Breastfeeding
How new boutique birth center Baby+Company is empowering Denver moms
It is impossible to walk into Baby+Company and not leave inspired. To look at this new boutique birth center in an unassuming strip mall in Wheat Ridge, you’d assume it was just another baby clothing store so I was not prepared for the transformative, even reverent experience the moment I walked in the door. With warm, welcoming colors and a calm atmosphere, Baby+Company could not be more different than a sterile hospital environment. This birth center is about empowerment, education and relationships with the goal of creating a customized care plan based on Mom’s needs. What is Baby+Company? Baby+Company is a growing network of birth centers designed for healthy women with low-risk pregnancies who are looking for an alternative to hospital-b...
Mothers’ Milk Bank: How to Get Involved
For many new moms, the ability to breastfeed their children is a blessing. Some new moms, however, are unable to breastfeed for a variety of reasons. That was the case for Megan Nelson, a breast cancer survivor and mother of two in Arvada. Megan was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer after the birth of her second son, Luke. After undergoing a double mastectomy, Megan was heartbroken that she could not breastfeed Luke as she had with her first son. In order to give Luke his best start in life, Megan relied on donor human milk from Mothers’ Milk Bank (MMB), a Colorado-based program benefitting women and babies nationwide. Now expecting her third son, Megan plans to feed her baby donor human milk from MMB once again. “Being able to provide my sons with donor human milk ...
How a lactation consultant saved my daughter’s life
About 10 months ago, my husband and I were getting ready to welcome our new baby to the world. I remember finishing up my last few days at work before my maternity leave. They were filled with struggling to tie my shoes, fatigue, excitement, and enjoying our lives just being the two of us. We never really thought that adding that one little, sweet, adorable, delicious-smelling baby could effect our lives in so many ways. As soon as Grayce was born we were all aflutter, with hormones making the lack of sleep not so bad. However, we had no idea that Grayce would suffer from a tongue tie, and all those sleepless hours trying to breastfeed would prove pointless as her little tongue was unable to get her any food. We watched her in the weeks to follow go from a normal newbor...
My Breastfeeding Chronicles and How to Support NICU Moms
I was prepared for a lot of things when I became a mom. I had read practically every baby book published and my baby was more stylin’ than the Kardashians thanks to Grandma who’d been buying clothes for years in anticipation of her first grandchild. What I was not prepared for: Guantanamo Bay-level sleep deprivation and The Breastpump (in caps). I’d planned to breastfeed my kids but hadn’t anticipated what a roller-coaster ride it would be. Despite countless lactation consultations in and out of the hospital, neither of my kids ever latched on and I was left feeling frustrated and defeated that I’d never have those tender moments of my child nuzzling up to me. Enter: The Breastpump (still in caps). While in the hospital, I was presented with Medela’s lat...
My 4 Month Old Weaned Himself….But I Wasn’t Ready
Breastfeeding. This word encompasses feelings of attachment, exhaustion, bonding, frustration, love and imprisonment. For some moms, breastfeeding comes easily, others find it more difficult and many choose not to breastfeed at all. After a battle of infertility due to hormone abnormalities, I was relieved that I was able to nurse and become part of the “breastfeeding is easy” group. That is, until our son Declan turned four months old. At first I thought, could it be a cold, teething, four-month regression or is he simply hungry? My sweet baby boy went from happy smiles and sleeping through the night to almost constant crying and waking up 3-4 times a night. After a week my husband and I decided it was time to call the pediatrician and lactation consult. Both said ...
Young vs. Old Mom: Which One Are You?
We women are basically fertile from age 15-45, and there are even some outliers beyond these ages. We have seen pregnancies in girls younger than 15, but that’s a whole other topic. And with the magic of infertility treatments, we also see women older than 45 having babies. In fact, with the magic of accidents, we do see spontaneous pregnancies in women older than 45. That’s just one of those crazy life things where if you wanted to get pregnant after 45, it would be quite difficult. But sure enough, if you are sending your older kids off to college, eagerly awaiting some well-deserved alone time with your spouse (what was his name again?), then KABOOM, you are in the second-highest group of unintended pregnancies after teenagers: perimenopausal women. You’ve just ha...
All About Baby Giveaway: Tray Table Cover, Gutzy Gear and More!
**CONTEST CLOSED.** Star Kids: Play-n-Go Tray Table Cover, Snack & Play Travel Tray Retail Value: $24.99, $19.99 It’s like this company read my mind when developing their travel-friendly kids’ products. Whether you’re hauling the little ones around in the car, on a plane, or down the street, the Snack & Play Travel Tray keeps all of their treats, eats and toys in one place, helping to contain those inevitable drops and spills. And to keep them entertained, the Play-n-Go Tray Table Cover provides a clean surface full of toys and activities. It’s like a portable entertainment center for babies! www.starkidsproducts.com Bobee Diaper and Wipe Dispenser Retail Value: $39.99 If there’s one thing in your nursery that should be simple and organized, it’s the changing table. Bobee makes tha...
Digital tools for the first few months of parenting
Everyone tells you that having a new baby at home is hard, but I did not understand what they meant until ours arrived. The sleep deprivation. The constant nursing. The endless laundry. Did I mention the sleep deprivation? No matter how cute the baby’s dimples or squeezable his thighs, keeping the little creature alive and settling into life with a new family member is grueling. But with today’s digital tools, we have some benefits that our parents and grandparents did not. Here are a few apps, devices and websites to make life a bit easier during those first few months of sleepless nights and days spent cooped up at home.
Mayim Bialik Goes Beyond “Blossom” To Attachment Parent In “Beyond the Sling”
Mayim Bialik, who played the younger Bette Midler in Beaches back in 1988 and was Blossom from 1990-1994, is adding author to her resume with her natural parenting book Beyond the Sling.
Teacher from Jeffco got $40,000 settlement in breast-feeding case
A Jefferson County charter school settled an out-of-court claim for $40,000 with a teacher who says she was fired for pumping breast milk at work. Former K-8 technology instructor Heather Burgbacher filed an intent to sue Rocky Mountain Academy of Evergreen after she was informed in spring 2011 that her contract would not be renewed at the end of the term. The ACLU of Colorado assisted filing the claim under the Colorado Nursing Mothers Act, a 2008 law protecting a woman’s right to continue breast-feeding after returning to work. According to the terms of the settlement reached Sept. 14, RMAE must pay
Report indicates Colorado moms keen on extended breastfeeding
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a nationwide breastfeeding report card Wednesday, showing that Colorado is tops in the nation when it comes to the number of mothers who exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six months of their lives. Nationwide, 16.3 percent of moms are exclusively breastfeeding at six months; in Colorado, the number is 26.6 percent. Public health officials say breastfeeding, not formula, is the most beneficial food for newborns, and the longer they can stay on breast milk, the better it is for their health. And, as the U.S. tries to come to grips with
Editorial: Ignorance on breastfeeding
The recent incident in Englewood in which a mother was chastised for breastfeeding her baby at a public pool largely has centered on questions of modesty. Did she show too much skin? How much is too much? Frankly, it’s maddening to listen to people attempt to impose their own moral codes on a woman engaging in a natural and legal act. She was fully within her rights, as th
