Birth Kweens

Robin Kaplan, M.Ed., IBCLC is a lactation consultant in San Diego, CA. She launched the San Diego Breastfeeding Center in 2009 and has recently published her first book, Latch: A Handbook for Breastfeeding with Confidence at Every Stage. Robin was kind enough to sit down with the Birth Kweens to discuss breastfeeding. Here’s an overview of what’s covered in this episode:

• A bit about Robin’s background and how she became a lactation consultant
• Info about Robin’s non-profit, the San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation
• The Boob Group Podcast
• An overview of the benefits of breastfeeding
• Some of the most common challenges that arise with breastfeeding
• The importance of getting support early on in a breastfeeding journey, especially if you’re having any challenges
• The role that partners/other family members can play in supporting the breastfeeding journey
• What the average breastfeeding journey looks like for the first couple of weeks
• The number of wet and dirty diapers you want to see and the number of feedings a baby should be doing in a 24 hour period
• The importance of honoring the forth trimester and how doing so supports breastfeeding
• If/when pacifiers and bottles should be introduced to a baby
• What the ‘witching hour’ is and why it happens
• How having flat or inverted nipples might impact breastfeeding and some tools that can be used to assist with breastfeeding in these situations
  • Supple Cups
  • Breast shells
  • Lansinoh Latch Assist
• Some info about drinking alcohol while breastfeeding. Click hereto read the article from KellyMom.com that Robin references.
• Robin’s suggestions for helpful breastfeeding gear:
  • Coconut oil (to use as nipple cream)
  • Nursing pillow
    • My Breast Friend
    • Boppy
    • Ergo Nursing Pillow
    • Nesting Pilllow from Blessed Nest
  • Something to baby wear in (some popular options are wraps,ring slings, or structured carriers such as the Ergo 360)
  • An electric breast pump (a popular option is the Spectra)
  • A hand pump
• Click here to buy Robin’s new book!

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If you liked this episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast, tell your friends! And go to iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show. For more from us, visit www.BirthKweens.com to sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens, join our Facebook group the Birth Kweens Podcast Community, and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback. Also, be sure to click here so that you can support the show while doing your regular Amazon shopping!

In the final episode in our series on preparing for your birth, we go over how to prepare for the postpartum period and what to expect once your baby is outside of your body!

Here’s what we covered:

• What’s normal and what’s not when it comes to postpartum bleeding
• Perineal care, especially if you required stitches
• The best natural and conventional methods to use for pain management
• What a peri bottle is and why you need one
• Postpartum belly issues and remedies including belly binding, abdominal massage, and getting your digestion back to normal
• The different causes of pelvic pain and discomfort, and how to know if what you’re feeling is normal
• All about mood disorders - both during and after pregnancy - and what to do about them
• The ins and outs of breastfeeding and our favorite resources
• What to expect from your newborn baby including breathing, bathing, umbilical cords, funky skin things, and more.

Resources/Products Mentioned in this Episode:

• Sitz Bath
• Earth Mama Angel Baby Postpartum Sitz Bath Herbs
• Earth Momma Angel Baby Bottom Spray
• Dermoplast Pain Relieving Spray
• Scar Away C-Section Scar Treatment Strips
• Ibuprofen and turmeric supplements for postpartum pain
• Heating pad
• Peri Bottle
• Bezwecken HemStad
• Postpartum belly wrap
• Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
• Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding by Ina May Gaskin
• The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
• Breastfeeding Made Simple
• kellymom.com - amazing resource for all things breastfeeding!
• Latch Assist
• Nipple Shield
• Boppy Nursing Pillow
• My Breast Friend Breastfeeding Pillow
• Nursing pads
• Lansinoh Lanolin Nipple Cream
• Earth Momma Angel Baby Nipple Butter
• Lansinoh Soothies Gel Pads for Sore Nipples
• Medela Soft Shells for Sore Nipples
• Information on mastitis from KellyMom

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The Birth Kweens get down to the nitty gritty of pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and women’s health. For more from us, visit birthkweens.com. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback.

