mothering

is ancient

practice

Mothering is ancient practice. But why can navigating this space feel so overwhelming?

I’ll be honest—the internet is a scary place for a new mother. The influx of information is a lot to try to sort through on your own.

I created ‘hey mama rach’ as a safe space for mothers. To hold you on your journey. To empower you in every decision. And sometimes to expose the BS of this industry along the way.

Xo RACHEL CRAIG

Mother, Registered Nurse & International Board Certified Lactation Consultant

work with me—

THE LACTATION NETWORK X HEY MAMA RACH

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INDIVIDUAL LACTATION TEXTING SUPPORT

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signed, a hospital lactation consultant

I see SO MANY new mothers waiting until after the delivery of their baby to get serious about breastfeeding. To learn all of the normal behaviors, positions, tips & tricks. That’s not the time to learn. After the birth of your baby in the hospital you are VULNERABLE.

Learn before. It’s so worth it. It’s worth it to know that if you had an epidural, your baby might be extra sleepy for 24 hours—so them not latching frequently and eating well in that timeframe is totally normal and not a reason to supplement or be concerned.

be confident. be prepared.

here’s the thing—

you’re not gonna find research articles here. you’re gonna find real life stories, lived experiences & what I am seeing as a professional

follow along on instagram

I get it—as humans we love data. We’re naturally driven to want ‘proof of something’. Is there not proof in the lived experience? In the story? Mothering is ancient practice. It’s in our blood & in our bones. In our gut. Sooooooooo much research is flawed, biased, funded by bad people. There’s a time and a place. But stop asking me to “show you the research”—it’s all right here.

Welcome to the questions that live rent free in my brain! Former Labor & Delivery / Postpartum Nurse addition… What would you add?

PROTECT THE GOLDEN HOUR & protect your breastfeeding journey! If this, breastfeeding, is important to you then you should not go blindly into birth without any education. You should know how birth interventions might affect your feeding journey. You should know what a good latch feels like. You should know that the nurse telling you “pain is super normal with breastfeeding” is bullshit. You should know that the 2000cc of normal saline you got through labor also got to your baby and their birth weight is also a lot of water weight so they really didn’t lose that much. You should know milk doesn’t ‘come in’. You have milk. It’s called colostrum. If you’re ready to be empowered on your journey comment LEARN and I’ll send you the link!

My last baby. My boy. Tomorrow you turn one. Three hundred sixty five days of sleeping close. Of mamas milk. You’re such an incredible soul. Every day is an honor. I love being by your side. I will love you forever & always ✨

My friend @laurenwhiting.lactation was talking about this the other day. Formula companies LOVE to market their product as being better for your ‘mental health’. They love to state they care for the mother baby dyad. They even pay mommy influencers lots of $ to get that message across. If they really cared would their product be $50-70 a can? Or would they probably make it accessible to all? If they really cared would they be making a profit? NO ONE is bashing your feeding journey. No one is bashing the use of formula. It’s a life saving resource. We’re talking about the people behind its marketing & its profit. Profiting off of mothers and infants is sick & wrong

What are you gonna remember?

Think about it.

You deserve to put yourself first. And you might not hear that in motherhood or on this journey. You deserve to have hobbies. Things that light you up. You deserve to fill your cup. Your kids deserve to see you love yourself.

Love this quote by Drew Afualo— As I’m working through decentering men & raising a son I would like to share my findings here. Decentering men while raising a son means actively working to not prioritize male perspectives and experiences in your life and instead, intentionally focus on fostering a balanced view where your son isn’t solely defined by his gender. Are we raising good men? Can we prioritize ourselves as mothers?

BREASTFEEDING TIP OF THE WEEK— Back at it again with some Dr Morley Robbins tidbits. He states that the bulk of the breast milk is retinol, or vitamin A. And there’s definitely a difference between synthetic and food based retinol. The need for retinol increases by 60% if you’re breastfeeding. And why is retinol so important? Because it’s what activates the pumps to put copper in the enzymes. Copper is one of the trace minerals that keeps the nervous and immune systems healthy, supports brain development, and helps to make red blood cells and collagen. The ‘old wives tale’ of drinking a beer to increase your milk supply is typically because of the yeast! Yeast loves copper. It can be fascinating to research how the right minerals & diet (something truly lacking right now) can affect your milk. Breastfeeding mothers need the right nutrition. Have you tried eating these foods? How has it helped your breastfeeding journey?