twin olympics.

teach me how to breastfeed.

Another amazing video to inspire you to breastfeed!

Happy National Breastfeeding Awareness Month!!

pictures of boobies.

In honor of National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, I teamed up with Naissance Photography to try to capture the beauty of breastfeeding. This amazing video is the result.

Happy National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, everyone! Get out there and use those boobies! (And capture it on film if you can!)

reasons breastfeeding rocks #4.

Reasons breastfeeding rocks #4: It reduces the risk of SIDS.

SIDS is scary and not entirely understood. For some reason, some babies in the first year go to sleep and just don't wake up. Horrific. Luckily there are a few things you can do to significantly reduce the risk or that happening:

• put your baby to sleep on their back; 
• don't smoke during pregnancy or around baby - or come on now, ever; 
• have baby sleep with their face uncovered, in a safe environment, in the same room or bed as the caregiver for the first six to twelve months; 
• and breastfeed baby if you can.)

Dr. Fern Hauck, MD, of the department of family medicine at the University of Virginia, examined 288 studies on SIDS and breastfeeding from 1966 to 2009. The research showed that for babies who received any amount of breastmilk for any amount of time the risk of SIDS was 60% lower. 60 freaking percent!!! For babies who were breastfed for at least two months, the likelihood of SIDS was 62% lower. For babies who were exclusively breastfed at two months, the incidence of SIDS was 73% lower.

Talk about an easy way to protect your baby!

The relationship between breastfeeding and reducing the risk of SIDS is also not entirely understood, but probably involves the decreased risk of infection in breastfed babies, the fact that breastfed babies and breastfeeding mamas are both more easily roused from sleep, and breastfeeding improving breathing and swallowing coordination, among other things.

So sit back and know your sweet babe is safe while you nourish them with those luscious boobs of yours! 

reasons breastfeeding rocks #3.

Reasons breastfeeding rocks #3: It saves you money.

Now if that isn't a reason to hop on board, I don't know what is.

Seriously.

Formula is expensive. The cheapest standard type of formula costs about $1000 for the first year for one baby. Is that not crazy?! If you need specialized formula due to allergies or preference or want to go organic, double that (at least).

Besides the few extra dollars it will cost for you to eat two servings of dinner every now and then in order to get the calories to produce enough, breastfeeding is absolutely free.

It also helps save money down the road, as the American Academy of Pediatrics states that breastfed babies have significantly lower incidence of illness than those who are formula-fed. This saves money two ways: fewer visits to the doctor to pay for (as well as fewer medicines and treatments to pay for) and fewer days staying home from work to take care of sick babies (meaning no loss of income).

So sit back and save money while you nourish your baby with those luscious boobs of yours! 

reasons breastfeeding rocks #2.

Reasons breastfeeding rocks #2: It gives you a rockin' bod.

Seriously.

Making milk is hard work. Think about it. You are producing all the nutrition your baby needs not just to survive but to thrive! Every time you go in for a check up and your baby has gained a few ounces, those ounces came directly from you. It's pretty phenomenal, really.

All those calories you are putting in to baby have to come from somewhere. Breastfeeding requires about 500 additional calories per day, meaning if you are using your boobs to feed your babe you can lose all that pregnancy weight faster without dieting or running marathons. In fact, you will probably need to eat even more than you did while you were pregnant - just think about how big your baby was in the womb versus how big they are now and remember that you are still the sole sustenance your baby gets - and you will still lose weight. No joke. Fan-freaking-tastic!

So sit back and lose weight effortlessly while you nourish your baby with those luscious boobs of yours!

reasons breastfeeding rocks #1.

Reasons breastfeeding rocks #1: Let down helps me let go.

Seriously.

Breastfeeding stimulates the release of the hormones oxytocin and prolactin, which promote relaxation, stress-release and a general sense of well-being. Oxytocin is the amazing hormone which induced your labor (or if it was artificially induced, synthetic pitocin is structurally modeled after oxytocin), and is also the hormone which helped your uterus contract back down to the size of your fist from the size of a watermelon right after birth.

This hormone release also promotes sleep if you are having difficulties, helps you fall back asleep more quickly during night time feedings, and helps you to sleep more deeply, meaning you feel more rested after a short amount of sleep than you would if you weren't breastfeeding. Amazing!

So sit back and relax while you nourish your baby with those luscious boobs of yours!