Welcome!

Welcome, and thank you for visiting The Second 9 Months in Seattle, Washington!

If you need help with breastfeeding, call now! (206) 356-7252 I answer calls and emails promptly. (Phone is fastest!) Breastfeeding support is available 7 days a week: Home or office visits, phone consultations or drop-in support groups. You decide. I usually see clients in Seattle and surrounding areas within 24 hours of the initial call–and very often the same day.

Not in Seattle? I do phone consultations anywhere in the U. S. and Skype is available all over the world! You deserve an experienced, professional lactation consultant who will listen to you and honor your priorities. AND you deserve to breastfeed comfortably–without pain.

You caught my daughter’s posterior tongue tie over the phone & with emailed pictures when other health care professionals completely overlooked it! THANK YOU

Two weekly drop-in support groups in Seattle. One in the Fremont neighborhood and one in Magnolia. “Breastfeeding SOS” is there for you every Monday morning and Wednesday evening. Moms-to-be and breastfeeding moms and babies welcome!

Fremont Breastfeeding SOS: Monday morning at 10:30 – 11:30 at Dragonfly Holistic Healing. 760 N. 34th St. Seattle, WA 98103. Suggested donation: $15.00

Magnolia Breastfeeding SOS: (This drop in group will continue through May 16th only!) Wednesday evening 6-7 pm. At Swedish Magnolia Clinic. 2450 33rd Ave. W. Seattle, WA 98199. Suggested donation: $15.00

I wish you had been at the hospital with us when our baby was first brought to us for breastfeeding. Your manner was very patient, incredibly understanding, superbly attentive, and extremely calm. You shared an incredible depth of knowledge. Thank you!

Experience Counts! Seattle area mothers choose me because of my vast experience and my reputation in the community. Over 20 years helping breastfeeding adds up to over 4000 babies!

If you’d like more information on how I can help you, visit the services page, Frequently Asked Questions, or simply give me a call! (206) 356-7252

Renee Beebe second9months@gmail.com

Fenugreek May be Hazardous to your Health

Posted on May 15, 2012 by reneeb

Foods or medications that help increase milk supply are called galactagogues. Fenugreek is probably one of the best known herbal galactagogues used by breastfeeding moms. Drs. regularly recommend it to their patients. Moms recommend it to other moms. Doulas suggest it to their clients. It is easy to find, inexpensive and often helpful. It doesn’t require a prescription and there are usually no warnings on the bottle. Even so, I rarely recommend it in my practice. Uncomfortable side effects are common; and, for some mothers, fenugreek can be downright dangerous. Continue reading →

Breastfeeding: It’s Not Just About the Milk

Posted on April 25, 2012 by reneeb

As you know, your milk is a wondrous thing. It is uniquely designed for your baby, changes by the minute and by the day and is the perfect nutrition for your baby no matter what her age. It is also full of antibodies, long-chain fatty acids and protects your baby from illness. It’s always the perfect temperature. It tastes like ice cream. You always have it with you. It’s free! You will never have to worry about a batch of your milk being recalled. Still, as great as your milk is; for your baby, breastfeeding is about much more than the milk. Continue reading →

Breastfeeding and Biting: Tips to Avoid Those Teeth!

Posted on April 14, 2012 by reneeb

Eventually, your sweet little baby is going to get teeth. And when he does, you may wonder…”How is breastfeeding going to work with the addition of teeth?” Don’t worry! It’s possible to mix breastfeeding and baby teeth with no injury to mama. But it’s a good idea to be prepared for the next phase of your breastfeeding relationship. Continue reading →

Breastfeeding and Teeth

Posted on April 13, 2012 by reneeb

Sooner or later every nursing mother wonders, “what happens when my baby gets teeth?” If mothers never ask that question aloud, they may never know that comfortable breastfeeding and baby teeth can go hand in hand. Many mothers assume that, with the eruption of teeth, breastfeeding must come to a halt. Fortunately breastfeeding and teeth can comfortably co-exist. Continue reading →

Which Hygeia Breast Pump is Right for YOU?

Posted on March 27, 2012 by reneeb

One of the great things about Hygeia is that their fantastic professional-grade breast pump comes in 3 different versions. It’s nice to have choices. But choices can sometimes be confusing—especially when you are a sleep-deprived mother of a new baby.

The nice folks at Hygeia could have made it a lot easier on all of us by coming up with names that made sense. EPS? LBI? EXT? What the heck do those mean exactly? I finally have it all figured out and it’s really very simple once you understand that those abbreviations really mean very little. Just trust me as I describe each pump in detail. Continue reading →

Who is NOT a Lactation Consultant?

Posted on March 6, 2012 by reneeb

Lately there seems to be a lot of confusion about just who is qualified to dispense breastfeeding advice. The term lactation consultant refers to a health care professional who has met the qualifications for, and passed the exam given by, the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners. Passing the exam permits her to use the letters IBCLC after her name. Anyone who is not a board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) is not a lactation consultant at all! Here is a partial list of professionals and others who sometimes get confused with lactation consultants. This list pertains to the US only. Other countries have different certifications. Continue reading →

Doulas I Love: Cheryl Murfin

Posted on March 4, 2012 by reneeb

I am proud to be collaborating with birth doula, parent educator, Seattle’s Child Magazine editor, Cheryl Murfin. Cheryl is also a freelance writer specializing in pregnancy, birth and early childhood topics and a photographer. She and her partner Joe own Blink Images, offering families simple, informal newborn, infant, child and family candid images.

Cheryl is the former executive director of the Seattle Midwifery School and the Simkin School for Allied Birth Professionals, both now part of Bastyr University. She started Nesting Instincts Perinatal Services in 1998. Her birth services include up to two prenatal visits, full birth care, use of a birth tub and TENS unit for every birth, lactation education and referral, up to two postpartum visits and placenta encapsulation for families interested in this growing trend. Continue reading →

Bones and Breastfeeding

Posted on February 23, 2012 by reneeb

It’s a commonly held belief that women who breastfeed their babies experience bone loss at a much greater rate than women who do not breastfeed. Not only that, but the longer you breastfeed, the worse the bone loss will be. That, somehow, if we feed our baby in a way that’s biologically normal, there will be devastating consequences to our bodies. It’s never made sense to me that nature’s system for nourishing our young could lead to such devastating consequences as osteoporosis and fragile bones. Continue reading →

Doulas I Love: Jan Martinka

Posted on February 18, 2012 by reneeb

I have known Jan since 1998. We were both members of Northwest Association for Postpartum Support (NAPS). We have happily shared dozens of clients. Jan provides fantastic support to her clients prenatally, during the birth and postpartum. She has tons of experience and has attended over 100 births. Jan’s clients LOVE her! Continue reading →