All posts by Gillian Foreman

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Gift Cards!!!

Modern Breastfeeding + Education is ecstatic to announce its Gift Cards! Reloadable, transferrable, never-expiring, and applicable to everything from classes to clinic to in-home support.

…….

Here’s how it works:

  1. Check through the site, e-mail questions as desired, and figure out what you’re interested in. (Quick reminder that gift cards don’t expire, are transferable, and good for anything Modern BF+Ed offers.)
  2. Send the amount you’d like to the Paypal e-mail: gillian@modernbfed.com
  3. E-mail the above email address with the Title “Gift Card!!!” and your mailing address. (Fine, exclamation points optional.)
  4. We will load your gift card and mail it to you by the end of that week.
  5. Enjoy! Use for newly released online classes, workshops / booklets, or for more personal support.

 

Classes

All Moms Support Group

Virtual!

August 7th – 28th, 9:00 – 10:00 AM

A community resource and support group designed as a multiple week session to create a safe space for that transitioning time after pregnancy and birth.

And NOW! We’re going to try it online.

A place you can come while your baby cries the whole time. Yes, please join us. A place you can be on screen not worrying about a shower, or we can be your excuse for a shower!

The variety of emotional ranges and physical changes after giving birth can feel isolating – especially now.

But there’s a woman out there thinking those same thoughts that you are! We want you to get a chance to meet her. Meet the moms you can create friendships with, not just because you’ve had babies, but because there’s a true spark of friendship and understanding.

Each week we will seek to address one of the topics listed below. Or just catch up.

  • Birth Processing
  • Sleep
  • PPD vs baby blues, and the range between
  • Feelings of Isolation
  • Self care
  • Self image and Body Image
  • Breast and bottle feeding, including pumping
  • Childcare Issues and Considerations
  • To Work or Not to Work? Work from home?
  • Relationship Balance, including Sex
  • Navigating Friendships – old friends, childless friends, new friends, those with different parenting philosophies
  • And any other topics that you would like to be addressed

Topics will be chosen by the class. General round table group chat, with “thought” homework to act on subjects and thoughts shared by all.

Peer support facilitated by a non-judgmental momma, who happens to be a peri-birth professional. Who has been where you are and will cry, laugh, and listen right alongside you.

This group is limited to 8 women to facilitate real relationship building. Drop-ins cannot attend as we are creating a safe space for sharing. You are certainly welcome to attend more than one series.

Welcome to a new type of community.  

Returning Members Register Here

 

Register for All Moms Support Group (New Attendee)

This group costs $55. Payment is due upon registration. You will be directed to Paypal after clicking on "Register" below

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Classes

Breastfeeding Basics

Thursday, October 8th, 6:30 – 8:30 PM

Thusrday, November 12th, 6:30 – 8:30 PM

via Zoom

As an experienced Lactation Consultant, doula, and mom, Gillian brings her honesty, humor, and knowledge to create a Breastfeeding Class that has been described as:

“fun, necessary, and refreshing” by Rachel F., New York, NY

“Extremely helpful, with handouts I will definitely be using.” by James B., Cincinnati, OH

This class isn’t just about teaching you how to breastfeed.

First it focuses on what the first hour after birth looks like and explains in detail why that time period is so important biologically to breastfeeding. Then we discuss what normal, successful breastfeeding should look like, what might be wrong when it’s not going as planned, and the inherent rules of the breastfeeding dyad.

Partners, who are strongly encouraged to attend, leave feeling like they know how to support the best possible beginning to breastfeeding, as well as struggles that may arise.

Aside from handouts, families leave with a personal list of support cultivated in class together.

 

Register for Breastfeeding Basics

This class costs $45, due upon registration. You will be directed to Paypal after clicking on "Register" below

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Please indicate which date you are signing up for:

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Classes, Uncategorized

Happy, Healthy Cesarean Class

Offered Online or in person, and as an e-book soon

This is offer by request only, or as a privately scheduled class!

Gillian uses her vast experience as an educator, as well as a birth and postpartum doula, to delve into a topic rarely covered by educators: Planned Cesarean births.

What is discussed in the Happy, Healthy Cesarean class?

In this two and a half hour class, we start with the feelings often overlooked when planning a cesarean, and how to not only cope and address them, but how to compound on them to start to looking forward to the date you’ll meet your baby! From there, we discuss what a Family Centered, or Gentle Cesarean, looks like, something you will be able to discuss further with your medical care providers.

Finally, we’ll discuss best strategies for breastfeeding, postpartum care, and healing.

Register below or Contact Me with questions.

