Aligned for Birth

Excited for my virtual New Dads Support Group, which starts on 2/12. It's a bi-weekly group and the cost is $50 each group.

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Ireland’s breastfeeding rates are among the lowest in the world. However, this 2025 retrospective cohort study found that simply learning and practicing hand expression in the last month of a low-risk pregnancy resulted in more mothers starting and continuing breastfeeding. Read about it here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0266613825003419?via%3Dihub

Always learning! I just completed Low Milk Supply Specialization Course. Low milk supply is more common than it should be and we have to have better answers for people than “pump more”. This course gives suggested lab requests for various issues that may be contributing to low milk supply. Having the information and getting treatment for things like thyroid issues , insulin resistance and nutritional deficiencies will help clients feel better and very often increase milk supply. As lactation supporters we are often seeing clients when their healthcare providers are not so being able to make quick referrals with specific requests can make a tremendous difference.

📦New product unboxing! 📦 The Flow ni**le shield from Munchkin 🍼 This particular ni**le shield is a little amazing… You can actually see the milk traveling through an external channel.  It's quite fascinating to watch!  The milk will flow out of the corner of baby's mouth, and you can observe how your milk’s color changes as they feed.  So, for parents who wonder, "Is my baby actually getting milk?"  This could provide a visual confidence boost.  The application is similar to other ni**le shields:  You'll want to get it properly sized and… I noticed this one feels stretchier and more pliable than others I've tried. 👶 It also comes with a cleaning tool to push water through for washing, and the case doubles as a sterilizing container. 💦 Just close it up and microwave to sanitize. ♨️ So, whether you're a mom or IBCLC, have you utilized this ni**le shield? What was your experience? Write your thoughts in the comments 💙 #lactationeducation #ni**leshield #ibclc

Hypnosis can be used for anxiety, confidence, sports performance, trauma and of course, birth!

Reese Witherspoon Credits a Hypnotist for Helping Her Manage Her ‘High Anxiety’ and ‘Bad Panic Attacks’ Reese Witherspoon said that she tried medication and meditation until a hypnotist helped her resolve her anxiety.

✨ Trendy social media suggestion I want to talk through… because every reel I see teaching this gets thousandsssss of likes. And what does that mean? More reels about it popping up everywhere! Good and bad right? It’s become a game of telephone and some really important details may have gotten lost along the way. Let’s break down “closed knee,” “knees in,” “KICO,” or any other fun sounding term that’s been coined to describe internal hip rotation. I’m not personally a fan of these labels, because I think they accentuate the very issues I’m seeing in how this is being taught. Yes, internal hip rotation can influence the outlet — but only if it’s truly happening at the hip joint. Most pregnant bodies rest in more external rotation, so when they “close the knees,” they’re often just gripping their inner thighs. That’s adductors. And when the adductors fire, pelvic floor tone rises. Instead of creating space, it can actually add tension and slow things down. Here’s what often gets missed: there’s a difference between true internal rotation and simply pulling the knees together. Internal rotation can help create space. But squeezing the knees together just activates the inner thighs, and that extra pelvic floor tension works against descent. 👉 said simply: When the pelvic floor is held too tight, it can’t yield and open for the baby as easily. Instead of helping the baby move down, the muscles act more like a wall of resistance, which can slow things down and make pushing harder. And we need to be careful. If someone is medicated and doesn’t have access to that movement, forcing it from the outside can cause injury. ✨ Birth is not about tricks or hacks. It’s not about memorizing positions or looking for some magical shortcut. It’s about preparing to have access to movement options and the capacity to enter the labor flow state. And as professionals in birth work, we can all do better when we hold the nuance. When we lean on oversimplified cues, we risk missing the individual needs of the birthing person right in front of us. What do you think might be more helpful than bringing knees together for space and progress? Follow along and we will get there!

Mushrooms Bourguignon over Butter Bean Mash from . Bean mash can be used in place of mashed potatoes and is much quicker to prepare. This was just a can of butter beans, nutritional yeast and Lemon juice.