Dr Jess Michaels

Dr Jess Michaels Osteopath, Birth Doula and HypnoBirth Educator (IBCLC in training)

Bring on the Year of the Horse, a year that is symbolic of freedom and independence, forward momentum and brave action, ...
31/12/2025

Bring on the Year of the Horse, a year that is symbolic of freedom and independence, forward momentum and brave action, vitality, truth, and living in alignment with what truly matters.

I’m thinking I’ll start my new year celebrations with the Chinese New Year in February, because today I am nursing a sick baby.

After being sick myself and caring for sick babies for most of this past week, it’s easy to feel like I haven’t accomplished much. No NYE plans. No neatly curated goals or resolutions. Hardly any space to reflect.

And yet motherhood keeps teaching me the same lesson, again and again. Surrender.

Even though this year was the biggest I’ve EVER had in business there’s always this internal pressure of I should be doing more! And yes, I know it could have been bigger if motherhood wasn’t my absolute priority.

But that’s the point. It isn’t about more. It’s about meaning.

It’s about slowing down, building a life and a business with purpose, and honouring what matters most to me….My girls and the journey as their mother!🤍

25/11/2025

When I first had Koa, I had every sleep setup under the sun. A bassinet by the bed, a little in-bed “cosleeper,” a cot in a seperate room for when she was older … I had all the things we are told will help us keep our babies close while still maintaining that invisible boundary of “safe sleep.”

I knew in my bones that I would want her near me, but there was also this quiet fear humming in the background, the one so many of us inherit… the fear that bringing your baby into your bed is dangerous, risky, irresponsible.
SIDS messaging had been drummed into me from every angle, and even though my instincts whispered otherwise, that fear was loud.

But as I continued my studies and more importantly as I simply mothered her and learnt how strong my instincts were, I learned something that changed everything.
For breastfeeding mothers who are drug and alcohol free, bedsharing is not only normal, it is biologically wired.

Our bodies and our babies’ bodies communicate in ways that protect them. Our curled posture, their instinctive positioning, the nocturnal feeding rhythm, the way we both drift in and out of light sleep.
James J McKenna calls it “breast sleeping,” and when I first read and listened to his work, it felt like a deep exhale. It put science to what I was already feeling in my bones.

Cosleeping with my girls has been one of the most beautiful, regulating, bonding parts of motherhood for me. Those warm little bodies, the way their breath changes as they settle, the ease of feeding half asleep, the oxytocin soaking into both of us.
And most of all, the peace that comes with trusting what feels right.

This is not about telling anyone what they should do. It is simply an invitation to look at the biology of mothers and babies with more compassion and less fear, and to remember that you are allowed to trust your instincts.
You are allowed to keep your baby close.
You are allowed to mother in a way that feels safe in your body.

If you’ve coslept or breast slept with your little one, I’d love to hear your experience.

12/11/2025

Who’s gonna tell her!?
That’s not how it works. You can’t just schedule your babies into your calander when it suits 😳

The first three years they really do need you around the clock or as much as you possibly can! Clearly she hasn’t heard of

Most unrelatable guest you’ve had on Diary Of A CEO bring back

05/11/2025

Here’s my thoughts on the recent statement put out from RANZCOG and the ACM.

✌🏻

21/10/2025

And this is exactly how it feels!! Could you feel your let down? Maybe only in those early postpartum days? For me it felt like electricity and wow… that’s how it looks.

Original post!

Source: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2016905117c - also linked in bio

This is what milk ejection reflex (also known as “let down”) actually looks like in the mammary glands!

I have felt and described let down as a zap or jolt of electricity going through my breast. Turns out that it looks exactly how it looks ⚡️ Others have described it as pins and needles feeling, similar to your foot has falling asleep.

How would you describe your let down? Tell me in the comments.

21/10/2025

Just bawling my eyes out over here …

🥹🥹🥹🥹

An important repost from 👉🏻 🔄𝐓𝐇𝐄 “𝐓𝐎𝐏-𝐎𝐅𝐅” 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐏🔄✦Breastfeeding mothers often wonder if their baby is getting enough mil...
01/10/2025

An important repost from 👉🏻

🔄𝐓𝐇𝐄 “𝐓𝐎𝐏-𝐎𝐅𝐅” 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐏🔄
✦
Breastfeeding mothers often wonder if their baby is getting enough milk while nursing.
✦
Especially when their baby is nursing around the clock and it seems like they are never satisfied.
✦
This may alarm the parents and they begin to “top-off” their baby.
✦
This can begin a cycle that may ultimately lead your body to actually making less milk.
✦
Why?
Topping of leaves baby extra full
⬇️
Baby sleeps longer
⬇️
Baby nurses less
⬇️
Body is signaled to decrease milk
✦
Also, the amount of milk you can pump is not an indication of how much milk your baby is getting.......it’s an indication of how much you can pump. The pump should not be used as a measuring tool. It can lead to the parent being in distress if they are not able to pump lots of milk.
✦
Things to look for instead:
💕Baby gaining weight
💕Lots of p*e diapers
💕Poop diapers *babies who are nursed may p**p less often, refer back to looking for weight gain”
✦
Babies fuss for many reasons and it can feel like they are not satisfied while nursing but keep in mind that babies cluster feed for so many reasons and it is normal.
✦
Seek the help of your local lactation consultant if you need confirmation that your baby is doing well or indeed needs help.
✦
Your pediatrician is NOT your best bet for help in this area.
✦
-Love,
Flor Cruz
/ .like.a.badass

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞, & 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭!

24/09/2025

NEWS FLASH

Newborns exclusively fed colostrum, the breast milk produced by mothers in the first three days after birth, are less likely to develop food allergies, according to a new study from The Kids Research Institute Australia.


24/09/2025

dropping the truth bombs yet again!

“Someone has to say it... epidurals are GREAT at reducing/removing pain from labour, but the payoff is that your physiology is interrupted 100% of the time.

I’m not against epidurals, but they do impact the function of your body.

Get the full story ep. 169 ”

24/09/2025

✨Breathe your way into birth✨

Did you know that an extended exhale isn’t just calming, it’s backed by evidence?

Research shows that lengthening your out-breath activates the parasympathetic nervous system, the “rest, digest and feed and breed” state.

✨ And this matters because birth unfolds best when your body feels safe, calm and supported.
✨ It’s a simple tool, but in labour it can help reduce tension, ease intensity and create the conditions for your uterus to do its amazing work.

💡 This technique works beautifully in early labour, when you still have the cognitive control to use breathing strategies consciously.

As you move into the intensity of active labour, your body and birth hormones will take over and that’s exactly how it’s meant to be. At that point you may not be able to think about your breath, but the groundwork you’ve laid earlier still supports you.

So next time you practise your breathing, try:

➡️ Inhale gently through your nose
➡️ Exhale slowly and fully (longer than your inhale)
➡️ Feel your body soften with each breath out

Your breath is always with you and in labour, it can become one of your most powerful allies. 💜

HALF TIME.
22/09/2025

HALF TIME.

There, I fixed it for you No one delivers a baby…Mothers birth their babies.Language matters and when we use language l...
18/09/2025

There, I fixed it for you

No one delivers a baby…

Mothers birth their babies.

Language matters and when we use language like this article,
we’ve erased the main character from the story.

✨She is the one who grew that baby.
✨She is the one who birthed that baby.
✨She is the hero of this story. 🩷

This needs to change.

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Woolgoolga, NSW
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