 

Register for Happy, Healthy Cesarean Class

The class costs $150. A $50 deposit is due upon registration. You will be directed to Paypal after clicking on "Register" below

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Please indicate which date you are signing up for:

additional info

Uncategorized

HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practice

Modern Breastfeeding + Education’s HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practice

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law designed to protect your privacy whenever your health care providers, like the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), have to discuss your case, or send information about you to different offices. Modern Breastfeeding + Education is required to keep a file to record our consult, but the private, protected health information (PHI) in it will be kept confidential. IBCLCs within the Modern Breastfeeding + Education group can freely share all the details of your personal health information for purposes of “treatment, payment and health care operations.” That means the IBCLC can talk to you about your situation and discuss it with your other health care providers. If you are referred to other specialists, the IBCLC can send the information on to them. The IBCLC can also share information with your health insurance company if they need it. The law also requires Modern Breastfeeding + Education to share your information under other, very precise situations: for example, if a subpoena has been served on this office to turn over medical records or a federal agency is investigating a complaint that we have not been protecting your privacy. Any other time the IBCLC or Modern Breastfeeding + Education shares your personal health information must be with your specific, written authorization first. For example, you may want Modern Breastfeeding + Education to send information about your consultation to the Human Resources Dept. at your place of employ so they can pay you back under their corporate lactation support program. When you give Modern Breastfeeding + Education permission to turn over information about you, we can give out only the minimum amount of information needed to get the job done.

In the event that there are other instances where the IBCLC may wish to share your information, you will be asked to consent to each instance separately, and you may choose not to consent to any or all of this additional sharing. Under HIPAA, the IBCLC can call or write you to remind you to come back for an appointment or to tell you how you can get a product or service that might interest you and your family.

You have four rights under HIPAA:

1. Access: you can ask the IBCLC to see all of your protected health information (PHI) on file

2. Amendment: you can ask the IBCLC to change her files to amend inaccurate PHI

3. Disclosure Accounting: you can ask to whom the IBCLC has given your PHI

4. Restriction Request: you can put limits on the IBCLCʼs use and sharing of your PHI.

Modern Breastfeeding + Education’s duty under HIPAA is to give you this notice, so you understand that we have promised to keep your private health information confidential.

If this notice is amended in the future, we will make a new copy available. Gillian Foreman is the owner and Privacy Officer in this business and will answer your questions or concerns about how your privacy is protected. Her phone number is 214.208.5535.

You can complain if you think your privacy hasn’t been protected, and we have a duty to attempt to address the situation. If the Privacy Officer does not address your complaint adequately, you can go to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the federal Health and Human Services Dept., to ask that a formal investigation be made. You cannot be penalized for making a complaint. You can get all the details from them by calling (toll free) 1- 800-368-1019 or file a complaint at: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/index.html

The consent form you sign at a Lactation Consultation appointment, or at the Lactatiojn Clinic acknowledges that you have access to this HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practice and have read and understood it.

Links to those forms are provided here, or you may ask for a copy of the one you signed at any time:

Consent for Lactation Consultation – consent-for-lactation-consultation

Consent for Lactation Clinic – consent-for-lactation-clinic

Lactation Services

Lactation Clinic

Clinic is temporarily suspended with the current stay at home order.

Please contact me for phone or Zoom consultations instead.

Lactation Clinic, at 5011 Kenwood Road

Please see Facebook events page for Upcoming Clinics.

Usually held Fridays, sometimes Monday Clinics added.

$20 per family

Please contact with any questions.

This clinic combines comprehensive lactation services, while encouraging community and peer support. Come and go format!

Bring your baby (toddlers welcome as well) and partners / support people as desired.

Pre-registration is required, and can be done here, via contacting Gillian, or even the morning of Clinic with a simple phone call / text!

Pre- and post-feeding weight for babies will be recorded, and lactation professionals will observe breastfeeding and bottlefeeding sessions, all while you get to chat with other mothers in the area. Additional time is allotted for one-on-one questions with Gillian Foreman.

This format allows for more guidance and problem-solving than in a full group setting and provides continued follow-up in a supportive community environment for mothers experiencing more difficult scenarios.

Feel free to reach out and ask any questions directly to Gillian via the Contact Me page, or by phone.

While this not a substitute for the In-Home Lactation Consultations, it does provide more follow-up and support specifically for lactation than other settings.

 

Register for Lactation Clinic

The clinic costs $20. You will be directed to Paypal after clicking on "Register" below

Name (required)

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Telephone (optional)

Please indicate which date you are signing up for:

additional info

Blog

Event: Bluegrass for Babies

Bluegrass for Babies!

Music. Food. Beer. What’s not to love??

