Real. Simple. Parenting.
This category contains all my articles related to breastfeeding and pumping.
It can truly feel like the most difficult thing in the world when you’re “in the trenches” and trying to learn how to feed a newborn. Breastfeeding is the hardest task I’ve ever done. Ever.
But it’s also one of the most rewarding, and the most beautiful.
I am now a huge advocate for nursing and/or pumping, and want to do everything I can to educate and support moms on their journey. There are so many benefits to both baby and mother, but sometimes we don’t have all of the help and information we need to be successful.
Whether you’re breastfeeding, pumping, both, or undecided, I hope that my content is helpful to you!
Look here for honest reviews on gear from pillows to pads to pumps, reasons why you should breastfeed, tips and advice to help you and your child nurse for as long as you like!
Also find my breastfeeding/pumping book on my Amazon eBook homepage.
I feel like moms who breastfeed have lots of resources online, not least of which is right here on Real Simple Mama. But I think that moms who pump are often left to figure things out on their own. In a topic which is widely experienced but not widely discussed, I’ve created an extensive article about pumping gear for nursing moms.
Let’s talk about the stuff I recommend for pumping… ‘cuz there’s a lot. Continue reading
There is a set of common breastfeeding positions which you can use to comfortably and confidently hold your baby while nursing. You can test these out with a teddy bear before Baby is even born! Continue reading
The two most popular breastfeeding pillows are the Boppy and the My Brest Friend. I’ve used both for over three years and I write this to share my observations (and my top pick!) with you. Read on for the good, the bad, and the ugly of each of these two pillows: Boppy vs My Brest Friend. Continue reading
I absolutely adore breastfeeding. It is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, and one of the most rewarding. It’s messy and relaxing and invigorating and exhausting, all at the same time. And like most great stuff, it has its quirks. Continue reading
I can still hear that whirring sound sometimes if I think about it… And Simon and Garfunkel singing “Hello darkness my old friend…” I pumped for over a year and a half for my first child; my breast pump was constantly with me. I must have spent hours upon hours with this thing – lugging it everywhere, washing parts multiple times a day, measuring milk… and my son’s life would be vastly different without the nourishment I provided by pumping. Get the scoop on a highly experienced mama’s review of the Medela Pump In Style Advanced Double Electric Breast Pump. Continue reading
*Updated April 24 2016: woo hoo more reviews!!!
Let’s face it: whether or not you plan to breastfeed, your boobs are going to leak milk. And for as long as you breastfeed, your boobs are going to leak milk. And unless you want to ruin everything you wear, you are going to want nursing pads. But have no fear, I have done the work for you – comparing SIX different styles of washable and disposable nursing pads from four different brands. I’m proclaiming myself to be the world’s first breast pad connoisseur. And oh yes I’ve got real-life photos too! (Of the pads, not my boobs). Continue reading
I cannot brag enough about this simple, quirky, common sense item! The Milkies Milk-Saver Breast Milk Collector is absolutely ingenious. It will definitely be one of my go-to gift ideas for new moms.
Attachment parenting: it is the foundation for this entire website, and I have become quite passionate about its advocacy. I wanted my first article to be significant, so I am giving you my definition of this parenting style as well as some other things I have learned over the last few years.
real simple parenting
First, though, I have to tell you something – don’t obsess about finding a name to give your own parenting style. No one is going to stop you on the street and ask “what parenting philosophy do you follow?” I did not even know about attachment parenting until after my first child was born, and I had obsessively read and researched everything when I was pregnant. As cliché as it may sound, I guess you could say that attachment parenting found me. Not the other way around. It’s totally OK to not have a name for what you practice.
I also have a confession. I hate the name “attachment” parenting. I guess it is my educational background that makes me think of a parent hovering around their child, wiping their nose and keeping them from experiencing anything. In the teaching world, we call that “helicopter mom” – and it is definitely a derogatory term. So my initial impression was of a paranoid germaphobic mom and a clingy, emotionally unstable child.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
They weren’t lying when they said that parenthood is the most challenging, yet most rewarding, thing that you will ever do. I felt so prepared to bring my son home and begin nourishing him, providing him with safety and love and guidance. I had taken all the classes, bought all of the stuff, double checked all of our lists and asked all of our questions. We were as ready as we could be!… or so we thought. Read on for the real honest account of my first two weeks as a mother.
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