Jenny Kordell is a first-time mama who's had her share of latching problems and stress trying to find a place to pump while traveling.  Now, nine months in to her breastfeeding journey with her very own "breastfeeding champ," she's got some ideas about how we can support new moms, their babies, and their families. 

Everyone's got advice for mamas, including us. Here are our 6 top breastfeeding tips for the first year. We know that every mama, and every baby, is different, so keep the breast (ideas for you) and leave the rest.

Moms might be the busiest people around. And for breastfeeding mamas, this means pumping at work or on the go. Making time to pump on a schedule and finding the right place to plug in are both challenging. But another challenge is getting your mind and body into the right space for let-down when you’re away from your baby. We created a playlist, “Sounds For Let-Down,” to help cue the let-down reflex so you can get down with your pumping (and move on to the other things you need to cross off your list).  Our sounds are designed to be as short as you need or as long as you want so you can enjoy a mini-spa anywhere, anytime. And best of all? The playlist lives on our Mamava app and fits in your pocket.  

When you're a new breastfeeding mom, you're still eating for two. And you're hydrating to boost your milk supply. But when it comes to drinking alcohol, what do today's breastfeeding moms need to know? We've scoured the interwebs so you don't have to. Here are three things to know about booze and breastfeeding.

Sports are big in the U.S. with almost six out of 10 Americans identifying as a sports fan. If you’re assuming that all of these sports fans are men, think again. In a 2015 Gallup poll, 66% of men reported being a sports fan, but so did 51% of women.  Thanks to Title IX, the second generation of women athletes and fans is now here, and they’re buying tickets, watching games, and sharing scores on social media more than any other time in history. But are sports stadiums ready for them?

Photo credit: Tonya Ritter Photography

This Veterans Day we honor all those who’ve served our country. We also want to recognize all the breastfeeding mothers in the military who are doing double duty by serving their country and nourishing their infants. The military has come a long way in recent years to introduce more family-friendly policies: in 2015 they opened all combat jobs to women for the first time in American history and in 2016 the Pentagon extended paid maternity leave to 12 weeks for all branches of the military. And now all five  branches of the military are making sure breastfeeding mothers have dedicated lactation spaces.

We’ve all heard the horror stories about moms (and dads) traveling with breast milk and the TSA agents who make them prove their breast milk actually is breast milk and then contaminate it. Or just as bad, dump it out. Nothing makes us madder than wasted breast milk because we know that pumping takes precious time, energy, and logistical planning. But a lot of moms don’t know their rights because, let’s face it, the TSA guidelines are vague and confusing.

So before you book your next flight, here’s what you need to know.

Debunking Old School Ideas About School Lactation Spaces

Essential considerations for educational leaders, administrators, and facility managers when planning lactation accommodations for breastfeeding employees.

What’s stopping schools, colleges, and universities from providing dedicated lactation spaces for their breastfeeding faculty and staff to pump breast milk? Often the obstacles and effort can seem too big to overcome, when in fact outdated perceptions are actually the biggest barrier.

Schools across the country are making news and not for student learning. Instead, these stories have exposed the fact that most schools don’t provide appropriate breast pumping accommodations for their breastfeeding teachers. Given that more than 75% of all teachers are women, and almost half of those are under the age of 40, it's a huge problem when the professionals--whose job it is to teach, nurture, and inspire children--are not supported in their own workplace.

Imagine planning 4 successful events for 120+ guests daily with their emotional states running the full gamut: enthused, insecure, energized, panicked, or, worst, apathetic.  Now imagine you don’t have the flexibility to step out for a coffee or even go use the restroom to reload/refocus in the middle of the day.  This was my life right out of college as a middle school English teacher.