Women often hear that breastfeeding is natural, but many encounter challenges or hurdles. Neonatologist and breastfeeding advocate, Dr. Leah Jordan, shares tips on establishing a good milk supply, finding good lactation support and advice on managing stress when nursing your NICU baby doesn’t go as planned.
In this episode, we chat about:
What led you to pursue a career in neonatology?
Why are you so passionate about breastfeeding and health equity?
What should a new mom know about breastfeeding if she's expecting a NICU stay?
Establishing milk supply, particularly for a NICU mom, can often be highly stressful. Tips and suggestions? What's safe and what isn't?
How can a mom advocate for getting good lactation support?
Once she leaves the NICU with her baby how can she get support if she runs into challenges or subsequent hospital stays?
If your baby is NPO (Latin nil per os) "nothing by mouth", what support can the hospital provide for storing your pumped milk?
What's your best advice to a NICU mom who is stressed about nursing her new baby?
Dr. Leah Jordan is a board certified pediatrician from Minnesota who loves supporting NICU moms in reaching their breastfeeding goals. She recently completed her fellowship and joined Children’s Minnesota as a neonatologist. Her research centers on the use of quality improvement methodology to promote breastfeeding in the NICU and beyond.
Learn more about breastfeeding:
https://llli.org/breastfeeding-info/
The NICU is hard. We’re here to help.
Hand to Hold is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parents with personalized emotional support, educational resources and community before, during and after their baby’s NICU stay. NICU support is available at no cost to NICU parents in English and Spanish.
Connect with Hand to Hold:
Learn more or get support at handtohold.org
Follow Hand to Hold on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/handtohold
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/handtohold/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/NICUHandtoHold
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/HandtoHold
The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Music: Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
When formula or breastfeeding isn’t a viable option for your NICU baby, donor milk may be the next best alternative. Former Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin Board Member and NICU mom, Veronica Cogwin, shares about her daughter’s personal experience as a donor milk recipient.
In this episode, we chat about:
Tell us about Victoria’s birth.
What did your breastfeeding journey look like with your micropreemie?
When did donor milk become a viable possibility for your daughter?
What were some of the risks Victoria faced without donor milk?
How long did she receive donor milk?
How is your daughter doing now, nearly eight years later? What role did donor milk play in her early development?
Explain your role advocating for donor milk.
How can a mom donate her milk to a local milk bank?
What is the screening process like?
What's your best advice to a parent considering utilizing donor milk for her NICU baby?
Veronica Cogwin is the mom of five children, including a micropreemie, Victoria, born at 24 weeks. Veronica is a strong advocate of donor milk after it played a major role in helping her daughter grow and thrive in the NICU. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin.
Connect with Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin:
The NICU is hard. We’re here to help.
Hand to Hold is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parents with personalized emotional support, educational resources and community before, during and after their baby’s NICU stay. NICU support is available at no cost to NICU parents in English and Spanish.
Connect with Hand to Hold:
Learn more or get support at handtohold.org
Follow Hand to Hold on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/handtohold
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/handtohold/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/NICUHandtoHold
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/HandtoHold
The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Music: Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
IEPs! 504s! Sometimes those services provided by the school can feel overwhelming, even when know they can benefit our child. School Board Trustee and NICU mom, Amber Feller, breaks it all down into practical steps, with action items to help you focus so you can assist your child in receiving the services he or she needs.
In this episode, we chat about:
What led you to pursue a fulfilling, but sometimes contentious, spot on the local school board?
You have both school board and parent experience with services provided by the public school system. Biggest take home lesson from both experiences?
Some parents may be familiar with early intervention (looks different in every state), but what is an IEP and how does it differ from a 504?
When a child graduates from high school, how do they get help in college?
How does a parent begin the process of asking for help for their child from PK-12?
What questions should they ask and how do they know their rights?
Does the school district make a diagnosis based on testing they do or is that up to the parent and an outside medical professional?
What do you think parents should know about IEPs?
Sometimes there's a negative stigma with receiving help through special services. How can a parent (and a child) overcome that stigma?
What's your best advice to a parent seeking an IEP for his/her child?
Amber Feller has been actively involved in Round Rock ISD schools since 2008 serving in various volunteer roles and she currently serves as a Trustee on the School Board. Amber has also been very active in the community while serving through Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, her church and her children’s extracurricular activities. Amber earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Sociology, with a Minor in Math, from Texas A&M University and her Master’s of Education in Counseling from the University of North Texas. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor as well as a Nationally Board Certified Counselor.
Connect with Amber:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmberFellerForRRISDSchoolBoard/
The NICU is hard. We’re here to help.
