Maine Mother + Company

It's that simple! No bu****it zone, say what you mean! Honestly, the best compliment we ever got about our support group is, "thanks for creating a space to share the REAL real!".
What more could a couple of moms/doulas/lactation consultants want to hear about the space they created.
Now, come experience it!
We are moving back to pre-registration for groups as of Sept 1st so watch for more details. 16 moms showing up at once is a great problem to have, we just want everyone to have a seat and a moment to share.
If you have attended our groups, what was your favorite experience?

Conversations every couple should have before their baby is born,
Part 1 of…Infinity
1. What are your expectations? What are you excited about? Anxious about?
2. How are we going to handle visitors? What boundaries might we need to set?
3. How are we going to manage household and newborn care tasks, what can we get help with?
4. What will help us stay connected during a busy, challenging time?

Share with your partner to get the conversations started!
This just scratches the surface and we have more to say, so follow along!

Conversations every couple should have before their baby is born

Part 1 of…Infinity

1. What are your expectations? What are you excited about? Anxious about?

2. How are we going to handle visitors? What boundaries might we need to set?

3. How are we going to manage household and newborn care tasks, what can we get help with?

4. What will help us stay connected during a busy, challenging time?

Share with your partner to get the conversations started!

This just scratches the surface and we have more to say, so follow along!

Hot take: Ni**le confusion is not a thing

And it’s causing parents to wait too long to introduce bottles, or avoid using pacifiers when they could be a really helpful tool.

🍼 Let’s talk bottles first: Babies aren’t confused about bottle ni***es! They have FLOW preferences. If bottles are “easy” relative to breastfeeding, then yes, that can lead to frustration at breast.

Prevent by:
✅Using a slow flow ni**le
✅ Offering the bottle nice and slow with lots of breaks
✅ Have baby latch onto an empty bottle ni**le first, wait to suck a few times before tipping milk in-repeat this throughout the feed

Pacifiers-as long as babies are getting sufficient feeds and not being offered a paci when they’re actually hungry, these typically don’t cause issues with breastfeeding and are an amazing soothing tool for unsettled, tired, disregulated babies!

➡️ Follow us for realistic, BS-free feeding and infant care tips!

Q: Can i put my baby on a schedule?

A: Maybe?? 🤔

Some babies are structure-loving little creatures and will absolutely thrive with a schedule. And as a result you’ll likely think that schedules are an amazing and necessary tool.

Other babies (most, in my experience) do not give a f*** about your schedule and are going to continue with their delightfully random nap/feeding rhythms. If you try to impose a schedule you are likely to think you’re doing something wrong and feel super frustrated.

If you want to dip a toe into some more predictability, try anchoring morning wake time, first nap of the day, and bedtime within an hour time range. See what happens!

Tell us in the comments-How does your baby feel about schedules? How do YOU feel about them?

I’m tired of the internet’s latest take on breastfeeding. This idea that breastfeeding IS what is harming your mental health is wild.
My opinion? Parenting in the US has gotten exponentially harder and no new support systems are being added. Breastfeeding is something you can clearly take off your plate.
It works because you can’t fix the lack of paid parental leave, the insane pace at which you are expected to “bounce back” 🤮, or the fact that the world is on fire.
There is zero judgement here, but I refuse to let this formula industry driven bu****it go without a challenge.

The accomplishments I am the MOST proud of in parenting my five are definitely also the hardest things I ever did!
What if the wild lack of support is the actual problem and not breastfeeding????
So tell me, would your early postpartum have looked different if there was a system of real, true support for new families?
What support did you find that had the biggest positive impact on your mental health?

Cluster feeding is a pretty normal occurrence in breastfeeding and even bottle feeding infants.
But there are never hard and fast rules with babies and eating. There are definitely times when constant feeding is a sign of something more, and it’s not your job to know the difference.
If you are at all concerned, that’s a reason to reach out to a lactation professional.
Next time we talk about baby p**p! What is normal, and what might not be. Did you have any idea how important p**p would be to you???
Give us a follow to get more baby content from professionals who also have a million kids between them! 👶🤣

This can feel especially overwhelming if you don’t know it’s coming, because night two is also a peak of a hormonal shift that happens with the placenta release.
That placenta was regulating your hormones and now it’s gone. So big feelings can arise and they are often intensified by a lack of sleep.
So that can look like a crying cluster feeding baby AND a crying birthing parent.
But again, for the most part this is NORMAL, and when you know to expect it, it’s not as overwhelming.
So high five to you and your baby for cluster feeding night 2!!!
Do you remember night two? I do! Hot, sweaty crying mess! Really wish someone had told me to expect it, so I wasn’t left wondering what was wrong with me!!

It can definitely be annoying, especially if you have other kiddos. But reframing it as a sleep strategy can make it feels sooo much better!
Follow along to learn what our number ONE favorite type of cluster feeding is.
If you want to worry less and enjoy parenting more, you are in the right place!