Blog – The Human Milky Way

20 Weeks Pregnant: Your Lactation Journey Begins

Starting Your Lactation Journey Congratulations! At 20 weeks, you’re officially halfway through your

21 Weeks Pregnant: Understanding Breast Anatomy

Your Breasts and Their Marvelous Changes By now, your breasts may be undergoing

22 Weeks Pregnant: Your Cup Runneth Over

Breast Growth and Hormonal Changes One of the first changes you may have

23 Weeks Pregnant: Can’t Touch This

Coping with Breast Tenderness Are your breasts feeling extra tender or sensitive? This

24 Weeks Pregnant: Water Me, Please!

Staying Hydrated for a Healthy Pregnancy and Lactation Journey Staying hydrated during pregnancy

25 Weeks Pregnant: Human Milk and Avoiding NEC

Protecting Preterm Babies with Human Milk Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) is a painful and

26 Weeks Pregnant: Right On Target

The Functional Role of Darkening Areolas Have you noticed your areolas—the darker skin

27 Weeks Pregnant: The Golden Hour

The Importance of the First Hour After Birth You’re one week closer to

28 Weeks Pregnant: Nearly There

Celebrating Your Journey and the Power of Breast Milk Congratulations, Mama—you’ve made it

29 Weeks Pregnant: What’s In It For Me?

The Health Benefits of Lactation for You We’ve all heard the stories—whether from

30 Weeks Pregnant: Learning to Latch

Mastering the Art of a Good Latch As your due date draws closer,

31 Weeks Pregnant: Baby Friendly = Breastfeeding Friendly

The Importance of Baby-Friendly Facilities The Baby-Friendly Initiative is a program launched by

32 Weeks Pregnant: Lactation Consultation

The Benefits of Lactation Consultants Yes, it’s as cool to say as it

33 Weeks Pregnant: Pumped On Pumping

Exploring the Benefits of Pumping Are you stoked about making milk? Pumped to

34 Weeks Pregnant: Safe Expression and Storage

Protecting the Integrity of Your Milk Planning to pump and store extra milk

35 Weeks Pregnant: Lifesaver

The Life-Saving Power of Human Milk As your body prepares to ramp up

36 Weeks Pregnant: It Takes A Village

The Importance of Partner and Community Support Lactation isn’t just a solo act—it

37 Weeks Pregnant: Feeling Like Feeding

Newborn Feeding Patterns Not long now before baby arrives! Once your little one

38 Weeks Pregnant: A Little Goes a Long Way

Understanding Milk Supply and Early Expression As your due date nears, you may

39 Weeks Pregnant: Colostrum Collection

The Power of Colostrum and Prenatal Collection Your milk is a living fluid,

40 Weeks Pregnant: Oh, Happy Days!

The Power of Your Milk and Donor Milk It’s finally here—your due week!

41 Weeks Pregnant: Show Starter

Nipple Stimulation and the Power of Lactation Wow, you’ve made it to 41

42 Weeks Pregnant: LEGEND

Your Incredible Journey and What’s Next You are truly a legend, Mama! You’ve

1 Day Lactating: The Golden Hour and Your First Feed

The Importance of Early Nursing Congratulations on the arrival of your precious babe!

2 Days Lactating: Feeding Frequency and Colostrum’s Power

Early and Frequent Feeding Your body is still producing colostrum—nature’s first superfood. This

3 Days Lactating: Milk Coming In

Understanding Engorgement and Comfort Strategies Today, you might notice your breasts becoming firm

4 Days Lactating: Bilirubin and Jaundice Awareness

Feeding and Preventing Excess Bilirubin Levels Your milk is now transitioning to a

5 Days Lactating: Monitoring Baby’s Weight and Diapers

Acceptable Weight Loss and Tracking Output By now, your milk supply is better

6 Days Lactating: Common Challenges and How to Cope

Addressing Sore Nipples and Latch Issues As feeding becomes more frequent, your nipples

7 Days Lactating: One Week of Milk Magic!

How Far You’ve Come Wow, Mama, look at you go! Today marks one

1 Week Lactating: The Fourth Trimester Begins

Understanding Cluster Feeding and Its Role You’ve made it through the first week—what

2 Weeks Lactating: The Power of Skin-to-Skin Contact

Encouraging Milk Production and Bonding Your baby is adjusting to life outside the

3 Weeks Lactating: Sleep and Feeding Patterns Emerge

Coping with Sleep Deprivation By now, your baby may be settling into a

4 Weeks Lactating: Supporting Your Supply

Understanding Demand and Supply At this stage, your milk supply is driven by

One Month Of Milk Magic!

