Tiny Tummies Lactation & Nutrition

24/09/2025

24/09/2025

Such a lovely morning meeting all the mums and babies at the Welcoming the Babies event run by Meryl Swanson MP
Thank you so much for having me, I had a blast and it was great chatting to so many local families and also other providers!

20/09/2025

I'm so excited to now offer breast pump hiring services at Tiny Tummies. More information is coming to my website soon, but in the meantime please reach out if you are in need of a breast pump to hire. Located in Thornton, and can arrange after hours or last minute hires - this will depend on the time of the request and if I see the email. If it's in the middle of the night I will be asleep 😴

Please share to any friends of family who might be in need. Please contact me through my website www.tinytummieslactation.com.au

19/09/2025

**Cocobella coconut yoghurt recall update**

Cocobella has asked us to communicate an important announcement regarding their coconut yoghurt products:

"Cocobella would like to share that our yoghurts will be returning to shelves this week.

We have fixed an issue that led to a small number of batches not meeting our quality standards because they contained milk, an undeclared allergen. These products did not pose any risk to consumers who did not have a milk allergy or intolerance.

With thorough investigation, the cause was identified as a mechanical issue. We have since made a permanent engineering change to ensure it cannot happen again.

We have been working closely with regulators and food allergy experts throughout our investigation.

We recognise the need for confidence in our products and are committed to taking the actions required to further improve safety. These include clearly communicating changes to our labelling and website to assist people with a milk allergy. We are also enhancing our testing protocols throughout the manufacturing process of every batch produced.

We once again apologise wholeheartedly to everyone we have let down, especially people with food allergies and their families. We thank everyone for their patience and understanding while we investigated the cause and fixed it."

For more information and further updates visit www.cocobella.com.au/recall, call 1300 020 223 or email consumer@cocobella.com.au.

This communication is sponsored by Cocobella (Made Group).

18/09/2025

The human body truly fascinates me!

I want to share an anatomy and physiology lesson first, so you can understand how this works. In a lactating breast you have many lactocytes (also called alveoli) which are the individual milk making cells. A group of lactocytes are called lobules, then a group of lobules are called lobes.

Each lobe has a main duct that connects it to a ni**le pore, or opening on the ni**le. Women have around 4-18 openings on each ni**le, with the averagebeing 9. From these main ducts, you have smaller and smaller ducts branching off to connect the lobes, lobules and lactocytes all together, kind of like the branches of a tree. The image below shows just how intricate a lactating breast is. Breast image credit to La Leche League Canada

When breasts are engorged, milk isn't removed frequently enough, and/or an injury to the breast can cause your body to react with inflammation known as mastitis. Blood and fluids containing immune cells rush to the breast to repair damage and fight off bacteria. As the pressure in the breast increases, you get localised swelling and pain, and because of the inflammation and swelling, milk can be difficult to remove.

So this brings me to my fascinating observation in myself. I just recently had mastitis and I noticed whilst hand expressing that one ni**le pore was producing a thick yellow fluid which is very different to the usual bluish white of mature milk. Every other ni**le pore on that breast was releasing that normal bluish white milk. I expressed the milk onto the bathroom sink to show the colour difference - same breast, different duct opening on the ni**le!

This shows that the lobule or lobe where the bacterial mastitis was located was draining to one specific ni**le pore, where as the rest of the lobes that didnt have mastitis had normal milk and drained to all the other ni**le pores.

This milk is completely fine for bub to drink, and I wouldn't have noticed it if I wasn't paying close attention while hand expressing. The change in colour can be due to the immune cells in the milk and the milk from the infected lobule would have tasted a bit more salty to the baby.

17/09/2025

This information is so very important! Research shows a strong link between putting a food allergen on an infants skin, especially in babies who have eczema, and an increased risk of developing an allergy to that food.

Check the label of any soaps, creams or moisterisers for food products and opt for one that doesn't contain whole foods like goats or cows milk, almond, peanut, oats, sesame or coconut to name a few.

📞: Our allergy educators often hear from callers with questions about using skincare products containing food ingredients on their baby's skin 🛁

The use of moisturisers, soaps and bath oils containing foods such as peanuts, oats, wheat and goat’s milk in people with eczema may lead to the development of food allergy. If the food protein is absorbed through the skin before it is introduced into the baby’s diet (i.e. given to the baby as a food), there is a greater risk of the baby developing an allergy to that food.

