This week we are bringing Melissa from @pharmomacist back on the show. If you haven’t already, be sure to go back and listen to episode 7 where her and I talk about medications for mom. Today we are talking about thrush. We cover everything from the risk factors, to treatment options, to how it affects pumping moms.

Thrush can oftentimes be misdiagnosed and mistreated. Melissa shares what signs and symptoms you should be looking for if you think you might have thrush. She also talks about how to differentiate between thrush or if baby just has a poor latch. We even cover what the best treatment options are and why it is so important to treat mom and baby at the same time.

This episode is so insightful. I can honestly say I learned so much from it. I’ve never had thrush but Melissa not only brings her personal experience of having it twice but also her professional lens as a pharmacist. We hope this episode helps you rule out whether or not what you're going through is thrush and how to best handle it if it is.

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Pictures of Thrush Nipples

Kelly Mom Thrush and Breast Milk

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Happy World Breastfeeding Week! Today we are talking all about what World Breastfeeding Week is and why I feel a lot of pressure around this week.

Did you know that every year there is a different theme for World Breastfeeding Week? I share what this year’s theme is and why it is so important. I answer questions on what your rights are as an employee if you are breastfeeding. We cover tips on what to do if your employer gives you push back. I even share my thoughts on how often you should be pumping at work and what to wear to make yourself the most comfortable while you are pumping.

I hope you are able to navigate your back to work breastfeeding experience well. And I want this episode to help you feel more confident as you navigate this journey!

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Fact Sheet #73: FLSA Protections for Employees to Pump Breast Milk at Work

bemybreastfriends Pumping On The Go Shopping Guide

Zomee Collection Cup alternative to Legendairy Milk Collection Cup
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Today we have a very special guest, Jacquie from @pumpedupmama. She is a registered nurse who worked in oncology for seven years. After giving birth to her son, and struggling with her own breastfeeding journey, she became super passionate about helping other moms with their breastfeeding journeys and became a certified lactation consultant.

Jacquie and I both have a history of exclusive pumping and we’ve both had to deal with judgment from others when it comes to how we feed our babies. And that’s exactly what we’re talking all about in this episode!

Whenever you have any kind of presence online you are opening up yourself to those negative comments from the trolls. Jacquie teaches us how to respond in the nicest way possible. She shares how to answer when someone might ask why you chose pumping over just putting baby to the breast. Jacquie also explains that some people may choose exclusive pumping for reasons that we can’t even understand. And that’s okay too. I even share my story of when I received my first negative comment on my @bemybreastfriend account and how that impacted me.

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend who you know could benefit from listening too!

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Article - Responding to Criticism

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I’m a little nervous about this episode. I feel like I always burst a few balloons when I talk about this topic but today we are talking about lactation massagers and why they do NOT drive your milk supply.

However, I do like lactation massagers and I explain what I DO think they are useful for. I share my story of how I got started using massagers and how long I used them with each child(ren).

In today’s market there are so many different massagers you can choose from. That’s where I want to be helpful. I want to help you make a wise decision on where you want to put your faith and money when it comes to investing in massagers.

I break down six different massagers and explain the pros and cons of each. See the link below for a more detailed blog post on each of the massagers mentioned in today’s episode.

**Towards the beginning of this episode I state, “Lactation isn’t driven by milk supply.” I mean to say, “Lactation isn’t driven by massagers.”

Blog Post - Comparison of Six Lactation Massagers

Click Here for 10% off at LaVie on my preferred lactation massagers! Discount comes off at checkout ✨

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Lies, lies, and more lies! Today is part two of our milk regulation chat and we’re discussing what your ideal source of primary removal should look like. I might be bursting your bubble with today’s episode but I share why mobile cups should not be your primary source of removal.

I explain what using mobile cups as your primary source of removal can lead to and I share what I do recommend using them for instead. I walk you through what removables I recommend for a typical day of pumping and mobile cups are included in this schedule. 

Ever wondered what the difference between a traditional pump and a mobile one is? Well, I tell you all about that. And I share what you should look for when considering  buying a pump. 

We bust some myths around hands on massaging, chat about whether or not you can take your primary pump, pair it with a set of cups and make that your primary source of removal. 

I hope all of this information helps you dial in on why cups aren’t ideal for primary removal!

Motif Aura Chit Chat

Zomee and Legendiary Milk Cup Comparison

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The hilarious and wonderful Tamari Jacob is back on the show today! She was a part of the original launch of this podcast, episode two, and we’re so excited to have her back. If you are not familiar with Tamari, she is the face behind @onewiththepump on Instagram.

