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Let’s say it louder for those in the back!⁠
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Let me paint a picture for ya…⁠
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So, you go to the doctor for your babe's four-month checkup (as an example). They do their exam and say something like:⁠
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“She's perfect. Her weight and measurements are good. Keep doing what you're doing.”⁠
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But your mommy-senses are tingling… ⁠
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It’s super easy to get wrapped up in your baby’s weight. Maybe someone even talked you into buying a baby scale to keep at home!⁠
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Listen, I get it…⁠
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It’s hyper focused on right from birth. Heck, it’s placed on birth announcements 😑⁠
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Because weight is the *easiest* measure of GROWTH (but it's not the perfect measure). And then growth happens when a baby is getting the energy intake (i.e. milk intake) they need.⁠
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But at any point, weight is not a measure of your baby’s HEALTH. It’s measuring growth. Which is just one piece of the puzzle of health. ⁠
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There are so many aspects to health.⁠
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One of those aspects is gut function. And it’s the one I see SO many parents get dismissed for. Like oh, they’re growing well so nbd….⁠
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But those points on the growth chart aren’t seeing…⁠
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⚠️ How blood streaks are showing up in your baby’s diaper.⁠
⚠️ How it feels like your baby is either crying, feeding, or crying from feeding. ⁠
⚠️ How your aunty can’t even hold the baby without getting soaked in spit up. ⁠
⚠️ How the only way anyone gets any sleep is if you hold your baby in a ball and breastfeed them every hour. ⁠
⚠️ And don’t even get me going on the things moms endure (pain, 24/7 feeding) just to keep their baby growing just hoping things will get easier.. and they don’t. ⁠
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Those concerns are VALID, and none of them are measured by weight.⁠
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So don’t let anyone dismiss concerns you bring to the table because your baby is “gaining well”.⁠
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✅ Get a second opinion.⁠
✅ Do research. ⁠
✅ Trust your gut. ⁠
✅ Find the answers you’re looking for.⁠
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You are your baby's voice and your mommy-senses tingle for a reason.⁠
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You've got this mama!⁠

Tell me if you've heard this…⁠ ⁠ “It's nor

Tell me if you've heard this…⁠
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“It's normal for breastfed babies to poop once a week or up to even two weeks.”⁠
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Now let's play a little game!⁠
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Is that statement true or false?⁠
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⬇️⬇️ SPOILER ALERT ⬇️⬇️⁠
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This is totally false!⁠
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Now… Before I send you spinning into a…⁠
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“OMG then what is normal?? Sometimes my baby poops every day but sometimes it's every other day. What happens if it's been a few days. OMG. OMG. OMG.”⁠
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… Craze.⁠
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Let me be the first to say that I know how hard it is to wrap your head around this one. There's SO MUCH information out there and some of it even comes from medical professionals. Maybe even your family doc.⁠
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It's typically what they say when your baby hasn't gone number two in a few days and they can't tell you why. “Oh that's normal, don't worry.”⁠
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So why am I taking this stand and going against the grain?⁠
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Well, just because it's “common” for babies to only poop every few days, does not mean it's PHYSIOLOGICALLY normal.⁠
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The logic often given for breastfed babies not pooping every day after 6 weeks of age is that “breastmilk gives your baby everything they need and is absorbed so well that there is little waste...”⁠
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So then why do our babies go days without pooping?⁠
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💩 When not enough comes in, not enough comes out (check your babe is growing well, i.e. getting enough)⁠
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💩 Gut motility may be a lil' slow, where nerves that stimulate the gut are not firing optimally due to body tension (remember: ask WHY there is tension)⁠
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💩 Gut function isn’t in tip top shape, where many factors like illness, meds/supplements, gut bacteria shifts and sensitivities can play a role.⁠
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Don't be afraid to ask specific questions when you're chatting with your healthcare provider. See if there are things you can try or tweak to get your babe pooping regularly.⁠
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So tell me, is you little own giving you a #2 every day? Are you working on getting them to be more regular?⁠
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Drop a comment and let me know!⁠

This one is for all you mamas out there who are be

This one is for all you mamas out there who are being champions of the night feeds all while your partner is snoozing away because, well…⁠
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Useless nipples. ⁠
⁠
AMIRITE!?⁠
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I think we can all relate to the struggles of nighttime feeding. The word “struggles” might not even cover what it means to be up at night nourishing your little one.⁠
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I mean, we all cherish those times to some degree.⁠
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But then there are the nights where it can feel almost painful to keep our eyes open for another second. “Is this what being drunk feels like? I honestly don't remember!”⁠
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Nighttime feeds are hard. Sometimes all we want to do is rollover and get just a few more minutes of shut eye. ⁠
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But we also know that by getting up when our baby needs us and continuing to feed our baby on demand… even during the weeeee hours of the night… we are doing SO MUCH, including setting up your milk supply.⁠
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Milk supply is an ENTIRE other topic that we will totally get into on another day.⁠
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But to keep up our supply, we need to be doing those regular feeds and showing our body that it needs to continue producing what our baby is telling us they need.⁠
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So, as we wake up to nourish our babies, lets think about ways we can make it easier on ourselves.⁠
👉 Lots of water and snacks by your bed ⁠
👉 An easy to use nightlight that you can carry around with you⁠
👉 A nursing caddy with all the little items you use while breastfeeding⁠
👉 Remembering that there are women all around the world who are up and nourishing their babies too. You're amazing!⁠
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And if you need to, totally kick your partner awake to bring your little one to you 😉

