As I gathered my thoughts for an Earth Month and infant feeding installment, I got an email notification that Valerie McClain had published something new on her Substack. Of course I hurried over, because her pieces are always illuminating. She writes in Standing on the Precipice:  “We are self-destructing on our Mother Earth, and she may be the last woman standing amidst the rubble and miles of corpses.” Photo by Tatiana Syrikova: https://www.pexels.com/photo/anonymous-little-kid-touching-tree-with-hand-3932861/ In all of the pieces and years past that we have covered the connections bet ..read more

This week, I’m coming to you with some sort of ramble, an entry of things that have brought me joy over the last few weeks, all breast-related of course. Wrought iron (assumed unintentional) breasts on Milwaukee building To begin, a dear friend recently messaged me to share about a date she’d been on. She and the guy got on the topic of breastfeeding; she told him about how a mom’s body and baby’s saliva communicate to influence antibodies.  “He shared [the info] with a friend who said she was going to switch to pumping her six month old because he got teeth,” she told me. “I was like wow ..read more

More awesome graphics at: https://stores.praeclaruspress.com/free-posters-and-graphics/ Johanna Sargeant’s BA, BEd, IBCLC Mastering Lactation Conversations: Creating Successful and Achievable Care Plans is an excellent reminder of compassionate and effective counseling. Early in her presentation, Sargeant unpacks the perception that lactation care providers (LCP) can sometimes desire breastfeeding “success” more than the clients themselves. As LCPs, it can be easy to get wrapped up in checklists and targets and “perfect” latches, forgetting about the complexity of the human experience and how ..read more

Spring can be an especially busy time for pregnant and parenting teens. There’s prom, Easter egg hunts, Eid al-Fitr, Holi, Passover and other festivities,  the summer school enrollment process, all alongside their typical school responsibilities. Then there’s the excitement of pending graduation for some.  Nurse Michelle and Nurse Ashlee Michelle Alkinburgh, BSN, RN and Ashlee Anzalone, RN, health care coordinators at the Racine Unified School District’s School Age Parenting Program (SAPAR), recently completed the Lactation Counselor Training Course (LCTC) in an effort to further sup ..read more

Towbin admires her grandchild in this recent photo. Many of Lucy Ellen Towbin’s, LCSW endeavors are defined by nourishment. By the time she was two, Towbin was producing art and as she has continued to make multimedia art into her 70s, she nourishes her Self. As the eldest of four children, Towbin helped provide for her younger siblings in their childhood. In her 30s, as a new mother,  she nourished her children.  As a social worker and lactation care provider, she supported other dyads in their infant feeding efforts. Later, Towbin started a business (which has since been sold) that ..read more

[Photo by Andrea Piacquadio]We consider ourselves life-long learners here at Healthy Children Project. Sometimes learning occurs gradually, and sometimes there are the ‘light bulb’ moments. We put a call out to our followers to share “Aha!” moments with us. Maybe it was a myth busted during the Lactation Counselor Training Course (LCTC) or maybe it happened during a visit with a dyad. We also called for stories about your babies’ and children’s ‘light bulb’ moments. When have you seen your little ones’ faces light up in discovery and understanding? The call for stories is still open! Please se ..read more

Photo by Greta Hoffman A friend recently told me, “I vowed to never use the word ‘diet’ in front of my daughter.” She explained how as she was growing up, her mother was fixated on dieting, and how that affected her relationship with food and her body image. I sympathized. My grandmother was a model, and I grew up in a ballet school, so body image was always at the forefront of my existence. My friend and I discussed the challenge of modeling healthy eating for our kids when we ourselves have been inflicted with such detrimental habits; things like eating in secrecy and restricting calories.&n ..read more

Photo by Aykut Eke on Unsplash The peafowl is a bird known for attracting attention. Whether flaunting their colorful, unfurled plumage or delivering a resounding cry, peafowl are undoubtedly expressive, insistent creatures. Occasionally, when Healthy Children Project’s Carin Richter, RN, MSN, APN-BC, IBCLC, CCBE hosts Lactation Counselor Training Course (LCTC) competencies from her Florida home, a curious peacock will poke its head into the frame of the video call demanding attention from her and the participants.  “The big inquisitive bird insists on being part of the session on br ..read more

Apryl Yearout, a school psychologist in Washington state, uses her body in powerful ways. For one, Yearout, known as Ariel Pain on the roller derby track, competes as a full contact skater excelling as both a jammer and a blocker. Used with permission. Yearout was drawn to roller derby well over a decade ago because of the “incredible community” it offered her. “I heard ‘I’m proud of you’ and ‘good job’ more than I ever had,” she reflects. “It’s physically demanding and makes you feel strong and capable.” In another manifestation of her power, Yearout birthed and breastfed her two daughters. Y ..read more

— “…Breastfeeding isn’t about ‘success’ or ‘goals’ — it’s a human experience.” — Mitchell’s son captures her on the job. Used with permission: https://www.instagram.com/p/CuN_G35Rc0h/ Katrina B. Mitchell, MD, IBCLC, PMH-C, FACS, a breast surgeon, lactation consultant, and perinatal mental health provider in Santa Barbara, Cali., went back to work at five weeks postpartum. “Looking back…I have no idea how I did this,” she reflects.  “I know this is still far better than migrant workers on the central coast of California, who may not even have a week to recover.” In part, Dr. Mitchell recog ..read more