Blog & Podcast
From Barbara: People often ask me what are the differences between breastmilk and formula? The short answer: a million. The long answer: are you ready for a whole lot of science? Often I will write about the benefits of breastfeeding but often people will say, “but I was formula fed (or I formula fed my …
From Nancy: Green poop? Baby poop is high on many new parents’ worry list. How often should baby poop? Does baby’s poop provide clues to how breastfeeding is going? What do color and consistency mean? When should you worry? Normal Color and Consistency Baby’s first stools are the black and tarry meconium that was in …
In this episode, Barbara Robertson and Nancy Mohrbacher review recommendations and outcomes of parental leave policies around the world. Paid parental leave varies by country, but the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) has issued a new position statement for maternity leave guidelines, recommending at least 6 months of paid leave. Nancy and Barbara dive into …
From Nancy: Time and nursing? The clock looms large in the lives of many nursing families. When a new baby is born, some parents are told or make assumptions about: How many minutes their baby should nurse How long their baby should be satisfied between feedings The longest stretch of time their baby should sleep …
Working and breastfeeding! We have another parent interview episode! We were thrilled when Alicia reached out to us from across the country to offer to share different parts of her feeding journey with baby Grant, especially factors related to returning to work and breastfeeding. We discussed Grant’s week-long nursing strike soon after Alicia returned to …
Jaundice and Hypoglycemia Did you know there are new guidelines for diagnosing and treating jaundice and infant hypoglycemia? In this episode, Barbara Robertson and Nancy Mohrbacher discuss updates to the clinical practice guidelines for safe bilirubin levels and when babies might need intervention. Nancy and Barbara review why bilirubin levels are important and some of …
From Barbara: Breastfeeding and Medications Breastfeeding and medications can cause a lot of confusion! Many parents are told they cannot nurse while taking certain medications but this is often not true. Listen to our podcast to learn more! We will discuss how medications can possibly get into breast/chestmilk, a process called diffusion, FYI, and what …
From Nancy: Clicking during nursing? What does it mean? When a baby makes clicking sounds while nursing, parents often worry. Is this a sign of a major problem? Should they be concerned? No matter what the cause, if nursing is comfortable, baby is otherwise healthy and gaining weight normally, clicking may not be a problem. …
From Barbara: How are NEC and breastfeeding connected? They aren’t really. But NEC and formula feeding are. A jury on Friday, July 21st, 2024, found that Abbott Laboratories’ specialized formula for premature infants caused an Illinois girl to develop a dangerous bowel disease, and ordered the healthcare company to pay $495 million in damages. “Illinois …
From Nancy: What Does It Mean to ‘Use You as a Pacifier? Nursing parents are commonly warned: “Don’t let your baby use you as a pacifier.” Although often said, this is an incredibly curious statement. After all, which came first, nursing or the pacifier? Nursing, of course, long predates the pacifier (aka “dummy”), a man-made …