My last child weaned from breastfeeding a few months ago. It was an incredibly significant experience, like a milestone for both child and mother, and one that you can’t really completely prepare for. There is so much going on physically and emotionally that I wanted to write about it for anyone who is going (or will go) through the same thing. Read on for my revelations in weaning my last child and learn about what’s changed, what hasn’t, and how I view my body now that it’s mine again.
Continue readingTag: breastfeeding (Page 1 of 2)
Breastfeeding is undoubtedly one of the most amazing things you can do for your child. There are benefits to Baby and Mama, and it can be a beautiful bonding experience. But anyone who’s been there, also knows that it makes you more than a little crazy. And your life revolves around that little one (and your boobs). I made a list of things that may or may not make you a breastfeeding mom. How many can you relate to? Continue reading
It’s Thanksgiving week! And here at Real Simple Mama, what better way to give back to my parenting community than with free ebooks!
I’ve made all of my parenting ebooks free to download from November 20-24; that’s right, you can pick and choose one, some, or all of my ebook titles:
- Real Simple Motherhood: The Fourth Trimester (compilation of most of the other books below)
- What Do I Really Need for a Baby? A Real Simple Guide to Newborn Gear
- What Happens to my Baby After Birth? A Real Simple Guide to Newborn Medical Procedures
- Happy Healthy Baby: A Real Simple Guide to Newborn and Infant Care
- An Introduction to Healthy Baby Sleep
- What is Babywearing?
- Disposables or Cloth?
- Breastfeeding or Formula?
- Weaning Your Breastfed, Bedsharing Child
That’s nine ebooks! All for those who are expecting, or who have a baby to care for.
I don’t make any money off of my books this week, even though they’ve taken hundreds of hours to research and compile. These are the books I wish I’d had when I was first pregnant and raising my babies!
So please share this article, or the link to my amazon author page, so that together we can help as many parents as possible! My goal is to make all moms and dads feel encouraged, confident, and educated in everything from newborn care to weaning.
Thank you for your support, and Happy Thanksgiving!
I know it sounds cheesy, but I made a New Year’s Resolution for 2017 to take better care of myself. And a big part of that was to lose the baby weight which I’ve gradually gained from birthing and breastfeeding two kids in four years. But mentally and physically, I was ready to make a change. Here’s a busy breastfeeding mom’s review of Weight Watchers. Continue reading
August is National Breastfeeding Month, and we are of course celebrating here at RSM. With over four years’ experience in breastfeeding and pumping, I feel like I should get my own parade! But breastfeeding isn’t always about the beautiful, serene moments where you and your child are locking eyes with mutual adoration. Sometimes it looks like a working mom sitting in a closet with a machine whirring away. Yep, pumping moms are breastfeeding moms, too.
So to celebrate National Breastfeeding Month, I wanted to do an article about pumping breastmilk. Because it can be stressful, time consuming, and isolating (and trust me, my experience was less than stellar). But don’t worry: pumping doesn’t have to suck. Here are some tips for how to pump breastmilk, both from myself and Jennifer Jordan, who’s the Director of Mom and Baby at Aeroflow Breastpumps. Continue reading
Bedsharing has been a lifesaver in our house, from saving my breastmilk supply to ensuring that everyone gets a decent amount of sleep. But I don’t feel like it’s mainstreamed into society well; with that, come a lot of secret society truths about bedsharing that only fellow bedsharers would understand. Here are a few of my favorites. Continue reading
Breastfeeding is amazing. I mean, it’s time consuming as hell, can hurt like hell, and gives you paranoia like hell. But other than all that, breastfeeding really is incredible! It’s one of the proudest achievements of my entire life, and I don’t regret a moment of my four-plus years of nursing my kids.
My first go around with nursing, I felt prepared. I took the class, read the books, and had boobs. Baby and I will be fine!, I thought. After all, breastfeeding is natural.
Now that I’ve been nursing for almost four years, I see what I wish I had known. So, to help out all of the other lactating mamas out there, I’ve built the list of the four biggest things you need to know if you want to succeed at breastfeeding. Continue reading
There are about one hundred ways to get your toddler ready for bed. And I bet you know them all: from baths to massage to lullabies and stories, everyone has the routine which works for their little one.
But when you breastfeed (which means that you probably nurse to sleep, and also possibly bedshare), your ritual can look quite different. So I thought I’d give some perspective to the parenting posts of the world, and show you what bedtime looks like at our house. Read on for a bedtime routine for a bedsharing toddler. Continue reading
By now, I’m sure you’ve seen the stunning images which have gone viral: a mother breastfeeding her child. This new trend for the breastfeeding selfie, aka “brelfie“, is not only helping to normalize breastfeeding, but it’s a gorgeous keepsake for the mom. Breastfeeding can be so difficult, painful, and time consuming, that these photos are extra special! You could save these to your phone, upload to social media, or even have them printed!
The guides I’ve seen for making a brelfie weren’t easy to follow (and the process is quite simple, as well as free), so I’m jumping on the bandwagon to tell you how to make one! Essentially you’re editing a brelfie photo on your phone with a free app, adding the tree with roots and then some badass filters.
This process can take less than 5 minutes, but I warn you: it’s addicting!
Being a stay-at-home mom has been the best, most difficult job I’ve ever had, or will ever have. And yet, I absolutely love it. Not a moment goes by when I think “I wish I was working instead of being home with my babies.” However, going from a working mom (Kid #1) to SAHM (Kid #2) was a challenging transition. Here I describe the good, the bad, and the ugly of both… all from an attachment mom’s perspective. Continue reading