Why tongue tie releases don’t work…⁠ ⁠ Bef

Why tongue tie releases don’t work…⁠
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Before we dive in, let me first say that I’ve gone through THREE tongue tie releases with my first born.⁠
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I fully get how defeating it is when you go through a procedure like that, only to have it NOT work.⁠
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I am STILL dealing with that guilt and trauma (thank god for therapy), and I am just praying to God this time is the time that we did it right and it finally works…⁠
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But the question is…⁠
WHY DO TONGUE TIE RELEASES NOT WORK?⁠
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1️⃣ Reattachment⁠
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Well - firstly, the word for “tongue tie release didn’t work” is sometimes called “reattachment”. As if the tiny string under the tongue re-ties itself lol. It’s a little more complicated than that, but chalk it up to improper wound healing and/or improper release.⁠
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2️⃣ Function versus range of motion⁠
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Let me be clear on one thing about tongue ties. Tongue ties are diagnosed by FUNCTION, not appearance. And a tongue tie release gives RANGE OF MOTION to the tongue, but does not restore function.⁠
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Babies have reflexes to help them restore function, but often times, whether it’s because they have developed compensatory functions that need to be unwound or because they have other contributing factors affecting function (like tension)… they need help beyond the “range of motion procedure”.⁠
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3️⃣ Is it even a tongue tie?⁠
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I will be the first to admit that tongue ties are not the reason for ALL problems. But tongue ties can contribute to a lot of problems out there…⁠
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It’s important to consider the “differential diagnosis” when you’re navigating what the root cause of symptoms could be.⁠
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Doing a tongue tie release for the wrong reasons can lead you to feeling like it “didn’t work”. But that’s just because the tongue tie may not have been causing the symptoms (i.e. the reason you chose to treat the tongue tie).⁠
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If you think you might be dealing with a tongue tie, make sure you talk about these three things with your healthcare provider before jumping to a release.⁠
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If you want to explore a diet related cause first, head to the link in my bio to check out my courses or even reach out for 1:1 help (available for Canadians only).

Alright - where my book nerds at?⁠ ⁠ I. Love.

Alright - where my book nerds at?⁠
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I. Love. Reading.⁠
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I was so fortunate to have a family that fostered that love of reading. Everyone knew I loved it and I always got alllllll the books for Christmas.⁠
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When I was in the thick of motherhood having a baby strapped to me 24/7 with non-stop constant feeding… I needed help and the internet was overwhelming me. I know you know lol.⁠
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Instead, I went a different direction - I turned to books.⁠
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So I wanted to share with you my top 5 books that changed the way I did things (personally, and professionally). There may just be one you’d like to add to your Christmas list :)⁠
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The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding⁠
There are not enough words that can describe how much of a struggle breastfeeding was with my firstborn. The ONLY thing that helped get me through it was this book.⁠
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Sweet Sleep: Nighttime and Naptime Strategies for the Breastfeeding Family⁠
When I had a baby who would not sleep anywhere, except for ON me - this book helped me not only do that sleep safely, but also realize what ACTUAL normal baby sleep is (not what Westernized culture thinks it is).⁠
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Motherfood: Food and Herbs that Promote Milk Production and a Mother’s Health⁠
This is the stuff you don’t find in the mainstream. This is the stuff passed down in culture. Even though I never took it as “fact”, it was key when all other avenues of information failed me.⁠
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Real Food for Pregnancy: The Science and Wisdom of Optimal Prenatal Nutrition⁠
Sometimes guidelines are in need of an update and that update ain’t coming anytime soon. Prenatal nutrition (and postnatal nutrition) is one of those areas. So @lilynicholsrdn did an extensive review of the literature to fill in that gap and it is SO. GOOD.⁠
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Tongue Tied: How a Tiny String Under the Tongue Impacts Nursing, Speech, Feeding and More⁠
This book is why I preach what I preach when it comes to the world of tongue ties. Because I AM that mom whose kids were tongue tied, improperly treated, and experienced the issues during nursing AND BEYOND. This helped give me the validation to find the help I needed for my boys.⁠
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Happy shopping, and if you don’t hear from me… Merry Christmas :)

