How Breastfeeding Education Can Change The World

I am an RN, postpartum doula, and IBCLC with a holistic private practice, and I specialize in facilitating a peaceful and supportive transition into motherhood. My main role is to protect the mother-baby dyad by reminding mothers of their innate wisdom and keeping them connected to their intuition. I offer support throughout the motherhood continuum from conception through the first three years postpartum. This includes prenatal breastfeeding and lactation support, breastfeeding education for parents, and education for providers and caregivers who support the mother-baby dyad. My team and I also offer holistic postpartum support on the Central Coast of California. It’s such an honor to be invited into the sacred postpartum space and to help parents navigate the ever changing infant feeding journey in these modern times. Every postpartum body and infant feeding journey is unique, and when challenges arise, I help families find the root cause using evidence-based research and ancient wisdom. I love working with families all over the country and globally, from pregnancy through weaning. I started Earth Milk Moon after working as an RN in the hospital system for many years and as we know there is a devastating gap in care for the mother-baby dyad and lactation education from a biological standpoint. It didn’t feel right to me that there was little education and no built-in layers of support during this vulnerable and impactful time in a mother and baby’s life. I saw moms being sent home with outdated sleeping advice that wasn’t congruent with breastfeeding or our biology, nipple shields, pumps, and other plastic interventions that can be useful at times but left under-resourced parents without ongoing support for breastfeeding. It became clear to me that when mothers lack breastfeeding education and nurturing support, it directly impacts the baby. I became passionate about learning about the mother-infant dyad and educating parents in preparing for breastfeeding and postpartum, giving them evidence-based information backed by the wise woman tradition of healing and modern science. When parents are educated, they can make fully informed decisions on how to feed their baby and set up their life to prioritize nurturing an infant.

My approach to breastfeeding education is a connection-based, mother-dyad approach. I want parents to understand that even though the baby is no longer attached through the umbilical cord, they remain fully connected through your skin, scent, hormones, milk, and presence. You are the baby’s home—the only place they have ever known. Baby and mother are not separate and they are biologically designed to need each others bodies for the first few years after birth.  Recognizing this helps parents make decisions from a place of intuitive knowing. I also find it highly valuable for mothers and their partners to understand the anatomy and physiology of the breasts, lactation process and biological infant feeding. This knowledge allows them to connect with their bodies on a physiological level, helping them recognize what is normal, identify when things are not feeling right, and know when to seek support. Each mother-baby dyad is unique and deserves individualized care. When working with the dyad, I focus not just on infant feeding but on nurturing the bond between mother and baby, empowering the partner, and allowing the whole family to sink-in and embrace the sacredness of the postpartum period. We address the mother’s nourishment and overall wellness, troubleshoot any challenges with evidence-based information looking for the root cause, and maximize rest and healing through comfortable breastfeeding positions and safe co-sleeping environments. I also offer prenatal lactation sessions to address any concerns, misinformation, or questions mothers may have before birth. I guide parents back to their bodies after birth as they transition into motherhood. This is especially important after being in overstimulating hospital environments, birth trauma, or NICU stays. Parents make the best decisions for themselves and their baby when they are grounded and connected to their center.

Your intuition is your northern star. There is a lot of noise in our modern world that can disconnect us from our instincts and intuition. I invite you to be still, skin-to-skin, move slow, tune out the noise and connect to your baby, your answers come from within. A peaceful, joyful postpartum and breastfeeding experience is possible and everyone deserves that. Also, mothering is not meant to be alone, call in support that understands the importance of mothering the mother and find aligned providers.

Oh, yes! I believe mothering is spiritual work,  the deepest devotional path one can walk. Breastfeeding a small human who you created and then grow with your body and hold against your heart day and night is a spiritual devotion and experience. Quite possibly the closest to god/nature/the universe that one can get. Working one-on-one with breastfeeding mothers, I can viscerally feel the lifeline and life-long spiritual connection that has been created between the two beings. Also, our breasts are an extension of our hearts, when mothers are connected to their centers, spiritually and emotionally, babies feel that. If mothers are not getting the support they need, especially in the postpartum time, her heart breaks, knowing that our biological truth is to be held deeply so she can focus solely on her baby. A broken heart/spirit impacts the breastfeeding relationship and this can reflect physiologically in breastfeeding challenges. Birth blasts us open in every way, including spiritually, so all the darkness and light of the soul emerges and the mother baby dyad is perfectly,  biologically designed to transform and heal what shows up by simply being heart to heart, body to body.  I feel the emotional and spiritual aspect of breastfeeding is a very important piece to address when working with the dyad.

Have a plan for postpartum support and nourishment. The most essential thing mothers could invest in to feel nourished and held is support.  What I recommend is taking a breastfeeding class that teaches biology based infant feeding. Have a supportive birth team. Find a holistic IBCLC to work with you through your entire feeding journey. Infant feeding is an evolution. Many insurance companies will cover lactation support. Call your insurance company or check here. 

There are no products that can mimic your skin, your smell, your hands or your intuition. But here are some helpful items I recommend:  2) Colostrum collectors:  At the end of your 3rd trimester you can practice hand expression and collecting colostrum which is an empowering way to connect to your breasts and baby. Collecting a small amount of colostrum before the baby is born can be empowering and helps establish a connection to the breastfeeding experience before it begins. It also provides peace of mind, knowing there is nourishment ready for the baby, regardless of what happens. 3) Earth Milk Cacao Elixir:  A ritual that reminds mothers to take a moment each day to connect to her wise heart. 4) A journal to process your postpartum transformation. I love Alissa Bell Stationary and Magic of I journals. 5) Milk Collectors: For my milky mamas these can be helpful to collect anything dripping out without creating additional oversupply. You can use any extra milk for your babies skin or giving to your toddler for an immune boost. 6) Breastfeeding friendly natural fiber bras and clothing. There are many brands that make bamboo and organic cotton nursing bras.

