Blog posts
Evidence-Based Resources
photo from the CDC Media Center
Table of Contents for all blog posts
Combat Misinformation and learn more info about
lactation, weaning, gentle sleep, parenting, podcasts,
Instagram pages, YouTube channels and more.
Sleep
Trust your instincts - babies wanting to be with you is normal! These resources balance the challenges of the normalcy of loss of sleep with evidence-based info about human sleep. Let’s live in a world that says “hey, infants wake up a lot and that’s normal, but it’s also tiring so let’s support each other” (a much better message than “I can fix your baby”, or your baby “should sleep x hours” (no baby is the same!)).
Sweet Sleep by Diane Weissinger and Diana West
Safe Infant Sleep by James McKenna (and his website - James McKenna Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory)
The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley
Babywearing and Nursing in Baby Carriers
Videos by Rachel Ullman
Putting on a Moby Wrap by Holly Hill and by Rachel Ullman (also on her youtube channel above)
Starting Solid Foods
Eating/chewing solid foods aids/continues oral development and widening the jaw/palate over time - to help with not only eating more complex foods over time, but also improving oral function for other purposes including speech, airway development, sleep and more. Here are some of my favorite resources for getting ready for this exciting new chapter!
Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro and Solid Starts have many resources - here are just a few specific ones, and feel free to look around the sites for more!
What is baby led weaning article
6-7 month old babies podcast episode
8-9 month old babies podcast episode
10-11 month old babies podcast episode
12 month old babies podcast episode
What comes after 12 months podcast episode
Introducing allergenic foods podcast episode
Solid Starts Instagram page
Nursing Older Babies and Toddlers
Lovely Instagram videos by Emma Picket - Q&A about weaning and When your child is distressed while weaning
Mothering your Nursing Toddler (great book but it was published in 2000 so some ideas may be “behind the times”
Weaning
The Nursing Mother’s Guide to Weaning (published 2010)
How Weaning Happens (published 1999, some some ideas may be somewhat behind the times, but still be a great book overall)
Mothering your Nursing Toddler (published 2000, so some ideas may be somewhat behind the times, but still be a great book overall)
There are also many books written for kids to introduce weaning - here are just a few:
https://www.amazon.com/Loving-Comfort-Toddler-Weaning-Story/dp/0692847367/
https://www.amazon.com/Nursies-When-Sun-Shines-nightweaning/dp/0615756425/
https://www.amazon.com/Booby-Moon-toddlers-Creating-experience/dp/0473581493/
And more books about nursing (including weaning here) - https://www.instagram.com/p/CgFVTtZpIWe/
Medications
Too often people are told to “pump and dump” or avoid a medication that is actually safe. There are many evidence-based resources on my Medications and Lactation page, including links to databases where you can look up specific medications, info about alcohol, cannabis, caffeine and much more.
Induced Lactation and Re-Lactation
For Adoptive parents, Surrogate Parents, Induced and Co-lactation for Queer Parents, Induced Lactation for Trans and Intersex people, as well as Re-lactation and Back-to-Breast for Birthing Parents whose supplies have recently waned.
There are a variety of protocols for inducing lactation - from starting many months ahead of time and using medications to aid glandular tissue activation, to using pumping and/or at-breast supplementing anytime to stimulate supply. Here are many helpful resources to hlep you choose the right path for you:
Alyssa Schnell, MS, IBCLC is a wealth of information for this topic. In addition to offering personalize consults to help you choose the right protocol for your family, she also offers many other excellent resources:
Her excellent book Breastfeeding Without Birthing
DomHub - designed for both parents and professionals, it offers “scientific evidence for the safe and effective use of domperidone for increasing lactation”
Her amazing podcast Breastfeeding Outside the Box
An article she wrote for La Leche League
And, here are more resources with various protocols to induce lactation:
Low Milk Supply
Low Milk Supply website, and their excellent book Making More Milk
Oral ties (tongue, lip and cheek)
So much to learn! See my pages on Ties, Part I (learning more), and Ties, Part II (my baby is likely tied - what now?)
General Lactation and Infant Feeding Info
Kelly Mom - extensive parenting and breastfeeding resources on a wide variety of topics.
Droplet - breastfeeding, pumping, hand expression, research info and more. In English or Spanish.
La Leche League - articles, links to local support groups and much more.
MOBI Motherhood International (extensive list of breastfeeding resources - low supply, tongue/lip ties, sensory issues, dealing with fast flow, dealing with slow flow, baby's oral-motor skills, and so much more)
Parenting books
How to Talk so Kids will listen, and Listen so Kids will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish - these authors have many books - like Siblings Without Rivalry, and many more - all great!
The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff
Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn
Let me know others that you love!
YouTube Channels
The Untethered Podcast (ties, airway and more)
Podcasts
Websites are linked here, but you can also find them on podcast apps.
Babies in Common - birth, pregnancy and and post-partum
The Double Shift - working parents
The Longest Shortest Time - parenting
Coffee and Cosleeping (Instagram page - from their link you can get to the podcast, their Facebook group and more
Untethered - tongue ties, airway and more (babies through adults)
Babyled Weaning Made Easy - resources for starting solids and beyond. There are many episodes, I recommend starting by scrolling to the earliest ones, listen to the basics and then look around for more specific topics