Roxanne Marion- Maid Marion Doula Services

09/11/2026

Did you know it’s dad’s DNA that takes the lead in forming the placenta?

That incredible organ that grows, feeds, and sustains the baby for nine months isn’t just mom’s doing… it’s built mostly from his genetic blueprint.

So while mom carries the baby, dad’s DNA is hard at work behind the scenes, shaping the very structure that keeps their little one alive.

And when those genetic instructions don’t line up perfectly, it can play a role in complications like:
• Preeclampsia
• Placental abruption
• Miscarriage
• IUGR (growth restriction)
• Stillbirth

Pregnancy isn’t just one person’s body doing all the heavy lifting.
It’s two sets of DNA, two stories interwoven, creating one new life.

Sometimes the process is seamless.
Sometimes it’s not.
But from the very first cell, both parents are part of the journey even if only one is the one carrying it day by day.

09/02/2026

08/24/2026

Today kicks off the start of Indigenous Milk Medicine Week!

This year's theme: "We Keep the Fires Lit: Rising Through Milk Medicine."

Indigenous Milk Medicine Week is from August 8 - 14. It celebrates and brings awareness to Indigenous lactation, ancestral knowledge, and community care, recognizing the cultural strength, continuity, and wisdom that nourish Indigenous families and communities across generations.

You can find more information at Indigenous Milk Medicine Collective, as well as a link in the comments.

[Image Description: A collection of photos featuring indigenous parents and their infants. Text reads, "LLL USA proudly celebrates Indigenous Milk Medicine Week 2026." ]

08/24/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions about breastfeeding is that the hospital lactation consultant is going to “teach you how to breastfeed” before you go home

And I need parents to understand this with love and honesty:
Most hospital lactation consultants simply do not have enough time 😞

Not because they don’t care
Not because they aren’t skilled
But because hospital systems are stretched thin

One lactation consultant may be covering:
• Multiple postpartum floors
• NICU
• New admissions
• Discharges
• Pumps and paperwork
• Babies with medical complications
• Moms recovering from surgery
• Charting and insurance requirements

Meanwhile you’re 24 hours postpartum, exhausted, bleeding, learning a brand new human… and someone pops in for 12 minutes while your baby is asleep 😅

Breastfeeding is not a one-time lesson
It is a learned relationship that unfolds over days and weeks

The hospital is often just:
✨ “Here’s how to latch”
✨ “Baby has jaundice start supplementing”
✨ “Baby lost too much weight start pumping”

And then parents go home thinking:
“Why does this suddenly feel impossible?”

Because the real challenges often start AFTER discharge:
• Milk coming in
• Engorgement
• Cluster feeding
• Ni**le pain
• Pumping
• Bottle refusal
• Oversupply
• Low supply worries
• Weight gain concerns
• Sleep deprivation
• Learning your actual baby

This is why postpartum lactation support matters so much 💛

Here’s what I wish every family knew:
• Take a prenatal breastfeeding class BEFORE birth
• Follow evidence-based lactation accounts during pregnancy
• Have a lactation consultant lined up before delivery if possible
• Don’t wait until things are “bad enough” to ask for help
• One good postpartum visit can change your entire experience

And if breastfeeding felt harder than you expected after leaving the hospital?
You did not fail a class everyone else passed

You were discharged from a major medical event while learning one of the most biologically complex things humans do

That deserves support

08/16/2026

🚨 New Study: increasing breastfeeding rates to 90% could save 72,300 noncommunicable disease deaths globally per year.

✨️ Formula feeding does carry risks, which is why breastfeeding on a population level is a public health concern. Individual benefit vs risk is different for each mother baby dyad.

This study also found increasing breastfeeding to 90% could prevent 10 million cases of diabetes across the lifespan of the cohort.

Of the delayed NCDSs, most delayed deaths were from ischaemic heart disease (43%) and stroke (33%), with cancer accounting for 18%.

Study authors interpreted the data to mean: Scaling up exclusive breastfeeding coverage could lead to benefits in reducing NCDs, complementing its established benefits for child mortality and early childhood development.

Essentially, this study added to the importance of breastfeeding on a global population level. Breastfeeding absolutely saves lives.

This study, published in the Lancet, focused on low and middle income countries. What does this mean for people in wealthier countries? Breastfeeding benefits still exist wherever you live and reduce the risk of developing cancer, diabetes, etc. However, in a wealthier country, you may have access to additional preventative measures and care, and access to medical care if you become sick.

Wherever you live, breastfeeding is the biological norm following a pregnancy

At the population level, breastfeeding reduces risk and has significant benefit.

As parents, we make decisions on individual levels.

For simple math, let's say on a population level the risk of allergies is 15 in 100 in not breastfeeding infants but in breastfeeding infants it's 5 in 100. Breastfeeding does not mean there's a 0% chance of allergies and not breastfeeding doesn't mean a 100% chance of allergies. Simply, when we look at large groups, more formula fed infants have allergies compared to breastfed infants.

All this said, breastfeeding is not easy. Low rates are often associated with lack of support, early return to work, birth complications, etc.

What support did you wish you had?

07/31/2026

Want new evidence that a deep latch is key to comfortable and effective breastfeeding? This 2026 cross-sectional ultrasound study of breastfeeding biomechanics found depth of latch and tongue mobility linked to milk-flow rates and pain scores. New finding: a link between severity of reflux disease and rate of milk transfer. Free download here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42192456/

04/16/2026

This one works with an epidural: Side lying using a peanut ball can be super helpful in helping baby navigate your pelvis and can be great when resting with an epidural as well.

If the ball is too wide, play around with various numbers of pillows between your knees.

Curious about our other labor positions? Get your free guide here >> motherboardbirth.com/labor-positions-guide