This weekend I met a woman who grew up in the Netherlands. When she first moved here, she wondered where were the people who come to help at your house when the baby arrives?  That’s all standard care in her country.

Parents here in the United States have to create that for themselves.Here’s something to encourage you in making a network and learning about your choices for childbirth.

This Friday, May 18th: “Birth Day and Beyond” It’s a panel discussion with midwives, a childbirth educator, a birth doula, a lactation consultant and others. It’s an opportunity to hear from a wide variety of experience. You’ll learn more about what choices you have for birth and early postpartum care. Even if you’re not one to ask questions, I am sure someone else will. It’s free and informal enough, we’re not a stuffy bunch.

I’ll be there, come by and say hello!

28 Chadwick St, Bradford, MA
King of Grace Church

There’s good reason for the tradition of bringing warm meals to a new family. When you’re focused on your infant’s needs, it’s easy to forget about your own recovery. Calm nourishment is necessary for both parents. If you don’t have helping hands, here are some guidelines to make it easier for you and your partner (with thanks to Rachel Gargano for her suggestions).

• Some protein every three hours or so keeps your blood sugar even. Easy protein snacks include trail mix, fruit smoothies with tofu, peanut butter and banana, edamame.

• Boil a dozen eggs and then you’ll have a dozen easy snacks.

• Other nutrients help with healing and conveniently, many of these can be eaten raw and with one hand: There’s vitamin C in bell peppers, strawberries, broccoli, pineapple, oranges, cantaloupe.

• A few cups of herbal tea, juice and fresh produce during the day will be plenty of fluids. On the other hand, a headache, parched lips, achiness or, of course, thirst could mean you should drink more.

• Orange root vegetables, sweet potatoes, yams, squash, and carrots, help with restoring energy. Try Rachel’s easy recipe:  Chop into bite-sized pieces, toss with a few teaspoons of olive oil. Roast on a pan at 375F for about 40 minutes. Do this while you’re attending to something else and you’ll have a delicious snack ready.

• Add ginger, garlic, coriander and cinnamon to your roasted vegetables or you can brew them as a tea. Warm spices promote better circulation and restore your energy.

• Oatmeal is a traditional food for boosting milk production. Whole grains supply you with B vitamins, fiber, and folate: good for your nerves, digestion and absorption of nutrients. Make a pot when you nap, then you’ll have a few day’s supply.

• Iron in your prenatal vitamins is good for you after giving birth.

The thoughtful nourishment you learned for pregnancy is a good habit you’ve started for your family’s health. Keep up the good work.

If you’ve ever watched kittens nursing, you will see them pressing on their mom’s belly with their paws. You’ll even see adult cats doing this sort of massage motion when they are content. That’s a deep instinct, hard wired in animals and humans brain. Watch your baby’s little hands, curling and uncurling.

And watch your baby sticking his hands in his mouth, moving them to her face. Hand to mouth is part of the learning process.

Even when in the womb, newborns suck their thumbs. Learning to nurse begins with their fingers. When they’re first born and are left undisturbed on the mother’s chest, they’ll suck and smell their hands. Sucking releases digestive hormones in the baby’s gut and the smell of amniotic fluid on his/her fingers is calming and familiar. These are guides for our infants.

This is one reason why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends newborns not be given a bath right away. There’s no need to wash off that important ‘birth goo’ smell. Bathing also separates mom and baby, maybe tires or confuses a newborn and when they’re swaddled (they get chilly with a bath), they don’t have access to their little fingers.

Babies who are not given a bath right away will suck on their hands more often. The small bumps on around the mother’s areola emit a secretion that smells like amniotic fluid and that subtle cue guides a newborn.

When your baby is at your breast, pressing on your breast just like kittens do, this also helps bring the milk down. If your baby is fussy at the breast and ‘getting his fingers in his face all the time’, focus on calming your child. Let them use their hands as they need.

For the most part, babies already know what to do. They need calm and patience. And when we understand this, we can give them a hand.

American Academy of Pediatrics: “Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk”

The photo is of a beautiful felted doll that my friend Katherine Lew made for my teaching.

It may seem that newborns sleep a lot and their new parents do not. Especially for the first weeks, the best strategy is to forget about schedules and nap when your baby naps.

Newborns move through varying levels of alertness. The ‘least alert’ is their deep sleep, when they are unperturbed by any noise or fussing. This deep sleep is important for their brains as they are adapting to this world.

Next, a newborn’s sleep will be lighter; they’ll make faces, snort, fidget, though they are still sleeping. Eventually they’ll move to a drowsy state, when they open their eyes half way, close them for awhile. If you pick them up at this time, they may move slowly into a more wakeful state. Then they are quiet and alert, gazing at the world, listening and absorbing (as the lovely newborn is doing in the photo). That’s a great time for nursing.

