The Milk Fairy Lactation Services, IBCLC

12/18/2023

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/18/health/tongue-tie-release-breastfeeding.html

Dentists and lactation consultants around the country are pushing “tongue-tie releases” on new mothers struggling to breastfeed.

02/04/2023

“Can I come to see your baby?”
Words that caused my heart to sink
For, of course I want to see you,
But I’m weary and I stink.
It’s been days since I got dressed
and there’s chaos everywhere.
Dirty dishes overflowing,
and there’s breast milk in my hair.
I’m really in survival mode.
I can’t tell the nights from days.
My life has been uprooted
in oh so many ways.
My head feels like exploding
and I’m trying to just BE.
Yes, I’ve gained this new addition,
but I’ve lost a piece of ME.
A new love has engulfed me
and transformed my every being:
A love that, all at once,
is so constricting, and so freeing.
So, please, dear ones, I ask of you
to just give me some time
to navigate this new terrain
that’s really so sublime.
And, soon, I’ll have you visit:
I can’t wait for you to meet.
But, right now all I can manage
is to feed, sleep, and repeat.

Maria Tempany (Therhymingone)
Image by Arynlindsey

12/31/2022

12/26/2022

There are so many things to stress about as a new parent. Here are some things you DON'T have to worry about.

If your baby's feeding times are in a normal range, there's no need to time each one. Babies will have shorter snacks, and longer meals, but if you're watching your baby's cues and growth patterns, that's ideal.

Foremilk/hindmilk imbalance is WAY overblown. A baby effectively removing milk is all you need to worry about. On average, babies only take 2/3 of the milk you make. Don't stress about making sure they "drain" each side.

Schedules are super popular. Eat, play, sleep, wake windows, night weaning by a certain age or weight. The reality is, babies set their own schedules and it's highly individualized by personality. Just because you bought a program or read a book doesn't mean your baby did.

Spend those early weeks bonding and learning to communicate with your baby. Babies are expert communicators. Feed your baby on cue. Put them to sleep when they're tired. Don't parent a certain way because an influencer told you that's what your baby needs.

Nervous about learning your baby's cues? Follow and click the link in our bio to sign up for our monthly prenatal class or request a 1:1 prenatal consult.

12/11/2022

They put me in my crib and closed the door, it was all dark.
At first I didn't understand much so a little restless, I started calling my parents.
I felt a door opening "what a treat they finally come to get me", I heard his voice from afar telling me... "shu shu to rest".
Everything was still dark and I felt alone “I'm going to call my parents”. Again from afar I heard a… “shu shu to rest”
Nobody has given me a hug, I don't see my mom's face “what happened? Have I misbehaved?
Again from afar they tell me... "shu shu to rest"
I start to cry very hard, maybe they can't find me and that's why they haven't come looking for me. But the minutes go by and I still don't see my parents. From afar I keep hearing… “shu shu to rest”.
I cry with all my might, I move, I kick looking for my mother's arms “where are they? I will continue crying, I know they love me and they will come looking for me.
It went on all night and no one came to rescue me. I must have behaved very badly.
It's been a week and they still haven't heard me cry. Tonight they put me in my crib and I stayed very quiet almost without complaining, no matter how much I scream, no one will come looking for me. I'll keep quiet in the dark, waiting for a hug from my parents, a kiss from mom. I hope tonight if they come looking for me.

Perhaps if we think about how that child feels that they lock up in the dark, without tools to get out of the crib and claim what belongs to him: the love of his parents, we will stop thinking for a minute that it is okay to let him cry. Your son does not manipulate you, your son cries because it is his only way of communicating. When we do sleep training where we let our son cry, he doesn't learn to sleep, he learns that no matter how much he screams, no one will come looking for him.
I know you are tired parents. I know you've been told you're going to spoil him. I know you're afraid that maybe you're going to get used to it badly.
But I assure you that no one deserves to cry, without comfort, locked up in the dark. Your son loves you and will never manipulate you, sooner rather than later he will leave your bed and never come back. I know you love them too

✍️:

11/25/2022

It's NORMAL for babies to wake frequently, yet parents are encouraged to ignore babies' needs with sleep training. Read why we must always find a better way

11/18/2022

Are you worried that your baby isn’t having long enough naps and therefore it’s affecting their development?
Short naps are completely normal in babies. Completely normal. Yes some babies have a small number of long naps, but many have very short naps and just sn**ch a few minutes here and there, and be doing that lots and lots of times during the day. Sleep is important - that’s true. We all need to be getting enough sleep - but there is no evidence that having lots of short naps affects a baby’s development negatively.
Sometimes this is even just a function of whether a baby is a first baby, or a later baby. With first babies we may be able to have more of a concept of “nap time”, but if a newborn has an older sibling who needs drop offs and pickups from playgroup/school, and other clubs or play dates, then the younger baby might just have to nap on the run a lot. This is ok. It’s normal. It’s ok for babies to sleep in your arms, in the sling and to grab small naps here and there. Overall sleep is important, but the number of naps really isn’t

11/15/2022