Nourish Lactation

29/05/2023

Several studies have found that the larger the volume of IV fluids a mother receives during labour, the more weight her baby loses in the first 24 hours. This is because the IV fluids pass to the baby’s body and increase the baby’s birth weight. In the first 24 hours after birth babies, whose mothers received IV fluids during labour, produce more wet diapers than babies, whose mothers do not receive IV fluids. The extra wet diapers result in an extra weight loss.

15/04/2023

Travel ideas for babies and toddlers!!!

28/01/2023

NEW APPOINTMENTS FOR FEBRUARY 📖🤱🌸

Welcome to my scheduling page. Please follow the instructions to add an event to my calendar.

17/01/2023

January sleep series - comparison

Part of what I coach new mums, whether your first second or third baby is on comparison.

We have established that there are many normals of sleep with a baby and one thing that will take joy away is when we compare ourselves to others or even previous experiences with other children.

So if you have a baby that sleeps overnight mostly and up most of the day, or has regular break patters or has some regular and some frequent feeds, fantastic! You have a normal baby with normal sleep patterns.

When you compare in a negative way it can lead to frustration, disappointment and feelings of failure so instead acknowledge, accept and adapt!

16/01/2023

Yes!!!

11/01/2023

January sleep series - the 4 month sleep regression

Well it’s not really regression but a developmental phase that’s completely normal….

I often get calls from mums at the four month mark as their baby’s behaviour and feeding pattern changes.

Babies go from stretched patterns overnight to shorter feeding patterns, they feed for up to 10 minutes only, they look around while they feed and often stretch the ni**le to when you think it’s going to come off!!!

All of this is normal…. Your baby is growing not only physically but also developmentally.

Go with it… it often lasts for a few weeks only

This is one of the reasons I do not refer to a “routine” in the years of life as baby’s life- it is ever changing. You may notice I use the word patterns… this is flexible and doesn’t set expectations that often are not met and can lead to the feeling of disappointment and sometimes failure.

There is no failure of mums and babies, just fluid movement through navigating the first years of life.

10/01/2023

January Sleep Series- sleep patterns in babies

Newborn babies have very different sleep patterns to children and adults.

They have:
- much more active sleep which translates to more movement and noise in their sleep. Approximately 60% of sleep in babies is active sleep
- Deep sleep occurs when they lay still and silent and have more regular deep breathing
- Sleep cycles of 40 minutes in which they wake for a short time. Sometimes they need assistance to go back to sleep

Breastfed babies have more active than deep sleep compared to formula fed babies. This is a good thing and breastfeeding is recommend as a way to prevent SIDS as babies are quick to wake from a active sleep pattern compared to a deep sleep pattern. This is a survival instinct.

As a baby grows they move into more deep sleep vs active sleep patterns.

What is normal as a baby grows?

- [ ] Some babies sleep a lot at night and are awake most of the day
- [ ] Some babies have more naps in the day and wake several times in the night
- [ ] Some babies have a mix of naps and then longer sleep periods

Yep!!! All of these are normal. We are all different and there isn’t just one way that’s normal!!!

04/01/2023

January Sleep Series - hormones that promote sleep in breastfeeding

What is normal?

Babies get 14 to 17 hours of sleep a day, however it’s not spaced or timed.

Babies will often be awake more overnight as they do not know night for day for approximately 3 months and even then they can still wake overnight.

The size of a babies tummy is small so they require more frequent feeds, breastmilk is also more easily digested and moves through the stomach in 1-2 hours.

Hormones of breastfeeding that promote sleep

There is a hormone released when breastfeeding called cholecystokinin which helps a baby sleep and a similar effect can also be felt by mum. This will first be released at about 5 minutes into the breastfeed and then a large surge when the baby comes to the end of a feed, hence the term “milk drunk”. This will also prevent a baby from working too hard and too long at the breast and this makes it perfectly normal to have your baby breastfeed to sleep.

Breastmilk overnight also contains more of the hormone melatonin, which is the hormone of drowsiness and promotes sleep compared to breastmilk in the morning that contains higher levels of cortisol which can make babies more alert.

* Fact: breastmilk pumped at 3am contains almost 10 times more melatonin compared to breastmilk pumped in the late afternoon
(Dewar,G. 2022. Parenting science)

This makes using expressed milk a little more interesting…. If you are pumping overnight then note the time and give your baby this at a similar time giving a circadian timed feed!

These are some of the influences of how a baby sleeps… stay tuned next week for more information about sleep 😴👶

04/01/2023

January Sleep Series

For this month I am running a series of posts about babies and sleep.

