Mama's Milk, No Chaser

What It’s Like Having An Overactive Letdown

hollymilkowski June 8, 2016

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Thinking maybe it’s time to switch sides…

Breast pads? Ha. What a joke.

I hate wearing bras, but in public they’re my only hope for a solid enough barrier between my trigger-happy nipples and my shirt. I don’t know why I bother because I still get soaked. Maybe it just makes me feel proactive?

I don’t stand with my arms tightly crossed in public because I’m a haughty snob. It’s just because I’ve got to muzzle the mammaries somehow, and pressure works well. More subtle and civilized than cupping them with my hands, anyway.

I don’t wear thick tops in the Texas summer heat because I want to live in a microwave. Milk leaking? Can’t disrobe? Layers, friend.

Julep’s Water Birth at Home

hollymilkowski May 29, 2016

This is the story of my second child’s birth. My first son MaiTai was born three and a half years ago in a hospital. (I’ll share details of that tale in a future post).

***BEFORE YOU READ: Again, this is a birth story. If you’re not accustomed to reading real birth stories, are uncomfortable with images of birth-related nudity, or have a very particular definition of what’s TMI, you might consider skipping this post.***

Julep’s Pregnancy Story

hollymilkowski May 26, 2016

Photo credit: Tender Nest Portraits

This is the story of my pregnancy with my second child, Julep. I’ll share details of my pregnancy with my oldest son MaiTai in a future post.

After this post, check out Julep’s birth story here.

The Un-Wean

hollymilkowski May 25, 2016

It hasn’t been long since I wrote my previous post about how 3.5 year old MaiTai apparently wouldn’t be tandem nursing. Well, perhaps I spoke too soon.

Touching, Printing, and Eating My Placenta

hollymilkowski May 20, 2016

*BEFORE YOU READ: This is a post about human placentas. It includes photos. If you’re not accustomed to seeing a real placenta or don’t wish to see one, you might consider skipping this post.*

*All uncaptioned photos below are credited to Stephanie Shirley Photography*

A “Birthday Candle” Cord Burning Ceremony

hollymilkowski May 19, 2016

Instead of cutting Julep’s umbilical cord we held a sacred severance ceremony, an ancient ritual that involves using flame to slowly burn the cord.

It was a beautiful and peaceful few minutes dedicated to Julep’s final step in the separation from his uterine life.

**All photos in this post credited to Stephanie Shirley Photography.**

Julep’s First Latches

hollymilkowski May 16, 2016

Julep latched for the first time twenty-four minutes after he was born on April 28th. I remember the feeling was… beautiful. It felt right.

Memories of MaiTai’s first latch attempts in the hospital three and a half years ago came flooding back. Was I really doing this again? How lucky am I! And what work we have ahead of us…

Other details of the moment are all a blur now. I nursed this bright-eyed, alert baby on and off during my time on the bed right after birthing him in a pool several feet away.

*All photos credited to Stephanie Shirley Photography.*

Breastfeeding With a Weaned One Watching

hollymilkowski May 9, 2016

I wrote a post a while back about wondering whether 3.5 year old MaiTai would tandem nurse with his baby brother, Julep. MaiTai was still nursing regularly then, and it wasn’t until my eighth month of pregnancy that he stopped altogether (minus a few ‘test tries’ to see if the milk had changed its taste yet).

Between then and now, he’d accumulated a host of new bigger-kid needs and the long-standing breastfeeding one got booted to the back of his priority list.

Peaceful Parenting From The Sidewalk

hollymilkowski May 2, 2016

This weekend, I joined with advocates from across the nation to Chalk The Walk with our favorite peaceful parenting messages.

As always, this is a family-friendly event and all ages are welcome to participate. Perfect for us — especially this time with a 1.5-day-old baby and a 3.5-year-old kiddo in tow!

A variety of peaceful parenting topics were on display: Informed birth choice, breastfeeding, nighttime parenting (no CIO), cloth diapering, babywearing, gentle ‘discipline’, genital autonomy…

D.I.Y. Postpartum Padsicles

hollymilkowski April 20, 2016

Postpartum Padsicles bring soothing relief to sore, swollen, tender tissues after childbirth. Even if you didn’t tear or didn’t have an episiotomy, your (strong yet) sensitive passageway of life will thank you for looking out!

They fit nicely into those postpartum diapers or mesh panties you’ll be wearing for a while, too.

You’ll need about 18-24. I made 30 — just to cover my butt (ha).

“We Come From The Water” — My Finished Belly Cast

hollymilkowski April 19, 2016

Last week I sat for my first (and I predict last) pregnancy belly cast. I wrote about it here. After a double layer of gesso on the front and back had finished drying, I conjured up a vision of what I should do about decorating the thing. Here’s how it turned out!

5 Reasons to Keep Your Due Date a Secret

hollymilkowski April 13, 2016

Some mamas want to share their baby’s estimated arrival date the instant they find out for themselves — graciously inviting their tribe and beyond into this part of their pregnancy journey. Hey, that’s cool!

Other mamas answer the “when are you due” question as if an answer is socially expected. They don’t apply much thought to the alternative. Ah, no big deal!

Then there are mamas who feel a bit sketchy on the matter. They’re the mamas like me who may have a birthing day in mind, but it’d take a military inquisition for them to reveal it to ‘just anyone.’

Now, here are a few compelling reasons for keeping your due date secret…

Making a Pregnancy Belly Cast

hollymilkowski April 10, 2016

Ever wondered how to make a belly cast? This is a fun idea for the last few weeks of the the third trimester (or after baby’s Guess Date has come and gone) when your belly is as abundant as it’ll ever be, and you’re waiting on baby to make his or her arrival among us air-breathers.

The Most Beautiful Quotes About Breastfeeding

hollymilkowski April 5, 2016

21 of My Favorite Painted Pregnant Bellies

hollymilkowski March 19, 2016

Have you ever had your pregnant belly painted, either with acrylics or henna?

Here is some inspiration for those who love the positive energy of color, art, and creation. These would also be perfect to re-imagine on a belly cast if your skin is sensitive to paint.

(In no particular order).