Hey friends, I'm back behind the mic and easing into a new season with a heartfelt episode on a topic that might seem a little odd - how grief is an important part of breastfeeding boundaries. In this episode, I open up about the emotional undercurrents we face in transitions—from weaning and toddler boundaries to unexpected life moments that stir up deep feelings.

Grief shows up in subtle and surprising ways as our children grow, especially during limit-setting moments. I share personal stories, including the tender experience of my daughter's emotional resilience after the loss of a pet, and reflect on how guiding our children through their frustration, sadness, and eventual acceptance can become one of the most valuable life skills we nurture in them. If you've ever felt the tug of grief during a parenting milestone, this episode on gentle parenting, breastfeeding boundaries, and emotional development in toddlers is for you.

Grab your free guide to say "No" to the feed while still saying "yes" to the need at  www.ownyourparentingstory.com/guide

Love this episode?!  Shoot me a DM over on Instagram @own.your.parenting.story and tell me all about it. <3

Are you nervous about your next holiday get-together, worrying about unsolicited comments about your breastfeeding toddler? 

Myths and misconceptions abound when it comes to breastfeeding - and for some reason, there are people who feel they have a right to comment on your parenting. 

But have no fear!  I've got you. 

In this episode, we’re busting common myths about breastfeeding beyond the first year, using research-backed information to help you feel confident and supported in your choices. We’ll cover:

• Why breastfeeding into toddlerhood is biologically normal and globally common.
• The nutritional powerhouse of breast milk after the first year.
• Tandem feeding and breastfeeding during pregnancy: myths vs. reality.
• The truth about breast milk, cavities, and oral health.
• Benefits for both you and your child—beyond the emotional connection.

Grab your free Myth-Busting Toddler breastfeeding Fact Sheet at ownyourparentingstory.com/myths and have the facts at your fingertips for tough conversations with family, friends, or healthcare providers.

Podcast episodes mentioned: 

• Navigating Judgment Podcast Episode
• Tandem Feeding Podcast Series
• Toddler Teeth Podcast Episode
• Milk Supply Podcast Episode
• Picky Eating & Breastfeeding Podcast Episode

Grab your free guide to say "No" to the feed while still saying "yes" to the need at  www.ownyourparentingstory.com/guide

Love this episode?!  Shoot me a DM over on Instagram @own.your.parenting.story and tell me all about it. <3

Natasha was rocked when the breastfeeding relationship she loved so much became something she felt she had to white knuckle to endure. 

Using compassion, curiosity, and creativity Natasha transformed her breastfeeding relationship with her 3 year old son, night-weaned and created a rhythm that works for both of them (and her baby!). 

If you have been lonely in your breastfeeding challenges, curious about what tandem feeding could look like, or wanting inspiration for the changes you could make in your own breastfeeding story - do not miss this episode!

Grab your free guide to say "No" to the feed while still saying "yes" to the need at  www.ownyourparentingstory.com/guide

Love this episode?!  Shoot me a DM over on Instagram @own.your.parenting.story and tell me all about it. <3

The word "Gentle" can be really divisive in the parenting world these days.

I've used that word a LOT to describe the way that I approach and support breastfeeding families to set boundaries and even wean.  But I don't mean it in the way you might think.

In this podcast episode, I unpack what I mean by "gentle" and the 3 different areas in which gentle boundaries and weaning can a difference for you and your child: Mind, Body & Heart.
 

Post-Weaning Depression Research:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38300295/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39427882/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00737-018-0871-9

Grab your free guide to say "No" to the feed while still saying "yes" to the need at  www.ownyourparentingstory.com/guide

Love this episode?!  Shoot me a DM over on Instagram @own.your.parenting.story and tell me all about it. <3

If you are feeling at the end of your rope with your breastfeeding toddler - this episode is for you. 

I break down 4 steps to creating your own action plan to find ease in your breastfeeding relationship that WILL help to: 

• Stop the continual meltdowns
• Support your child to be able to tolerate the word "no" 
• Get your butt unglued from your couch (where your toddler always demands you sit to feed). 
• Help your child sleep for longer stretches
• Reduce food battles

Grab a pen and paper while you listen so you can chart out your personalized plan. Or, keep an eye on your email this week for a free printable worksheet. (Not on my email list?  Sign up here and get my free Making Changes guide & cheat sheet). 