Today we are talking all about flanges. Tamari shares how when she first started pumping she didn’t even know that there were different size flanges, she would just use whatever came in the box. And I’m sure many of you can relate.

We discuss each of our thoughts on whether or not we think first time moms should go with LacTeck or hard plastic flanges. And we chat about how we both use a different approach when it comes to measuring for the correct flange size. Although each of our approaches is different, they both get great results.

We want you to know that if you are experiencing any discomfort at all, or maybe you’re just wondering if the pumping experience can be better for you, we want you to reach out to either or both of us! We are here to help!

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Tamari’s YouTube

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Tamari's Free Printable Ruler


Kristen's Nipple Blog Post - Elastic Tissue and Damage Control

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We’ve got Becky Bernstein of @the_bernstein_brood on with us today. Becky is a pediatric nurse practitioner, a CLC, and an IBCLC. She has four kids ranging in age from eight to three and a half year old twins. We are talking about traveling with your breast milk. We cover everything from fresh milk to frozen milk, to traveling by car or plane, and even dry ice. You name it, we’ve got you covered!

Becky and I both share personal experiences we’ve had traveling through different airports and how the requests we’ve made have or have not been met depending on the TSA agent we’ve gotten. We walk you through the whole process of traveling through the airport with breast milk. We answer some of your  hottest questions that came in via Instagram including how you can prepare for worst case scenarios while traveling, if there is a limit to the amount of breast milk you can travel with, and whether or not a pump bag is considered a carry on.

Throughout this episode we constantly stress the importance of advocating for yourself. We encourage you to make those requests and to not be afraid to stand up for yourself when it comes to your hard earned breast milk!

Picture of the vapor test on the Ceres Chill

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We have Courtney Olson from @lactationchat back on the show today. Last time we had Courtney on the show she spoke all about how to get your supply back after illness. Today we’re taking it a whole different direction and talking more about her other specialty as a SLP and helping you navigate the world of bottles.

Courtney helps us figure out how to choose the best bottle to help benefit your baby's motor skills. She explains how the mechanics of bottle feeding and breastfeeding are very different but there are some bottles on the market that promote similar oral motor skills to what baby would be doing while they’re directly nursing. We also go into the very hot topic of nipple confusion and how it is often brought up as an argument against bottle feeding.

After listening to today’s episode you’ll be able to put it in your back pocket and use it when you are due to start bottle shopping for your baby!


EvenFlo Balance Plus 4 ounce Standard Neck Bottles

Parents Choice Standard Neck Slow Flow Bottle

Lansinoh Bottles

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Today we have Allegra Gast back on the show. If you haven’t listened to episode 5 yet, be sure to go back and listen. Allegra was our guest on that episode where we talked about the hair tissue mineral test I had done about a month ago. We briefly touched my results but today we break it down a little further and get into more insight on what this test concluded for me.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Allegra, she is a registered dietitian and international board certified lactation consultant. She has her own virtual private practice called Aloha Nutrition. Allegra has a huge passion for postpartum moms to feel good. She is also the face behind the Instagram account @aloha.nutrition.

In today’s episode I share why I was hesitant to spend money on this test and who it was that convinced me to do so. As a mom of four, I kept telling myself I should spend the money on my kids. But I’m so glad I did it. The changes that I’ve implemented since receiving the results from my hair test have me feeling like a million bucks!

Allegra goes over what the hair test is and why it is superior to a urine or blood test. She goes over my depletions and what recommendations she had to help me start feeling better. I even go over how I got so emotional when she was going over my results with me.

If you’re interested in doing this test yourself, be sure to tune in to today’s episode to hear about when Allegra will be offering it to the public next! You’re not going to want to miss out on this opportunity!

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Free Mineral Guide


HTMA Waitlist

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It’s just me, Kristen, coming at you this week and we are laying down the fundamentals of lactation. Now I know this topic might seem boring but in this episode I explain why it is so important to have an understanding, a good baseline, and a nice foundation on what goes into lactation.

We get into what drives your supply, what regulates it, and what is going to keep us where we want to be with our production if that’s what we want to do. I answer questions on how long it takes your body to regulate its supply in postpartum. If you’re exclusively pumping you may produce an oversupply and I dive into why this happens. Have you ever wondered how often you should really be pumping if you’re newly postpartum? Don’t worry I’ve got you covered!

This is just part one of my regulation chats so be sure to stay tuned for more conversations around this ever so important topic!

Prolactin Study

IG Reel - 4 Signs That My Milk Supply Has Regulated

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