(Public domain) Recently there has been a discussion about infant sleep training on the CNML Facebook group, so I thought it would be helpful to provide a post on the topic. First, what is cry it out infant sleep training? It involves purposely letting baby cry it out at night in order to condition baby to sleep for longer and longer periods of time. The goal is to encourage babies to learn to self soothe and be able to get back to sleep without the assistance of a parent. The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine has a new protocol published in 2023 that addresses this topic: Physiologic Infant ..read more

Our online meeting this month was on the topic of following your baby’s natural instincts to help get started with and continue breastfeeding. Christelle Hagen led the meeting and did a wonderful job as usual! I just wanted to touch on just a few key points that she presented. As always our meetings involve so much more than just breastfeeding information! Moms share their personal stories and provide support to each other! Also, questions during the meetings are always welcome! We are made in the image of God. Your baby was designed by the Creator with special instincts or reflexes to help ..read more

(public domain) We just recently celebrated the feast of St. Joseph on March 19. I always remembered the date of his feast day, because I attended St. Joseph Catholic School for elementary school and my school honored him each year. St. Joseph is only mentioned a few times in Scripture: Matthew 1:16-24; 2:13. Luke 1:27. 2:4-43. 3:23. 4:22. John 1:45; 6:42. He is silent in Scripture; there are no quotes from him. However, St. Joseph was a virtuous, holy man and an excellent husband to Mary and foster father to Jesus. Even though during that time period in history the husbands probably di ..read more

(U.S. Breastfeeding Committee) This is a big topic, but I wanted to just mention a few things to encourage you and also to give you some resources to help you in nursing your premature baby. All of my children were born full term, so I can only imagine how overwhelming it is to breastfeed and mother such a tiny baby! I actually was born premature, myself. I only weighed 4 pounds 6 ounces at birth. I want you to know that your breastmilk is especially important for your baby! Breastfeeding and/or expressing your milk for your baby is one of the the best gifts you can give her right now! If ..read more

(U.S. Breastfeeding Committee) Recently I was with a group of moms and the topic of breastfeeding and the return of fertility came up. I was happy for the opportunity to share the good news that breastfeeding does space babies. The other moms mentioned how soon their cycles came back. Most of the moms had  experienced a fairly early return of their cycles. I decided to share when my cycles came back, and the other moms could not believe I didn’t have cycles for so long. We didn’t discuss the topic for too much longer, but I sure felt like an odd duckling.  Maybe you feel this way ..read more

  (U.S. Breastfeeding Committee) Here are two of my favorite time management techniques for moms. I hope you find them helpful! Break Down Jobs into Smaller Tasks When I was a new nursing mom, I regularly attended my town’s local breastfeeding support group. One idea that I have always remembered from my group and continue to use to this day is: break down jobs into smaller, more manageable tasks. This is a great way for a nursing mom to feel like she has accomplished something even if she doesn’t get the “entire job” done in a day. If you are a checklist person, write down the tasks ..read more

(U.S. Breastfeeding Committee) Would you like to minister to nursing moms? If so, then you might like to become a CNML mentor! What is a CNML mentor? A CNML mentor is an experienced nursing mom who wants to help other moms with common breastfeeding concerns. She is not a breastfeeding counselor but a mentor and a friend to a nursing mom. She also prays for her and does her best to show the love of Christ to her. CNML mentors can help moms by holding support group meetings, helping nursing moms one on one, lead book studies, and/or lead ecological breastfeeding classes.  How involved is ..read more

(Wikimedia commons - public domain) Hi everyone! The Catholic Nursing Mothers League supported a lot of nursing moms in 2023! We are really growing! I am excited! Here are the details: 35 new posts on the CNML website 12 online breastfeeding meetings in partnership with St. Croix Birth and Parenting 3 new CNML mentors including our first mentor in the UK (we now have a total of 28 mentors!) 2 online sessions with new CNML mentors Helped many nursing moms with breastfeeding concerns via email (catholicbreastfeeding@yahoo.com), our online meeting, and the CNML Facebook group (which ..read more

(Wikimedia commons - public domain) 1) I will remember each day that I am a beloved child of God and that God loves me very much. 2) I will remember each day that this mothering work and the nourishing of my baby at my breasts is not only very important and valuable work but also holy work. 3) I will not feel guilty about taking care of myself: showering, eating well, drinking water, resting. By caring for myself, I am also caring for my baby. 4) I will make my relationship with Jesus a priority each day even if it is just means praying while in the shower or while changing my baby’s diaper ..read more

(US Breastfeeding Committee) Global lessons for strengthening breastfeeding as a key pillar for food security This journal article presents three case studies (including one in the US) and discusses the importance of supporting breastfeeding in the face of pandemics, climate changes, poverty, and natural disasters. Potential Epigenetic Effects of Human Milk on Infants’ Neurodevelopment This article discusses the benefits of microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and stem cells - which are all found in breastmilk - and also the microbiome on the brain development of pre-term babies. Breastfeeding ..read more