The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog

Podcast: Celebrities and breastfeeding, with the founder of the Celebrity Baby Blog

I'm very pleased to post a new podcast interview with Danielle Friedland, founder of the Celebrity Baby Blog, shown here with her daughter, wearing matching "supply" and "demand" shirts.

The Celebrity Baby Blog is an extremely popular site, getting over 20 million page views a month.  Danielle has included information about breastfeeding in her posts on celebrities, and has even considered working in breastfeeding support as a future career.

You can listen to the podcast through the player below, download it and listen with another player, or download it through our free iTunes store.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Miss any of these podcasts?

A couple of years ago, when Motherwear asked me to create podcasts for the blog, I almost said no.  I felt nervous about doing recordings, and wasn't sure what people would want to hear.

The president of Motherwear had me meet with the owners of a big yarn store in our area, who do a weekly radio show about knitting.  Their show is produced as a podcast and is very popular.  I went with them to the radio station to watch them record it.  It actually looked like fun, and I committed to giving it a try. 

The funny thing is that I really enjoy the process of putting these podcasts together.  I like reading the books, coming up with questions, and talking with authors.  I've had a chance to talk with people I might never have contacted.

Can you guess which one is the most frequently downloaded from the iTunes store?  A breastfeeding welcome here sticker goes to the first person to guess correctly (leave your guess as a comment).  And if you're feeling friendly, please go to our iTunes store and write a review! 

• Breastfeeding and early sexual abuse, with Penny Simkin
• African American moms and breastfeeding, with Kathi Barber
• How do other mammals do it? With Dia Michels
• What's the problem with those formula company bags? With Alison Stuebe
• Starting solid foods, with Ellyn Satter
• Breastfeeding in the movies, with Sarah Rubenstein Gillis
• Low milk supply: Could it be your hormones? With Lisa Marasco
• So, you want to work in breastfeeding support (just me)
  
• Nursing in public and the law, with Jake Marcus
• Making more milk, with Diana West
• Hathor the Cow Goddess, with Heather Cushman-Dowdee
• Postpartum depression and breastfeeding, with Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
• MilkShare, with Kelly Faulkner
• The Milk Memos, with Cate Colburn-Smith

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Podcast: Early sexual abuse and breastfeeding, with Penny Simkin.

I'm very pleased to post a podcast interview with childbirth pioneer Penny Simkin, on the topic of breastfeeding and early sexual abuse.

Penny is the author of When Survivors Give Birth, on early sexual abuse and birth, and has recently been lecturing on breastfeeding and sexual abuse.

This is a topic that no one talks about, but sexual abuse is frighteningly common, and undoubtedly affects many women's breastfeeding experiences.

A note about comments:  If you'd like to comment but want to do so more anonymously, feel free to email me, and I'll be happy to post the comment for you.

You can listen to the podcast through the player below, download it and listen with another player, or download it through our free iTunes store.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Do you have questions for the founder of the Celebrity Baby Blog?

I'm planning a podcast interview with Danielle Friedland, founder of the Celebrity Baby Blog.  Danielle has posted a lot of breastfeeding information and advocacy on her blog.  

Do you have a question you'd like to ask her?  I'd like to focus on breastfeeding and celebrities, so please submit your questions on that topic. 

To ask a question, just leave a comment below by Thursday, March 19th.  I'll see how many I can ask during the interview.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Give away week: The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk

I've been very excited about this book for a while, and am happy to be able to tell you more about it - and to offer a free copy to a lucky winner!

First, I want to share some past interviews I've done with the authors, which you can also find at our free iTunes store:

Diana West on basic milk supply issues:

Diana West answers readers' questions:

Lisa Marasco on maternal hormonal causes of low milk supply:

I really can't say enough good things about this book.  It's clear, readable, and most importantly, comprehensive.  There are a few features that I particularly want to highlight:

1) Diana and Lisa write about maternal hormonal causes of low milk supply in more detail than I've seen in any other breastfeeding book for moms.  There is also some hard-to-find information on some topics like gastric bypass, eating disorders, and vegan/vegetarian diets.

2) The chapter entitled "Planning for the future" made me shake my head and think "Of course!"  So many mothers who have had difficulty with milk supply are very motivated to try again, and this chapter tackles the process of planning for a new baby straight on.  Wonderful.

3)  The authors take seriously the feelings mothers have when they have a problem with milk supply.  They devote a chapter to "coping with milk supply," which I think mothers will find very helpful. 

If you'd like to win the copy, leave a comment below by March 9th, 2009.  U.S. addresses only, please.  Winner be chosen using random.org, and announced in the comments section. 

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Podcast: African American moms and breastfeeding

I'm very pleased to be posting a podcast interview with Kathi Barber, author of The Black Woman's Guide to Breastfeeding, and founder of the African American Breastfeeding Alliance.

Kathi and I talked about the history of breastfeeding for black women in the U.S. from slavery through the 20th century, challenges specific to African American women, and the role of health care providers and fathers in supporting breastfeeding. 

I don't have a copy of this book to give away, but Elita at Blacktating does.  Check out her book review and enter to win a copy!

You can listen to the podcast through the player below, download it and listen with another player, or download it through our free iTunes store.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Podcast: How do other mammals do it? Plus books to give away.

Ever wonder how on earth a whale baby nurses underwater?  How common is it for mammals to nurse other mothers' babies?  Do other mammals have insufficient milk?  How common is it for other mammals to refuse to nurse their babies?

I'm so happy to have had a chance to ask these questions and many more in an interview with Dia Michels, founder and president of Platypus Media.  Dia is author of If My Mom were a Platypus, a children's book about mammal mothers and their babies, as well as a other books on breastfeeding.

You can listen to the podcast through the player below, download it and listen with another player, or download it at our iTunes store.

Dia has also agreed to give away four copies of If My Mom were a Platypus.  To enter to win a copy, leave a comment below by February 16, 2009.  If you have a mammal nursing story or question to share (this is not necessary to enter), please leave it!  Remember to enter a "real" email address.  U.S. addresses only, please.  Winners will be chosen using random.org, and announced in the comments section.

Here are a few links to things we mentioned: Meerkat Manor, The Story of the Weeping Camel.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here.

Podcast: What's the problem with those formula company diaper bags?

I'm pleased to share a podcast interview with Dr. Alison Stuebe, an OB/GYN and professor at the University of North Carolina, on the formula company diaper bags many of you may have received when you left the hospital.

Though her work with the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition, Alison helped organize an effort to stop hospitals from distributing these bags.  That effort became known as Ban the Bags.

You can listen to the podcast with the player below, download it and listen with your own player, or download it at our iTunes store.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here.  Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes?  Click here. 

Podcast: Starting solid foods, with Ellyn Satter

I'm pleased to share a new podcast interview with Ellyn Satter, registered dietitican and author of Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense, all about starting solid foods.

This book was a guide and comfort to my family when we started solid foods, and I hope you'll enjoy the interview. 

Ellyn answered some of my questions and a number that came from you.

You can listen to the podcast with the player below, or download it for free at the Motherwear iTunes store.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed?  Click here.

Do you have questions about introducing solid foods?

I'm preparing for a podcast interview with one of my favorite authors, Ellyn Satter, whose book Child of Mine was my guide through starting solid foods.

She's agreed to answer some of your questions during the interview.  I'd like to focus the interview around the "how," of introducing solid foods and not the "what" or "when," so please pose questions along those lines. 

I can't guarantee that we'll have time to talk about every question, but I'll try!  Leave your questions in the comments section by November 30th, 2008.

Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog?  Subscribe here.  Want an RSS feed?  Click here.