News & Stories

Breastfeeding in The Woodlands - A Dozen Great Resources!

alt Whether it's your first baby or your fifth, moms of newborns often have questions about nursing, pumping, bottle feeding, formula feeding or combination feeding. I nursed my twins and older son for over a year each, and like many moms, I had my share of ups, downs, and daily struggles. I felt successful by seeking the help of area and online support groups and the help of an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). The Woodlands is full of support for nursing moms and I've outlined some of our area resources below.

Bayou City Breastfeeding offers in-home lactation support services with IBCLCs in the Woodlands area. According to BCB, they are also the only Lactation Consultants in the area who are able to accept insurance (they accept many plans from Aetna, BCBS, Cigna and UnitedHealthCare.)

Memorial Hermann The Woodlands has an Outpatient Lactation Center and Retail Shop open Monday to Saturday 9am-5pm. They offer two support meetings for moms of babies under 1 year old, held in the Lactation Center resource room behind the retail shop. Adventures in Breastfeeding is a weekly nursing support meeting facilitated by a Lactation Consultant for moms of babies ages 0-3 months and is held Wednesdays from 10-11:30am. All About Moms is a general mommy support group facilitated by an RN for babies 0-12 months on Mondays from 10-11:30am. You do not need to have delivered at Memorial to attend these free meetings. MHTW also offers breastfeeding classes for expectant moms for a fee.

CHI St. Luke's Health - The Woodlands Hospital offers a Breastfeeding Support Group on Wednesdays from 10am-12pm at the Lakeview A Conference Room (first floor near cafeteria). They also offer free breastfeeding classes for expectant moms who are delivering at their facility ($30 per couple otherwise). Have a question for the LC? Call 936-266-2081 or visit them online.

Texas Children's Hospital The Woodlands offers lactation support by appointment on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-3pm. The Lactation Department can be reached at 936-267-5050. Breast pump rentals are also available at the 2nd floor gift shop.

Houston Methodist Childbirth Center at The Woodlands offers breastfeeding classes that are open to the public and they have breastfeeding supplies and pump rentals through the gift shop on the 1st floor. For class registration, please call 936-270-3333 or register online.

The Woodlands La Leche League has an online group for support and encouragement for nursing mothers in conjunction with the face to face meetings. LLL runs their support meetings two times a month: the second Friday of the month at 10:00 am at the Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Lactation Center resource room behind the baby gift shop (9250 Pinecroft Dr.) AND also the third Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm at the Texas Children's Health Center Waiting Room at St. Luke (17198 St. Luke's Way #300).

Baby Mama TX offers a free breastfeeding support group Tuesday mornings from 9-11am at Rebel Birth Education and Resource Haven in Old Town Spring. They also offer lactation consultant services.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES:

Outpatient or in-home consults with a lactation consultant are a great way to learn new positions, try new tools, and get positive encouragement on your journey. Visits may even be covered by your insurance. You can search for an area International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant via the ILCA website or the United States Lactation Consultant Association website.
In addition to hospital retail stores, several local businesses offer products and services to support new moms. Rebel Birth Education and Resource Haven in Old Town Spring offers a variety of support groups and classes.
Blossoming Mama in Vintage Park is on a bit of a hiatus but still offers an online store.
Bambini Naturali, formerly Mockingbird Baby, will be relocating from Sawdust to Old Town Spring soon.
For the 3am questions you need answered ASAP, KellyMom.com and nursing support groups on Facebook, WhatToExpect.com and BabyCenter.com are phenomenal resources to try. With a little searching, you may be able to find a greater online tribe to help with support.

Remember, frustrations with breastfeeding and fluctuations in hormones can lead to some intense emotions. Do not ignore potential symptoms of postpartum depression. Speak with your obstetrician or family doctor immediately if you suspect any postpartum depression symptoms. For more information visit http://www.postpartum.net/ or http://www.postpartumprogress.com/.

Tiff's Treats - Cookie Delivery in The Woodlands ROCKS!

Sorry Amazon.com, you’ve just been outdone! I mean, as much as I look forward to those beautiful brown boxes arriving at my front doorstep all too frequently, the experience has nothing on the treat I received at my home yesterday evening. It all started with a very pleasant phone call from Tiff’s Treats customer service. Someone was sending me warm, freshly-baked cookies, and they wanted to find out the best time to have them delivered.

Just to be clear, there’s no bad time to have warm cookies delivered, so I cancelled my 6-year-old’s tumbling class that was scheduled for the evening. Then, I immediately put on my pajamas, (although it was only 4’o clock in the evening). You see, I’m a cookie-eating connoisseur, and if there’s any way you can eat your cookies at home in your PJ’s, you seize the opportunity. If it happens to be raining outside as it was yesterday evening, all the better!

Gorilla Hole at The Woodlands Rec Center

Ever since my boys were little and I'd scour the calendars for fun stuff for us to do, I'd come across the "Gorilla Hole" for tweens at The Woodlands Rec Center and wonder what it was all about!

