Finding out you are pregnant is a complex at the best of times.  

Having concerns about safety for you and your growing baby, finding your life impacted in ways you never would have expected, and feeling emotions you didn't know were possible (thank you hormones!) are all normal things in pregnancy - but there is an added layer of concern and change when you conceive while you are currently breastfeeding. 

It's (unfortunately) common to immediately get advice from friends, family, and even doctors that you must wean for your well-being and the health of your fetus.  It's understood that breastfeeding during pregnancy has far more risks and benefits and continuing on is just foolish... or is it? 

In this week's podcast episode I bring together some of the lastest research & science around breastfeeding during pregnancy, as well as my own personal experience as a tandem feeding mom, and my professional experience as a toddler breastfeeding coach to give you the best information on: 

1. The safety of breastfeeding during pregnancy
2. Your milk supply while pregnan
3. Pain & aversion during pregnancy while breastfeeding 
4. Weaning & making changes with your toddler

Hit follow/subscribe to get notified when the 3rd and final part of this series drops!

Much of the research I share in this podcast episode is from the 2nd edition of Dr. Hilary Flower's book: "Adventures in Tandem Nursing"

Click to listen to the referenced episode on Milk Supply while breastfeeding a toddler.

Stalimerou V, Dagla M, Vivilaki V, Orovou E, Antoniou E, Iliadou M. Breastfeeding During Pregnancy: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Maedica (Bucur). 2023 Sep;18(3):463-469. doi: 10.26574/maedica.2023.18.3.463. PMID: 38023747; PMCID: PMC10674114.

Madarshahian F, Hassanabadi M. A comparative study of breastfeeding during pregnancy: impact on maternal and newborn outcomes. J Nurs Res. 2012 Mar;20(1):74-80. doi: 10.1097/JNR.0b013e31824777c1. PMID: 22333968.

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Trying to understand your fertility while you are breastfeeding your toddler is an uphill battle. 

Sure - Google abounds with tips & information about conception and contraception, but less so about conception and contraception while you are breastfeeding... and finding support for making sense of those things while you are breastfeeding a TODDLER?!  ...virtually impossible. 

But, have no fear - your toddler breastfeeding guru is here! [insert Wonder Woman gif] 

In this half hour episode I have packed in: 

• Considerations for timing your next pregnancy (or not!) and how there might be factors you are unaware of that could be increasing your stress, and impacting your day-to-day breastfeeding with your toddler. 
• Tips for supporting your sex-life while breastfeeding 
• A simplified breakdown of the menstrual cycle, the hormones involved, AND how they are impacted by breastfeeding. 
• What is normal (and what is not) for your period when breastfeeding
• What contraceptive methods are compatible with breastfeeding (and WHY)
• Support to talk about fertility drugs with your doctor (before you decide to wean)
• How to be empowered to understand YOUR body better
• ...and last but not least, how to support your body to move back into fertility while you are breastfeeding. 
  
  

Make sure to hit "follow" or "subscribe" so you don't miss next week's episode all about breastfeeding through pregnancy. 

Resources mentioned in the podcast: 
https://www.infantrisk.com/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501922/

Resources I used in preparation for this episode: 

"The Second Baby Book"  by Sarah Ockwell Smith

"Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler

Heinig MJ, Nommsen-Rivers LA, Peerson JM, Dewey KG. Factors related to duration of postpartum amenorrhoea among USA women with prolonged lactation. J Biosoc Sci. 1994 Oct;26(4):517-27. doi: 10.1017/s0021932000021647. PMID: 7983102.

Wilcox AJ, Weinberg CR, Baird DD. Timing of sexual intercourse in relation to ovulation. Effects on the probability of conception, survival of the pregnancy, and sex of the baby. N Engl J Med. 1995 Dec 7;333(23):1517-21. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199512073332301. PMID: 7477165.

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

Have you ever felt the pressure of setting specific breastfeeding goals? I know I have!  In the beginning, I felt like I had to have these concrete goals because, let's face it, everyone asks! But guess what? Once you are actually "in it" - things shift and change day-to-day and all of that concrete thinking feels a whole lot more abstract. 

In this episode, I share my journey from setting specific goals to embracing a more values-based approach... and the shift I am seeing in those I support.

Join me as I share my insights on the modern dilemma of breastfeeding goals and what it all might mean for you and your toddler.

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

Welcome to episode three of this Behind the Scenes series!
 In this candid conversation, I'm opening up about my mental health journey, embracing the highs and lows of anxiety, and depression, and sharing how it all ties into my experience with nursing aversion. 

This episode isn't just about my journey; it's an invitation to explore the intersection of mental health, motherhood - and of course, breastfeeding. 

I also dip into the things that have supported me through the most intense periods of emotional and mental struggles in my life and are still supporting me now.  My hope is that they offer you support as well. 