Let me reinforce this message…⁠ ⁠ SOME mucus

Let me reinforce this message…⁠
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SOME mucus in your baby’s poop can be totally normal.⁠
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The intestines naturally shed some of the mucous in their lining, and this can end up in the poop. ⁠
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There’s three typical areas that I see mucous show up in the diaper where it’s in greater amounts.⁠
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1️⃣ Teething.⁠
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Teething typically comes with discomfort, feeding challenges (due to that discomfort) and some pretty restless nights. All of those classic symptoms that make you question… “hey, was it something I ate??”⁠
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So you turn to the poops (because after being in my corner of the internet you know that the poops are the tell-tale for sensitivities!) and lo-and behold they’re MUCOUSY!⁠
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Well here’s the thing though… teething = excess saliva production to get the mouth extra slippery for those teeth to pop through. So that extra saliva has to go somewhere.⁠
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2️⃣Illness/infection⁠
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Baby’s immune systems are still developing, and one of the most important places the ball gets rolling here is in the GUT.⁠
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So when your baby’s immune system is activated in their gut, whether they’re sick or from some type of illness or infection, you get mucousy poops (and most often it’s also green).⁠
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This is typically a very sudden onset with other illness symptoms. And you guessed it - when baby is feeling better, then the poops get better too.⁠
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3️⃣Sensitivities (i.e. the non-IgE allergies)⁠
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Remember when I said an activated immune system = mucousy poops? Well a baby reacting to certain diet proteins (whether through your milk or directly to them) is mounting an INAPPROPRIATE immune response to those proteins.⁠
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Other medical conditions can also cause mucousy poops, but these are more rare and usually present with formula or solids. Please discuss any concerns with your care provider as this is information ONLY.⁠
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So if you need help on the sensitivities front, take my FREE class Root Cause Remedy to see if diet changes are worth it for your baby’s mucousy poops, because if I want you to take one thing away from this post… it’s *not always* sensitivities at play.

I struggled hard to breastfeed my first baby. The

I struggled hard to breastfeed my first baby.

The first latch was stingy and pinchy… to which the nurse asked me if it hurt at all and I said “nope!” (HAH! High pain tolerance anyone??)

Then they inform me “oh, it looks like your baby may have a tongue tie” when he hadn’t even left my arms yet. I look at them confused at what the heck that means.

After I came to my senses that breastfeeding actually did hurt like a mother, I asked to see a lactation consultant.

They told me they don’t usually refer to a lactation consultant unless baby is not latching. Oh… so my struggles aren’t severe enough for you?

What came next was the worry and anxiety over my baby getting enough. He didn’t have his first wet diaper for 36 hours 🚩🚩🚩

After that one wet diaper we got sent home, which meant we finally had a lactation consultant visit us in home. The help, well… helped. A little. He was getting milk at least!

But my experience never got easy.

👉 The latch pain.
👉 The gas pains.
👉 Being told it was “colic”.
👉 The constant spit up and projectile puke that made me question wtf just happened.
👉 The not pooping for 10 days regularly.

And the kicker… waking every 30 minutes to an hour at night to feed and having to stay latched and suckle during his naptime sleep just so he could drink milk in his sleep to be able to get enough to grow.

I saw many people for help, but finally just abandoned all hope on that avenue and turned to self-help breastfeeding books and the internet.

Boy did the system ever let first-time-mom me down.

And fixing that system is going to take a helluva lot of time and a helluva lot of people advocating for change.

It can happen. There are people out there, in the system or not, doing better for moms.

I knew I was meant for this line of work - to support moms to feed their babies the way they choose to, and not feel forced to feed them differently because they were not supported.

So I became that person.

❤️ My two boys are WHY I do what I do.
❤️ They are even HOW I do what I do.
❤️ They are my inspiration behind my business and boy, do I ever love how becoming a mom set me on such an enriching career path.

I was wrong… Let me tell you about a conversati

I was wrong…

Let me tell you about a conversation I had a few years ago with a colleague of mine.

A fellow dietitian reached out to me for help with a baby who was only pooping once a week.

She basically asked me straight up “why do exclusively breastfed babies go a week or even two without pooping?”

Well newbie-lactation-specialist-Robyn basically gave the same spiel that was given to her in her course absolutely verbatim:

“Oh breastmilk is SO well absorbed that there is basically nothing left, so they don’t need to poop as much”.

The look on her face was all I needed to give my head a shake. It was of complete utter “that makes no sense”.

I then brought out the kicker… “My own firstborn only pooped once every week, sometimes up to 10 days!”

She gave a “hm, really? Okay.” but never really got that look off her face that things still were not adding up.

And the more I thought about our conversation… the more I agreed with her.

I was wrong. There was more to learn.

So from that point on I kept digging. I learned about breast milk composition, tongue ties, infant gut development, gut function, functional gut disorders, sensitivities, our environment, and MORE.

If I could have that conversation with her now, it would be entirely different.

What would my response look like?

“It’s not normal. This is a form of constipation, but because babies are on an all liquid diet, constipation rarely shows up as the hard poops that we understand it as. I would do an assessment if baby is getting enough, if there is any tension affecting the nervous system to stimulate the gut, and if there is any signs of allergy or sensitivity or gut health concerns that could be impacting function.”

And that’s why you hear me now… preaching “I was wrong”. Because I don’t want you to be wrong too.

I am not afraid of admitting when I am wrong or when I have to learn more about something. I will own up to it and then will change so I don’t keep making those same mistakes.

That’s how I can constantly keep getting better at what I do.

Babe not pooping regularly? Head to the link in my bio and grab my Tummy Trouble Roadmap to know where to get help!