That breastmilk and formula are equal: Each mother’s milk is uniquely tailored to her baby and adapts to meet the changing needs of their growing brain and body. Breastmilk evolves throughout a feeding, the day, and the baby’s developmental stages, responding to their specific needs. Formula, on the other hand, cannot change in this way and typically requires larger volumes to meet a baby’s caloric needs. Evidence-based research and current health data show that babies and mothers who breastfeed face lower risks of a range of diseases and life-altering conditions compared to those who are formula-fed. Nothing can replicate a mother’s unique scent or the complex, adaptive qualities of her milk.

Yes, I fully believe that higher breastfeeding rates could reduce the burden on our healthcare systems. If parents had the education and support needed to establish and protect the breastfeeding journey, we would likely see a decrease in the rate of sick children in the U.S. (currently, 40% of school aged children have at least one chronic health condition in the US). Our nation would be healthier if mothers breastfed exclusively for the first six months or longer of their baby’s life. Breastfed infants have lower rates of obesity, asthma, allergies, diabetes, SIDS, and certain cancers. The benefits of breastfeeding extend beyond the physical body, offering significant short- and long-term benefits for both mother and baby’s mental and emotional health. To achieve this, we need an upwelling of providers who are truly protecting the mother infant dyad and understand the importance of this from a humanitarian standpoint. AND, we need national policy that guarantees paid time off for mothers and families to nourish and nurture their babies. Supporting and protecting breastfeeding also requires regulations to address predatory formula marketing and the sleep training industry, both of which are harmful to the dyad and profit from vulnerable parents. Currently, 83% of infants in the U.S. initiate breastfeeding, but by six months, only 24% are exclusively breastfed. Given the well-documented benefits of breastfeeding, the American Academy of Pediatrics, CDC, and WHO recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, followed by continued breastfeeding with complementary foods for up to two years or longer.  Breastfeeding is absolutely the foundation for the health and wellbeing of humans.

Breastfeeding is a foundational form of nurture that has the ability to heal generations by changing genetic expressions that contribute to mental wellness. For the first three years of life, babies need a responsive, regulated adult to calm their nervous system. When mothers breastfeed and are body-to-body, heart-to-heart with their baby, it releases oxytocin, which lets the baby know they are safe, relaxes both mother and baby, and reduces anxiety and stress. So, feeding the baby day and night from the mother’s body allows the dyad to co-regulate and bathe in oxytocin many times a day. The first three years of life build the baby’s emotional brain and influence how they respond to stress for the rest of their life. Parents need to know that nurturing, responsive parenting day and night during these early years will result in a mentally resilient human. Responding to your child by bringing them to your breast, your heart space, will give them a deep sense of safety. You are their home, their place, their refuge. When babies are not responded to and do not receive physical contact, carrying, breastfeeding, or close feeding, they are at increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes. We also know that breastfed babies have a different microbiome compared to formula-fed babies. The microbiome can increase or decrease the risk of mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, and neurodevelopment disorders. Breastfeeding is foundational for the short- and long-term mental health of both mothers and babies. Hold your babies close and let them suckle to sleep; this world needs more well-nurtured humans.  I don’t feel that the benefits of breastfeeding for mothers’ mental health are discussed enough. In fact, there are many misconceptions that breastfeeding negatively affects maternal mental health. However, numerous research studies show that mothers who are exclusively breastfeeding report significantly more hours of sleep, better physical health, more energy, and lower rates of depression compared to those who mix feed (breastmilk and formula feed) or use formula. Breastfeeding reduces maternal inflammation, which in turn lowers the risk of depression and other inflammatory diseases, including heart disease,  breast and ovarian cancer. When mothers feed their babies from their bodies and hold them skin-to-skin, it releases oxytocin, which relaxes the mother and provides numerous emotional benefits. From my experience working with thousands of mothers and through research, we know that when mothers receive good breastfeeding support and accurate information and guidance, the rates of depression and anxiety are lower than when they lack support and are misguided to separate from their babies by weaning, giving bottles, to sleep separately or by sleeping training. The connection and co-regulation abilities of a mother and her baby are magical!

Yes, I do! I often envision this for humanity. I think what it comes down to is a collective remembrance of the importance of mothering mothers so that our communities thrive, so humanity thrives. When mothers are nourished, well-supported, educated, and have the resources they need to make informed choices, more moms would make the conscious decision to breastfeed and would not be swayed by culture noise. Our modern, capitalistic culture encourages mothers and children to move at a rigorous pace of life, prioritizes consumerism, and celebrates independence and separation over connection (we are still the only industrialized nation without federal paid leave for mothers and our). If we can rise above this programming and view it from a hawk’s perspective, we would see that the world needs more physical and emotional connection—with our infants, with the earth, and with our communities. All of this begins with the health and well-being of mothers. Mothers are the hearts of the home, when mothers are thriving, children thrive, families thrive and communities thrive.  By prioritizing mothers, we ensure they are nourished,  have access to breastfeeding education, supportive communities, and the space to connect with their innate biological knowledge that breastfeeding  is fundamental.  Imagine for a moment (deep breath)… a collective remembrance of the deep biological importance of breastfeeding, of keeping our babies close at night, of responsiveness and nurturing. Imagine mothers being empowered, educated and supported to the point where every cell in their body remembers that their connection and presence with their baby is the most important work in the world. This changes generations. It is through this deep relationship with our babies that can truly change the world.