Breastfeeding & Beyond - Dr Melody Jackson

22/07/2025

It’s been another early start for me today with meetings from 4am with the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine. I had a little camper next to me who just wants to be close when she wakes on these cold nights. 10 years ago, I never could have imagined life as it is today. I’m so grateful for the global world we live in, where I can be truly involved in breastfeeding medicine internationally, even when my “office” is my child’s bedroom floor in the middle of the night 😅

21/07/2025

Somebody said to me today 😢
“I felt like I was going to war every time my baby needed a nap.”

When sleep becomes a battlefield, it’s often because we’ve been handed a rigid set of rules and told that if we just follow them right, everything will fall into place.

But babies aren’t algorithms. And families aren’t labs.

The truth is, when the mainstream “rules” about infant sleep don’t work for your baby — when the wake windows, settling strategies, and strict routines backfire — the result can be a high-stress environment for everyone. Each nap or bedtime becomes a source of tension, self-doubt, and dysregulation.

We need to release parents from the pressure of doing sleep “right,” and instead support them to do what feels right for their baby.
🌙 That might mean contact naps.
🌙 That might mean feeding to sleep.
🌙 That might mean flexibility, trial and error, and tuning into your child — not a clock.

Sleep doesn’t have to feel like war. When we strip away the pressure to perform and allow ourselves to be responsive, creative, and gentle — everything softens. Not perfectly, not always easily, but enough to breathe again.

You are not failing. You’re navigating a deeply human experience, and you deserve support that centres your baby, yournervous system, and your unique family rhythm.

18/07/2025

It’s Birth Trauma Awareness Week.

Birth trauma is real.
It’s not just about what happened physically during labour or birth — but also how a person felt: frightened, dismissed, alone, powerless.

For some, it’s a moment that lingers — in the body, in the heart, in their relationship with themselves and their baby. And yet, birth trauma is often misunderstood, downplayed, or silenced.

We can do better.

🫶 We can hold space for the stories.
📣 We can advocate for safer, more respectful maternity care.
👩‍⚕️ We can ensure trauma-informed support is part of every perinatal journey.

If this is your story, or someone you love — please know that you’re not alone, and healing is possible.

Let’s listen. Let’s learn. Let’s do better.

13/07/2025

Recently I made this quilt using Indigenous art fabrics that my mum bought for me when we visited Darwin together a few years ago — a trip filled with wonder, warmth, and deep respect for the stories carried by Country and community.

I designed it to show a mother and baby — a quiet, powerful image of nurturing. Each fabric holds meaning. Each stitch is a tribute: to the artists, to the land, to the generations of care and culture that continue to guide us.

As we honour NAIDOC Week and this year’s theme — “Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud” — I want to celebrate the resilience, creativity, and sovereignty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. And reflect on what it means to walk gently, listen deeply, and uplift voices that must be heard.

This quilt is one small gesture of that honouring. A way to hold memory and hope in fabric and thread.

10/07/2025

✨ Postpartum asks us to surrender. ✨
Not because we are weak.
But because we are human.

Surrendering to the messy rhythms of newborn life.
Surrendering to the fact that some days will feel joyful, others overwhelming.
Surrendering to the truth that we can’t control every feed, every sleep, every cry.

Postpartum isn’t about getting it “right.”
It’s about leaning into the moment—whatever it holds.

Letting go of the perfect routine.
Softening the harsh self-talk.
Accepting help (even when it feels uncomfortable).
Pausing to breathe in the tiny chest rising and falling against ours.

Surrender doesn’t mean giving up.
It means opening up.
To our babies.
To ourselves.
To the unknown, beautiful chaos of early mothering.

03/07/2025

Let’s talk about switch feeding.

Switch feeding is a simple, responsive technique that can help some babies take in more milk — especially when they’re a little sleepy, distracted, or not gaining as expected.

It involves gently switching sides multiple times during a feed — left, right, left, right — to keep your baby alert and actively sucking.
✨ Each “switch” gives a little wake-up cue, encouraging another burst of strong, nutritive sucking.

It’s not about strict routines — it’s about tuning in.
Some babies naturally stay on one side for a full feed. Others need a little more rhythm and stimulation to stay engaged.
Both are normal. Both are okay.

Switch feeding can be helpful:
✔️ In the early days when baby is very sleepy
✔️ If weight gain has been slower than expected
✔️ To support milk transfer when milk supply is still building
✔️ When you’re feeling unsure about whether baby is getting enough

If you’re not sure whether it’s right for your situation, a breastfeeding-friendly doctor or IBCLC can help tailor an approach for you and your baby.

You’re doing beautifully. There’s no one right way — just the way that helps your baby thrive and supports you too.