How Far You’ve Come Wow, Mama, can you believe it? You’ve officially reached

5 Weeks Lactating: Navigating Baby Growth Spurts

Growth Spurts and Cluster Feeding Revisited You might notice your baby nursing more

6 Weeks Lactating: Baby Cues and Communication

Recognizing Hunger and Fullness Cues Your baby is becoming a better communicator, and

7 Weeks Lactating: The Role of Partner Support

Engaging Your Partner in the Feeding Journey Partners play a vital role in

8 Weeks Lactating: Milk Composition and Developmental Milestones

The Dynamic Nature of Human Milk Your milk continues to adapt, adjusting its

Two Months of Milk Magic!

How Far You’ve Come Wow, Mama, you’ve hit the two-month mark of nourishing

9 Weeks Lactating: Sleep Adjustments and Milk Supply

Feeding Patterns and Sleep Your baby may start showing longer stretches of sleep

10 Weeks Lactating: Basics Revisited

Ensuring a Healthy Latch Even at 10 weeks, refining the latch is important

11 Weeks Lactating: Navigating Public Breastfeeding

Confidence and Comfort in Feeding Outside the Home By now, you may feel

12 Weeks Lactating: The Three-Month Growth Spurt

Surviving a Major Feeding Surge This week may bring a significant growth spurt,

Three Months of Milk Marvels!

How Far You’ve Come Wow, Mama! You’ve officially reached the three-month mark of

13 Weeks Lactating: Exploring Pumping and Milk Storage

Building a Stash If you’re considering pumping, this is a great time to

14 Weeks Lactating: Preventing and Managing Common Issues

Clogged Ducts and Mastitis Breastfeeding isn’t without its challenges, and clogged ducts or

15 Weeks Lactating: Breastfeeding Accessories That Help

Tools for a Smoother Journey By now, you might appreciate the value of

16 Weeks Lactating: Partnering Through Night Feeds

Sharing the Load Night feeds are still essential for milk production and your

Four Months of Milk Magic!

How Far You’ve Come Wow, Mama! You’ve officially reached four months of nourishing

17 Weeks Lactating: Formal and Informal Milk Donation

Sharing the Gift of Human Milk By now, you might have an established

18 Weeks Lactating: Protecting Lactation Rights

Workplace Accommodations and Policy Support Returning to work? Know your rights. Federal laws

19 Weeks Lactating: Maternal Health Benefits of Lactation

How Breastfeeding Supports Your Body Breastfeeding benefits you, too. Lactation lowers your risk

20 Weeks Lactating: The Demand and Supply Principle

Trusting Your Body’s Process Milk production works on a simple principle: demand equals

Five Months of Milk Magic!

How Far You’ve Come Wow, Mama! You’ve officially reached five full months of

21 Weeks Lactating: Coping with Common Challenges

Thriving Through Setbacks Every breastfeeding journey has its hurdles—whether it’s teething discomfort, distractions

22 Weeks Lactating: The Unique Properties of Human Milk

Adapting to Your Baby’s Needs Your milk is a living, evolving substance, adapting

23 Weeks Lactating: Sleep and Feeding

Strategies for Restful Nights Feeding rhythms may stabilize, but nighttime feeds remain important

24 Weeks Lactating: Celebrating Six Months of Breastfeeding

Reaching a Major Milestone Congratulations! You’ve reached the six-month mark, a significant milestone

Six Months of Supermilk!

How Far You’ve Come Wow, Mama! You did it—six full months of nourishing

25 Weeks Lactating: Introducing Solids with Breastfeeding

Complementing, Not Replacing If your baby shows signs of readiness, solids may now

26 Weeks Lactating: Breastfeeding Through Illness

Nursing While Sick If you or your baby catch a bug, breastfeeding can

27 Weeks Lactating: Pumping And Returning To Work

Sustaining Supply Away from Baby Returning to work may require adjustments to maintain

28 Weeks Lactating: Breastfeeding and Teething

Navigating New Challenges Teething might bring new challenges, such as fussiness or biting

Seven Months of Milk Magic!

