http://www.easternrangeslactation.com/

Eastern Ranges Lactation, P. O. Box 735, Cockatoo (2026)

01/02/2026

A babies “temperament" or "nature" shapes their behaviour right from birth. It impacts on feeding, sleep and every aspect of baby care.

Temperament is what makes babies
"different" and impossible to compare. What might work to soothe one baby may have the opposite effect on another. 🤷‍♀️
These differences render black and white baby advice useless!

I help new parents to learn about what type of "little human" has been gifted to them.
I instil confidence and calm, not panic or doubt at a time when so much can feel so “scary”!
What new parents need is education & support to feel reassured while time goes to work 🙏
Time to experiment with what works for “their” baby and “their” unique nature. Some babies have needs that are more challenging and harder to meet. This doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong. 🤷‍♀️
The quest to find a solution is often more exhausting & stressful than the understanding & acceptance of a babies temperament.
It's easy to become lost in the fog!

The best thing that you can do for your baby and yourself is to find ways to make life easier and aligned with "Temperament" rather than with societies or even your own expectations. 🤷‍♀️

Soothing another requires some soothing of yourself to keep that nurturing cup full. ❤️
Get practical help in, consider safe bed sharing if it enables you to get sleep, consider a carrier for the baby who needs to be held.
Choose any support or advice sources wisely 🙏
I see so much fear mongering out there!
People looking for, or suggesting “potential problems” just to appear to be helping or knowledgeable. 😡
I don’t see many babies who need “fixing”
I see SO many who are needing to be understood ❤️
Parents struggling with knowing what’s truly normal & expected, bombarded by fear based parenting advice 😔
I am often the voice of many babies in their most primal , instinctive form translating what they most desperately want to tell you 🙏❤️

28/01/2026

It may sound like a helpful idea -hey? 🤷‍♀️

The problem is that it may help a little the first time you do it, but then it’s not long before this strategy contributes to even faster flow. 🤷‍♀️

Babies learn to cope with all different rates of milk flow. Milk flow can fluctuate throughout the day and night with it typically being faster and more forceful through the night and morning.

Babies cope with faster flow by taking breaks - coming on and off during a feed. This is often pathologised as something abnormal, when it’s just a baby doing a great job managing fast flow 🤷‍♀️
Some babies may clamp down to slow flow.
Some will lose their suck, swallow, breathe coordination gag and splutter.
Some babies will make a transient clicking sound while dealing with high flow.

Usually all that is required to help a baby feeding off a very fast breast is a few positional tweaks to a mums body positioning. Reclining back or even getting very horizontal with a baby on top of the breast instead of under really helps to slow flow. ✅
Think “gravity”, having gravity on your baby’s side helps while they are still learning to breastfeed and becoming more skilled at managing flow.

Expressing off let downs pre latching speeds up milk production. High milk production is the reason why milk is flowing so fast. So you really don’t want to stimulate your breasts more in an effort to manage fast flow. Your body will respond by making more milk.

Be patient, allow your baby to do what it needs to do. Young babies have their learner plates on, “perfect” text book latching/ breastfeeding is an unrealistic expectation. One which creates a lot of unnecessary anxiety and doubt. Breastfeeding takes time and practice for you both to master.
Often what you have been told to do in response to a challenge just makes the challenge even worse 😕
Check your sources ✅
Sooo many “lactation experts” out there!🙄

For more help with fast flow or any feeding/ breast or baby concerns reach out for a comprehensive full assessment.

Don’t fall into the cauldron of confused, misguided, convoluted and incorrect information out there that makes breastfeeding so much harder than it’s meant to be! 😔

27/01/2026

As the mercury heads for above 40 degrees celsius in Melbourne today babies will be needing their drink bottle (aka the breast) more. ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

This extends to bottle fed babies too, who will become more thirsty.
Babies are not robots or tamagotchis who routinely eat/drink 3-4 hourly and always need a complete meal each time. They are little humans who need to eat and drink responsively just like us. 🤷‍♀️

Each day is different, the environment impacts. Many things impact, influence & drive feeding behaviour and never just a clock. ⏰
Breastfed babies don’t “snack”, they feed according to their needs and are smart enough to know when and how much they need to eat & drink.

Bottle fed babies can be fed the same way and offered smaller feeds more frequently, especially on these hot days. We would never want to wait 3-4 hours for a swig out of our drink bottles to wet our whistles 🤷‍♀️
Even in a completely air conditioned environment mouths & throats get dry, babies are wanting a “swig”

Think human, think how we eat & drink, think how toddlers graze and you understand how breastfeeding a baby works 👍

Comparing societies bottle fed expectations with breastfeeding is like comparing apples & oranges 🍎🍊😀
Stay cool everyone 😎

17/01/2026

Ask AI/ Google about sleeping on your tummy or side while lactating and it tells you this …………..