29/06/2025

Breastmilk is not just food. It’s alive.
Every drop of breastmilk is a living, dynamic fluid—rich in stem cells, immune cells, hormones, enzymes, and bioactive molecules that adapt to meet your baby’s changing needs.
🌿 Got a newborn? Colostrum is packed with antibodies and protective factors.
🌿 Baby sick? Your milk changes—boosting immune cells and anti-inflammatories.
🌿 Feeding a toddler? The fat and energy content shifts to support their growth.
It’s a personalised medicine. A tailored immune booster. A comforter and a connector.
Human milk is living tissue—something no formula can replicate. It’s one of the only substances we make in our bodies for someone else. And it’s incredible.
Whether you express, latch, mix-feed, or relactate—this living liquid deserves celebration.

24/06/2025

Ever noticed how your baby instantly calms when you pick them up and start walking?

It’s not magic—it’s biology.
When you hold your baby close and move with them, their heart rate slows, their body softens, and they often stop crying. This isn’t a parenting trick—it’s an inbuilt calming response designed to help babies feel safe and connected.

👶🏽 Babies are wired to be held.
🫶🏾 Your movement helps regulate their nervous system.
🧠 Being carried isn’t just comforting—it’s calming on a deep, physiological level.

This is why babywearing, slow dancing in the kitchen, or pacing the hallway in the dark can feel like the only thing that works sometimes. You’re not spoiling them. You’re co-regulating. You’re being their safe place.

If your baby only settles in your arms, you’re not doing anything wrong. You’re doing something incredibly right.
Their need for closeness is not a flaw—it’s a feature.

18/06/2025

Before I had kids, yoga was my sanctuary.
A quiet place to stretch, breathe, and return to myself.
It was how I made space for my own healing and wellbeing.

Now, yoga looks different.
Poses mixed in with games.
Shavasana with a little hand tucked into mine.
Breathwork between school runs and snack time.

As my family has grown, so has my relationship with yoga.
Yoga has become something I share with my daughter - a way to calm our nervous systems, to reconnect, to move through the day together with a little more softness.

It’s rarely quiet. It’s never perfect.
But it’s still yoga. And it still matters.

In a few days, it’s International Yoga Day, and I’m reminded that self-care isn’t one-size-fits-all.
It evolves with us. It bends and stretches as life changes shape.
And sometimes, the most meaningful moments of care are the ones we share.

Here’s to the messy, beautiful, shared moments of self-care.
To movement as medicine.
To parenting with presence.
To self-care, in whatever form it takes.

15/06/2025

Are you a doctor wanting to know more about breastfeeding? Then these workshops are for you 🙂

We are excited to announce registrations are now open for the Breastfeeding Medicine Network Australia & New Zealand ONLINE workshops!

***Early Bird registrations close June 30 so get in quick!***

The "Breastfeeding Essentials for Practitioners Workshop" is relevant for all doctors providing care to infants and women of child bearing age.
Being held on Saturday August 9, 2025, 0930-1600 AEST, it offers participants an interactive way of increasing and consolidating their knowledge and skills.
Program here:https://na.eventscloud.com/file_uploads/9e3c4945f11f71eb717f2a94f742722d_BreastfeedingEssentialsWorkshop25v2.pdf

*** Please note the content of the Essentials Workshop remains the same as previous workshops with appropriate updates where new research has come to light.***

"Beyond the Essentials - Advanced Topics in Breastfeeding Medicine” workshop will be held online August 10, 2025, 0930-1600 AEST. It is aimed at doctors who wish to extend their existing lactation medical knowledge and engage interactively with peers working in this space. The content of the Advanced Workshop is a completely new material as compared to previous BMNANZ Advanced Workshops.
Program here:https://na.eventscloud.com/file_uploads/d3fb8b8bfcb8804e33e921757bece0b6_BEYONDTHEESSENTIALSfinalv1.pdf

And to register: https://na.eventscloud.com/website/87294/home/

14/06/2025

Feeling overwhelmed by your baby’s cries? Let’s try a different kind of self-talk.

ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) is a type of psychological support that helps us notice our thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them. It teaches us to make space for hard emotions and act in line with what matters most—even in messy, exhausting moments.

When your baby is unsettled and you feel like you’re drowning, your mind might say:
🌀 “I’m failing.”
🌀 “I can’t cope with this.”
🌀 “Something must be wrong with me or my baby.”

Instead, ACT invites you to try something gentler:
💬 “I notice I’m feeling overwhelmed right now.”
💬 “This is really hard — and it’s okay to feel that.”
💬 “I can’t control everything, but I can breathe and stay present with my baby.”

This isn’t about “thinking positive.”
It’s about showing up with compassion—for your baby, and for yourself.
You’re not alone. And you don’t have to get it “right” to be doing a beautiful job.