Creating a Gratitude Jar can be a great way to savor memories, celebrate events and honor where you are in the moment. Take time daily to write what you are grateful for onto slips of paper and place it into your gratitude jarādo so several times per day if you wish! A gratitude jar can bring about appreciation for self, celebrate strengths and bring about a sense of connectedness. If you are a pregnant or breast/chestfeeding person consider adding details about your journey to your jar. This could be a cool method of chronicling your experience!
Read More »Category: Mental Health
Spilled Milk – The Podcast
Recently I had the pleasure of being a guest on the SPILLED MILK PODCAST hosted by my good friend, Mrs. Kendra Shelby. Kendra is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and is doing phenomenal work in Chicagoland to support women and families through pregnancy and postpartum. Learn more about her HERE. She is a pure blessing and I am grateful that our paths have crossed!
Within the podcast we unpack the ins and outs of perinatal mood disorders and counseling. We both get real about our pregnancy journeys, birth plans that did not go according to plan, adjusting to a newborn and the aftermath. We are both in the field and doing the work that we were born to do, yet we both had challenges along the pregnancy / birth journey. We seek to normalize the conversation, be transparent about our experiences and provide you with tools to move forward.
Click below to listen to the SPILLED MILK PODCAST! Enjoy!
Black Breastfeeding Week 2021
I look forward to this week annually because it is a week to salute Black Breast/Chestfeeding parents. I always eagerly anticipate the unveiling of the theme in the weeks leading up to August 25th. The 2021 theme, The Big Pause: Collective Rest for Collective Power, honors Black Breastfeeding and the power of rest as a revolution for our communities (refer to photo). The theme is fitting for the steps required to restore our minds, bodies and communities as we continue to provide nourishment to our little ones.
Last year we were in a different space and the call to action was to revive, restore and reclaim our breastfeeding experiences. I wrote about it extensively here. An entire year has passed, yet systems and outcomes for Black parents and infants remain the same. Black Breastfeeding Week is still needed because racial disparities in breastfeeding rates have yet to be eradicated. We are also still in the midst of an ongoing global pandemic which adds additional complexity to an already complicated dynamic. Two factorsāthe current reality and our collective need for restācan exist simultaneously because the work can be exhausting. We are tired!
Read More »Mental Health Awareness Month 2021
We are half way through the month of May and I cannot let the month pass without acknowledging Mental Health Awareness Month. I am happy that an entire month is dedicated to highlighting the importance of mental health. In my world mental health is placed onto a pedestal on a daily basis. I will continue to speak about it and its importance to overall health every opportunity afforded to me.
Read More »Pandemic Holiday Blues. Tis the Season.
The holiday season can bring on a variety of emotions. November marks the start of events that seem to keep rolling throughout December and into the New Year. The end of the year is compromised of work potlucks, increased family and friend obligations and festive gatherings that seem to last forever. Fast forward to 2020 and those colorful festivities of yesteryear have been replaced with more life altering challenges than we can count.
The Essentials
While pregnant I read every book I could get my hands on that was related to birth. I am an avid reader so reading books was the norm. The internet and social media spaces catering to birth and breast / chestfeeding were was also my go-to sources. I was armed with information and the text made breast / chestfeeding look easy. Certainly I thought I had it covered between the detailed descriptions, footnotes, the diagrams and links to further reading. I was the expectant mother that clicked on the links within the links to see what else I could discover.
Read More »Subscription Box Countdown
UPDATE September 1, 2020 — The Peace, Love & Breastmilk Monthly Subscription Box is available. Please click on the links below! š
I am eagerly preparing to launch the Peace, Love & BreastmilkĀ Monthly Subscription Box on September 1, 2020!! šāØš The time has flown by and it’s hard to believe that it is weeks away!Ā The ideaĀ written on scrap paper in March 2020 will soon become reality. I am excited!
Read More »Exhausted…
I have a few posts that are in draft status. Today I am straying away from them for a moment to address the here and now. No cool pictures. Nothing fancy. Not today. Here goes…
In my March 24 post I discussed elements of self-care to assist with navigating the pandemic and doing away with media that one may deem to be disturbing. To save you a bit of time here is what was written.
Read More »May is Maternal Mental Health Month
New and expectant mothers (parents) experience a variety of changesāhormonal changes, physical changes, changes in lifestyle, changes in sleep patterns and changes to the daily routine. Pregnancy and birth can be an exciting time and it may also bring about unexpected mental health concerns. Let’s face itābringing forth new life is stressful. The love for the newborn does not erase the sleep deprivation, isolation, added responsibilities and the inability to partake in self-care. Talk about an emotional roller coaster that seems never-ending! Unlike a roller coaster at the amusement park, this ride can last well after the first year following birth.
Read More »“Maternal mental health disorders typically occur in what is called the perinatal period. This includes the prenatal period, or time that a woman is pregnant, and the postpartum period, which is the first year after the baby has been born.”
Mental Health America
Trauma and Seeking Help in the Fight Against COVID-19
We took inventory of our most recent blog entries and noticed that they have one thing in commonāCOVID-19. This is no accident and certainly isn’t by chance. This virus has invaded our daily lives and there is no turning away no matter how hard we may try. We deliberately took the approach to focus on self-care, mental health and wellness these past few weeks. This particular post has sat in “draft” status for over 10 days as it is a painful one to tackle.
Our hearts go out to the entire world as we are all figuring out how to navigate this new normal that does not appear to be subsiding in the near future. To those that have lost loved ones; to those on the front lines; to those battling symptoms in isolation; to those who are asymptomatic with no insight about the battle ahead of them; to the essential workers; to family members awaiting to hear news about their loved one’s prognosis; to birthing parents who were forced to give birth alone without support — We speak your name.
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