A resource to inspire, inform and empower parents.

Sex After Birth: The Real Story

Every woman experiences motherhood differently so naturally our return to sex after birth will differ. I felt alone when the women around me were talking about how horny they were hours after giving birth. I felt there was something wrong with me. I never want another woman to feel that way. No matter what is going on you are not alone. This story is not rainbows and cotton candy. This is my experience and mine alone. You’ve been warned.  [Read more…]

Meltdown of the Century: His and Mine

Abby Theuring, The Badass Breastfeeder, babywearing her son.

Today we visited the chiropractor as we always do two times per week. Today I made an appointment for earlier in the day since the afternoon appointment had started to cut into Jacks naps. His naps are so erratic that it is hard to be consistent with a time of day for this appointment. I want him to get his sleep when he needs it and I feel like I am always scrambling from day to day to make this happen. [Read more…]

Inside Out and Fabulous

Abby Theuring, The Badass Breastfeeder's son.

When Jack was about 4 weeks old I was finally able to stand for longer periods of time without feeling like all of my internal organs were going to fall out of my vagina. I started getting dressed more and going on walks. My episiotomy had mostly healed so I could sit flat on my butt without having to tilt my ass to the side like I was about to let out a fart. We chose to celebrate one weekend by going to the grocery store for the first time as a family. [Read more…]

How I Found My Way Out of My Past

Sometimes I look around my house and find scraps of the old me lying around and it gets me to tripping on how much I have changed since Jack was born. Priorities change. It’s such a simple sentence and concept, but when I get glimpses of how astounding an affect this has had on the way I live my life I am truly in awe of my son.

Abby Theuring, The Badass Breastfeeder, before motherhood.

Over the weekend I took some time to dust off and store away my shoes. My husband came in saw the giant pile of mainly black platform high heels and said “wow, do you think you had a problem?” [Read more…]

The Secret of Losing My Sh*t

Abby Theuring, The Badass Breastfeeder's son

It recently came to my attention that people are under the impression that since I practice gentle parenting techniques with my son that I always remain calm. When I told my husband that I suspected people were thinking this he laughed and said “I wish they were here last Saturday, that was a real stomp-fest,” referring to the way I stomped around the house annoyed at Jack’s incessant whining. No, my friend, I do not remain calm all the time. I don’t even know if I remain calm most of the time. My buttons are pushed about 75 times a day (as any mother) and I feel on the edge of losing my shit about 67 of those times. I believe strongly in being as gentle a mama as I can, but I am a human being not a robot. So, let me clear the air. [Read more…]

Dr. Jen’s Guide to Breastfeeding: A Book Review

Abby Theuring, The Badass Breastfeeder, breastfeeding her son.

In my opinion, Dr. Jennifer Thomas is often literally the final word in breastfeeding advocacy. In my group of Admins on my Facebook page, The Badass Breastfeeder, we have what we call a “Dr. Jen Smackdown.” This refers to responding to a question or comment with quotes or articles by Dr. Jen. This information generally brings the conversation/debate/argument to a complete stop, as there’s no way to deny the logic and scholarship of her work on breastfeeding. “Smackdown applied!” someone will message me when they just resorted to posting Dr. Jen’s material. [Read more…]

Threads Weaving Meaning for Everyone Else But Me

Abby Theuring, The Badass Breastfeeder, and her son.

I have always struggled to connect one part of my life to the next. I was a pretty wild teenager and young adult. When I graduated from college and began working it was like I just dropped the former life completely and started a new one. There was little of the previous life to find when the new one established itself. Now I am a full time Mom. [Read more…]

Finding Your Local Group: Parents Need Other Parents

I promised a blog post about how to find your local group so I will try my best here to express my experiences so far. I have an amazing local group and I want nothing less for you moms than the happiness that I experience when I am with them. I truly take this seriously and believe that our success and happiness as breastfeeders, mothers and women come from who we surround ourselves with.

Not Your Baby’s Growing Pains: My Growing Story

Abby Theuring, The Badass Breastfeeder

It’s no secret that your baby is growing leaps and bounds every second. They are crying, writhing around on the floor, grunting, yelling and flapping their limbs. It must be so intense to be a baby. Every moment there is something new to process, a new sensation in your body and a new urge toward motion. Babies appear to be in pain much of the time. As a new mother I always think something is wrong. Really seriously wrong. I mean grunting like that can’t be good, flopping around like that can’t be normal, screaming like that has to be from pain! I still fear the worst like any mother, but in moments where it seems like my baby needs an exorcist I try to remember that it’s most likely growing pains. [Read more…]

Snuggle in Tight, That’s Right, Like That: Co-Sleeping/Bed-Sharing

Let’s begin with a vocabulary lesson. Co-sleeping means you sleep close to your baby. Maybe the baby is in bed with you; maybe she is in a bassinette or maybe in a crib, a co-sleeper or basket in the same room. Bed-sharing refers to the specific type of co-sleeping where the baby and you are in the same bed. There are many types of co-sleeping. Bed-sharing is a type of co-sleeping.