I remember the day the mother of triplets handed me a couple of bottles of Guinness beer and said, “This is the secret to making milk.” I thanked her politely and didn’t tell her that I just don’t like beer. Read more…
When I was a young nurse, only a handful of milk banks dotted the United States. Then, in the early 1980s, we had the big HIV scare. To my knowledge, not one drop of HIV-infected donor milk was ever dispensed Read more…
Here’s a sentence I saw today in an email message. With small variations, I have seen or heard this sentence many times throughout my career:“The mother saw a breast surgeon, who did not have a vast knowledge of the lactating Read more…
I’ve been a devoted admirer of Dr. Nils Bergman’s work for years. To celebrate Kangaroo Care Day, I interviewed him. As you know, there are literally hundreds of studies and other resources that show the efficacy of kangaroo mother care Read more…
In the US, we celebrate Military Spouse Appreciation Day the Friday before Mother’s Day, dating back to 1984. I’m proud that our staff includes several military spouses. They know firsthand about the frequent moves and the need to start over Read more…
Several of my nurse friends are now retired, and a few have given up their nursing license. But I cannot understand that. I won’t give up my nursing license until I take my last breath. Why so? Because being a Read more…
Before you read on, please note that IBLCE Exam application requirements are subject to change. Although we believe the following information to be current and correct of this writing, we encourage you to check the official IBLCE site as you prepare Read more…
It’s common for breastfeeding mothers to experience sore nipples in the early days after birth. In most cases, the new mothers are experiencing “new baby” soreness. What’s a mother to do? Well, before you reach for a nipple cream or Read more…
You’ve been racking up hours, and now you’ve found yourself sitting at 45 hours of lactation training. You might be asking yourself if you want to work toward the additional 45 hours of lactation training. There are many reasons why Read more…
When I was a young nurse, we routinely poured betadine over the laboring mother’s perineum. We believed that the newborn should not be exposed to that dirty bacteria. The myth was that “bacteria” was dirty and therefore harmful! Over the Read more…