November 04, 2019

Can I Schedule Time for Being Sad?

We’ve all heard the cliches about moms putting everyone else first, forgetting themselves, being caught up in the many “thankless” tasks, logistics, and concerns of daily mothering. This usually presents itself as sacrifices in hygiene -- bad food, no sleep, no bra, no using the restroom without a tiny companion.

November 04, 2019

Baby Not Sleeping Through the Night? Read This.

I was suffering terribly, and I noticed that happy little Beau was cranky and agitated. It appears that unlike some other rites of motherhood that have fallen into place for me when I allow instinct to guide, sleep doesn’t work that way for us. For all three of our kids,...

November 04, 2019

Navigating Through Fog: Managing Maternal Self-Doubt

If we work hard, feel pretty good about our values, and we care so very much about our kids and their well-being, we should get to feel pretty good about ourselves on the daily, no?

October 29, 2019

The Number One Nicest Thing to Do for a New Mom, and How to Do It

I had a friend text me the day I gave birth saying, “I am going to make you dinner and drop it off on your doorstep Wednesday around 4PM.”

October 27, 2019

"Will I Be Good Enough" From Totum's Resident Psychologist

Like many women, I found this concern repeatedly running through my mind as I looked towards my transition to motherhood. I knew what type of mother I wanted to be, but I wondered if I would ever be good enough (also known in my mind as “perfect”) to raise a happy, healthy,...

October 23, 2019

A Laywoman’s Guide to Breastfeeding Pro Tips

What I’ve learned from opening up and chatting with other moms has been the gold of motherhood. Professionals like lactation consultants and postpartum doulas are angels. But I’ve gotta say: I’d be lost without the street smarts of other moms. So here’s a stream of consciousness account of some of my...

October 17, 2019

I Couldn’t Forgive the Way Our Healthcare System Had Almost Failed Me

I got pregnant during my second year of residency training. I waddled bravely through 80-hour work-weeks, determined to show my physician colleagues that pregnancy hadn’t made me weaker or slower. But then I received unprofessional advice from my obstetrician, and I began to question the integrity of our entire medical...

October 16, 2019

Answers to Your Questions Postpartum

Most questions we received this week were related to Postpartum OCD (ppOCD), so our brilliant and kind Dr. Michelle expounds on the topic here.

October 10, 2019

The Story Behind the First At-Home Breast Milk Test

When I was breastfeeding my second child, I had so much milk that my husband and I joked that we’d have to buy an extra freezer!  Supply was never my problem. But when I returned to my medical practice around 5 weeks after my second daughter’s birth, pumping in my...

October 09, 2019

Answers to your Questions about Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex

Hey breastfeeding mamas -- have you ever felt a rush of intense negative emotions just prior to your milk letdown? This feeling might have felt like a slight fog or perhaps it was a heavy, depressed feeling in your chest or pit of the stomach. You may have worried how you could...