Have you ever heard of the infant microbiome? Do you know what it is? Or why it matters? If not, don’t worry (most people don’t know too much about it)! And if you don’t, stay tuned because this episode of The Lactation Nerd Podcast is all about the infant microbiome, and why you need to be aware of it.  To join me to share her incredible wealth of knowledge is Toni Harman, award-winning documentary filmmaker, author, and digital course creator. Her documentary MICROBIRTH has been broadcast around the world, her books have been translated into multiple languages and over 30,000 health pro ..read more

There’s an estimated 10-15% of people who are not able to make enough milk, and even higher statistics for parents who aren’t able to nurse their babies, for one reason or another, even if they do make plenty of milk. There are many systemic and cultural factors that lead to unsuccessful lactation outcomes. For example... Maybe things were really difficult in the beginning and you didn’t have the support or resources you needed to get through it?  Maybe you were given unintentional, but harmful advice that led to a poor outcome? Maybe you found out too late that you don’t produce enough ..read more

​Welcome to the very first episode of my rebranded podcast: The Lactation Nerd Podcast.  Quick question for you... When you were getting prenatal care, did you receive a breast or chest assessment from your provider to check for any risk factors that could complicate your lactation journey?  My guess would be that you did not, as most of us don't. It's not standard practice, at least not here in the U.S., but it really needs to be.  There are a few markers your provider, or lactation consultant, can look for that could mean you may struggle to produce milk. Knowing prenatally ..read more

If you’re breastfeeding your child into toddlerhood, congratulations! That’s a huge accomplishment. But maybe you’re to the point where you want to keep nursing, but you’d also like a full night sleep. And if your little one is in the habit of having their all-night buffet available, sleep can be difficult to come by. Unfortunately, there’s not a ton of support for moms of breastfeeding toddlers. It seems like we assume that once you’ve gotten through those first few months of stress over latch and supply, you should have all the answers. But that’s simply not true. And because we emphas ..read more

Did you know that growth charts aren't created equal? There are specific growth charts that primarily represent formula fed babies, and babies fed human milk.  Very often I have families reach out to me worried that their babies aren't getting enough milk after they took a trip to their pediatrician. "Kelly, they said my baby's in the 10th percentile, and now I'm worried I'm not making enough. Help!"  Does this sound familiar? Hearing that your baby is "low" on the charts may seem scary. If you've ever been concerned about your baby's weight based on their charts, then this post is ..read more

Did you know that growth charts aren't created equal? There are specific growth charts that primarily represent formula fed babies, and babies fed human milk.  Very often I have families reach out to me worried that their babies aren't getting enough milk after they took a trip to their pediatrician. "Kelly, they said my baby's in the 10th percentile, and now I'm worried I'm not making enough. Help!"  Does this sound familiar? Hearing that your baby is "low" on the charts may seem scary. If you've ever been concerned about your baby's weight based on their charts, then this post is ..read more

Have you ever felt like an outright failure when it comes to feeding your new baby? You're not alone. There's nothing easy about learning to nurse a new baby, and those early weeks and months can take a toll on our sanity.  You might have found yourself thinking.... "Am I making enough milk?" "Am I latching them right?" "I feel guilty because I don't love this like everyone else." "Am I enough for this baby?" I've had every one of these thoughts, and more. BUT there's something I really really want you to know. You ARE enough. And more than that... your worth is not measured in how much ..read more

​I hear the argument made frequently that breast/chestfed babies are at a disadvantage because there's so little iron in human milk compared to formula.  While, yes, that's true. Here's what you MUST understand: Babies can absorb 50-70% of the iron they consume in your milk. This is a great example of human milk's bioavailability powers. (Which just means your baby is really great at absorbing the nutrients in your milk!) On the flip side, babies who are given cow's milk based formula only absorb about 3-12% of the iron that is added to it. (And only 1-7% of iron is absorbed from soy ba ..read more

Today I'm talking about your menstraul cycle!! Yayy!!!! (Or not.) I asked The Successful Breastfeeding Community on FB what questions they had about lactation and their periods... and whoa did they come through! You may have heard that if you nurse your baby, you won’t get your menstrual cycle. You might have even heard that you can’t get pregnant while breastfeeding. Well, today I’m breaking that down, busting these myths, and sharing the truth about what to expect.   The truth is, there is no black and white answer to almost any lactation related question. So, I thought it would ..read more

FIRST TIME MAMAS FOCUS ON ALL THE WRONG THINGS. There. I said it. And I'm not sorry. And also I'm guilty AF of this too. With my first baby, I think I went a little nuts. With alllll the things. Once nesting kicked in, I was in hyper focused baby preparation mode. And I wish I could go back and SHAKE MYSELF and say, "Kelly... you're focusing on all the wrong things! It's not going to matter what the nursery looks like, and all that baby gear you registered for is an expensive waste of resources... you won't use most of it, and definetly not for long!" WELCOME TO THE SUCCESSFUL BREASTFEEDING ..read more