“Putting pressure on breast tissue, can restrict milk flow and can lead to blocked milk ducts, a common precursor to inflammation (mastitis)”
🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

How can you restrict milk flow when milk isn’t being removed??? 🤯 - you are sleeping!!!
Milk isn’t “flowing” when you are sleeping. 🤷‍♀️
It’s continuously being produced yes, but stored in the aveoli (milk storage sacks) where it stays until the milk ejection reflex or let down is triggered. The tiny innumerable ducts don’t store milk, nor is milk flowing through your ducts while you are sleeping 🤷‍♀️
There is no flow to block!
Milk is going to be “static” all throughout the breast until the next milk removal. Milk has to be static 🤷‍♀️
“Milk stasis” is part of the natural process of milk production, not something to be feared 🤷‍♀️
Not a breeding ground for bacteria 🤷‍♀️
Sleeping on your tummy or side does not cause infection!!!

The only external force that can cause inflammation and potentially lead to infection is tissue trauma from repeated massaging! Tissue is not traumatised by you lying on your breasts to sleep. 🙏
Just the concept of this is quite absurd? To think that breastfeeding requires a “particular” maternal sleeping position 🤯

If you happen to wake up with mastitis symptoms, I can assure you that the cause is not your sleeping position.

Sleep is sacred and hard to come by for new mothers without being told they have to sleep on their backs to avoid mastitis. 😕
Please sleep in whatever position you can get comfortable in when you get the opportunity to sleep 🙏🙏🙏🙏

10/01/2026

Back out on the road on Monday 12th Jan. To book a consultation please message me on 0407810034.

Rested, relaxed and ready to go!

Looking forward to a big 2026🙌

Onwards & upwards changing the lactation world, one mum & one health care professional at a time!
Once we know better, we can better help mums to not only initiate breastfeeding but continue & stay sane in the process 🙏

The incredible breastfeeding continuation rates among my client population speak for themselves 🙌

With all the conflicting & confusing advice on offer out there, you can trust the voice of a once "jack of all trades" who has become a master in one 🧐

So much we can do differently??
So much we still don't know 🤔
So much to still learn 💡

Let's continue to bring breastfeeding medicine out of the shadows & into 2026!! Apply what we now know and not just follow what has always been done 🙏
Continue to question & challenge to
really make a difference ❤️
To not believe all the BS out there 🙏

Let's pull breastfeeding continuation rates out of the toilet & stop making breastfeeding more difficult than it needs to be 🙏🙏🙏

25/12/2025

Taking a short break from dreaming about babies and b***s 😂 🤱👶🍼
Running my own private lactation practice is a 24/7 job!
So much goes on behind the scenes to deliver the standard of care I expect and only know how to deliver 😊
Looking forward to an amazing 2026 and continuing where I left off! Refreshed and recharged, ready to go!! 🔥
Love my job, love the difference change is making 🙏
Love that this slight change in career direction is challenging me!
Exciting times ahead 🙌
And this was meant to be my semi retirement job 5 years ago 🤷‍♀️
No one told me I was about to open Pandora’s box and find myself challenging the lactation world 😂😂
I have always been a “Jack of all trades” having to know so much as a diverse paeds/ neonatal nurse.
Now, I am enjoying drilling down to become a master in one field - lactation. 🙏
SO much to learn, SO much to unlearn. SO much we don’t know, SO much I do know now 😊

Taking bookings for the week beginning 12/1/26

19/12/2025

The terminology “clogging” and “plugging” should be removed from breastfeeding discussions as they are not accurate.
There is NO “plug” or “clog” of milk to move or get out.🤷‍♀️

It would be helpful if terminology aligned with tissue science and accurate breast anatomy. Then correct understanding & management can be applied to quickly relieve pain and prevent avoidable complications.

A plug or a clog is just NOT a thing!
Or what you might imagine it to be? 🤔
Not possible and not correct!
What you are feeling is swelling, increased blood flow, maybe some inflammation , not a blockage from milk clogging or plugging up ducts!

For too long breastfeeding mums have been trying to massage, squeeze, vibrate, melt, and work out a milk plug that just does not exist! This advice is wrong & potentially harmful 😔

Change will take time, not everyone is open or ready for change. Change can feel intimidating and threatening when you have been conditioned to follow just one way and long standing traditional ways 😕
Please share this new advice with any mum who thinks she has a “clog” or “plug” . She is feeling a localised area of up regulation, tissue congestion +/- inflammation which will clear.
It responds well to ice, no heat ( ice is your best friend & frozen peas work a treat!) Nothing to “squeeze” or “work out” , nothing to “massage” out.

Please no massaging 🙏
Feed your baby as normal, no reason to increase feeding on the affected breast or pump.

Reach out, if it’s not clearing or getting worse for a full individualised assessment & care plan.

