Postpartum Place Fan Page

05/28/2026

BREASTFEEDING REDUCES TYPE 1 DIABETES
A fascinating study of 517 children found that children exclusively breastfed for more than 5 months had a dramatic 56% reduced. risk of getting T1D when older.
Even more surprising, when looking at Swedish children, if moms waited until after 7 months before introducing other foods, the child had an even more dramatic 75% reduced risk of diabetes. Folks, keep in mind that a 100% reduced risk means no one got diabetes.
I did a little more investigating and came across other studies showing that the pancreas and beta cells continue to develop in the child after birth, so this makes a lot of sense.
These findings suggest that breast milk contains growth factors (nutrients) essential for stimulating beta-cell and islet growth after birth. Of course, the more beta cells a child has, the less demand and less stress there is on each one for producing insulin, and therefore, fewer free radicals that can damage beta cells.
While longer breastfeeding appears to be one factor that reduces the risk of T1D (by increasing the total number), there are also dozens of environmental factors now identified that damage and reduce beta-cell numbers.
So, we have a big game of Tug of War going on - One side increasing beta cell number (such as by breastfeeding, polyphenols, etc.) - and on the other side, decreasing beta cell number, which occurs from the sum of toxic environmental factors This explains why even mothers who have extended breastfeeding can still have a child with T1D and vice versa.
But certainly, anything we can do to increase total beta cell mass. is a good thing. This is information that all expectant mothers and obstetricians need to be made aware. And for any fathers reading this, the research findings apply only to children.
View the study here...https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15037991/

Longer breastfeeding is an independent protective factor against development of type 1 diabetes mellitus in childhood
Abstract
Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to identify and analyze biomarkers that are influenced by physical exercise during pregnancy and that contribute to maternal-fetal health and development.

Data sources: A comprehensive systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Elton B. Stephens Company Host databases was conducted without time restriction in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PROSPERO ID: CRD420251017740).

Study eligibility criteria: Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials examining the effects of exercise interventions during pregnancy on biomarkers measured in maternal serum, umbilical cord blood, breast milk, and placental tissue.

Study appraisal and synthesis methods: Eleven randomized controlled trials meeting the inclusion criteria were analyzed. The effects of different exercise modalities, durations, and intensities on a wide range of biomarkers were evaluated.

Results: Exercise interventions performed for 12 weeks or longer with 2 to 3 weekly sessions at moderate-to-vigorous intensity, demonstrated substantial effects on several biomarkers. These included a reduction in proinflammatory markers (TNF-α, interleukin 6), an increase in antiinflammatory cytokines (interleukin 10), improved lipid profiles (lower low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides), improved glucose regulation, and favorable changes in hormonal markers such as leptin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Additionally, exercise was associated with positive changes in umbilical cord blood cytokines, immunologic composition of breast milk, and placental mineral content.

Conclusion: Structured exercise programs during pregnancy, particularly resistance training and aerobic exercise performed in the same session, show promising effects on modulating inflammatory, metabolic, and immunologic biomarkers that may contribute to improved maternal-fetal health outcomes. However, current evidence is limited by methodological heterogeneity and lack of data from early pregnancy.

Sadauskaitė-Kuehne, V., Ludvigsson, J., Padaiga, Ž., Jašinskienė, E. and Samuelsson, U. (2004), Longer breastfeeding is an independent protective factor against development of type 1 diabetes mellitus in childhood. Diabetes Metab. Res. Rev., 20: 150-157. https://doi.org/10.1002/dmrr.425

05/20/2026

Watching a grandchild grow brings a kind of joy that feels both steady and surprising—like witnessing life replay itself, but with more patience and wonder the second time around.

There’s something deeply grounding about it: the small milestones that once felt urgent in your own children now arrive slowly enough to savor. First words, first steps, new opinions, sudden bursts of personality—all of it unfolds with a sweetness that makes ordinary days feel meaningful.

It’s also a quieter joy. Less about doing, more about noticing. You get to hold space for who they are becoming, while also seeing echoes of family history moving forward in new, unexpected ways.

And underneath it all is gratitude—simply getting to be there, to see growth happening in real time, like watching a favorite story continue with a new, hopeful chapter.

05/20/2026

I’m so blessed to work with babies and parents every day—it’s been over 35 years, and I truly have no plans of stopping. It doesn’t feel like work to me; it feels like purpose.

