Welcome to the Boob Group Podcast Roundup! As many of you know, Robin was the original host of the Boob Group podcast and hosted the first 112 episodes! There was so much amazing breastfeeding and pumping advice and research shared during those 2.5 years, so Robin has decided to reshare these episodes with all of you in a monthly roundup!

This month we are featuring a beautiful collection of three episodes that can help you navigate the first days and weeks of your breastfeeding journey.

So many of us spend months preparing for our birth but don’t give much thought about what happens after our baby is born. After we’ve had our baby, breastfeeding can seem overwhelming and unfamiliar. We get lots of varying advice from pediatricians, parents, friends, and of course ‘Dr. Google’, and it’s hard to know what “normal” really looks like.

We created this series as a guide to help breastfeeding parents maximize their breastfeeding success. For our first time parents, this can give you a general idea of what to expect at each stage of your baby’s life and how to overcome common challenges along the way! To our 2nd and 3rd time parents, hopefully you can use this series as a way to pick up new tips and tricks to make it potentially easier this time around.

Let’s dive in! For each age range, we will discuss what typical feeding sessions look like- how often babies should be feeding, for how long, and how much they should be generally getting. We’ll help you understand what weight fluctuations your baby might have early on and what overall weight gain looks like so you can feel prepared at upcoming appointments. We’ll also see how sleep patterns change as babies get older so you can have realistic expectations of when your baby might start sleeping for longer stretches. On top of these foundational topics, please see the guide below for other common questions we’ll cover in each episode.

We hope that this series empowers you with the tools needed to get breastfeeding off to a great start!

First 24 Hours

How can birth stories influence lactation?
What are the benefits of Skin-to- Skin?
What do I do if I’m separated from my baby and can’t breastfeed?
Why is my baby eating so often?
What is colostrum?
How do I know if my baby is getting enough?
Why is my baby so sleepy?

First Week

Why is my baby losing weight?
What do I do if my baby is jaundiced?
When do I need to supplement and what are my options?
Why are my nipples so sore?
What is engorgement and what can I do about it?

Second Week

When should my nipple soreness go away?
What is mastitis and how do I avoid it?
When should I introduce a bottle?
What happens during a growth spurt?
What are the benefits of babywearing?
What does bedsharing look like?

And… here are the podcast episodes!

https://parentsondemand.com/podcasts/the-boob-group/new-mom-breastfeeding-manual-first-24-hours-2__trashed/

https://parentsondemand.com/podcasts/the-boob-group/new-mom-breastfeeding-manual-the-first-week/

https://parentsondemand.com/podcasts/the-boob-group/new-mom-breastfeeding-manual-second-week/

Want more resources about the breastfeeding journey? Please see the additional ones below.

https://www.sdbfc.com/blog/2014/1/24/ive-had-my-baby-now-what-breastfeeding-during-the-first-week

Stay tuned, as next week we will share episode 4 and 5 of this series, which discusses the breastfeeding journey from 3 weeks - 6 months!

This month we are featuring 4 episodes that review the importance of support during breastfeeding and where you can turn to find that help.

Having a baby changes relationships we have with our partners, family, and friends. Obviously you don’t need a partner to have a baby, but having additional support during the postpartum period, and especially on our breastfeeding journey, is crucial. They say “it takes a village” to raise a baby, but with modern society and many of us living far from home, it can leave us feeling pretty isolated.

In these episodes, we discussed ways to ask for help and find support from a variety of local and online resources! For those of us with partners, it’s crucial for them to know how important they are in making our breastfeeding experience both positive and successful. We need not only cheerleaders, but people who will relieve us of stress and know how to assist us each step of the way. On top of that, we also need to be connected with other breastfeeding parents who are going through similar experiences! We’ll review the multiple ways to find a new mom community - whether it’s through an online forum, a local support group, or a facebook page for breastfeeding mamas.

We’ll talk about how to find a group that best suits your needs, what expectations you can have before joining, and the amazing benefits of connecting with other new parents. We hope to inspire you to reach out and find your support because we are all right there with you!