This year the 2016 Bluegrass for Babies Benefit Concert will feature live bluegrass performances by:

  • the Hocking River String Band
  • Comet Bluegrass All-Stars
  • Plus Hickory Robot and Jennifer Ellis will provide a special kids performance!

You can grab some Dewey’s Pizza, Grateful Grahams, or streetpops, and a beverage from MadTree Brewing. Further, the community partners listed on their site will have crafts games at their booths! Keep on reading to find out what we’ll have at the Modern Breastfeeding + Education booth! 

Bluegrass for Babies

When: Saturday, September 17th, 3:00-9:00 PM (booth activities until 7:30 PM)

Where: Seasongood Pavilion, 1600 Art Museum Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Tickets: range from family admission, to VIP / community sponsor, raffle tickets, and souvenirs. Early bird rates last for only two more days!! 

Aside from having information about prenatal Childbirth Education classes, Breastfeeding Classes, Newborn Care and Pumping Classes, the Virtually Present training coming up for all small businesses, as well as Lactation Service information, we’ll be raffling off some baby carriers and a signature Modern BF+Ed self-care goodie basket with the main Bluegrass raffle prizes!

PLUS, the kid’s craft at our tent is … drumroll please!

Branch Wall Hangings / Mobiles.

Using a variety of felt, nature objects, and paper, you’ll get to go home with a chic and modern art project from the kids, that you’ll actually want to keep!

Untitled design

Here’s a few examples  of our craft!

Wall art images pinned on my Modern Kids Crafts Pinterest board

Most importantly, though, this is a fundraiser for a great cause:

The Healthy Roots Foundation, which raises funds for children’s health research and education, through a partnership with the Perinatal Institute of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Blog

Black Breastfeeding Week 2016, Cincinnati + Surrounding Area Events

Yesterday was the start of Black Breastfeeding Week – the last week of August, which was declared National Breastfeeding Month by the United States Breastfeeding Committee in 2011.

This distinction, to me, is one that is quite poignant because it highlights and places a needed emphasis on a population that deserves more:

more support, more outreach, and more resources for all women, babies, and families of color.

This is not a political statement. This is all based on research showing disparities in care, which I discuss at length below. And now we’re raising awareness.

In fact I did not post this yesterday because the attention needed to be on sites such a Black Breastfeeding Week, along with their incredible social media campaigns on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.

First, let’s address why Black Breastfeeding Week is important. Then, I’ll point out events that are happening in the Cincinnati and surrounding areas, so that you can take part in supporting this amazing cause.

Black Breastfeeding Week.org has their own list of what makes it important to them. This deserves to be read and listened to; as the topic raised by #4 would have been overlooked by a middle-class white woman such as myself.

That statement above only highlights its importance. 

As a mother, lactation expert, childbirth educator, and mother’s support facilitator, I also have research-based reasons why this is important to us as a community of mothers and professionals:

  • Disparity of care. The majority of Lactation professionals in the United States are white. Yes, I know this includes myself. This unfortunately speaks to the realities of racial privilege as means and access to available training. This disparity needs to be recognized and addressed within training organizations, as well as in how we recruit and interact with communities outside of our own personal culture.
  • Lack of people of color in professional roles.  A lack of women of color in professional roles creates an even greater divide because of relatability. Women have better outcomes with professionals they can identify with, yet this lack of representation in advocacy and role models only furthers the goal of successful breastfeeding within African American communities.
  • Access to care.  Many people of color aren’t aware of the resources available to them in the general populace.
  • Economic divisions. In many, too many, places in the US, there are economic boundaries to getting the service, care, and educational materials needed. This is seen in surprising places, such as hospitals. (See the next bullet point.)
  • Institutional support. Black women report a lack of support to breastfeed by medical institutions that serve their communities, even from nurses, pediatricians, and lactation professionals in hospital settings.
  • Health differences. The sad fact is that access to prenatal care and health care in general for African American women in the United States is dismal, and it is a problem that spirals. Birth outcomes have a major impact on breastfeeding outcomes, yet African Americans have greater rates of Gestational Diabetes and hypertension, which then translates to childhood obesity rates, SUIDS & SIDS, and asthma. Many cite the reasons behind these health issues as going back to economics: access to food, housing issues, and preventative medical care.
  • Infant mortality. This is the worse statistic of all, and it is clear: African American infants die at twice the rate of their white counterparts, with higher rates of preterm birth, higher NICU stays, and lower birth weights.

At this point I want to apologize to Black Breastfeeding Week organizers, as this is not the Joyous Post idealized in this year’s awesome #BlackBFJoy theme. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow with a simply gorgeous breastfeeding photo story.

