The Milk Maid Coeur d’Alene

10/27/2025

10/25/2025

This piece is called "Held in Blue". It captures a mother baby wearing, surrounded by a luminous blue stained glass design that glows with love and serenity.

Shes looking for a new home! -> LaurenJTurnerFineArt.com

10/24/2025

If you’re worried about changes to EBT benefits next month or simply finding it hard to make ends meet right now, please reach out. We’ll be collecting food, pantry items, and Thanksgiving supplies to share with families who could use a little extra support.

There’s no judgment—just community care. 💛

We’re also accepting donations of food or funds that will be passed directly along to local families in need. Every bit helps.

10/19/2025

“What would you do if I didn’t want to breastfeed my own children?”

My young teen surprised me with this question but I went along with her questioning.

I shrugged.

“I wouldn’t say or do anything at first. Then later I might ask if I could ask some questions about it. But I trust you, you’re a thoughtful person and I would trust that if you felt that was right for you, then it’s right for you.”

“You wouldn’t try to convince me to breastfeed?”

“No. I don’t try to convince anyone to breastfeed and I absolutely wouldn’t try to convince you, our relationship is too important.”

“So you would let me not breastfeed my baby?”

“It’s your baby, I wouldn’t be ‘letting’ you do anything. Your baby, your call. Your body, your choice.”

She thought for a moment.

“But would you tell me all the reasons I should breastfeed so I would change my mind?”

“No. I might ask at some point if there is something that makes you not want to breastfeed so I can support you through that but giving you all the reasons to breastfeed if you don’t want to hear the reasons to breastfeed wouldn’t be helpful and would probably hurt our relationship.”

“Would you be sad if I didn’t breastfeed?”

“I don’t think so. I would be concerned and curious but it isn’t my business unless you want to share and talk about it. I would be happy for you making a decision for your family that you felt was right for you. I’d be proud of your confidence. I’d be excited to have a grandbaby. I’d want to get to be involved and help in ways that are meaningful to you.”

“Huh, ok.”

“Can I ask some questions now?”

“Sure.”

“Did you think I would try to convince you to breastfeed?”

“I don’t know. You know a lot about breastfeeding and you teach other people about breastfeeding so I just kind of wondered what you would do if one of your own kids didn’t breastfeed their baby.”

“Do you think you won’t breastfeed if you have children?”

“What? No! I’ll breastfeed. I wasn’t asking because I don’t want to breastfeed. I was just curious, wondered what you would do if one if your kids didn’t breastfeed. I’ll totally breastfeed! I can’t wait to breastfeed! I mean, I can wait, I’m only 13, but I think it will be really cool to breastfeed my baby some day and you’ll help me of there are any issues. I can’t believe you’d think I wouldn’t want to breastfeed my own baby. Of course I’ll breastfeed.”

She went on telling me all the reasons she could think of why she would breastfeed. Until I started laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

“Sweetheart, you don’t have to convince me about breastfeeding and you don’t have to convince me about what you think you might want to do a long time from now. This was an interesting conversation, thank you. I trust you now and I’ll trust you then. It’s your call. And you know a lot about breastfeeding already, you could probably teach my breastfeeding classes.”

“Yeah, well, that’s because you’re my mom.”

***Pic of that now 13yo breastfeeding at 5 months old while I was running TLB.***

10/16/2025

I'm excited to announce the return to mother-daughter classes coming up! This will be held in the beautiful Peony Birthing Suites!

If you have a daughter, and are struggling to navigate explaining the changes she is facing, or will be facing, this class is for you!

An intelligent, thoughtful and relationship building class will be a great foundational jumping-off point for communication, understanding and knowledge. Not all mom's received the kind of instruction they need to help explain the physiological changes that happen to young women, and how to naturally support the body and soul as they unfold.

No discussion of sexuality or reproduction will be part of this class. All ages are welcome, dependent upon mom's discernment. Some girls are ready at 8, others may be older. All young ladies should have this instruction before puberty, and with puberty occurring earlier than ever, we'll take an age-appropriate approach!

Snacks and tea will be provided, and feel free to bring a snack to share if you'd like! (not required)

RSVP by 11/2, and pay for your ticket via Venmo at inthevine

Hope to see you there!

10/09/2025

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again (probably 100 times) homebirth midwifery care hits different. Look at that love🥹🫶🏻

As I'm sitting in a darkened bedroom, waiting on a babe to arrive, a past client and dear friend text me this photo. It's one of my most favored memories!! This is what sets midwifery apart from the medical model of care. Relationship!! I am humbled by the cherished relationships I've been gifted in this sacred work. I love this

10/02/2025

"I didn't have enough milk so you probably won't have enough milk."

This is what my grandmother (who didn't breastfeed her 2 kids) told my mother (who did breastfeed her 3 kids).

I'm pretty sure she believed it at the time.

Later she would recall having been given something to dry up her milk with her first baby. They told her she didn't have enough milk and then gave her pills to "dry you up and help with the pain."

She trusted them.

My mom tells how when she was breastfeeding my grandmother was fascinated. Supportive and curious.

"I never got that" she would say to my mom.

There was grief there. Also a willingness to learn. She wanted to understand what happened to her and why she was told she wasn't able to breastfeed. She no longer believed that she didn't have enough milk. She strove to be involved and fully supportive of my mom's journey.

When I had my first, my grandmother hosted a baby shower for me. All floral and frilly with delicate cupcakes of pink to celebrate my baby girl on the way. Mostly my mom and grandma's friends and a few of my own that knew them as well.

In between me excusing myself to vomit, I sat in the living room on a sofa that was usually covered balancing a small floral paper plate on my lap with food I couldn't stomach to look at. My grandmother moved about the guests, gushing about becoming a great-grandma and telling stories of me at her house practicing piano "just over there." Then she'd come back to me and offer to get me a refill on the punch and snacks I hadn't touched. She'd tell me I was glowing (I was glowing green but she didn't comment on that) and that my belly was just perfect. Finally, on one visit to my spot, I asked her to sit with me, to take a minute from hosting and have a plate of food herself and visit with me.

She did. That's when she asked me if I was planning to breastfeed.

I told her yes, I figured I would try.

"Oh good. That's very good. I'm sure it will all turn out beautifully. Don't let them give you anything to dry up your milk."

***Picture of one of the last times I saw my grandmother. She had changed drastically in the matter of just a few years. I was very pregnant with my 2nd baby at this visit, a baby she never met. She passed the morning of the day I gave birth a few weeks later.***

09/30/2025

happy national coffee day ☕️

09/29/2025

Have you heard of the “Mother-Baby dyad” or as some midwives lovingly say “MamaBaby” ?

Mothers & their babies are deeply bonded while those sweet little babies are in utero, & when they’ve just been born. This is why many home birth midwives (& I’m sure some progressive hospital providers) will attempt to resuscitate babies on their mother’s chests whenever possible. Babies know their mamas & their vital signs generally improve when they’re with them. And mamas know their babies.

What a beautiful part of God’s design🥹🥲 I sure love mamas & babies💕

04/08/2025

03/23/2025