The most ‘alert’ state is when they are crying: very vocal and hopefully not getting too red in the face. That burns up a lot of energy. Crying is the last signal of hunger.

Watch your baby unfurl and you’ll catch those hunger cues a lot sooner. Both you and your baby will be calmer in general and calmer about feeding.

Newborns have no schedule or rhythm for night and day and they won’t for several weeks. You should nap whenever your baby naps so you can rejuvenate yourself. This is a unique and sensitive time, an opportunity to observe and learn more about your amazing, unfurling newborn.

Robin Snyder-Drummond, CD(DONA), IBCLC
Prenatal classes and Home visits
617-435-0693

photo c. Katherine Lew

Did you know your baby hears your voice while in the womb? When your child is born, amongst all the newness of light, temperature and gravity, it’s you (and your partner’s) voice that is a familiar comfort.

Did you know little bumps on a mother’s nipple secrete a substance that smells like amniotic fluid?  That’s a familiar scent that compels your newborn to find your nipple as he/she rests on your chest.

Did you know that when you hold your newborn baby on your chest, your body temperature rises seven degrees between your breasts? Direct skin to skin with your baby helps him/her stay warm, breathe easier and have a more regular heart rate.

Did you know that oxytocin is abundant in labor and breastfeeding? It’s the Love hormone that promotes our sense of connection with others and our instincts to hold and protect. Mothers, newborn babies and fathers all experience rises in oxytocin.

In these and many other ways, you are a simple, low tech and important source of warmth and comfort for your child, right from the start.

Prenatal classes and Home visits
Robin Snyder-Drummond, CD(DONA), IBCLC
617-435-0693

Zeus had an affair with a mortal woman and from that union, Hercules was born. Because Hercules was half mortal, Zeus wanted his wife Hera, an immortal, to give the baby some immortal powers through breast milk. (Well, the immune factors in breast milk are sort of like special powers).

So he snuck Hercules in with the other children while Hera was sleeping and nursing. Of course she woke up, was angry with Zeus and pushed Hercules away. As she did this, the milk from one breast spurted up to the heavens and that became the Milky Way. (The word galaxy comes from the root word gala, which means milk).  From the other breast, the milk spurted down to Earth and that became lilies!

As you nurse your child, look up to the sky, smell the lilies and consider your connection to other mothers and goddesses.

Robin Snyder-Drummond, CD(DONA), IBCLC
Prenatal classes and home visits
617-435-0693

“I am so very grateful for the lactation support I received from Robin Snyder-Drummond after the birth of my first child. Robin visited us in our home … Her knowledge, warmth and nurturance made our challenging situation seem manageable. She assessed the problems we faced and gave us the tools to overcome them. My daughter and I now enjoy a very satisfying breastfeeding relationship. For this, I am indebted to Robin, who guided us through that difficult time with skill and compassion.” Amy Alberts Warren, PhD Development Psychologist,  2012

“I really appreciated having someone come and be hands-on with us to be sure the latch, position, etc. were OK. It was much easier to be able to stay in our home environment, where we were nursing, than to have to go somewhere else to meet with a consultant. It really felt like Robin could understand the full picture that way as well.” Carrie, East Boston, 2011

“The students and I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to come to NSCC and present your “Postpartum Support” class! We all learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed the presentation … Students made a point of finding me after class and through e-mail to say how much they enjoyed your thoughts and suggestions.”  Judith Maxfield, RN, MS Prof. Nurse ED. North Shore Community College,  2011

“You watched what my baby was doing to help me problem solve. You were so calm, and so eager to try anything without ever making me feel like I was incompetent. Your calm demeanor made it feel like best possible kind of support.” Kate, Boston, 2011

“Having Robin look at what was happening with my baby and myself during breastfeeding and offering tips was invaluable and most of all helped me to relax and allow my baby to relax as well. Practicing in our own home without having to pack up and take the baby elsewhere, especially with another young child along, was very helpful”.  Victoria , Boston, 2011

“Robin was very flexible to our needs and provided us with a wealth of information and support. She is excellent!”  Tamar, Brookline, 2010

“Because of what we learned in your class, we were able to make more educated decisions. Thank you for the very informative class, your real life stories and down to earth personality. I am glad we took it, it was so helpful.”  Patti, Wilmington, 2009

“The class was way more than what I expected. It passed what I needed which is great. She explained everything in good details and did not use complicating words. Everything was helpful. Everything was covered plus more. I loved the way she taught so much I wanted more. I love the way she explains things.  She uses sounds and uses her sense of humour.  That relaxes me for what is to come.”  Michelle, Salem, 2007

“We both enjoyed the class and have a greater sense of empowerment because of what we learned in class. Robin is a great instructor, very knowledgeable!”  Lt. and Mrs. W, Burlington  2009

“Thank you are two little words to wrap around our grateful, big feelings.” Paula and Alex, Cambridge, 2005

Robin Snyder-Drummond, CD(DONA), IBCLC
Prenatal classes and home visits
617-435-0693

Congratulations on your blossoming family. I’m Robin Snyder-Drummond, I’m a board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) who makes home visits in the Boston area. Here’s a little about why and how I work with families.

