While there is nothing inherently wrong with appreciating the beauty of a woman’s body, this single focus can make things confusing when a woman breastfeeds. When you have only experienced your breasts as sexual, breastfeeding can lead to some conflicting feelings. 

There is a wide range of what is normal in terms of your sexuality after you have a baby. Some women do not feel the return of sexual desire for many months or even years after childbirth. Some women wait impatiently for their caregiver to give them the go-ahead to engage sexually again. No matter where you fall on this spectrum, sexuality will most likely become part of your life. If you and your partner have enjoyed your breasts as part of your sexual experience in the past, incorporating your lactating breasts into your sex life is a new experience that requires patience, clear communication, and a sense of humor.

I want to take time out and acknowledge all the awesome dads out there. Today's post is dedicated to the beautiful men in our lives. We will explore loving ways to communicate and how you can include and involve your partner in meaningful ways during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) pronounced Sin-sish-ul is a common viral infection.  It can be mild with cold like symptoms lasting 1-2 weeks, or it may require hospitalization.  In fact, RSV is the number 1 reason babies are hospitalized each year. There are outbreaks every fall through spring. The vast majority of babies under 2 years old will get RSV.  Fortunately only 2% of babies with RSV will need a high level of care.

Learn about how to manage mild to moderate RSV symptoms at home with naturally with herbal remedies. Also learn about high risk infants that may require hospitalization.

In many ways, the first days and weeks with your new baby are just the two of you—mama and baby, learning each other and figuring out your new normal. Sure, there are usually others around. Your partner, grandparents, maybe baby’s siblings. But it’s hardly “breastfeeding in public.”

There’s something of a bubble around mama and baby. No matter what’s going on around you, there’s always going to be a different sort of bond between the two of you. The rest of the world fades away. For awhile, as you’re resting and recovering from birth, it really can be just the two of you. But eventually, the baby moon will end and you’ll need to venture into the outside world, and that’s when the question of breastfeeding in public arises.

All birth is beautiful, and no two births are alike. Similarly, healing in the postpartum phase is unique to each mama, baby, and birthing experience. C-sections are often overlooked in this. Now that you are home with your baby, knowing how to heal and recover from a cesarean section as you step into the new territory of motherhood is crucial to your well being and wholeness as a woman. 

We all have beautiful lives, and yet we have days when we feel like crap. Some days are better than others. And somedays are so crappy that it's hard to remember that things will turn around and we'll feel better. All the great days and challenging days are temporary. 

I realize that I don't know w the exact problem you are dealing with, and I can't fix or solve the problems. But, I can help you shift your mood. So, on today's episode of Apothecary Wisdom, I will share 25 simple tools that you can use immediately to improve your mood and your perspective.  

We all know the many benefits of breastfeeding for us and our babies. If we all know how healthy breastfeeding is, why is it that 80% of moms start nursing right after birth, and by 3 months, only half are still nursing? Because breastfeeding challenges are real. They keep you up at night, and they hurt! Issues like poor latch, tongue tie, sore nipples, low milk supply, problems with infant weight gain, clogged ducts, and mastitis are painful. They can be incredibly discouraging, especially if the mother does not have a reliable support system to help her through difficult times. 

Today's post is about how to treat clogged milk ducts and prevent mastitis. I'll give you practical midwifery tips that encourage and support you to continue to breastfeed your baby.

Are you one of the millions of breastfeeding moms who are concerned about your milk supply? Do you NEED to increase your supply quickly? Or maintain your supply while you're working? Are you trying to nurse and pump? If so you are in the right place, on today's episode of apothecary wisdom, we will help you boost your supply so you can make a bunch of thick, rich breastmilk that satisfies your baby and stocks your freezer!

Milk supply is possibly the most uncertain, concerning part of feeding our babies. We can't see how much they are drinking, and what we don't know can be worrisome. However, sometimes the concerns about low breastmilk supply are simply that, concerns. Or they are someone else's unfounded worry being put on you. Of course, there are times that our supply is low, and they need to be addressed right away.