Milk & Cookies-Bangor's Postpartum & Breastfeeding Support Group

05/15/2026

And like a beautiful sunrise, it's Friday again! 🔆😎🔆 See you, new & returning mamas & babies TODAY!!! ...
🔆 5/15/26
🔆 at the Bangor Public Library
🔆 12-1pm
🔆 Children's Dept/3rd floor

05/14/2026

This! 👇…why we encourage prenatal and early postpartum lactation appointments at our Lactaion Clinic!! 💛 There is sooooo much mis-information told to moms/parents by well-meaning but mis-informed professionals/friends/family members. 💛 Please come see the Sarah’s for education and help feeding your baby and navigating milk supply challenges! 💗 Call or email our clinic: 207-992-4549, PHN@bangormaine.com
We care about you, your milk supply, your baby, your mental health, and we want to help you succeed at your breastfeeding goals. 💪💗

Moms are often told to supplement after one fussy night. Told their baby is “using them as a pacifier.” Told cluster feeding means low supply. Told soft breasts mean milk is drying up. Told nursing to sleep is a bad habit. Told to schedule feeds instead of responding to cues. Told it doesn’t matter, because formula is just as good.

And too often, that misinformation becomes the beginning of early weaning.

Breastfeeding is a biologically dynamic process. Babies feed frequently because human milk digests quickly, because their stomachs are small, because comfort and regulation are also biologic needs, and because milk production works on demand and removal. None of that means something is wrong.

Many healthcare professionals receive very limited breastfeeding education. Studies have shown that physicians and nurses often report inadequate lactation training, which can affect the guidance families receive. The American Academy of Pediatrics has acknowledged gaps in breastfeeding education among healthcare providers.

This matters because early postpartum is vulnerable. A mother who is exhausted, hormonal, recovering, and trying to trust her body can easily internalize fear based advice. ONE poorly informed comment can disrupt confidence, feeding patterns, and milk supply.

Evidence based breastfeeding support should include:
🩷Assessing milk transfer before assuming low supply
🩷Understanding normal newborn behavior
🩷Protecting frequent feeding in the early weeks
🩷Supporting responsive feeding, not rigid schedules
🩷Referring to trained lactation professionals when challenges arise

Breastfeeding difficulties are real, and supplementation is sometimes medically necessary. But families deserve accurate information before being told their body is failing.

Support shouldn’t begin with doubt.

05/14/2026

💗Taking charge of your mental health is essential, but how to do it may seem simplistic, and often comes with long-term rewards vs instant gratification (which we all crave). However, the sense of self-accomplishment that comes with results of putting in the work, is a reward you can wear like a badge of honor. 😁YOU decide how you are going to react to a situation; YOU decide if you are going to let negative thoughts ruminate or roll-off your back. YOU can take control of your thoughts and actions, which like a domino effect, will set you up for improved future thoughts and actions. 🙌 Annnnd, while we might wish we could, we cannot control others, ...but - you can control you! 💪💗💪

05/13/2026

Your baby knows your voice before they are out of the womb! 😍 They are familiar with tastes from foods you've eaten, they have been practicing sucking on their hands, arms and tongues, and their personality is already shaping...oh how precious are the first few months when you are getting to know each other! 🥰

🔵 WHAT BABIES LEARN IN THE WOMB 🔵

1️⃣ HEARING FAMILIAR VOICES
Around 18–24 weeks, babies can hear sounds and start recognizing their mom’s voice. 👂

2️⃣ RHYTHM & PATTERNS
They get used to heartbeat rhythms, breathing, and even music played often. 🎶❤️

3️⃣ TASTE PREFERENCES
Flavors from food mom eats pass through amniotic fluid, helping shape early taste exposure. 🍎

4️⃣ LIGHT & DARK SENSITIVITY
In later pregnancy, babies can sense light changes from outside the womb. 👀

5️⃣ EARLY MEMORY FORMATION
Babies begin forming basic memory patterns, especially for voices and repeated sounds. 🧠

✨ Even before birth, a baby is already learning, adapting, and connecting with the world.

