Susan Howard, IBCLC

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United States
Falls Church, VA
Susan Howard, IBCLC

Nurse. Lactation Consultant. Mentor. Lactogeek. Baby Bottle whisperer.

01/28/2026

You should have lactation support... no matter where you live 📍💙

And depending on your location, you might feel isolated or unable to access a lactation visit.

But, if you schedule with me, you don't have to worry about that.

In fact, just this morning, I added two more pins to my map of families helped:

📍Poland
📍Iceland

Don't let geography be the reason you don't schedule a lactation visit. There are options!

You can always message me for details. 💙

01/27/2026

A lot of pumping moms don't realize...

You don't have to sterilize/steam your bottles after every use.

Try this instead:

Put your bottles and pump parts in a separate wash bin. Wash and rinse with warm water and soap.

It'll save you so much time!

Also, bonus: Your bottles and pump parts won't be exposed to extra germs in the sink. (📘fun fact: Kitchen sinks harbor more than 500,000 bacteria per square inch, which is significantly more than a toilet seat 🦠)

Make sure to save this for later!

01/23/2026

If you've watched Outlander, you might remember this scene.

It's set in the 18th century, and one of the characters who just gave birth has to travel away from her baby. She gets off her horse to hand express milk because she's engorged and uncomfortable.

While Outlander is fantasy, there's realness to this situation.

Women in the 18th century didn't have breast pumps. They didn't have bottles readily available. If they needed to relieve engorgement or express milk, hand expression was really the only option.

And, honestly, I still find it to be one of the most valuable skills a breastfeeding mom can have. For centuries, this was how it was done. And it still works. 💙

What piqued your interest most about this?

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

01/21/2026

This testimonial from Amy always makes me smile. 💙

What I love most about working with families is helping them move from feeling stuck to finding a path forward.

Breastfeeding doesn't have to be perfect. But, I've found it's always meaningful.

So, if you're navigating a breastfeeding challenge and need support, I'm here. You can always send me a message.

01/20/2026

For a long time, motherhood was treated as something soft and temporary. Pregnancy research focused on the fetus. Postpartum research focused on pathology (depression, anxiety, etc).

But Dr. Pilyoung Kim asked a different question:
What if the maternal brain isn't deteriorating—what if it's adapting?

Using neuroimaging, she studied women before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and after childbirth.

Here's what she found:

Your brain reorganizes. Regions tied to emotional processing, empathy, threat detection, and executive function show measurable structural changes. Gray matter shifts. Neural networks strengthen. Sensitivity to social cues increase.

It's specialization, not damage.

Just like adolescent brains rewire for independence, maternal brains rewire for caregiving. The changes are targeted and purposeful.

And they last. Years later, mothers' brains still show distinct patterns compared to women who have never given birth.

This helps explain what so many mothers feel things they can't put into words.

Why you sense danger before it appears. Why you hold the emotional state of your entire household in your mind. Why early motherhood feels so overwhelming.

So, whenever you're feeling this way, remember that it's your brain remodeling itself for caregiving.

It's giving you more. Not less. 💙

Did you find this interesting as well? Let me know in the comments!

01/16/2026

Before disposable diapers became the norm in the 1980s, parents used cloth diapers. And if you think modern diapering is a lot of work, consider this:

👶 Different folds for boys and girls
🪢 Diapers came with ties to secure them
🧺 Endless laundering and cleaning

It was time-consuming and messy. So some resourceful mothers started noticing their babies would p**p on predictable schedules.

What did they do? They used a warm saucepan to catch their baby's p**p so they had to wash fewer soiled diapers.

This practice was documented in parenting guides of the time as a practical solution to the never-ending laundry pile. It's an early version of what we now call "elimination communication."

Disposable diapers with sticky tabs didn't become widely popular until the 1980s, completely changing how parents approached diapering.

So here's my question: Have you heard of elimination communication? Have you ever tried having your baby p**p in an open container?

I'd love to hear your experience in the comments.

01/14/2026

Some days, that's the entire job description. And that's okay. ✨☕

01/12/2026

There's light at the end of your postpartum tunnel.

But, I know it doesn't always feel that way when you're in it.

The exhaustion, the overwhelm, and the constant demands can feel like it will never end. But it does.

We often hear about "6-week postpartum healing," but studies show it takes more like 1-2 years for a woman to fully recover from pregnancy and birth.

Your body went through a significant event, and healing doesn't happen according to one timeline.

So, if you're in the thick of it right now—know that you will make it. It just takes time.

And if you need support while you're in the tunnel, I'm here.

You don't have to figure it all out alone. 💙

01/11/2026

✨My 2025 Year in Review ✨

01/07/2026

I have ONE more Bottle Skills for the Bottle Refuser workshop for professionals in January 2026.

If you're working with families navigating bottle refusal, this workshop gives you practical tools you can use right away.

Workshop details:

📅 2-part workshop, 4 hours total
Part 1: Sunday, January 11, 2026, 7-9pm EST
Part 2: Sunday, January 19, 2026, 7-9pm EST

🎓 Earns 4 L-CERPs

📹 Can't make it live? Registration includes access to the recording (must be viewed in full by January 25, 2026 to receive CERPs)

I've submitted an application to recertify this workshop with IBCLE and have a few new courses in the works for 2026...

🥄Starting Solids
🤱Weaning
👶The Fussy Feeder

With approval times running around 90 days now, the next Bottle Skills workshop won't be until early summer.

Don't miss out. Register here 👇

https://arlingtonlactation.com/bottle-skills-course

01/05/2026

Quick tip: if you're pumping in a room without a lock, use a door stop.

Wedge it under the door from the inside and no one is going to bother you while you're pumping!

If you're headed back to work soon and figuring out your pumping setup, small things like this can make a big difference.

So, toss a door stop in your bag! 💙

01/03/2026

Yes, you do deserve a trophy.

If there were awards for the amount of time spent pumping, washing pump parts, and coordinating schedules, you'd run out of shelf space.

So, when you're done pumping, don't throw all your pumping parts away. Make them into a trophy to remind yourself how dedicated you were and still are 💙

Address

Falls Church, VA
22042

Website

http://www.arlingtonlactation.com/

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