Hand to Hold is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parents with personalized emotional support, educational resources and community before, during and after their baby’s NICU stay. NICU support is available at no cost to NICU parents in English and Spanish.
Connect with Hand to Hold:
Learn more or get support at handtohold.org
Follow Hand to Hold on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/handtohold
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/handtohold/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/NICUHandtoHold
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/HandtoHold
The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Music: Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Just when you find your rhythm, something like school bullying enters the picture and it can often feel overwhelming and frustrating. Sr. Josephine Garrett, a licensed mental health school counselor talks strategies, perspective and encouragement in dealing with bullying.
In this episode, we chat about:
How and why did you pursue counseling?
You serve both a school and have a private practice. What are the similarities and differences in serving those two populations?
Some NICU babies have challenges that are easily detected once they leave the hospital, but sometimes parents find themselves encountering hard things as their babies become older and enter school. How do you, as a counselor and mental health professional, advocate for students differently than other school staff?
What's an ideal student to counselor ratio?
Often, a NICU baby becomes a target, if you will, for school bullies. Maybe they have a device, a physical challenge or their size makes them vulnerable. How can the family work with the school counselor to address that?
What are some things you do with your students to help them process trauma, work through hard emotions or feel comfortable in who they are?
When should a parent be concerned?
What's your best advice to a parent who has a child struggling in school, academically, socially or emotionally?
Sr. Josephine is a native Texan born and raised in Houston. She completed a BA in Politics with a Business concentration at the University of Dallas. Following graduation she began a 10-year career in banking, serving as Vice President in the Home Loans division of Bank of America. In 2011, she shifted her focus and began formation to be a Religious Sister with the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. She is a Clinical Mental Health Counselor for her local school and she also serves children in private practice.
Connect with Sr. Josephine:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sr_josephine
Website: https://nazarethretreats.org/people/sister-josephine-garrett
The NICU is hard. We’re here to help.
Hand to Hold is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parents with personalized emotional support, educational resources and community before, during and after their baby’s NICU stay. NICU support is available at no cost to NICU parents in English and Spanish.
Connect with Hand to Hold:
Learn more or get support at handtohold.org
Follow Hand to Hold on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/handtohold
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/handtohold/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/NICUHandtoHold
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/HandtoHold
The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Music: Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Today, you get the trifecta! Doula, birth photographer and breastfeeding advocate Leilani Rogers shares about her breastfeeding awareness passion project, which was an outgrowth of her work as a birth photographer. Those two passions then led her to obtain her doula certification. Her knowledge and experience in all three is certainly a gift!
In this episode, we chat about:
How did you find your calling in birth photography?
Your birth photography accolades are many! You even hosted the public breastfeeding awareness project for five years. What was the purpose of that project and why were you inspired to create it?
How did birth photography lead you to pursue certification as a doula?
What does a doula do, particularly in the case of a high-risk pregnancy?
What is a "doulatog" as you share on your website?
Women and their partners might be apprehensive about hiring a birth photographer, a doula or both, what would you say to alleviate some of those fears?
When you're considering hiring a photographer or a doula, what are some questions you should ask to ensure it's a good fit?
Do all doctors/hospitals allow for a photographer or a doula? What questions should a new mom ask?
How can a NICU mom benefit from services like birth photography or a doula?
What's your best advice to a parent who wants to hire a photographer or a doula?
Leilani Rogers became interested in birth as a young mom with preterm labor with all four of her children. She became more empowered and informed with each pregnancy, and when she documented her first birth in 2011 her life as an artist intersected with her love for and knowledge of birth perfectly. She is also a trained doula and a mentor to budding young photographers worldwide.
Connect with Leilani:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photosbylei
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PhotosbyleilaniRogers
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leilani.rogers.photographer
Website: https://PhotosByLei.com
Learn more about the Public Breastfeeding Awareness Project:
https://www.photosbylei.com/2014/07/29/public-breastfeeding-awareness-project/
The NICU is hard. We’re here to help.
Hand to Hold is a national nonprofit dedicated to providing neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parents with personalized emotional support, educational resources and community before, during and after their baby’s NICU stay. NICU support is available at no cost to NICU parents in English and Spanish.
Connect with Hand to Hold:
Learn more or get support at handtohold.org
Follow Hand to Hold on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/handtohold
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/handtohold/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/NICUHandtoHold
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/HandtoHold
The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Thriving Together [Full version] by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/10332-thriving-together-full-version
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Music: Bright Colors Of Life by MusicLFiles
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/7855-bright-colors-of-life
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license