This past fall my oldest son began 5th grade and was "eligible" to go try it out. He rounded up a few of his friends, excited about a chance to be out on the town at night without his parents hovering over him, and headed to check it out. He had a great time and we felt confident leaving him there for a few hours of social fun!

Gorilla Hole is for 5th and 6th graders and is held the first Friday of each month from 7-9:45. After paying their $7 entry fee, parents sign their kids in with an adult supervisor, they get a wristband and off they go! The kids spend time playing organized and unorganized games of basketball, dodge ball and dancing to fun music and just hanging out. Snacks and drinks are provided for a few dollars extra.

If you have a 5th or 6th grader who's looking for a little independent-supervised fun, try out the Gorilla Hole. Our review: two thumbs up from a few 11 year old boys and their moms!

Eat More Kale (and Broccolini) - Chick-fil-A's Superfood Side salad is dressed to impress!

Have you tried the new superfood side at Chick-fil-A? I did, and I'm happy to say it's now my new favorite fast food menu side item. No, I’m not kidding. You see, for the past 4 years I've been a Chick-fil-A black card holder - meaning I can flash my VIP card at any local CFA and get an entrée or entire meal for absolutely free, every day that Chick-fil-A is open, for the entire year. So indeed, I've had my share of chicken sandwiches, bowls of tortilla soup, nuggets, and waffle fries. Not that I plan to stop ordering these items anytime soon. And I should note, that I often use my card to get a free Grilled Market salad, and those are super healthy and quite delicious as well. But the new superfood salad is a welcome addition to my palate. It’s light and cool, fresh, flavored just right, and it actually leaves me wanting more. The greens are tender and bite-sized, topped with dried sour cherries and roasted nuts (almonds, pecans, and walnuts) and paired with a delicious maple vinaigrette that really kicks up the salad’s flavor.

Date night just got interesting! Topgolf Couple’s Night Recap

Lean in a bit closer... There. Now, let’s keep this between you and me, alright? Ready for this?

I am NOT a golf girl. And… my husband is SO not a golf guy. Seriously! Then how in the world was Topgolf Couples Night one of our best Date Nights of the year? Well okay, the fact that we weren't footing the bill may have had something to do with it (thanks to Topgolf for the incredible hospitality for this event), but the likelier reason is that Topgolf gave us an amazingly interactive, enjoyable, and even romantic evening with each other, one that reminded us about how much fun we had in our “courting” years. Folks, that's just not something you get at the typical date night venue.

Safari Stop Rules The Day!

alt One of the best values for kids in The Woodlands is the indoor playground Safari Stop, located at The Woodlands United Methodist Church on Lake Woodlands Dr. When the weather is too hot, too cold, too rainy, or too mosquito-y, Safari Stop is a perfect alternative for keeping little ones in your life active, smiling, and having a grand time.

The Details

Admission is FREE, and Safari Stop is open Monday through Friday from 12pm - 8pm, Saturday 10am - 6pm and Sunday 12pm - 6pm.
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No food or drinks are allowed (and the place is kept quite clean as a result!). Kids are expected to take off their shoes to play, and there are shoe bins to accommodate 40 pairs of shoes.

The sign on the door says "Designed for Children Ages 5-9," but we've been enjoying the playground since my oldest was 2 years old. If you child likes to creep, climb, slide, hide, or imagine, this place easily fits the bill. The playground is unmanned and open to the public, is located in a glassed-in room with heavy-enough doors, and all children must be supervised by their caregiver at all times. (No sneaking off to the café next door).

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Off to the side is a smaller area for the littlest ones, including crawlers. To climb on, there's a colorful plastic hippo and a crocodile. Additionally, there's open space for toddlers to toddle (or for babies to crawl). In the past, we've even laid out a small blanket and pulled out our own baby toys to enjoy while there.

"Big" Kids Area

My one-year-old goes back-and-forth from the "tot" area to the "big kids" area. The bigger kids area is a grand jungle gym - with a rock wall, 2 curvy adventure slides, and plenty of ropes, high tunnel spaces, and look-outs. Safari Stop isn't huge, but it really is a good 2 hours of fun!
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Sitting Area

We know our readers LOVE to interact with their kids at playgrounds, but should you ever feel like sitting on the sidelines, the playground features ample seating for adults.

Unique Features

Perhaps the most astounding feature about Safari Stop is its colorful wall murals - beautiful elephants, giraffes, zebras, gorillas, butterflies - it's a true safari, and the youngest ones take great pleasure in looking at and identifying the different animals.

How to Find Safari Stop

The Woodlands United Methodist Church is a huge complex and we want to make it easy for first-time visitors to find Safari Stop. The best entrance is on Lake Front Circle. Park at the north end of the building at the entrance to the preschool, across from separate The Woodlands Methodist School. Look for the playgrounds to your left of the entrance doors and crape myrtles at the porte-cochère. Enter the building and Safari Stop is on your left. Restrooms are further down the hall to your right and a great fish tank is at the preschool lobby a little further to your left.
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The Woodlands United Methodist Church
2200 Lake Woodlands Drive, 77380
281.297.5900

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