By far this is the number one thing parents ask about, talk about and do not get enough of!

There is a common phrase that goes something like “I slept like a baby”. Firstly, my guess is that this person has never had a baby!! Or has had a very disturbed night of sleep!!

Babies have an average of 14 to 17 hours of sleep a day. But it is how they sleep that varies.

Follow the series this month to learn more about sleep, why babies sleep this way, when do they change, what you can do to adapt (because babies are programmed a certain way to sleep!)

Every Tuesday and Thursday will be a new post!

Nourish Lactation with Nicole

31/12/2022

Thank you to all the families (74 of you!!!) that allowed me into their homes to help you with your lactation needs. Have a wonderful 2023 and look forward to helping many more this coming year 🤱

05/12/2022

With the festive season fast approaching, I have opened up spots leading up to Christmas Day and between Christmas and New Year 🎉 Please use the link below to book your appointment 👩‍💻 https://calendly.com/nourishlactation365

11/08/2022

Website update! There is now a free video on how and why to use a silicone breast pump. I often see women who have this aid for breastfeeding but don’t know how or why to use it… hope this will help 🤱

02/08/2022

With the recent spike in COVID 19, here is some information about breastfeeding:

🌸It is recommended to breastfeed if you are COVID 19 positive
🌸When birthing your baby skin to skin contact is still safe
🌸COVID 19 specific antibodies are found in breastmilk and can provide protection
🌸COVID 19 has not been found to spread through breastfeeding
🌸As with any illness there may be a drop in supply (this is common for many infections not just COVID 19)

How to protect your baby: 🌸Continue to breastfeed your baby
🌸Wash your hands regularly and prior to handling your baby
🌸Wear a mask while in close contact or breastfeeding
🌸Sneeze or cough into tissues and dispose of immediately and wash your hands
🌸Clean and disinfect surfaces you are in contact with

Expressing and COVID 19:
🌸Dishwashing detergents have been found to make COVID 19 inactive
🌸For additional germ removal wash expressing parts with warm soapy detergent and rinse and sterilise daily

COVID 19 vaccine:
🌸COVID 19 specific antibodies are found in breastmilk for six weeks following vaccination.

Fortunately severe illness in babies is rare from COVID 19.

12/07/2022

“Thank you so much for all of your help!
She hasn't needed a bottle since before your visit. And she has been so settled! It's like we have a new baby, she's much less restless and has less wind, she's also bringing up her burps much easier. We had an amazing night last night and have had a lovely settled day today as well. We all managed to get to bed by 10:30pm last night and are ready for bed now as well for tonight. We haven’t been able to get to bed before midnight for weeks. “

08/07/2022

How much time do you spend saying “I’m not doing enough” that leads to self judgment and self doubt?

When we have thoughts around the negative, this inevitably leads to negative emotion, which consequently leads to nil or poor action and an undesirable outcome.

When I work with women, they sometimes say “I feel like you are my counsellor”! This is because we do a lot of work around mindset and the way we manage stress.

So what does this have to do with breastfeeding?
Stress management and mindset impact your supply and overall breastfeeding experience.

In my foundations of breastfeeding program stress management and mindset are two of the seven pillars to successful breastfeeding.

05/07/2022

Breastfeeding doesn’t have to be all or nothing to be successful.

I see Mums who for various medical reasons do not produce enough breastmilk to meet all of their baby’s nutritional needs.

These Mums work harder than anyone else to get, on some occasions, even 50mls a day to give to their baby.

This is an amazing effort and you deserve a medal 🥇 You are a success 🤱

Any breastmilk is better than none.

Success isn’t just about milk production, it’s about the time, love and the effort you put into to nurture your beautiful baby. It’s about showing up physically, psychologically and emotionally as a parent.

If you want a mindset change around breastfeeding please message me.

My program, Foundations of Breastfeeding looks at the 7 pillars that make breastfeeding a success, what ever that means for each individual family.

05/07/2022

When normal feels abnormal!

Sometimes I see women who have had a difficult time breastfeeding the first time around. So what is normal now feels abnormal.

Some of the things to look for when breastfeeding is normal in the newborn stage are:

🌸6 to 8 wet nappies a day
🌸mustard colour stools
🌸breastfeeding 8 to 10 times a day (the outer parameters are 6 to 12)
🌸some weight loss that is regained in the first few weeks

Enjoying the normal after a difficult experience is a blessing and joy 🤱