Changes in milk removal & the speed of milk production over the busy holiday season may produce some tissue changes for some mums.
These are innocent and harmless when they are understood and managed correctly. 🙏

17/12/2025

Melbourne is experiencing the arrival of summer this week! 🙌

Some mums may notice an increase in milk production and maybe some mild transient engorgement as your baby’s demand for milk changes.
Milk stasis is normal and a sign of your body regulating milk production. As your milk production speed changes, it can be common to experience some tissue changes from increased blood flow and fluid congestion.
Don’t worry, it’s not a sign that bad bacteria is invading your breasts 🙏
Any firmness, swelling, tenderness, or redness is associated with congested breast tissue doing its best to respond to changes in milk demand.
At worst, you may also have some transient inflammation coming in that will correct itself with appropriate management.
Handle this tissue with care!!
🔸No massaging 🙏
🔸Apply ice packs ( frozen peas) to the affected area & keep them on.
You can’t ice too much!
🔸Continue to feed responsively, with no requirement to “drain” or “empty” your breasts.
Some feeds may be short, feed intervals will change. Babies eat & drink like humans not robots or tamagotchi’s. They will be extra thirsty when it’s hot & then likely slow down again once the heat passes. 🤷‍♀️
The speed of your milk production changes with them!
Most commonly symptoms of a blockage or mastitis ARE associated with normal changes like this & are nothing to be feared 🙏

10/12/2025

In a nutshell if you are relying on a pump to establish milk supply early on, then you need a hospital grade pump. ✅
Wearable pumps can be a game changer later on to free you up from having to sit and pump!
Great for occasional pumping, returning to work or using along side your traditional pump if exclusively pumping long term.

When to choose a traditional/ hospital grade pump ( Eg- Spectra S1, S2, Dual S , medela symphony, Ardo)

🔸If you are trying to establish or increase milk supply
🔸In the early PP weeks/ months if you are relying on a pump to help drive supply.
🔸If you are exclusively pumping & struggling with low milk production
🔸If your baby is in special care or unable to breastfeed directly at birth.
🔸If you are considering hiring or borrowing a pump (hospital grade pumps are a closed system pump)
🔸If you want maximum output and for pump durability.

When to choose a wearable pump
(Eg Mum cozy, mumsmilk, night owl, etc etc …. So many (too many) now on the market 🤷‍♀️

🔸If you are returning to work & need a discreet, portable option
🔸If you express occasionally or supplementally along side established direct breastfeeding.
🔸If you want a hands-free experience while caring for your baby or multitasking
🔸If you are going to struggle to find time sit & pump
🔸If this is the only feasible option to facilitate pumping and you need to pump?
🔸If you have toddlers or other children to care for while pumping and need to be mobile.

Every parent’s expressing needs are different & every parent responds differently to pumping. It’s all about finding what pump works best for you and your current situation. What I see is generally hospital grade traditional pumps are more effective ✅

If you are needing to use a pump in response to a medical reason, low milk production or slow infant weight gain then it is vital
to seek IBCLC professional help right from the beginning ✅
More often than not hospital staff are not skilled in providing pumping assessment and education. Unfortunately hospitals are not up with the recent changes to pump fl**ge sizing 😔
You will need help with choosing the most appropriate pump, it’s correct & safe use and YOUR individual fl**ge size ✅
Side effects caused from incorrect pumping and equipment which can be easily avoided with correct and up to date knowledge.
All my consultations include pumping assessment, education and fl**ge sizing.
My help will very likely see you not needing to pump or at least not as often 🙏
Your baby is always your best pump when breastfeeding is optimised & supported with skilled help.

04/12/2025

Breastfeeding mums/parents can choose to safely enjoy a special Christmas drink without the worry or guilt of it doing harm to their breastfed baby.

Things to consider are 🤔

🍷The amount of alcohol in your blood is the same as the amount in breastmilk after consuming an alcoholic drink.

🥤 You don't need to pump and dump as this won't help. Your amazing body works in tandem: As the level of alcohol in your blood decreases, the level of alcohol in your milk drops too.

🥂Time is what reduces the level of alcohol in your breastmilk. It will be at its highest level 30-60 mins after consuming a drink for most people. So feed your baby before your drink & try to wait, stretch the next feed to 1.5/2hrs if you can?

🍷 If your baby does need a feed before you have finished your drink or waited for it to clear out of your system don't panic! They are not going to die or be harmed - feed them!

🍷Basically If you are safe to drive a car and under .05 then you are safe to care for and breastfeed your baby.

🥂The biggest risk with alcohol consumption to your baby is alterations in your perception, balance and ability to safely care for your baby from being under the influence of alcohol.

🍷The younger your baby and the more frequently you are breastfeeding, the more they will be exposed to any alcohol in breastmilk.

