Hi, I’m Alison Heyerdahl,

The formula shortage crisis has been a few months in the making. It started in February 2022 when suspected contamination of Similac led to the recall of products countrywide and the shutting down of a manufacturing plant in Michigan. This plant supplied as much as a fifth of the infant formula products on the market. It is also a critical supplier of specialized formula products for babies with allergies or other health conditions.

On 17 February 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it was investigating several reported cases of Salmonella Newport infections in infants and toddlers likely linked to the infant formula produced in the Abbott Nutrition’s Michigan Facility. This was only the beginning of what would turn out to be a national crisis. No one could imagine that the USA would face a formula shortage, leaving parents in a state of panic about how to feed their babies.

Colostrum is often described as liquid gold, and for good reason too. While it does have a golden tinge, it is also the most precious and valuable food your newborn will receive. Produced in the smallest amounts, colostrum plays an important role in the start of your breastfeeding journey. Read on to find out more about the benefits of colostrum for your baby and why every drop counts.

Following a long nine months of pregnancy with a roller coaster of hormones and body changes, we are so excited to welcome our baby into the world and embrace our role as a mother. At the same time, there is also a lot of pressure to shed the baby weight within weeks of giving birth. Social media influencers and famous celebs set unrealistic standards that we hold ourselves to, but there is no secret formula for gaining that six-pack or fitting back into your skinny jeans. Read on to learn more about what you can realistically expect when it comes to weight loss after birth.

About 1-2% of the alcohol a mother consumes enters her breastmilk. Because infants’ livers are not developed enough to process the alcohol, it will remain in their systems much longer. While mothers can safely consume alcohol while breastfeeding, they should limit their intake to about 1-2 units per week or plan accordingly. 

The first hour after birth when the mother has uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact with her newborn is termed the Golden Hour. Research has recently recognized the vital role that “The Golden Hour” plays in stimulating breast milk production and ultimately, breastfeeding success. Read on to learn more about the Golden Hour.

Cracked and painful nipples are one of the most common reasons mothers prematurely stop breastfeeding. Many factors have been identified to cause painful or damaged nipples, including poor breastfeeding technique or latch, breast engorgement, inverted/malformed nipples, bottle feeding, nipple hypersensitivity, and inappropriate breast pumps. This article outlines some of the most effective ways to correct and resolve these issues.

Sometimes, as much as we want to parent “by the book” as it were, life has other plans for us.  Breastfeeding may be causing so much discomfort and stress, that in many ways, formula feeding is a better alternative. Some of us experience severe pain, cracked nipples, mastitis, or simply have to return to work and cannot find an extra thirty hours in our week to exclusively breastfeed/pump. Read on to find out about the most popular formulas on the market and the pros and cons of each.

Although nipple shields have proven helpful for many breastfeeding mothers, there is some contradictory data regarding the long-term effects of its use and the best method for weaning off the nipple shield and introducing the bare nipple. Read on to find out about the pros and cons of nipple shields.

While many of us understand the benefits of breastfeeding, for some moms, exclusive breastfeeding is not always an option. In this day and age, many moms have to return to work within a few months of their baby’s birth, and being able to pump is non-negotiable. However, many moms experience difficulties with pumping and then don’t have enough milk to give to babysitters. Additionally, many moms struggle with issues such as getting their baby to latch, low milk supply, or nipple pain. For these and other reasons, the decision to supplement with formula becomes the only viable option.

When you’re pregnant, it seems as if all you’re focused on is making sure that your baby is healthy, and is growing according to all the expected milestones. However, your body has also gone through an enormous transformation during pregnancy and after delivery, but your health often gets put on the backburner as you worry about caring for your new baby and trying to navigate life on very little sleep. Many women struggle postpartum because they feel so unprepared to deal with all the new changes to their physicality, and end up anxious, depressed, and overwhelmed.

As a breastfeeding mother, you know how challenging it can be to express and correctly store your breast milk. It takes enormous effort to follow safe storage rules when half asleep after a 3 am feed or when you're running late for a 10 am meeting, and so you really don't want to see that precious liquid gold wasted. What happens if you've heated a bottle of expressed milk that was stored in the fridge and your baby doesn't finish it? The answer varies and will depend on a few factors. Read on to learn more.

As a new parent, the mention of SIDS can send shivers down your spine and get you up all night checking on your (finally!) sleeping baby. But you can rest assured, knowing that the incidence of SIDS is very low. In fact, only 0,0009% of babies succumb to SIDS, and there is a lot you can do to prevent it.

Pregnancy and lower back pain are almost synonymous. It is common to experience stiffness and aching that sometimes refers down into the buttocks, hips and legs. Back pain usually starts in the second trimester of pregnancy and sometimes only remits once your baby is born.