And then there’s family—imagine being my daughter having a baby, lol. Of course I was right there in those early weeks, literally sleeping with her for support while she learned to nurse and care for her newborn. I helped with the household during the day, offered comfort wherever I could, and even did small things like belly binding and gently combing out her tangled hair after showers.

It was such close, intimate time together—nothing formal, just care in its most natural form.

At the end of the day, whether I’m with clients or my own family, it all comes down to the same thing: showing up with presence, love, and support during one of the most vulnerable and beautiful seasons of life.

Please reach out if u or anyone you know needs help/support 24/7

Maria Parlapiano RN/IBCLC
973-701-0606
www.postpartumplace.com

05/17/2026

our goal

05/14/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DPkspsw1Z/?mibextid=WC7FNe

"Many mothers know the feeling of carrying too much at once. Juggling careers, caregiving, household responsibilities, and self-care, women truly have their hands full.

Displayed outside Germany’s Bundestag parliament, this sculpture reimagines Lady Justice as a pregnant woman with six arms holding a child, laptop, phone, calendar, bag, and scales, symbolizing the realities many self-employed mothers face without maternity leave protections.

Created by artist Stefanie Gornicki and unveiled by the advocacy group Mutterschutz für Alle! (“Maternity Protection for All!”), the piece shines a light on the unequal burden women continue to carry every day." -- via The Female Quotient

For a groundbreaking book that addresses the invisible, unpaid domestic work that still falls disproportionately on women -- and offers a real system to couples for changing that dynamic -- we highly recommend "Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (and More Life to Live)" for adult readers at https://bookshop.org/a/8011/9780525541943 (Bookshop) and https://amzn.to/4fktWnG (Amazon)

For children's books about the special bond between mothers and daughters, visit our blog post "A Mother's Love: 30 Books Celebrating Mighty Moms & Daughters" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=11469

05/14/2026

truth!

Attachment parenting was never meant to exist inside a detached society. Can we just acknowledge this?

We are trying to practice biologically normal infant care in a culture that has become increasingly disconnected from caregiving, community, interdependence, and even from our own bodies.

Babies still arrive expecting closeness.
They still want to be held day and night.
They still wake frequently.
They still regulate through touch, movement, breastfeeding, proximity, and co-regulation.

Human infants have not changed.

But society has.

We now live in a world that expects mothers to mother as though they don’t have needs. To respond to babies while also remaining productive, independent, emotionally regulated, professionally available, physically attractive, and chronically overstimulated. All within a detached society that will offer her no real support.

And then mothers wonder why they’re drowning.

Not because attachment parenting is wrong.
But because attachment parenting was never supposed to happen in isolation.

For most of human history, attachment-based care existed inside of attachment-based communities.

There were aunties holding babies.
Grandmothers cooking meals.
Older children entertaining toddlers.
Neighbors stopping by.
Women resting together.
Multiple nervous systems sharing the load of raising humanity.

A mother breastfeeding a baby all night was not also expected to wake up alone and carry the entire weight of domestic labor, emotional labor, financial pressure, and modern life without pause.

Responsive parenting only works sustainably when someone is also responding to the mother.

That’s the missing piece.

So if you feel exhausted by the constant touch…
If you feel emotionally frayed despite deeply loving your baby…
If you sometimes wonder why something that feels so instinctive can also feel so impossibly heavy…

It’s because humans were never designed to parent this way alone.

Your baby is not too dependent.
You are not too sensitive.

You are trying to stay deeply connected in a society that rewards disconnection.

And that is hard work.
✏️Julie Matheney, LA Lactation. I see you.

05/13/2026

The world children are growing into is changing faster than any previous generation. Technology, including AI systems, is already reshaping how work, learning, and problem-solving happen in daily life.

In this environment, many educators and psychologists emphasize that adaptability may matter more than memorization. Skills like emotional regulation, communication, creativity, and problem-solving are becoming increasingly important as traditional paths become less predictable.

This does not mean academics are unimportant. Instead, it highlights that success is no longer defined by a single route. Degrees and structured careers still matter, but they are now part of a much broader and changing system.

For children under 10, the foundation built during these years is especially important. Confidence, curiosity, resilience, and the ability to learn continuously can support them far beyond any single educational milestone.

Parenting in this era is less about preparing children for one fixed future, and more about helping them stay flexible in a world that keeps evolving.

05/12/2026

When discussing lactation, the health effects of human milk often get top billing, but nursing gives children much more than calories and immune-boosting ingredients. Nursing provides sensory stimulation that enhances infant neurodevelopment.[1] It is one of baby’s first social interactions. The s...