🥂 Basically it's safer to consume alcohol the further down your breastfeeding journey you are.

🍷Go easy & start with 1/2 a glass as your body may be more sensitive to alcohol after avoiding it for so long.
🥂consider choosing a drink with a lower alcohol content.

🥂🥂🥂If you are planning a big day or night which involves more than 1 or 2 drinks then prepare ahead. Have EBM on hand and someone to help care for your baby.

🍷The Australian breastfeeding association have a free 'feed safe' app to help track timing of a drink and breastfeeding.

“Everything in life carries risk - commonsense keep us and our kids safe”

Use your commonsense, relax and enjoy that special Christmas drink (if it feels right for you) Cheers and happy breastfeeding! 🥂🎄🤱

29/11/2025

Harvesting antenatal colostrum has been found to be helpful not only for newborns at known risk for non-exclusive breastfeeding & risk for supplementation, but for all newborns.
It has become a popular & routine recommendation in recent times. However it is not an ‘essential’ practice.

Many of the mums I support choose not to express antenatally, they either don’t have the time, or are unable to express any colostrum & go on to breastfeed exclusively and avoid formula supplementation. ✅
There is NO replacement for good & correct breastfeeding advice right from birth. ✅

Antental hand expression has become a big focus in antental breastfeeding education when really it’s only a small part. 🤷‍♀️
It’s definitely something I cover durinh my antenatal lactation consultations, but we move on to the real important stuff pretty quickly 😊
If you are unable to express colostrum while pregnant, it will be there & more easily expressed after your precious baby is born. So please don’t stress or think you won’t make any or enough milk 🙏
There is no evidence to support that not being able to express colostrum antenatally has any negative impact on breastfeeding outcomes.
What has the biggest negative impact on breastfeeding outcomes is infrequent, ineffective milk removal after birth and the continuation of this in real time!!!
Antenatal hand expressing involves hand expressing for 5-10 minutes once or twice a day, collecting any colostrum in a syringe to freeze and saving it to feed to your baby in hospital. It’s usually recommended from around 36 weeks.
Expect very tiny volumes, often only a drop or 2 at a time. You may hear mums can express 0.5ml or even 1 ml at a time but this is not the norm.
Qualitative research has shown that antenatal hand expression helps build confidence and creates a feeling of preparedness for breastfeeding.
This in my opinion is the MOST valuable benefit of considering expressing antenatally ✅
Please handle your breasts with care if trying to express 🙏
You don’t need to massage or squeeze your ni**le hard. 🙏
It shouldn’t hurt!
For more information/ education consider booking a breastfeeding consultation before your baby is born.
The right support & being prepared is the key to being able to breastfeed and avoiding supplementation whenever possible 🙌

25/11/2025

After finally meeting your precious baby, it can feel like you are engaged in a never ending cycle of feeding and burping your baby!
But does burping after feeding really help? 🤔
And is it really necessary? 🤷‍♀️
My opinion is NO it's not.
It is a ritual that is engrained in our culture and one that has probably been happening for hundreds of years, but all this history does not necessarily make it right or necessary for every baby.
The small amount of research that has been done into burping actually indicates that it is not helpful and may cause an increase in spitting up or vomiting.
Burping can cause new parents a lot of unnecessary worry when all the patting, bouncing and jiggling does not produce that anticipated belch!
Burping which involves patting is very stimulating for a baby who is just trying to drift off to sleep with a nice full tummy of breastmilk loaded with sleepy hormones 🙈
In a nutshell there is no proven physiologic reason why babies would need all this help to burp 🤷‍♀️
Infants are protected from gas build up by the normal immaturity of the lower esophageal sphincter, which relaxes and opens frequently.
Basically, they naturally vent their own stomachs.🤷‍♀️
Milk comes back this way and so does air!
My bottom line advice is -
Do what works for your baby ✅
If your baby seems more comfortable after feeding with burping then go ahead and continue. ✅
If a burp does not happen, don't worry - it does not NEED to ✅
Most of all don’t waste precious time on strict burping routines thinking that you are preventing discomfort, and needing to follow “baby rules”
Overnight especially, get that sleepy baby fed & back into bed as quickly and calmly as possible.🙏
Settle your baby to sleep and they will let you know if they need your help to burp. The majority of gas or air passes through and into the bowel quickly.
“Gas” is a part of natural baby life & guy/nervous system immaturity.
There are also better ways to prevent gas & help your baby to feel more comfortable, like slowing down feeds!
This is just a snippet of the wealth of knowledge I share during my consultations with families.
My support lessens the burden of new parenting worries 🙏

Eastern Ranges Lactation

01/02/2026

28/01/2026

27/01/2026

17/01/2026

10/01/2026

25/12/2025

19/12/2025

17/12/2025

10/12/2025

04/12/2025

29/11/2025

25/11/2025

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