Today’s post was instead to explain, to educate, and to confirm the necessity of this week’s outreach. I sincerely hope you readers will pass along this knowledge to your own communities.

The idea is that when confronted with all of these factors, you can start to see a bigger picture. You can start to see how one person’s role can sadly cause a chain reaction of negative damage, yet also how one point of outreach could truly help a family, and therefore a child, a baby.

bbw 16 more

So how CAN YOU be one of those points of outreach and support?

Happily, Black Breastfeeding Week.org has also compiled a helpful list of events throughout the week.

Here’s a list that’s local to Cincinnati and the surrounding areas. Visit the text link above to see what might be in your area if you’re not in Cincy, Dayton, Hamilton, or Indiana!

IN ORDER OF DATE + TIME:

Dayton, OH – Presented by The Color of MILK

Event includes face painting, refreshments, raffles, meet & greet doulas, midwives, and lactation consultants.

Saturday, August 27th, 2:00-3:30PM

Location: Northwest Recreation Center, 1600 Princeton Dr, Dayton, OH 45406

Contact Denise Thomas, 937.212.5847, bedrestandbeyond@gmail.com

Cincinnati – Presented by TrinityOutreach

Lift Every Baby event, with free breast pumps, nursing bras, and milk storage supplies

Saturday, August 27th, 6:00PM

Location: Blue Rock Park, 3010 Blue Rock Road, Cincinnati, OH 45239

Contact Natashia Conner at 513.620.6455 with questions.

Indiana – Presented by Indiana Black Breastfeeding Coalition

Family, Food, Fun! Splash park for little ones!

Sunday, August 28th, 4:00-7:30PM

Location: TBA

Contact Ryan Karim, ryankarim@gmail.com for information

Hamilton, OH – Presented by Butler County Breastfeeding Group and OEI/BCPRIM

Event is a prenatal birthing / breastfeeding class, childcare for women attending, and mother-led breastfeeding support group, along with access to African-American CLCs and IBCLCs.

Monday, August 29th, 6:30PM

Location: YWCA in Hamilton, OH

Contact Tara Ramsey, 513.705.9040, ext. 2 for more, or via tarar@myprimaryhealthsolutions.org

Cincinnati, OH – presented by B.R.E.A.S.T. Friends (Black Breastfeeding Research, Education, Awareness & Support Taskforce) and the University of Cincinnati Medical Center

Wednesday, August 31st, 3:00PM

Location: UCMC Main building garden

Contact natashia.conner@uchealth.com for more

Also, check out BOOBS (Breastfeeding Outreach for Our Beautiful Sisters), a local non-profit in Cincinnati. 

Post your photos to any of my social media sites and tag @blackbreastfeedingweek #BBW16 #BlackBFJoy!

Help be a catalyst for change with every effort to better outcomes.

Blog

What is “Modern” Breastfeeding + Education?

While manning my booth at the Cincinnati Baby & Beyond Expo this year, I overheard the following:

“Modern Breastfeeding?! … and education. What could be modern about breastfeeding? Women have done it for all of time.”

She wasn’t making fun – I saw it as a great question. What could be unique about me or my business to deign call it modern?

For me, it’s about philosophy. So let’s back up and give you a bit of backstory not everyone knows.

When I got pregnant I was inundated with #breastisbest marketing. What I didn’t know was that it was the result of generations of women who mourned a loss of breastfeeding, taken away from them by medications used without their knowledge after birth, a lack of know-how or support by professionals, and in many ways, a movement by women who were reclaiming their own bodies for their babies.

On the flip side it was also a harsh line in the mommy wars: what about the women who didn’t want to breastfeed, or worse, what about the women who couldn’t, and the spectrum in between, lacking in support or lacking in resources to get support.

I personally felt the mommy wars were thrust upon me, as while I saw no reason to judge others choices, I knew I wanted to breastfeed. It was against the odds, not only had I not grown up seeing it, my own mother stopped breastfeeding me at three months old for reasons she had trouble identifying, and I knew no one in my immediate family who has successfully done it. (A lone aunt, who lived 5 hours away from us became a source of support an inspiration, but in prractical application I was lacking.) Further, I was in a new city, fifteen-hundred miles away from family, and we did not have enough money ourselves to pay for loads of resources, so I had to be choosy.

But I also knew that I have a special talent – I can fervently devour information starting at the source, medical journals, then moving onto popular books and articles. I can pick a topic and dive into it beyond the normal realms of other people’s patience, to a place where othesr find the information noxious. Yay me.

