Great Breastfeeding Blogs to Read!

Photo by jeff.snodgrass via Flickr

Written by Amber McCann, IBCLC

Blogging has become an incredibly influential part of the media consumed by today’s mothers. In BlogHer’s 2012 Study of Women and Social Media, a sample of women were asked, ““Do you trust the information and advice that you get from blogs?” and an overwhelming 98% said YES.  The number of women, especially pregnant women and new mothers, who are seeking advice and guidance from bloggers is staggering.  45% of the sample said that blogs were more influential than Facebook status updates from their friends or celebrity endorsements.  Clearly, it is a medium that breastfeeding advocates and supporters should be aware of. And with nearly 4 million “mommy bloggers” on the scene, finding the best of the best can be a challenge.

I recently was involved in a conversation with other lactation consultants about what blogs we were reading to stay up to date on the current conversation about breastfeeding.  I am an active blog reader (if you are new to reading blogs, I encourage you to use an RSS Reader such as Google Reader) and enjoy hearing what other mothers, volunteers, professionals and the general public are saying. Many of my colleagues expressed that they enjoyed reading blogs as well but were a bit unsure about where to go to find the ones being most accessed by breastfeeding mothers.

What are your favorite breastfeeding blogs?  Where are the mothers you support telling you they get their information? Here are some of my favorites * (in alphabetical order) and why I love them:

• Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine:  Physicians, such as breastfeeding research Dr. Alison Stuebe, weigh in on current breastfeeding trends and “hot topics”.
  

  Best for Babes

• Best for Babes:   Bests for Babes is a non-profit organization focused on addressing the “cultural, institutional and legal barriers to breastfeeding”.  I sometimes write for their “Celebrity News” section but my favorite posts are Tanya Lieberman’s series on the “Booby Traps”, those things in the breastfeeding process that a mom isn’t expecting and when she steps on them, everything blows up.  Doesn’t that feel familiar?
• Breastfeeding Reporter:  Nancy Mohrbacher shares her insights on current breastfeeding issues.
• Fearless Formula Feeder:  I am well aware that some will take issue with the addition of this blog to my list but I consider it essential reading for lactation consultants.  We must be very aware of how our message is perceived by many mothers and we must be willing to listen to the stories of those who have chosen/been forced down a different path than we would choose.
• The Leaky Boob:  Jessica Martin-Weber is doing really innovative work in regards to reaching breastfeeding mothers through social media.  While her Facebook pageis where most of the magic happens, her blog is truly compassionate.
  

  The Leaky Boob

• MamaMilkandMe: Written by Leigh Anne O’Connor, IBCLC (previously profiled in our “Clinicians in the Trenches” series)  in Manhattan.  I so enjoy her perspective, not only on her practice, but also on her own experience as a breastfeeding mother.
• Mammals Suck: Katie Hinde is a professor of Evolutionary Biology at Harvard and Director of the Comparative Lactation Laboratory.  I particularly enjoy her scientific perspective along side humor.
• Milky Way: Milk sharing, through organizations such as Eats on Feets and Human Milk 4 Human Babies has become a very “hot topic” in our field.  This blog shares the stories of those mothers who are currently either donating or receiving donor milk through milk sharing.
• Motherwear: This is the very FIRST breastfeeding blog I ever read.  Tanya Lieberman, IBCLC writes for breastfeeding mothers, interpreting new research and breastfeeding news in an accessible way.
• 

  Katherine Stone of Postpartum Progress

  Normal, like Breathing: Diana Cassar-Uhl, IBCLC share her wisdom and insight on her blog.  I particularly enjoyed her recent posts about breastfeeding beyond infancy.

• PhD in Parenting: Another “must read” in my book, Annie Urban covers a variety of parenting topics and often talks about breastfeeding and specifically the WHO code.
• Postpartum Progress:  A fantastic blog about mental health issues surrounding pregnancy and birth.
• San Diego Breastfeeding Center:  Robin Kaplan, former co-editor of this blog, has really been a standout in using her blog to build her lactation consulting private practice.

* These blogs are my personal favorites, not those endorsed by ILCA.  Obviously, being located in the United States gives me a bias towards blogs authored there.

Do you have a favorite breastfeeding related blog not on this list?  Do you blog yourself?  What are the best breastfeeding blogs NOT based in the US? We’d love to know about it!  

Amber McCann, IBCLC

Amber McCann, IBCLC is a  board certified lactation consultant in private practice with Nourish Breastfeeding Support, just outside if Washington, DC and the co-editor of this blog.  She is particularly interested in connecting with mothers through social media channels and teaching others in her profession to do the same.  In addition to her work here, she has written for a number of other breastfeeding support blogs including The Leaky Boob and Best for Babes and served on the Communications Team for GOLD Conference . When she’s not furiously composing tweets (follow her at@iamambermccann) or updating her Facebook page, she’s probably snuggling with one of her three children or watching terrible reality TV.