Fed Is Best
What Every Pregnant and New Mom Needs to Know About Baby Feeding
Fed is best. It sounds simple — but for most new moms, the reality of feeding a baby is one of the most emotionally charged experiences of early parenthood. We sat down with Leah Tribus, RN, IBCLC, Senior Director at The Lactation Network, to cut through the noise and give you the honest, judgment-free guide to baby feeding we all deserved from the start.
Every Mom Deserves a Lactation Consultant — Not Just Breastfeeding Moms
Lactation consultants aren't just for women who want to breastfeed. Leah's philosophy: lactation is a medical event, and every parent deserves informed, non-judgmental feeding support — whatever path they choose. Even if you plan to formula feed, your milk may still come in. Knowing how to manage that safely and comfortably is information you want before you need it, not at 3am with a cabbage leaf in your bra. Most insurance plans are now required to cover lactation care, so there's no reason not to book that prenatal consult.
Breastfeeding, Formula, Pumping, Combo Feeding — All of It Counts
Your options are broader than you think: exclusive breastfeeding, exclusive pumping, formula feeding, combo feeding, donor milk — or any combination that evolves over time. The right choice is the one that's sustainable for you. And that answer is allowed to change. Amy breastfed her first and felt claustrophobic, touched out, and anxious — the sole source of food with no agency over her own body. Switching to formula felt like a victory. Her second? Formula from day one. Chunky, thriving, happy.
Breastfeeding Is Biological — Not Automatic
Calling breastfeeding "natural" sets moms up to feel like failures. Leah's reframe: it's biologic, not automatic. Babies have a sucking reflex, but that reflex needs conditioning over the first two weeks. Latch issues, low supply, tongue ties, and maternal mental health all affect the feeding relationship — and none of it means you did something wrong. If it didn't "just work," you weren't given enough support.
Signs Your Feeding Plan Needs to Change
Your motivation is entirely external. Your mental health is suffering. Every feeding fills you with dread. These are real signals — not weakness. Leah's job sometimes means giving moms permission to stop. Disappointment is okay. Shame is not. Ask yourself one question: is my baby thriving? If yes, you're doing it right.
The Bottom Line
Fed is best — breastfed, formula fed, pumped, combo fed, donor milk. All of it. If you're feeding your baby, you're winning. Build your postpartum care team before baby arrives: a lactation consultant, a pelvic floor PT, and a mental health provider. You deserve that support from day one.
Book an insurance-covered lactation appointment: thelactationnetwork.com | @lactationnetwork
Listen to the full episode: whatiwishiknew.life | @whatiwishiknew_