Read more: https://loom.ly/q8i74A0

09/09/2025

Got home this afternoon after sitting my IBCLC exam to this beautiful bunch of flowers at my door. Such a thoughtful gift from my two mentors who are now my friends (and hopefully colleagues) Amanda Pauley and Amy Chatburn-Stevens: IBCLC Lactation Consultant Newcastle
Thank you for guiding and shaping me into the best baby Lactation Consultant I can be, I hope to continue to grow from here. Fingers crossed I passed, it will be a long 3 month wait for the results!

08/09/2025

I wish I had a magic wand.

A breastfeeding wand.

I’d wave it over every parent who wants to breastfeed, and just like that - pain would vanish, breastmilk would flow, and parents would know the correct information.

But even after nearly eight years as an IBCLC, I haven’t found that wand.

Often, my knowledge and experience are enough to resolve breastfeeding challenges. But sometimes, the issues are complex.

Sometimes I miss a subtle clue, or the cause isn’t what it first seems.

What I do know is this:
I want to help you breastfeed.
I want to help you understand your newborn.
And I want you to know—it’s unlikely that any difficulties are your fault.

Most breastfeeding challenges stem from misinformation or a lack of good support.

My promise is to offer you the best, most accurate information I can. I’m always learning, always seeking out new education to deepen my understanding.

I’m not the kind of practitioner who says, “Let’s book another appointment in two weeks,” unless it’s truly needed or you really want it. I never want you to feel pressured. But you’re always welcome to come back. If things aren’t improving, let me know - I’ll reassess, revisit, and do whatever I can to help you reach your breastfeeding goals.

Appointments are available this week

24/08/2025

It is super duper important when working with infants, to ask about fluids in labour! It's one thing my mentor pauley has taught me and it makes a huge difference in your management plan.

As a very experienced paed dietitian before I started my lactation training, I would have never asked the question about IVF given in labour or birth. I challenge all dietitians to ask this of the parents when dealing with a baby you have been referred for faltering growth. I'm seeing this so much now in practice, and unfortunately isn't taught well in our Dietetics training.

Early supplementing when not needed, based on a bubs fluid overloaded birth weight could impact the mother and babies feeding journey. Ask all the questions!

Just a side note on the image below of a baby clothed on scales, always do a bare weight for babies for the first 12 months of life, and ideally up to 2 years. Clothing and nappies can really change how your baby "looks" on a growth chart

All babies lose some weight in the first 24 hours. If you received IV fluids during labour, your baby may lose even more, not because of feeding, but because the fluids make the birth weight look higher than it really is.

That’s why the 24-hour weight is the most accurate starting point for tracking growth.

Researchers in Canada found that using the 24-hour weight instead of the birth weight helped more babies stay exclusively breastfed in their first few days of life.

Growing well = getting enough milk. ❤️

22/08/2025

Come along to this exciting day on Wednesday 24th of September at Gillieston Heights Community Hub. I will have a stall set up, so swing by and say hello

22/08/2025

A beautiful local service for mums of kids with complex needs. Give them a follow

Hi! 🌸

With so many new faces, we thought it was the perfect time to reintroduce ourselves and share what The Wildflower Network is all about.

We’re Sammie and Rachel — two local Hunter mums raising young children with complex needs. Like many of you, we went searching for friendship, understanding, and solidarity with people who just get it — the wins that make your heart burst and the days that bring you to your knees.

That’s why we created The Wildflower Network: to build friendships and connection, support each other through every season, share resources and lived wisdom, and create a safe space where honesty is always welcome.

We’re also excited to soon start holding events where mums can come together in person, find community, and know they don’t have to walk this journey alone.

We’re so glad you’re here, and we can’t wait to see where this journey takes us all 💜

Sammie & Rachel

21/08/2025

For any of my allergy families, check your yoghurt for this best before date and return it to the shops for a refund

FOOD RECALL
Milk Alert – 21 August 2025
Product description: Plant based yoghurt pouch – Dairy free written on label
Product names:
• Cocobella Banana Coconut Yoghurt Pouch 110g
• Cocobella Mango Coconut Yoghurt Pouch 110g
• Cocobella Strawberry Coconut Yoghurt Pouch 110g
Reason for recall: The presence of undeclared milk
For more information go to: https://loom.ly/ihvK7LE