I do share a few details around the trauma I experienced with my daughter's birth.  If you would like to skip that part - jump ahead to 9:56 when I give the warning (at around 7 minutes.) 

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

Tune into this episode to hear about sleep, boundaries, and more in my home right now.

Ever wonder what life might look like if you were breastfeeding a 4 year old?

Apparently, a lot of you have! Hundreds of you were curious about my current breastfeeding experience.  So, I decided to break down what it's like to breastfeed my 4-year-old.

I know it sounds like the title of a click-bait article, but the truth is, the fact that I am *still* breastfeeding my 4 year old barely enters my mind.  It's a normal (and mostly enjoyable) small part of our lives.


Also - I am sharing the toddler planner I use in my home to support ease and calm around breastfeeding and beyond. 

(It's literally the exact same one I created for my family, based on tools I have used and optimized for years)

You can grab your free printable toddler planner here. 

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 have longed for a "me too," or an "I get it" for the times when parenting feels like you are just doing what you can to survive the day - this is the episode for you.

2023 was a crazy ride for me.  Launching this podcast was incredible, but a lot was going on behind the scenes - including health struggles for me, which led to a lot of "survival mode parenting".

Over the next month, I'll be sharing shorter, laid-back episodes that explore some of the things that I have experienced personally over my last 6.5 years of breastfeeding - and the last year of utter chaos. 

In this first episode of the BTS seried, I share how my own exhaustion and limited capacity have had benefits in my parenting.

(And make sure to subscribe/follow this podcast so you don't miss out on the rest of the episodes in this BTS series.) 

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 shirt-pulling, screaming, and demands to breastfeed have gotten to the point that you find yourself dreading them before your toddler has even thought about breastfeeding again.

When they do, inevitably "ask" to breastfeed, the fear of reinforcing all of their bad behaviors reverberates through your body as you quickly try to decide if you will hold the boundary; or give in to their demands this time.

...and the guilt that comes from the fact that they "act" so poorly can be crushing.  Did you cause this behavior with your bad parenting?  Will they end up as disrespectful teenagers?  Will the choices you make today define their character as adults?

Man - the pressure that mounts in those moments is crushing!

But what if there is another way?


In this final podcast episode of season 1 of Start to Stop Toddler Breastfeeding I break down: 

• What respectful behaviour is and isn't
• The truth about the magic words: "Please" & "Thank You" 
• Rewards, punishments & reinforcing behaviours 
• How to support your child in the moment
• How to raise an empathetic, respectful human who has integrity
• How to support YOURSELF in the moment 

Looking for the episodes I mentioned at the beginning to re-listen to during the holidays? 

1. Episode 25: 5 Ways to Navigate Judgment & Social Pressure While Extended Breastfeeding 
2. Episode 23: Cavities, Teething & Toddler Biting While Nursing
3. Episode 20: Breastfeeding A Sick Toddler: (Why, How & What to do when they are well again)
4. Episode 13: Milk Supply - maintaining, upping & drying up after the first year
5. Picky Eating & Breastfeeding with Krystyn Parks

References:
Harvard Making Caring Common Project

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

Breastfeeding & weaning your toddler with confidence and connection isn't impossible.  But the reason it feels that way (at least some of the time) isn't your fault. 

In today's podcast episode I break down the first of 3 cultural traps that keep you stuck and frustrated on your natural term breastfeeding & toddler weaning journey.

(The other 2 are available in my free instant-access workshop here!)

The trap?  The belief/instinct to start by changing your child's behavior first.

What does it look like?
->Deciding it's time to wean
->Shorten feeds/dropping feeds/reading the weaning story books
->...and your child asks to breastfeed more, not less (and at an increasing volume.)

Tune in to learn how to get un-stuck from this trap (and avoid it if you haven't fallen in yet!)

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

"They swarm me whenever I sit down and will SCREAM until I breastfeed them - and then they are off to play.  They never want snuggle without breastfeeding.  I feel like all I am is a milk machine."  <- Have you ever had these thoughts?

I know I have!

This week I challenge the cultural narrative that we are only milk machines, unpack the ways that this belief impacts our moment-by-moment breastfeeding, and leave you with some practical tips to connect with your child beyond the boob.


Note - I'll take things a little slower until the New Year, so stay tuned for new episodes on a slightly less frequent schedule. 

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

Lactation support for newborns is hard enough to come by - but when I decided to focus on toddler breastfeeding there was NO one to look too and say "ah, that's how it's done!" 

So, there was (a lot of) trial & error as I worked to create some kind of support that WORKED to help toddler breastfeeding families get unstuck from the loop of boundary burnout and thrive in their breastfeeding & weaning. 

In this episode I take you through the different methods I tried, what worked and what didn't, and why  - which I hope will help you be able to sort through what support options will work best for you and your family! 

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