Lack of helpful support is the real problem.

I receive daily news alerts about three topics related to my work as a lactation consultant. The three topics are breastfeeding, formula, human milk, and lactation. Today’s alert about breastfeeding included an article entitled,  “I felt rage. What happened when I traded my sanity for milk. What happened when I breastfed despite the pain.” https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/jan/10/traded-sanity-for-milk-breastfed-despite-the-pain.. read more →

We need a new health services delivery system. ASAP!!

Today, I listened to an episode of Kimberly Seals Allers’ podcast, Birthright. https://birthrightpodcast.com/podcast/season-2-episode-10-finding-joy-for-black-birth-workers-black-doulas-speak-out/ In it, Black doulas from across the country describe a situation that I experienced myself just this morning, in a TennCareConnect webinar about Tennessee medicaid’s new reimbursement process for lactation counselors and consultants. Both the podcast and the webinar reminded me of 1989,.. read more →

May 14, 2022 March for Choice

Today was a sunny and warm May Saturday.  I dusted off the button I wore 50 years ago in my first protest marches, and put it on my hat. I had saved the button for half a century, thinking that my kids would be interested in a relic of the ancient, restrictive past. I never.. read more →

Postpone jury duty for breastfeeding.

In 1975 and again in 1990, I was summoned for jury duty. At those times, I was also breastfeeding my babies. There was no way I could leave my babies to give my full attention to a trial. I would have had to leave the trial every few hours to take milk out. This would.. read more →

Long-Acting Reversible Contraception

A paragraph from this recent study jumped out at me:  ( Pearlman Shapiro, Marit et al. “Breastfeeding and contraception counseling: a qualitative study.” BMC pregnancy and childbirth vol. 22,1 154. 25 Feb. 2022, doi:10.1186/s12884-022-04451-2) “Among women who attended a prenatal visit at Montefiore, more than one-third did not return for a postpartum visit, highlighting a.. read more →

Reaction without reflection makes a mess.

Dr. Fiona Jardine edits neuropsychological assessment reports about children. She sometimes uses  a template called “Twice Exceptionality” when writing about children with high intelligence and ADHD. How I wish I had known this about myself before now. “Twice exceptionality means that because of the child’s high intellectual abilities, she tends to intellectualize and verbalize information.. read more →