This episode has been a long time coming...and not just because human infants feeding on mothers' milk has been a thing since the dawn of time (ish)! This week, Jenn sits down with Marie Van Blaricum, founder and CEO of Milk & Fire, to debunk the myths of this very human experience. From her own challenges of an infant with food allergies to the Covid-19 pandemic and more, Jenn and Marie answer your burning questions—the ones moms google at 2am. Whether you had your kids already, may have kids in the future or simply know people with the potential to birth babies, listen in. It's another area of women's health discussed too little. Until now...    

Outline:

• Welcome back & intro today's topic
• Meet Marie Van Blaricum, founder & CEO of Milk & Fire
• Marie's story
• The lack of research & information for postpartum moms
• Why we don't have research to answer our questions
• Profit
• Challenges of controlled environments
• Lack of support for postpartum women in the US
• Gender disparity in science
• Major myths around breastfeeding & mothers' milk
• Diet & diet's ability to increase supply
• Supply changes throughout the day & baby waking at night
• "It should be easy"
• Our best source of information
• A pressure to breastfeed
• Formula as a really important invention
• The movement toward formula in the 1980s 
• Working moms
• Intergenerational support
• Answers for the 2am Google search
• Nutrient transfer to baby
• Antibodies transfer to baby generally and with Covid-19
• Burning calories from breastfeeding
• What to expect for supply & what questions to ask the pediatrician
• Storage & shelf-life
• Fear of suffocating baby
• How long a nursing session can take
• For how long to keep breastmilk as part of a child's nutrition?
• Managing expectations
• Breastmilk banks, donating & more
• The mission of Milk & Fire
• What to track in this new year
• How we're taught to cope with emotions...by eating
• The emotional pantry
• What it is
• Past beliefs
• Current triggers
• The way you view food
• Shifting the power
• Triggers, learned habits, current circumstances
• Dismantling "what I eat is who I am"
• Tools to clean your emotional pantry
• Starting point
• The path - trial & error, journaling, photos
• Replacing negative thoughts
• The bird perspective
• How to believe you know your body best

Links:

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Quotes:

"It's endemic in the US, being ill-informed about postpartum, postpartum health and especially about breastfeeding ." – Marie Van Blaricum

"52% of maternal deaths happen up to a year postpartum and 2/3 of those deaths are considered preventable causes."  – Marie Van Blaricum

"Every baby and mother's relationship is different and it's not necessarily easy."  – Marie Van Blaricum

"This is a personal choice between you and your child. Every situation is different." – Marie Van Blaricum

"Breastmilk composition changes when the baby is ill or fighting something off."  – Marie Van Blaricum

"Nursing moms are athletes!"  – Marie Van Blaricum 

"Let your body lead the way."  – Marie Van Blaricum

"There's a national shortage of mothers' milk...it's not just food, it's medicine."  – Marie Van Blaricum