05/13/2026

🫶 May is Mental Health Awareness Month for a reason. 🫶 Millions of Americans struggle with mental health issues, (you are not alone in this!) ...and sometimes individuals turn to substance use to relieve, cope, escape, or put off treating the condition they are dealing with. YOU can stop the cycle. 💪You can stop living in these feelings that bring you down. 💗 Sometimes it takes therapy, sometimes it takes medication, sometimes it takes others to keep us accountable, often it means trading substance use for healthy habits, sometimes it takes proper nutrition and exercise, often it's like a recipe and is a combination of all of the above, and sometimes it's an up-hill battle... but if you don't fight, you may stay on that hamster wheel. - Friends, feel empowered to make positive changes - we believe in YOU!!! And, come to M&C for community, compassion, company, and tasty cookies. 🍪
🫶 Every Friday
💗 at the Bangor Public Library
💪 12-1pm
🍪 Children's Dept/3rd floor
💪💗💪💗💪💗💪💗💪💗💪

05/12/2026

💗💪💪💪💗

15 Cool Facts About Breastfeeding

1. Human milk boosts a baby’s immune system helping them fight viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections, including:

* Respiratory tract infections
* Ear infections
* Bacterial meningitis
* Pneumonia
* Urinary tract infections
* Infant diarrhea
* Common colds and flus

2. Breastfeeding can reduce a baby’s risk of disease later in life including:

* Type I and II diabetes
* Hodgkin’s disease
* Leukemia
* Obesity
* High blood pressure
* High cholesterol
* Crohn’s disease
* Ulcerative colitis
* Asthma
* Eczema

3. Breastfeeding reduces a mama’s risk of ovarian and breast cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis. The longer she breastfeeds, the higher the benefit.

A woman who breastfeeds for 8 years has nearly a 0% risk of breast cancer.
Breastfeeding a baby girl can reduce *her* lifetime risk of breast cancer by 25%.

4. Breastfeeding saves a family approximately $2,000 to $4,000 annually (compared to the cost of formula).

5. Breastfeeding helps mama heal faster postpartum, helping the uterus return to its pre-pregnancy size faster and lowering overall postpartum blood loss.

6. Breastfeeding can help mama return to her pre-baby weight.

It takes around 1,000 calories a day to produce breastmilk.
Women are advised to consume an extra 500 calories daily, the rest comes from the body’s pregnancy built reserves.

7. Producing breast milk uses 25% of the body’s energy, more than the brain, which uses 20%.

8. Babies remove about 67% of the milk available, they feed until full, not until the breast is emptied.

9. Nearly 75% of moms produce more milk in their right breast, regardless of handedness.

10. Mama’s milk constantly adapts.

It changes as baby grows (milk for a 3-month-old is different than for a 9-month-old).
It can also adjust day to day for example, increasing water content during hot weather or illness to keep baby hydrated.

11. Human milk contains substances that promote sleep and calmness for both baby and mama. Breastfeeding also supports bonding.

12. Breastfed infants are at lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

13. Mama’s breasts can detect even a 1-degree change in baby’s body temperature and adjust to heat or cool the baby as needed.

This is one reason early skin-to-skin contact is so powerful.

14. Breastfeeding reduces baby’s risk of cavities later in life and may lower their chance of needing braces.

15. Breastfeeding mamas sleep about 45 minutes more per night than those who formula feed.

Share this if you’ve ever been in awe of what your body can do. You’re allowed to be proud ❤️ The Breastmilk Queen - Amy McGlade

05/12/2026

💛 Motherhood greets us with new challenges, forces us out of our comfort zone, requires growth… sometimes it’s a natural transition, sometimes we feel under-qualified and discouraged. This is where the flex is mamas- to every problem there is a solution, a workaround, a think-outside-the-box solution. Many times mamas learn such solutions from other mamas who just navigated the very same situation. 💪 Many of those clever mamas come to M&C on Fridays… Find the village you didn’t know you needed:
💗 Every Friday
💗 at the Bangor Public Library
💗 12-1pm
💗 Children’s dept/3rd floor

05/11/2026

😍 Good morning and happy May Mental Health Awareness Monday, Mamas! This is your friendly self-care reminder that while we all try our best to be the best mamas for our babies, there are times we fall short. And, let's be realistic, we are imperfect humans, we aren't going to get it right/maintain perfect composure and will sometimes lose our temper when we are overwhelmed... So, make sure your cup does not run dry. 🥛 Do something today that fuels your cup, you know, the one you are constantly pouring out of for your family... You are in control of your mental health - be intentional, be purposeful, be forgiving, and be kind to yourself. 💪🫶💝 ...and come to M&C on Friday for more cup-filling mama conversation, community, and cookies. ☺️
🍪 Friday, 5/15/26
🍪 at the Bangor Public Library
🍪 12-1 pm
🍪 Children's Dept/3rd floor
🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪

05/10/2026

💐 On this Mother’s Day, drop the year/years you became a Mama👇🤱💗💐🫶💛

05/09/2026

💐🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶💐

05/09/2026

😄 On this Mother’s Day know you are not alone, and in-fact are one of many!! 🫶🤗💐 Laugh it off, keep moving forward. 💪