Grab your free guide to say "No" to the feed while still saying "yes" to the need at  www.ownyourparentingstory.com/guide

Love this episode?!  Shoot me a DM over on Instagram @own.your.parenting.story and tell me all about it. <3

In this episode, Sex Educator, Alisha Lunsford, and I explore the crucial body safety rules every child should know by age five so that you can feel equipped with the tools needed to foster confidence and autonomy in your kids. We cover modeling consent, trusting intuition, managing tricky situations, and much more.

You can grab the free PDF summary of the top 5 rules here.

Remember: 

• Start the conversation about body safety early and repeat it often.
• Use everyday moments to reinforce these safety principles.
• Model respectful, consent-based behavior in your own interactions with your children.

More about Alisha Lunsford: 
"I’m Alisha. I’m a straight, cisgender female and sex educator.

I understand that as parents, we often feel overwhelmed and under-prepared for many of the roles we take on. Ultimately, we’re expected to keep our little humans physically and mentally safe, happy and healthy – and whether we like it or not, sexuality impacts each of these needs.

I provide straightforward sex education for parents of toddlers, teens and in-betweens. I focus on both mental and physical health while providing insight on a variety of content ranging from safety, sexual predators, puberty, LGBTQIA+, consent, porn exposure, birth control, and all the nooks and crannies throughout."

Check out her website at: sexpertparenting.org
Click here to follow her on Instagram. 

Grab your free guide to say "No" to the feed while still saying "yes" to the need at  www.ownyourparentingstory.com/guide

Love this episode?!  Shoot me a DM over on Instagram @own.your.parenting.story and tell me all about it. <3

I'm back!

It's been a hot minute since I've posted a new episode, but I am here!

I'm also working on new content and resources - let me know what you want to hear about here.

As I have been navigating diagnosis, treatment, and recovery from a number of health issues while also serving breastfeeding toddler families, I have noticed a few parallels between my own path to health, and the path to breastfeeding & weaning ease.

In this episode I share about my own my sense of "felt safety" around wasps - yellow jackets to be exact, and how the timeline of the ebb and flow of the intensity of my fear coincided with the timeline of the intensity of my stress/overwhelm. 

I use that parallel to describe how our stress as humans shows up in our breastfeeding & parenting. 

From there, I provide 2 different ways to support a felt sense of safety so that you can in turn cultivate ease in your breastfeeding (and most other areas of life!):

#1 - Soaking in the positive moments (because our negativity bias feeds our fear/stress). 

#2 - Meeting our fears/stress with kindness and self-compassion (because ignoring, catastrophizing, and/or arguing with ourselves only serves to reinforce and grow our fears and stress.) 

Try these 2 things out this week and then use the "fan mail"/text me option to let me know how they have made a difference for you. 

Grab your free guide to say "No" to the feed while still saying "yes" to the need at  www.ownyourparentingstory.com/guide

Love this episode?!  Shoot me a DM over on Instagram @own.your.parenting.story and tell me all about it. <3

This week I'm answering a coaching call question from an extended breastfeeding mom:
"My toddler often doesn't accept dad at night when she wakes up crying. I am and have always been the preferred parent.  I have just found out about a work trip I need to take which will have me away from my 2-year-old overnight for the first time.  Typically, I feed her to sleep and to resettle throughout the night.  If I am out of the house for bedtime, she does goes to sleep for other people, but it often takes a lot longer than if I am doing bedtime. 

Wondering if you had any tips that might help them both prepare for my work trip over the next few weeks and allow dad to be involved in general?"

While there are a lot of things can be done to indirectly support a family in this situation, in this podcast episode, I break down a simple 3 part strategy to support a non-breastfeeding parent & a breastfed toddler for their first night(s) alone together. 

Whether you decide to night wean ahead of time or not (and I do explore this a little more in the episode), bolstering and leveraging your child's connection with the person who will be caring for them is key to a relaxing time apart. 

1. Find more opportunities for playful interactions between dad & kiddo (without pulling back from your own playful interactions with your child.)  
2. Utilizing "bridging" tools to help your child feel connected with you even when you are apart and help that separation feel less scary and intense. 
3. Expand the non-breastfeeding caregiver's capacity to hold space for the feelings that may come up. 