How Far You’ve Come Wow, Mama—you’ve hit seven full months of providing your

29 Weeks Lactating: Partner Support in Breastfeeding

Strengthening the Team Breastfeeding is a team effort, and partners play a key

30 Weeks Lactating: The Adaptability of Human Milk

Dynamic and Responsive Nutrition Your milk remains a marvel of adaptability. It changes

31 Weeks Lactating: Resources for Lactation Support

Staying Connected Even experienced breastfeeding parents benefit from support. This week, explore lactation

32 Weeks Lactating: Milk Donation – The Gift of Life

Donating Milk to Help Other Babies If you have an abundant supply, consider

Eight Months Strong!

How Far You’ve Come Wow, Mama—eight full months of nourishing your little one

33 Weeks Lactating: Balancing Supply During Growth Spurts

Understanding Temporary Changes Your baby may experience another growth spurt, leading to more

34 Weeks Lactating: The Health Benefits of Lactation for Mothers

Why Breastfeeding Benefits You Breastfeeding offers long-term health benefits for you, too. It

35 Weeks Lactating: Workplace Rights for Lactating Parents

Advocating for Your Needs Navigating work while breastfeeding requires knowledge of your rights.

36 Weeks Lactating: Navigating Breastfeeding While Baby is Mobile

Adapting to New Challenges As your baby becomes more mobile, nursing sessions may

Nine Months of Magic!

How Far You’ve Come Wow, Mama—nine incredible months of nourishing your little one!

37 Weeks Lactating: The Dynamic Nature of Milk

Always Changing, Always Perfect Your milk remains as dynamic as ever, adapting to

38 Weeks Lactating: Coping with Nursing Strikes

When Baby Refuses the Breast A nursing strike can be challenging, but it’s

39 Weeks Lactating: Milk Sharing and Peer Support

Informal Milk Sharing Networks If you’re interested in informal milk sharing, connect with

40 Weeks Lactating: Nursing Beyond Infancy

The Benefits of Extended Breastfeeding Breastfeeding into toddlerhood continues to provide valuable nutrition

41 Weeks Lactating: Informal Milk Sharing Networks

Comforting Your Baby During Teething Teething can cause temporary discomfort during nursing, leading

Ten Months of Magic!

How Far You’ve Come Wow, Mama—ten full months of nourishing your baby with

42 Weeks Lactating: Workplace Accommodations and Advocacy

Maintaining Your Supply at Work Balancing work and breastfeeding requires planning and persistence.

43 Weeks Lactating: Human Milk Banking

Formal Milk Donation Consider donating to a human milk bank, which supplies screened

44 Weeks Lactating: Supporting Your Partner in Feeding

Partner Involvement in Breastfeeding Breastfeeding is a team effort, and your partner plays

45 Weeks Lactating: Pumping Beyond the First Year

Adapting Pumping to Your Routine If you’re still pumping, your routine may have

11 Months Lactating

Eleven Months of Magic! Wow, Mama—eleven full months of nourishing your little one

46 Weeks Lactating: The Science of Milk Composition

How Your Milk Changes Over Time Your milk’s composition continues to evolve, even

47 Weeks Lactating: Coping with Illness While Breastfeeding

Protecting Your Baby During Sickness If you or your baby is ill, breastfeeding

48 Weeks Lactating: Celebrating Your Journey

Reflecting on the Milestone of One Year As you near the end of

49 Weeks Lactating: Breastfeeding Into the Toddler Years

Benefits of Continuing to Nurse Breastfeeding into the second year provides ongoing benefits

50 Weeks Lactating: Supporting Breastfeeding Rights

Advocacy for Breastfeeding Families This week, focus on the bigger picture. Supporting breastfeeding

51 Weeks Lactating: Exploring Peer-to-Peer Milk Sharing

Connecting With Other Families If you have an oversupply, peer-to-peer milk sharing is

52 Weeks Lactating: One Year of Lactation – A Celebration

Reflecting on an Amazing Accomplishment Congratulations! Reaching one year of breastfeeding is a

One Year of Milk Magic!

Wow, Mama—twelve full months of nourishing your little one with your incredible milk!