Preggie Pals

Recent Posts

The Dreaded Yeast: Combating Yeast Infection While Breastfeeding

May 23rd, 2013 by Barbara Demske

So if you’ve dealt with yeast while breastfeeding, then you know why I call it dreaded. This sort of infection can go on for weeks and months and make a new mother feel hopeless.

Signs of a yeast infection or “thrush” in a baby include white patches inside mouth on tongue, and insides of cheeks. These patches can’t be wiped off. You may also notice that baby has a diaper rash that may not respond to normal rash treatments. It is common that the overgrowth of yeast occur in diaper area as well as mouth. (more…)

Breastfeeding While Pregnant

May 15th, 2013 by Abby Finch

Never in a million years did I anticipate I would be breastfeeding while pregnant. My mother breastfed my younger sisters and me and I always assumed I would do the same for my future babies. But I just assumed that would be for infants. I may have gone so far as to say that a child that was old enough to ask for milk was too old to breastfeed.

Well… when my daughter’s first baby sign at eight months was for “milk”, it just melted my heart. When she had her first birthday, neither of us had any desire to change our special connection. And when she mastered the word “milky”, I had nothing but pride. So when she was 16 months old and we found out I was pregnant, I didn’t really see any reason to stop nursing. (more…)

Body After Baby

May 14th, 2013 by Julia Young

My body tells a story now. What used to be blemish free is now a roadmap of my life. It tells the tale of conception to birth. My body has history. It has been battered. The tiger stripes are my battle scars. I don’t love them, but I am learning to. I’m learning to be proud. Proud of what I have accomplished. My body made another person. My body made my daughter.

My little stretch marks on my hips tell the tale of my body stretching, my body growing to accommodate my daughter. The ones on my stomach remind me of a time when my stomach was round, full of life. The droopy pouch, the one I hate so much, is a reminder of how full of life I once was. My breasts, heavy with milk, give sustenance to my beautiful daughter. (more…)

WHO Growth Charts: It’s More Than a Number!

May 8th, 2013 by Anna and Beth

When it comes to your baby’s weight, knowledge is power!  When you talk about babies, it seems that the baby’s weight is all people want to talk about.  Are you making enough milk?  Is baby drinking enough?  Do you need to supplement? It can be cause of both celebration and heartache. When our daughter was born, she was small, 6lbs, 11oz and was a slow gainer, even though she was a frequent nurser. Our doctor was very concerned because Ellie’s weight hovered between the 3rd percentile and 5th percentile on the growth chart in the early months of her life. There was a great deal of pressure for us to supplement with formula and “get that weight up” to a higher percentage on the growth chart. (more…)

Breastfeeding After Sexual Abuse

May 5th, 2013 by Emily Pickett

A few weeks ago I had the experience of attending a workshop called When Survivors Give Birth.  The workshop, developed by Penny Simkin, helps birth professionals identify the unique needs of women who have experienced sexual abuse in order to support their pregnancy and postpartum experiences.  While this was fascinating and useful on a professional level as a doula, it also revealed a great deal to me personally because I, myself, am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.

One thing that truly stuck with me from the workshop was the idea that much emotional baggage can fall on breastfeeding.  This is true in general, but may be especially true for women with a past history of abuse. For me, it definitely shed light on some of my experiences breastfeeding my first child. (more…)