things I added to my baby registry list when I was expecting my firstborn was a great car seat. Even back then I knew how important they would be in keeping my son as safe as possible during our drives hither and yon. I’ve gone on to have four more children after him, and car seat safety standards have improved so much just over the course of the past 12 years. Child Passenger Safety Week If you haven’t checked out the safety standards and latest research recently, this is the perfect time to do so! Child
World Breastfeeding Week World Breastfeeding Week is August 1-7. The World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life, with continued breastfeeding in addition to solid foods up to at least 12 months of age. The truth? Breastfeeding is hard. It can be difficult physically and emotionally for new moms. According to the CDC, only 51.8% of infants are breastfed at 6 months and 30.7% of infants are breastfed at 1 year of age. Obstacles One reason mothers stop breastfeeding is a lack of support. Even though a
I am extremely lucky to work at a company that goes out of its way to support mothers and families. At Cotton Babies, I get to bring my baby to work. Babies at work is easily the best perk I’ve ever had. Since returning to work, everyone asks me what it’s like. I came back to work when my baby, Tommy, was 8 weeks old. He is now 13 weeks old, and we are both adjusting to life in the office. Here, I’ll answer the questions I am most commonly asked. Where does the baby go? He’s with me most of
Like your birth plan, breastfeeding doesn’t always go as planned… and that’s okay! You simply need to do what’s best for you and your baby. Here’s my breastfeeding story, and my journey to finding peace despite the fact that things didn’t go as planned. Forgiving yourself when breastfeeding doesn’t go as planned This one really hits home for me. I didn’t breastfeed my first two babies long because I didn’t know enough about it. When I told my pediatrician that my daughter would nurse for 45 minutes at a time, he was worried. When she didn’t immediately gain her birth
What if you planned something for months only for it to fall through? Or you spent weeks researching and reading about something only to fail? Both are bound to make you upset and maybe even question yourself a little. Now imagine that those two things that didn’t go as planned were you birth and breastfeeding journeys. How do you go about forgiving yourself as a mom when two of the most important aspects of your baby’s life don’t go as planned? Forgiving yourself when your birth doesn’t go as planned The one thing that I love about birth stories is that