My desire to breastfeed not only changed my entire birth plan, to my birth location, and provider, but it also helped me through a difficult postpartum period. It fueled a desire to completely change careers, culminating in getting a Masters degree in Health & Wellness, with a specialization in Lactation (remember when I said noxious), and my IBCLC.

I decided to call this, my business, Modern Breastfeeding + Education because that’s exactly what I seek to do. Lend a modern perspective and philosophy to breastfeeding, as well as to the education of new or repeat parents. So here’s a breakdown of what makes it “modern.”

Modern Breastfeeding is pro-feeding for babies. Unapologetic about the fact that some babies need to be supplemented, some mothers do not want to pump, and some families have strong feelings about weaning.

Modern Education acknowledges that there is consistent research about the benefits of breastfeeding, lactation how-to knowledge, and birth which deserves to be passed to every family. Therefore I’m also unapologetic that breastfeeding is the biological best food for babies, and that best practices to support breastfeeding starts well before and physically at the birth itself.

Modern Breastfeeding knows that statistics cannot override or govern individual choice. While breastfeeding may be the biological norm for us as mammals – our culture doesn’t make it easy.

Modern Education says that All Moms deserve support groups, not just breastfeeding moms. We also deserve to all take classes together, regardless of our birth goals. Because we are a community, and ending mom wars starts with ending mom labels.

Modern Breastfeeding says that moms can breastfeed anywhere, and should know their rights. They deserve employer and employment support.

Modern Education says we can start passing around best care information, and avoid the common pitfalls of cultural myths.

I sincerely hope you’ll join us, in a childbirth education class, prenatal breastfeeding class, newborn care or pumping class, or visit us at an event.

Ask more questions about what makes this “modern” and I’ll share! Let’s create something new in person, in the Southwest Ohio, Greater Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern KY areas together, as well as online!

Blog

Relax! It’s National Relaxation Day!

Did you know it’s National Relaxation Day?!

And on a Monday. HI-larious.

I just found out at 5:00pm today, and the first thing I wanted to do was rush about and tell everyone. However, in the spirit of relaxation day, I took a pause, finished an appointment, ate some food, connected with an amazing woman locally, and for the purposes of this post, felt the floor.

What?

It’s ok, you read that right. I felt the floor.

I want to take this opportunity while I have your attention to teach you a relaxation practice, because true relaxation is a skill.

That’s right, I said skill.

It’s pretty typical for a childbirth educator to talk about relaxation. Aside from a multitude of research proving it shortens labor, decreases pain, and helps with oxygen flow to the placenta (i.e. to your baby), it’s also a skill to learn to slow down. It’s called: conscious relaxation.

In turn, conscious relaxation becomes an amazing skill to have when working with a breastfeeding mother, a woman suffering from any postpartum mood disorder, or mothers of toddlers. (Perhaps we all have to work our way up to that last one – its Master Achievement unlocked level.)

But in our modern world, we fast pace everything. We churn out work, stress about housework, return that e-mail after hours, then check our social media posts for events both personal and international.

We. Run. Mentally and energy-wise, we run; and then we wonder why we’re rundown.

MBE site launch Social media (4)

So read this through first, then set a timer.

In the spirit of an incredible book I read years ago, One Moment Meditation, read through this entire exercise, set a timer for 60 seconds, and talk yourself through a practice. Then, the next time you get cut off in traffic, yelled at by a barista, or argued with over showering alone from a three year old, you can have this as a skill.

Happy Relaxation!

  • Start wherever you already are. No need to change clothes.
  • Situate yourself so that you don’t have to hold yourself up, nor is any body part resting on top of another, i.e. your legs aren’t crossed.
  • Open your palms upwards to your face or the sky, whichever is most comfortable.
  • Taking in a deep breath, feel the floor. What parts of the floor (or couch or chair) do you feel more of? What parts of your body are touching the surfaces? Is your weight more on one side than the other?
  • Reposition yourself to be more even in weight distribution and feeling.
  • Breathe deeply into your more relaxed position. Each breath helps your body feel, simply, heavier, there’s less to hold up, more you can trust to the surface you’re on.
  • Now the only thing left to pay attention to is your breathing. In, deeply into your abdomen, out through your mouth, slow, careful.
  • Notice your pulse changes, your skin releases, tension spots start to let go. Pay attention to the physical.
  • If other thoughts, to-do’s, or stressors enter your mind, focus back on the physical. It’s only one minute, and it’s your body’s. It belongs to that one minute, not to what’s coming next. Breathe it out like a physical part of that breath. Then move on.
  • When your timer goes off, smile! You just helped your health, your energy level, and calmed your entire nervous system. Well done you!