Today we’re talking about painful sex with Emily Sauer, the creator of Ohnut. Ohnut is a wearable tool that helps solve the problem of painful sex by customizing penetration depth without sacrificing sensation for you or your partner. In this episode we talk about the typical causes of painful sex (both physical and mental), how common it is, and how Ohnut can help. Use code BirthKweens at checkout to get a discount on your purchase (*offer valid until June 5, 2020). And don’t forget to check out Ohnut’s blog and follow them on Instagram!

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Get a monthly subscription box from KiwiCo and do some fun, hands-on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) projects with your kids! Pick the box that’s right for you by going to KiwiCo.com/KWEENS. Your first month is free on select crates!

Treat yourself to some amazing skincare products from OSEA Malibu. Go to www.OSEAMalibu.com/birthkweens for $10 off your first purchase of $50 or more. Free shipping for US orders over $75 and free samples with every order!

Sign up for a subscription with Ritual Vitamins today! Get your daily multivitamin or prenatal delivered right to your door by visiting Ritual.com/kweens. Use the promo code KWEENS at checkout for 10% off during your first 3 months!

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If you liked this episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast, tell your friends! And go to iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show. For more from us, visit www.BirthKweens.com to sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens, join our Facebook group the Birth Kweens Podcast Community, and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!

Treat yourself to a stylish, comfortable pair of scrubs from FIGS today! Visit www.WearFigs.com and enter code KWEENS at checkout to get 15% off your first purchase!

Sign up for a Fab Fit Fun box today! Enter code KWEENS for $10 off your first box! #FabFitFunPartner

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Today we’re talking with the indomitable Sabia Wade about how racism and white-centering are negatively impacting black birthing people, their babies, and black birth workers. Sabia is a Black and Queer Full Spectrum Doula, Doula Business Coach and Reproductive Justice Advocate located in San Diego, CA. In 2015, she began as a volunteer doula with The Prison Birth Project. In her role as a volunteer doula, she assisted incarcerated and formerly incarcerated parents, as well as parents in recovery. In 2018, she decided to quit her day job and create a sustainable and abundant life in a meaningful way. She is now the Executive Director of For The Village, a nonprofit that provides doula services to low income and marginalized people in San Diego county, and owner of Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings, where she trains full spectrum doulas all over the world. Click here to get more info about Sabia’s upcoming trainings on Racism & Privilege in Birth and be sure to follow her on Instagram @theblackdoula.

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If you liked this episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast, tell your friends! And go to iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show. For more from us, visit www.BirthKweens.com to sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens, join our Facebook group the Birth Kweens Podcast Community, and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback.

In this episode, we continue our discussion of prenatal nutrition. Today we focus more on what NOT to do and things to avoid. (If you’re looking for info on what you SHOULD eat, check out Episode #3!)

Here’s what we talked about today:

• The many benefits of fish oil to you and your baby, plus how much to take during each trimester of pregnancy
• Concerns about caffeine and coffee before and during pregnancy
• The top foods to definitely avoid during pregnancy and why
• The listeria bacteria: what it is and where you can find it
• Why to steer clear of sugar and what might happen if you don’t
• The negative effects of drinking soda and artificial sweeteners
• If it’s ever OK to smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol during pregnancy
• Some surprising OTC and prescription drugs that could be impacting your baby
• The dangers of endocrine disruptors - what they are, what they do to your body, and where you can find them
• What you need to know about genetically modified organisms, and why and how to go GMO-free

Resources/Products Mentioned in this Episode:

• Carlson Labs Fish Oil
• Nature’s Way Flax Oil
• Environmental Working Group
• The Non-GMO Project
• Dr. Elizabeth Winter's website about chemicals that impact reproduction and how to eliminate them

Did you like this episode? Please subscribe, rate, review and share!

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The Birth Kweens get down to the nitty gritty of pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and women’s health. For more from us, visit birthkweens.com. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback.