Happy Baby Happy Home

01/20/2023

Exciting stuff! Happy Baby Happy Home is now accepting and fully covered under MultiPlan for Lactation services.

12/22/2021

So much good news happening lately!

I am excited to start accepting the following insurances-BCBS, CIGNA and Anthem for all lactation visits.

12/05/2021

Incredibly honored to be asked to be a guest speaker during Maya Burr 's Parent Group.

Meeting and collaborating with so many talented individuals in my field is a definite bonus to the job.

12/05/2021

It was time for a new website photo

Thank you Jess Driver Photography

12/05/2021

When I first decided to change career paths to postpartum & newborn care back in 2018 (right after my second baby was born) - I knew it would take a lot of work & dedication to become the provider I wanted to be.

The most important thing to me is always being someone who my clients & patients know they can trust. This is not something I take for granted, and know that part of being a trusted resource is always continuing to further my knowledge & education on topics pertaining to my field.

That's why I dived in deep this past year to become a certified perinatal mental health professional (PMH-C). What an honor!

06/15/2021

Proud to have been asked by the UVM Children's Hospital New Family Community to provide some advice on creating healthy sleep habits from the start. These are my go to tips to new families:

SAFE & IDEAL SLEEP ENVIROMENT
• Firm surface (remove loose blankets)
• Remove night lights
• Blackout Curtains
• Temp between 67-70 degrees
• Sound machine on continuous white noise

BEDTIME ROUTINES
• Consistent bedtime routine can be started from day one
• Get partner involved as much as possible
• NEVER FEED AS LAST PART OF ROUTINE
• One size larger nighttime diaper & thick layer of barrier cream
• Say “it’s time for bed now”
• Start practicing laying down DROWSY BUT AWAKE

DAYTIME ROUTINES
• When it’s time to wake up for the day-turn on lights and say, “Good Morning!”
• Stick with an EAT, PLAY, SLEEP Schedule
• Avoid letting baby get overtired
• Make sure to provide full feeds at least every 2.5 hours- if it has been 3 hours since
the start of your last feed wake baby up to eat.

03/15/2021

We are often asked whether it's safe to get vaccinated if you are trying to conceive, while pregnant, or are breastfeeding. While seemingly related, these questions are best answered separately -- as they are unique physiological processes.

Today, we'll cover breastfeeding.

The CDC has stated that authorized COVID-19 vaccines are not thought to carry risk for nursing children. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends COVID-19 vaccines be offered to lactating individuals, and you do not need to avoid breastfeeding if you received a COVID-19 vaccine.
A recent pre-print study has confirmed that vaccine components are not present in breastmilk following vaccination, supporting the consensus that these vaccines pose little risk to nursing children.

Some small studies have investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in breast milk after vaccination. One study at Providence Portland Medical Center analyzed samples collected from 6 lactating women prior to vaccination and at 11 timepoints following vaccination (including 14 days after their second dose of the vaccine). Researchers found elevated levels of SARS CoV-2-specific IgG and IgA antibodies in breastmilk starting 7 days after the first dose. Another study out of Harvard conducted among 31 lactating women also detected antibodies in breastmilk. These data provide early evidence that mothers vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 produce antibodies in breast milk that may be protective for infants via passive immunity.

Another study conducted among 10 lactating medical staff at Tel Aviv's Ichilov Hospital found that all samples contained SARS-CoV-2 antibodies after one vaccine dose, with levels increasing a week after the second dose. Researchers postulated that antibodies were are likely absorbed in the digestive tract and may lead to some protection for infants.

More research is needed on the magnitude and duration of protection provided and we will continue to update. However, these findings, combined with the animal DART trials which identified no safety issues during lactation, suggest there is no risk when nursing and that vaccination may offer a benefit via antibodies in breastmilk.

Sources:
1. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/pregnancy.html
2. https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/practice-advisory/articles/2020/12/vaccinating-pregnant-and-lactating-patients-against-covid-19
3. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.23.21252328v1
4. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.05.21252998v1?fbclid=IwAR1btksBBco4k0heOLmfSF-lHlvrdUYlZh_mwqP7CAaqQVGBmLlag9Laa2I
5. https://www.infantrisk.com/covid-19-vaccine-pregnancy-and-breastfeeding?fbclid=IwAR0Qnk7rE6tbu_Cnk2Sb6gvg9btAj5_tvH4eAHdESUgu9GkDIlP89Xb9EOc
6. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/wondering-about-covid-19-vaccines-if-youre-pregnant-or-breastfeeding-2021010721722 #:~:text=When%20a%20person%20gets%20vaccinated,these%20antibodies%20against%20COVID%2D19.
7. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.06.21252603v1
8. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.07.21253094v1

11/19/2020

Connecting with new parents, and helping to support them in such a vulnerable time of life is my passion and the reason I started Happy Baby Happy Home.

I love to go into my client's home, meet them, learn about them, hold their babies, give them hugs-occasionally even cry together. I miss the ability to do these wonderful things on a whim but know it won't be long until the good times return.

In the meantime....

Happy Baby Happy Home offers both lactation and sleep consultations via video visit

Please reach out today if you need support

08/22/2020

Looking for the perfect gift for someone expecting in your life?

Consider giving the gift of sleep!

The Expecting Parent Package Includes:
-An in-home consultation to help your baby establish good sleep habits from the very beginning. We will discuss baby sleep development, routines, comforting techniques and the ideal sleep environment for your baby
-Helpful cheat sheets & handouts to use along the way
-An in-home lactation assessment once your little one arrives

Please contact me directly for any questions or pricing

06/30/2020

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fatherly.com/health-science/sleep-consultants-for-sleep-regressions/amp/

Quarantine got your kids skipping sleep? Here's your solution.

03/05/2020

This Sunday we change our clocks forward by 1 hour.

Looking to plan ahead?
You can start gradually adjusting your little ones schedule by 15 minutes each day starting tonight.

01/23/2020

"Our daughter was an amazing sleeper until she turned 4. We tried everything we could think of, sticker charts, changing bedtime, being easy on her, being more strict, bribery, the green clock and eventually sleeping with her a few days to help break the cycle. Nothing seemed to work.

Her sleep patterns were unpredictable - she’d sleep well some nights and not so great the next. Sometimes, the bad spells would last for months at a time. Some combination of being sick or having a bad dream seemed to trigger the sleeplessness. For about a year she was waking up around 5am to p*e and then coming in 2-4 times asking when her clock would turn green. She would always go back to her room, but walking in the hallway risked waking her brother, so we’d let her hop into bed with us some mornings… That turned into her coming in more and more.

In December, things escalated to a new level. She would p*e before hopping into bed, but felt like she couldn’t empty her bladder. This discomfort propeller her back and forth to the bathroom every few minutes for an hour or two - every night - escalating her emotions with each visit. We were desperate; out of ideas on how to help our daughter or how to find sleep for ourselves. Our lack of sleep was making it that much harder to think through new ways to help our daughter. We were impatient and out of ideas; so we called Alicia. It is not an overstatement to say that our entire life changed in that phone call.

I’m serious when I say, I wish I had made the call sooner. I forgot what it was to sleep like for 8 hours, and have peaceful bedtimes. Alicia came over and spoke with me about everything, asked a ton of questions and looked at our daughters room. She recommended 10 specific changes to help us get everyone back to sleep. She warned us that nights 1-3 might be a bit worse, but we could expect a new peaceful norm soon thereafter. We followed every one of her recommendations and lucky for us, our new norm worked the very first night!! It’s been over a week now and we are continuing to have peaceful bedtimes, regular wake ups at 6:30am, and much happier kids and parents! The third night was the hardest, but it didn’t even compare to the easiest nights we had in the past.

We HIGHLY recommend using Alicia for any sleep trouble your child might be facing. SHE WAS AMAZING. She gave us such an incredible gift that seems impossible to repay. Our daughter is sleeping again. We are sleeping again. We’ve started on a new nighttime routine filled with wonderful family time in a way we had never done before and now couldn’t live without."

01/16/2020

01/12/2020

"Alicia was a tremendous resource as we worked to sleep train our daughter, who struggled with reflux (and associated colic). Her assessment of our situation and sleep space(s), coupled with a suggested schedule, and nighttime nursing and weaning tips, allowed us to create a new routine that works well for our family. Throughout the process, Alicia checked in frequently, answered our many questions (no matter how seemingly trivial!) and encouraged us to stick with the routine. She even provided tips on how to transition our toddler into her new, “big girl” room. Alicia is both extremely approachable and knowledgeable - a huge asset to any family looking to catch a few more of those oh-so-precious zzzs"

12/31/2019

“Alicia has been our lifeline for every question we’ve had since having our first child 5 months ago. From questions about products, feeding schedules, developing a sleeping routine, even help with transitioning back to work, we could not have gotten through it without her. Our son has slept through the night since he was two months old and we are 100% sure it was because of all the amazing advice Alicia has given us. She’s always available from big questions to little questions and we are so thankful that she’s been a part of our parenting journey. “