The transition to motherhood is a big one and can feel overwhelming at times. Your hormones, exhaustion, and physical recovery from birth can make the first few weeks feel like a crazy rollercoaster. You may experience some of the signs of depression or anxiety during this time. This doesn’t mean it is hard the whole time, but there will gradually be aspects that feel more natural, and others that take time to figure out. Breastfeeding can help settle your hormones and provide a protective aspect for your mental health. Breastfeeding can also be hard. During this time, it is important to look after yourself and allow others to look after you as you, in turn, look after your baby.

Here is a quick and easy recipe to support milk supply and postpartum nutrition. It will not make up for insufficient or inefficient stimulation by baby or a pump, but it can help.  As the name implies, overnight oats can be prepared the night before, however, they only need 30 minutes to be ready to serve. You can eat overnight oats hot or cold depending on your preference.

Has the experience of Virtual School during the last year caused you to consider homeschooling but visions of chaos and stress are making you second guess your ability to teach your children at home, and stay sane? I also started out not sure how I would manage it all, but day by day I built my confidence and skills as I learnt alongside my children. Homeschooling turned out to be one of our best parenting decisions. I want to share with you a few reality checks and words of encouragement from my 18 years of homeschooling.

The sweet closeness of baby cuddles during feeding sessions is something I treasured with my children but there comes a time when either you or your baby signals that time is coming to a close. I can vividly remember the last time I breastfed my youngest child. I remember exactly where I was, looking down at her sweet face early that morning. She was happy to cuddle for a few seconds but that was all. She wanted to get on with the day. I must have had a feeling it was the last feed and tears streamed down my face….

We like to be able to measure things and with babies that includes input and output, weight loss and weight gain, the number of minutes at the breast, time between feeds. 

Some of these numbers can be helpful but taking any one or two of these out of context with other considerations can be stress inducing for parents. Here are some thoughts on helping you understand the numbers. 

The first weeks of life with a new baby and frequent feedings can be exhausting. Initially this is what your baby needs, but we all get to the point of needing more sleep. Sleep is important for both parents and babies. Ongoing lack of sleep contributes to our mental and physical health, and is also one of the commonly cited reasons for stopping breastfeeding.

As a mother of four I know the value of both breastfeeding and sleep. I believe they are both important and that they can go together.

Over the years we have been told this or that approach to feeding your baby is the right one. However, figuring out which is the best approach for your family is sometimes not just a matter of the latest terminology. “Feed the baby” is often the right thing to do, but over time and for some babies it is not this simple.

There’s Demand feeding, Routine feeding, Cue Feeding, Clock feeding, Block feeding, Cluster feeding, Responsive feeding.

So what do all these terms mean, and how do we understand when to use different approaches?

“Prepare the umbrella before it rains.” Malay Proverb

What kind of umbrella do you need to help you get a good start to your breastfeeding journey? What are your concerns, questions or situation, and how will that influence your ability to meet your breastfeeding goals? Having an individualized prenatal assessment will enable you to go into those first days with more confidence and knowledge!

One vivid memory I have from my first week as a mom is standing over my son’s bassinet the day his Dad went back to work and wondering how on earth I would be a good mother. It was all so new and my brain was foggy!