A resource to inspire, inform and empower parents.

Ask A Lactation Consultant: Vitamin D For A Breastfeeding Baby

“Does my breastfed baby need vitamin D? My pediatrician says I should give my 4-month-old a vitamin D supplement. What should I do?”

The short answer is yes.  However, there is a lot more to it.  Parents sometimes assume that they will need to supplement their baby with additional Vitamin D because human milk is deficient in Vitamin D.  This is usually what they are told.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The truth is human milk does have Vitamin D, but it is rarely enough for both the parent and the baby.  There are many variables to consider about this as well.  The most efficient way we get Vitamin D is from the sun.  Was your baby born during winter months(not that we recommend having your newborn out in the sun anyway)?  Do you live in a colder climate?  Do you or your baby have darker skin color?  All of these things can affect how much Vitamin D you and your baby are exposed to.  If you are breast/chest feeding and you are deficient in Vitamin D, the chances are good your baby is as well. 

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Learning From Mistakes: 6 Reasons It’s Important To Let Your Kids Struggle


Parents see themselves as their child’s number one protector. They kiss the scrapes and bumps and help chase away any monsters under the bed. However, parents must also allow their children to problem solve on their own and simmer in the struggle. While it can be uncomfortable to see your child frustrate, there’s power in making mistakes. Here are six reasons it’s important to let your kids struggle.

1.   Makes Them Learn How to Cope

The most healthy parent cycles allow children to go out into their environment and try new things. Then, after adventuring, they come back to the parent to show their unique skill or what they learned. Teaching this plays out best when trust levels allow the child to leave their parent’s side to venture a little further on their own. This skill continues into the teen years and beyond. Even college often embraces the cycle of security, allowing the child to go off to college, returning intermittently for support but continuing to foster newfound independence.

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Breastfeeding and Zoloft

Dr. Samantha Radford is a chemist with expertise in Public Health. She focuses on how mothers and babies are exposed to chemicals, and what the effects of those chemicals are. In addition, Samantha owns Evidence-based Mommy, where she helps mothers and their kids to thrive using science and wellness. Samantha has four children of her own.

Is Zoloft safe for breastfeeding?

Whether you’ve dealt with mental health challenges in the past, or it’s a new experience for you due to postpartum hormone changes, anxiety and depression can be debilitating for a new mom. And while there’s several ways to help with PPA or PPD, one of the most common remedies is to prescribe Zoloft (sertraline). 

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This is Life

Every night at 8pm I come out of our bedroom after nursing Jack to sleep. I meet my husband in the dark hallway who has just come up from rocking Exley to sleep. I pull my left breast out of the top of my shirt. I place my left hand on Exley’s back and my right hand under his bottom. My husband places his right hand on Exley’s lower back and his left hand on Exley’s arm. I scoop Exley to my breast. I carry him into our room and lie down next to Jack while Exley nurses for a few minutes. I slip my nipple out of his mouth. I stand up and look back at my 2 little boys sleeping next to each other as I quietly leave the room. [Read more…]

He’s Just a Baby

When my first son, Jack, was about 18 months during his second Christmas holiday. As usual my little sister was visiting from NYC. She is 11 years younger than me and has no children. She came to visit a couple of times a year and had spent time with Jack only a handful of times. [Read more…]

Dear Mama Friend

I am writing to you today because I can see that you have been crying. I know that you are struggling to keep your cool. You wonder how you can possibly get through the day. You doubt that you are capable of being a really good parent. Things aren’t going as planned. You tried so hard, but it’s falling apart. It seems like everyone has it together but you. Like you have failed yourself and your kids. Sometimes you want to run out of the house and never come back. Some days you feel like you don’t even like your own kids. Then you are flooded with guilt and anxiety that you could even think such a thing. [Read more…]

“Did We Play?”

Today was Monday. The first day of the week when my husband goes to work at the office space far away. On this day we have no car. The winters are long in Chicago and we are mostly shut in on Mondays. Some days I knock myself out trying to entertain the boys. Other days I laze around with them in jammies in front of movies. Most days are somewhere in between. [Read more…]

I Get Angry at My Kids

I keep wanting to start this post off with, “I love my kids.” But I don’t like that sentence. It’s too obvious. And honestly I feel silly typing it. Everyone loves their children. It’s just how nature has us designed. It’s not something we work at. It just happens. [Read more…]

The Badass on All About Breastfeeding

Interview with All About Breastfeeding

The Badass Breastfeeder Resources

I struggled with every aspect of transitioning to motherhood. One of the biggest obstacles for me was deciphering all of the information being thrown at me. It is my hope with this post to provide other parents with accurate and supportive information so that your journey can be as smooth as possible. You have a right to know the information even if it isn’t what your doctor, TV or grandma is telling you. Information is power and parents need to take back the power. Exercise your right to be informed! [Read more…]