Breezy Breastfeeding

Ah, day 3 of your newborn's life. Whether this is your first baby or not, newborn behavior is quite different so parents often feel like "new" parents again. Reminders of what to expect day 3 are helpful! Along with day 1, and day 2, here is your guide for how to breastfeed your newborn at 3 days old. You likely went home from the hospital yesterday. Or will today. This means no more daily weights and nurses. There are a few things that are particularly helpful to know about breastfeeding...

One of the reasons I recommend checking in with a lactation consultant is because newborns and breastfeeding change... by the week... by the day... by the hour! I don't expect someone to be able to pick up on all the little details and remember the changes for that day. Those details often are exactly what the lactation consultant is looking for to determine if breastfeeding is going super smooth or if it could use some tweaks. Day 1 and day 2 of your newborn's life are great examples of...

Let’s walk through what breastfeeding the first week might look like. I am intentionally not saying “what you need to know the first week” because you don’t NEED anything. Plenty of people around the word breastfeed without knowing any of this. You’ve got this! Let’s talk about some things that might be helpful. Right after delivery Right after baby is born, he will likely be placed on your stomach. If you had a natural birth and you’re in a different position, then once you feel ready, pick...

Happy Fall Reader! I want to talk about generosity and how it multiplies itself. That makes sense with everything we know about how God works. And we know we'll never be more generous than God is. You might typically think of generosity as giving someone a physical gift or money. But we can be generous with our time. We can be generous with our patience. We can be generous with our smiles, our hugs, our empathy, our hospitality. When someone feels our generosity, without even realizing it,...

Hi Reader! We’ve talked about peace. We’ve discussed joy. Another thing that is really helpful for loving your motherhood is… (Drumroll, please) Flexibility. One of the most difficult and frequent scenarios in motherhood is that things don’t go the way you thought they would. Some examples: You lay baby down for a nap and plan to clean up the giant mess you made in the kitchen. (Or whatever your plans are: tackle the laundry, get some work done on the computer, work-out, weed the garden,...

Hi Reader! Do you sometimes lack joy? I was at women's event at my church a few years ago praying about how I had been lacking joy lately. My kids were 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1. Instead of delighting in them and the excited way they see the world, I was irritated and short with them. I couldn't pinpoint the cause of my persistently grumpy mood. I asked God to help me and to gift me the grace to grow in joy. One part of the weekend had us opening up our Bible to find any verse we wanted. I opened...

Hi Reader! Is it possible to have peace in this world? I don't like when people are unnecessarily stressed. I actually find it irksome. This is probably a place I should grow in charity but that's a topic for another day! Jesus said there would be trouble, but he also promised peace. The peace that comes with Jesus is not dependent upon circumstances. Jesus said: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or...

Are you ready for it? Are you struggling to get the laundry done, engage with your kids, and cook dinner? Do you feel like you’re drowning in to-do’s and can’t keep up? I have a spectacular secret to becoming more efficient and being able to get WAY more done in your day. Even when you take time to hold your sweet babe and walk your toddler to the park. Here’s the thing, though. The internet really doesn’t want you to know this. So, a lot of time and money goes into you not learning this...

One of the reasons I recommend checking in with a lactation consultant is because newborns and breastfeeding change… by the week… by the day… by the hour! I don’t expect someone to be able to pick up on all the little details and remember the changes for that day. Those details often are exactly what the lactation consultant is looking for to determine if breastfeeding is going super smooth or if it could use some tweaks. Day 1 and day 2 of your newborn’s life are great examples of this....