Vt. celebrates World Breastfeeding Month

August is World Breastfeeding Month and the Vermont Department of Health along with communities around the Green Mountain State, are showcasing the important health benefits breastfeeding has for both infants and parents, and the supports available to make it an easy choice.

Porter is looking for volunteers to provide this support. If you have experience being a doula and are interested in volunteering, you are asked to complete a volunteer application.

Years ago, when I was the mom of a toddler and a preschooler, I bought a large whiteboard calendar at TJ Maxx because I thought it would bring order to the chaos of my life.

Justly or unjustly, I felt like I was the only one doing any of the cleaning while everyone else had fun. That just didn’t seem fair.

Woooosh. Airplane coming in for a landing. It’s time to feed your baby solid food. But when? How?

With the current infant formula shortages, more parents are exclusively breastfeeding their babies longer. For many new families, breastfeeding and returning to work can be hard.

When the pandemic struck in March 2020, it abruptly put an end to playgroups, open gyms and drop-in storytimes, cutting off an essential social and emotional outlet for families with babies and toddlers.

ADDISON COUNTY — Samantha Ryan always knew she wanted to be a mother.But when her son, Jamie, was three months old, the first COVID-19 cases started popping up in the U.S.“It was the most terrifying thing ever,” Ryan said.The Whiting resident had already … (read more)

Did you know that simply reading to your child is one of the most important things you can do as a parent? According to the National Commission on Reading, “The single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduct … (read more)

WIC is the USDA Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. WIC gives you access to healthy foods, nutrition education and counseling, and breastfeeding support.This summer WIC has expanded the fruit and vegetable benefit throu … (read more)

Anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding, or who plans to become pregnant soon should not consume cannabis (marijuana, hashish, weed, pot, etc.) as the Vermont Department of Health reports that it can affect the health of your baby. Using cannabis can impa … (read more)

“I always think of the postpartum period as a period of isolation,” said Alison Underwood. Parents are adjusting. They’re not sleeping much, not gathering with friends the way they used to. They’re staying home to protect their baby’s fragile immune syste … (read more)

FERRISBURGH — Kaci Spear Pierce remembers well the worry she and husband, Tyler, felt going into her three-month pregnancy check-up late last summer. They were already the happy parents of one child, but the couple had been rocked when her second pregnanc … (read more)

MIDDLEBURY — A Middlebury medical practice has marked a recent growth spurt with the addition of a new pediatrician. Dr. Elizabeth Coogan has joined the staff of Porter Pediatrics Primary Care and is now accepting patients in their new office on the campu … (read more)

Breast cancer touches the lives of almost all Americans. One in eight women will receive this diagnosis in their lifetime, making it the most common cancer in the U.S. While most new cases occur in those who are postmenopausal, 19% are in younger, reprodu … (read more)