Danish Woolen Blog

Whoa … summer’s coming to a screeching halt and Autumn colors are beginning to creep their way into the trees of Vermont. Danish Woolen Delight’s busiest season fast approaches.

The summer has brought with it one major change to our company. Notice the word “our”. Previously a one person operation, all aspects of the business were run by me, Janice. My husband, Morgan has now joined in and will take over a major portion of the workload. (Briefly put – being foreign born can sometimes present difficulties in finding a satisfying and gratifying job in the U.S.) So we’ve switched roles – I am putting more time into a job I love (as a nurse) and he is taking over many of the practical aspects of the business.

My main concern is that women who have freely called with questions about breastfeeding & nursing pads, will feel a bit surprised & speechless when the phone is answered by a male with a thick Swedish accent. In an effort to still be accessible to everyone with questions, whom they do not feel comfortable speaking with a male about, I will try to address many of the common questions I get over Danish Woolen Delight’s blog.

I am still happy to call anyone who feels they would rather speak directly with a person, but please just keep in mind that many of these calls cannot be responded to during typical business hours. If you leave a message, let me know when it is okay to call (or more importantly, when not to call). My husband, Morgan, is actually quite enjoying his new role and is learning the answers to many questions, so as long as you feel comfortable speaking with a male, please feel free to call. When he can’t answer a question, he’ll refer you to me. And remember, he’s from Sweden, where breastfeeding is the norm and fathers get Paternity Leave, so he’s “been there, done that”!

From the pain and trials of my first breastfeeding experience, I was bound and determined to learn all that I could about breastfeeding, so that I could help the many women I worked with avoid going through what I had gone through myself. Fortunately, I found myself in the perfect setting to learn, I worked at a large hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, which had over 3,000 births a year. As a midwife, one worked not only on labor & delivery, but also on the post-partum floors, much like a nurse, yet with more responsibility and decision-making capabilities.

By the birth of my second child, this hospital had opened a special breastfeeding clinic with midwife - lactation consultants who shared a wealth of experience. I took advantage of being in their presence and learned all that I could from them, much like an apprentice passionately learning a new trade - which is exactly what I did. My years of experience gave me the foundation of what I needed to become an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, IBCLC.

On my own, during the trials of my first breastfeeding experience, I had found an ad for LANA (now called LANACare) woolen nursing pads. Founded by a nurse in Denmark, this company was in its infant stages at the time. Living under the cloud of blurred exhaustion you can often experience as a new parent, I have no idea how many weeks old my daughter was when I discovered these wonderful pads. But I do remember feeling that they were so soothing and helpful that I had to tell every breastfeeding woman I knew about them.