Breast & Bottle Feeding

Motherhood is hard ...  … and while we have Google and endless advice from Aunt Karen, everyone ultimately has to figure things out on their own. The opinions of others are so accessible to the modern-day mama, that I genuinely believe our mental health suffers any time we pick up our phones throughout early motherhood.  It’s a new kind of struggle and one I’m having a difficult time navigating. I generally use my manners online, but that doesn’t mean I’m not affected when someone I respect chooses to parent differently and raves about it. It doesn’t mean I’m not affected when a stranger blatantly blasts the way I’ve chosen to go about teaching my child to sleep. It doesn’t mean I’m...

In February 2018 I just landed an amazing job, bought my own house, just turned 23, felt the most comfortable I ever had in my own skin, and recently retired from competing for Miss Louisiana. I felt like things had fallen into place until I found out I was pregnant. I was scared, but not for the typical reasons someone young and not married would be scared about having a baby. I had supportive family and friends. That was no issue. It felt like a death sentence. I was scared because of everyone telling me “just wait”. Everything I was told and read made being pregnant feel like a death sentence. I was generally advised to hurry up and get married, quit...

I guess I have it backwards, right? We’re always harping on the pressure mothers feel to breastfeed their babies. That was the case with my first daughter, but not my second. With my first daughter, breastfeeding was a battle from the beginning. Lots of pain, a tongue-tie and major oversupply that kept each feeding from being anything but relaxing. It was because of my oversupply that I felt I had to keep going. Women dream of having this much milk, I’d think. I had no “valid” reason to quit.  I promised myself I would make it to 6 months and wean. That’s exactly what I did, and I never looked back.  Spit Happens Breastfeeding has come naturally and without any pain since the...

It's a topic that seems to be taboo in today's society, but it is one that I feel is so important to spread awareness about -- donating breast milk. Sure, it's not for everybody. But for me, it was something I am so appreciative of. I did not have the opportunity to breastfeed or pump breast milk due to me having a double mastectomy at the young age of 25. I go into detail about why in my personal blog here. May 13, 2017 -- It was my baby shower — constantly opening bags and packages filled with gifts, onesies, toys, all the baby essentials and must-haves. But one still to this day was my favorite. I opened the gift...

Disclosure: This post is part our series in observance of World Breastfeeding Week and is sponsored by Woman’s Hospital.  When I found out I was pregnant I knew I wanted to breastfeed. I read about all the benefits for the baby and the perks for the mom. Who doesn’t want the baby weight to melt off? I was also certain I was going to save money by not buying formula. I joined a few Facebook groups and followed the conversations. I believed if I read all the information it would be easy. Y'all, I was so WRONG! Breastfeeding, for me, was anything but easy in the beginning. It was full of pain, stress, cracked nipples, a baby that couldn’t latch properly, weighted feeds,...