Resources Mentioned:
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/serve-and-return/

Grab your free guide to say "No" to the feed while still saying "yes" to the need at  www.ownyourparentingstory.com/guide

Love this episode?!  Shoot me a DM over on Instagram @own.your.parenting.story and tell me all about it. <3

**SUBMIT YOUR Q FOR ME TO ANSWER IN FUTURE EPISODES**

In this week's episode of Start to Stop Toddler Breastfeeding, I'm answering a question I received from a student in Own Your Breastfeeding Story. 

"How can I encourage my 2 year old to settle down when he is on the bed with us? 

We cosleep and most of the time especially in the morning when he wakes up, after he nurses from me, he immediately goes to wake up our 4 month old, or will start making big movements that will wake her up. 

We try to explain to him that when the newborn is sleeping (or anyone) we whisper and we try not to disturb them.

Is this an unrealistic expectation of a toddler?  What else can we do? "

This kind of situation comes up in lots of different contexts - and for tandem breastfeeding moms, it can feel particularly loaded. 

Breastfeeding is your number one tool, but maybe your toddler isn't interested, or maybe YOU aren't interested.  Are you destined to have a horrible day that begins with a stressful morning?

In the episode I share a few different things to consider, and give some practical support: 

1 - Check in with YOUR expectations first.  

2 - Set your little one up for success by talking about this issue outside of the moment. 

3 - Support them to have something else to do.  

4 - Playfully engage with them to put them into a receptive state and avoid having to tell them what to do/not to do altogether.  

Grab your free guide to say "No" to the feed while still saying "yes" to the need at  www.ownyourparentingstory.com/guide

Love this episode?!  Shoot me a DM over on Instagram @own.your.parenting.story and tell me all about it. <3

**AUDIO FIXED**
Breastfeeding a toddler and a newborn... at the same time -> most people in the Western world think this is crazy. 

And yet, I breastfed 2 kids (of different ages) for 3.5 years, and I hear from listeners all the time who are either doing it or considering it. 

But, just like most things "extended breastfeeding" there aren't many places to find support when you start out on your tandem nursing journey. 

In this final part of the Tandem Feeding series I give you all the things I wish I would have known as a first time tandem feeding mom, 

I cover: 

1. The most commonly asked tandemfeeding questions
2. Preparing to tandem feed
3. Navigating the early days of tandem nursing (including positions & sleep) 
4. Common challenges
5. Some benefits of tandem nursing. 

Resources & Links from the episode:
Sleep:

• Tiffany's Safe Bedsharing Guide
• University of Notre Dame Mother Baby Sleep Labratory FAQ
• La Leche League International Safe 7 Sleeping

Baby Wearing:

• Tula Toddler Carriers (not an affiliate - just an example of something available)
• Ring Sling with a newborn video
• Breastfeeding in a ringsling
• Woven wrap tandem carry  with a woven wrap
• Back carry newborn (ONLY ATTEMPT IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCED)

Studies referenced in the episode:

• Sinkiewicz-Darol E, Bernatowicz-Łojko U, Łubiech K, Adamczyk I, Twarużek M, Baranowska B, Skowron K, Spatz DL. Tandem Breastfeeding: A Descriptive Analysis of the Nutritional Value of Milk When Feeding a Younger and Older Child. Nutrients. 2021 Jan 19;13(1):277. doi: 10.3390/nu13010277. PMID: 33478010; PMCID: PMC7835967.
• 
  
• Yate ZM. A Qualitative Study on Negative Emotions Triggered by Breastfeeding; Describing the Phenomenon of Breastfeeding/Nursing Aversion and Agitation in Breastfeeding Mothers. Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 2017 Nov-Dec;22(6):449-454. doi: 10.4103/ijnmr.IJNMR_235_16. PMID: 29184583; PMCID: PMC5684792.

Supportive resources for navigating judgment while tandem feeding:

• Podcast episode on Navigating Judgment
• Adventures in Tandem Nursing by Hilary Flowers, PhD
• KellyMom.com Tandem feeding FAQ page

Grab your free guide to say "No" to the feed while still saying "yes" to the need at  www.ownyourparentingstory.com/guide

Love this episode?!  Shoot me a DM over on Instagram @own.your.parenting.story and tell me all about it. <3