Guiding Principle
Each child’s birth is a transition and opportunity. It’s an important time to recognize your abilities as a woman, a man, a couple and a parent. I find inspiration in Nature’s amazing designs for success and I hope you do, too.

I focus on meeting parents in their homes because that’s where you’re comfortable, use your new skills and grow your family.

Background Experience and Training 
Trained by midwives in 1985, I began as a ‘labor coach’ and immediately saw what a difference personal support made to a laboring woman.  This inspired me to become a certified childbirth educator and later, a DONA certified birth doula, CD(DONA).

Since 1993, I’ve taught prenatal classes in community settings (high school, air force base, women’s shelter, lesbian moms group and more) and four area hospitals. I’ve  facilitated moms groups, parent workshops and trainings for other professionals. As a birth doula, I’ve attended to over 200 families in six Boston area hospitals, one birth center and met many more families during home visits for postpartum care.

I’m keenly aware how your informed choices make a difference for postpartum. Women often remarked  ”I wish I’d known about that when I was pregnant.” BirthReady began in 2000 to promote prenatal education and support with practical, positive workshops. I continually draw from my experience with many different families as well as my training.

Breastfeeding Help
In 2009 I passed the exam to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). The IBCLC credential is the only internationally recognized accreditation for lactation consultants. This required college level courses, breastfeeding specific education and 2500 hours of one on one counselling. Many of those hours were spent one-on-one with families in classes, in labor, in their homes. The most important learning, I feel, is in the informal conversations in classes and during home visits.

Professional Associations
I’m a member of the
International Lactation Consultants Association
DONA International
Partners in Perinatal Health conference planning committee
Nursing Mothers Council
I’m current in my CPR certification and am a certified Basic Life Support Instructor.

Let’s keep in touch.
Please sign up for my e-mail list and feel free to contact me. I’m glad to talk with you about home visits, prenatal classes and workshops.

This is the cimicifuga plant, in the middle of Summer. It’s a plant that grows well in our New England climate, especially in damp areas. The leaves are wide and there are arching spires of clustered blooms about four feet high.

In late Summer and early Autumn, it gives off a sweet, earthy aroma. I think that’s appropriate for this plant who’s roots and leaves are used for pregnancy and menopause: fundamental, earthy energy.

There are many other plants and food that are especially nourishing and restorative for postpartum women. Fenugreek, thyme and Goats Rue are said to help with milk supply. Honestly, your best bet is frequent nursing and rest in the first two weeks.

For postpartum, some particular foods to have are:
Orange vegetables such as sweet potatoes, yams, squash, carrots. All of these are roots and roots draw alot of energy from the Earth. That’s good for restoring your own energy after birth.

Oats and rice are whole grains, full of b-vitamins and easy to digest.  Good for you and your nursing baby.  Oatmeal for breakfast may help with your milk supply and certainly is a sustaining meal to start the day. Mochi (pounded brown rice) dumplings in miso soup is a traditional Japanese food given to mothers after birth.

Warm spices such as ginger, garlic, coriander, cinnamon are all good for your circulation and restoring your energy.  Many cultures have soups and hot drinks with these spices in them.

Whole nutrition and specific herbs can influence your well being and recovery. Take good care of yourself and enjoy your meals.

Robin Snyder-Drummond
Prenatal classes and home visits
617-435-0693

Almost every time I return from a breastfeeding home visit, I feel like playing music. And almost every time I play music, I think how much it’s like breastfeeding.

First of all, music and breastfeeding both take practice. Adjusting something until it feels right and then repeating that so it becomes a habit. That’s how you get a ‘feel’ for something: music or nursing.

Secondly, little adjustments to your posture can make a big difference. Sitting with your shoulders slumped is uncomfortable and more tiring in a short time. You learn and ‘perform’ better when you are comfortable.

What if you don’t play music? I met a nursing mother who was an oceanographer. She understood breastfeeding in terms of flow dynamics. Okay, that worked for her.

Maybe you can remember something you started out not knowing? Now you have some abilities that you’ve learned and with which you’re familiar. And you also have new instincts. Especially when you are pregnant and newly postpartum, Nature guides you with strong impulses and that’s how you learn about your baby.

From the influence of oxytocin (the love hormone), you experience a heightened awareness of smell, of protectiveness, of eye contact and social connection with others. Your baby, like you, is guided by these same instincts.

Your body knows a lot and with patience, you’ll figure what works for you. Whether or not you relate this to a musical experience, I hope you will have faith and find a unique harmony with your infant.