Pregnancy is both exciting and confusing, especially if you’re a first-time mom-to-be. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the labor and delivery part of the action and many moms spend so much time focusing on bringing baby into the world that they forget about the rest. But once the delivery is done and you have a new little love in your hands, absolutely everything changes. For many moms, one of the most time-consuming and all-encompassing postpartum tasks is breastfeeding. A newborn baby ...

We all know that breastmilk is produced naturally by mommas, starting as early as pregnancy. But most of us don’t know that it actually has superpowers. From being able to help baby fight off viruses and bacteria to actually raising their IQ, giving your little one their daily doses of magic milk is a lot more beneficial than you might think. The advantages don’t stop at baby either. Studies have shown that breastfeeding mommas lose weight faster, have less bleeding and an easier recove...

On today’s show, we are talking about an issue that’s been in the spotlight quite a bit lately. You might have heard about the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021, a collection of 12 bills introduced by several members of Congress and the Black Maternal Health Caucus to comprehensively address every dimension of the black maternal health crisis in America. Here’s a scary fact. We live in the richest country on the globe, yet the U.S. has the highest rate of maternal deaths in the...

Breastfeeding is tough enough, but what happens when there are two mouths to feed? Whether it’s twins or two babies at different ages, juggling the supply and demand of double duty is a whole new world. So how exactly do you do it? What is the ideal set-up for feeding? How can you be sure that both babes are getting enough of your good stuff? Let’s find out. With us for today's show is Indianapolis-based International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Aimbriel Lasley. In addition to...

This week the doctor is in the house! Dr. Matthew Saidel is here to tell us all the things we should be asking about breastfeeding well before the baby comes. Most moms forget to talk to their OB’s about breastfeeding and it’s not that surprising if you think about it. Being pregnant takes up a lot of mental space and it’s hard to get focused on anything that comes after labor and delivery. But here at Nest Collaborative, we are huge advocates of prenatal planning for breastfeeding beca...

The first few weeks with a new baby are so precious - and also SO DARN HARD. For mom, it’s a time of healing as well as a whole new beginning. Life becomes about getting to know rhythms, establishing routines, and building a relationship with someone who has lived inside of you for a whole nine months. The “fourth trimester”, as we call it, is one of extremes - complete exhaustion matched only by utter adoration for this new tiny human being that has now completely taken over your life. But t...

What's with mom guilt, anyway? As women, we are made to think that we should have this mothering stuff down to a science and that it should all come naturally. This holds especially true with breastfeeding. There are so many things that can go wrong and yet we are expected to know what we are doing even if we’ve never done it before. Hence the guilt, right? According to the CDC, as many as four out of five moms start out breastfeeding, but only half are breastfeeding by six month...

As we all know, being a new mom is tough. There are no two ways about it. Trying to figure out how to care for a newborn or multiple babies while staying sane, semi-clean, and at least slightly human is something almost all of us have had to grapple with. But for a certain very special group of women, trying to figure out the nuances of motherhood has its own unique set of challenges. So my question for today is: How do you balance the active-duty of being a new mom when you’re li...

Hello Mommas and Mommas-To-Be! This week on the podcast we’re talking about what we like to call “Breastfeeding 2.0”. Have you ever wondered why motherhood in general and breastfeeding, in particular, attracts so many wives’ tales and generational remedies? From cabbage leaves to drinking beer, many of the “helpful hints” we get for breastfeeding is actually age-old advice passed down through the decades. In a world that is completely dictated by technology, this seems a bit at odds wit...

One of the most common misconceptions we hear at Nest Collaborative is how natural and effortless the feeding bond between mama and baby is supposed to be. But more often than not, it simply isn’t the case. Here we are at the beginning stages of breastfeeding - awkwardly fumbling through, trying to figure it all out. But after a few days and weeks, it should get better right? In theory, yes. But what if it doesn’t? You may have heard the term “tongue-tie”, which seems to be the phrase d...

This week we are unlocking some of the mysteries behind one aspect of new motherhood that can be completely overwhelming and, for some, downright freaky. Welcome to the wonderful world of breast pumps! First, let’s take a look at some numbers. If you think you’re the only one with pumping on the mind, you’re wrong. Breast pumps are a $1 billion dollar industry with 85% of breastfeeding women using one at some stage of their journey. While the whole concept of pumping feels completely fo...

Well momma, you did It! You got through labor and delivered this perfect little baby. After a day or two, you’re on your way home from the hospital or you're getting settled in after a home birth, only just realizing that you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing! That's what we are going to talk about today. How can you be prepared to breastfeed your newborn when you get settled back Into your everyday environment? What can you expect in those first days and weeks? What should you look o...

Our topic for this week is something that’s absolutely crucial to successful breastfeeding, yet completely mystifying to most new moms. Today we’re talking about the latch and the hold - two terms that you might not have heard of until just recently, if at all. These actions are the ties that bind momma and baby from day one. So how can something so simple and natural be so complicated at the same time? When you feed your baby for the first time, two things will effectively make things ...

This week we’re diving into the economics of breastfeeding, a little something we like to call supply and demand. What most moms don’t know when they start their breastfeeding journey is that their bodies are already prepared to produce and supply enough breastmilk to meet their baby’s every nutritional need for the first several months of his or her life. It’s just one of the things that makes motherhood so completely awe-inspiring. Of course, while that ability is deeply ingrai...

Make no mistake, breastfeeding is hard. It’s one of the things that most people won’t tell you about when you’re pregnant. Most moms think that breastfeeding is "natural" and that it will come easy, but if you think about it, how could it? As a momma, you’ve never done this before. Your baby is in the same boat. So how can we possibly think that the feeding bond will be a beautiful, instant connection? Welcome to "Breastfeeding Unplugged," a podcast brought to you by Nest Collaborative. Every...