Motherhood Blooms Lactation, IBCLC

09/14/2025

This week a previous client of mine (expecting her second baby) asked me something I hear all the time “should I collect colostrum before my baby is born?”

It always makes me smile, because my honest answer is: it depends.

🤰🏽Why? Because every single mom, her pregnancy and her breastfeeding goals are different and all of those factors need to be thought about before you just go and do something someone on TikTok said you should

And yet — when someone asks that question, it usually means they’ve thought about it but aren’t totally sure how to start

👉🏻Maybe they’re worried about it starting labour early
👉🏻Maybe they think they need their pump ahead of time to be able to collect it
👉🏻Maybe they feel pressure to do it because it feels like everyone else is doing it so they should too.

I’ve seen it all — from moms who hand express at 37 weeks to moms using an electric pump sooner than this, to create freezer stashes of colostrum 😅 (unnecessary by the way)

Working on my Colostrum Collection Workshop reminded me of this: the people on the internet don’t know you or your pregnancy history. The goal is to support your best start to breastfeeding — not do what someone else does just because they posted it online

So now I’m curious…

👉🏻 What’s something (good or bad) you’ve heard about collecting colostrum while pregnant?

09/03/2025

These do not *have* to be a part of your breastfeeding journey ⁣⬇️

A client of mine once told me she was chatting with her MIL and her MIL had asked how breastfeeding was going ⁣
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After my client told her how well things had been going, her MIL said “oh, lucky!”⁣
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Except it’s not luck. Not even close 🙅🏼‍♀️⁣ she prepared ahead of time and worked with me after birth
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👉🏻 Mastitis, painful latches, engorgement, breast refusal - you’re not supposed to expect these to happen!

Do they happen? Yes but they don’t have to automatically be a part of your breastfeeding journey because you decided to breastfeed ⁣
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🤰🏽If you’re feeling overwhelmed about the thought of becoming a mom and breastfeeding in general, start with learning

Find out what you can expect and how to overcome (and prevent!) these things from happening

👉🏻A great place to start is with my F R E E mini prenatal breastfeeding class
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Comment “baby” and I’ll send it over to you because I’m tired of the narrative that breastfeeding always has to suck⁣
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When you have the right education and the right support, breastfeeding can look like whatever you want it to ⁣🙌🏻⁣

08/29/2025

Following a bunch of lactation accounts on IG & TikTok is not a breastfeeding plan 😬

Because it’s probably going to feel a lot harder than you think it is

And the stuff on social media might be true (depending on who’s posting it) but it may not apply to your circumstance!

👉🏻 And then you end up in a situation thinking breastfeeding is supposed to be painful or you just ‘have a baby who doesn’t like to latch’

And while it may not feel super important right now, you might find yourself surprised at how important it becomes to you once you start

The best way to get breastfeeding off to a good start is to get help BEFORE the struggles come

And that’s where my prenatal breastfeeding course, Breastfeeding Before Baby, comes in

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Plan ahead for breastfeeding your baby with the Breastfeeding Before Baby program!

08/21/2025

Travelling with a breastfed baby?!

Check out the blog I wrote for WeeWander about what you need to nurse or pump on the go

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Planning for your first trip while breastfeeding? It can be overwhelming thinking about how many things you need to pack, the logistics of pumping or nursing on the go, and the amount of time you’re going to spend nursing or pumping outside of your familiar environment. But fear not! While there.....

08/19/2025

My littlest seems to be developing some eczema which is totally brand new to me as a parent

However, as an IBCLC, Nutrionist and someone who spent 7 years in the natural health and wellness industry, I have a pretty good idea of how to support him

While I work through trigger foods and supporting his gut health, I’m also cautious of what I apply to his skin and Shoosha Truly Organic is always my first choice!

I’ll be starting to use their Eczema Healing Balm on him soon (code ALEXW15% saves you at checkout)

And since I’ve been using their products for years, I decided to write a blog post about some of my personal favourites

Read it here 👇🏻👇🏻

Your baby's skin is sensitive and it can take a few weeks for their skin to adjust to life outside the womb.

08/12/2025

A lot of new moms worry about their milk supply when they start solid foods

Some babies take to it right away and want to eat lots so they end up taking in less breastmilk which then means your supply drops 🫠

A common question I get is this:

➡️ “How do I go about nursing and solids”

❌ Your supply should not be affected much in the first few months if you prioritize nursing or pumping first and make solids second to that

BUT as your baby gradually begins to consume more solids, they will slowly begin to consume less breastmilk and the time between daytime feedings might increase

They may begin to nurse every 3-4 hours instead of every 2-3 though I've met many 8-10 month olds nursing every 2-3 hours still (my babies are like this)

As long as you continue to nurse your baby on demand, your body will gently slow down (reduce) your supply to match your baby’s needs.

Yes, over time, breastmilk will be replaced with more solids but your supply doesn't just dry up

✅ As long as milk is continually removed, your body will keep making more

Each baby is different but continuing to follow your baby’s cues will mean your supply will adapt.

Babies also breastfeed for many reasons beyond nutrition. They will continue to nurse for food but also comfort, if they are sick, tired, upset etc.

Food before one is NOT JUST FOR FUN

🍓 Starting solids at 6 months is nutritionally important for your baby but it's a delicate balance of solids + breastmilk to ensure your supply doesn't drop too soon

If you're getting ready for this milestone soon, you can read more about how to actually start solids with your breastfed baby in the blog post below 👇🏻

Starting Solids with a Breastfed Baby

Most babies are ready to start solids by 6 months. This milestone comes with lots of questions like do you start with purees or baby-led weaning?

08/01/2025

It’s the official start to World Breastfeeding Week so I wanted to share something that not too many women realize

Breastfeeding also protects your health!

Most people know breastmilk benefits a baby’s health but did you know breastfeeding benefits YOUR HEALTH?

And that the longer you’re able to breastfeed for, the greater the impact?

➡️ Breastfeeding reduces your risk of breast, uterine and ovarian cancer

➡️ It also reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes

“Research shows that raising global breastfeeding rates to recommended levels could prevent 98 000 deaths of mothers from diabetes and cancer each year” - this was a recent statement from the International Lactation Consultant Association at the executive board meeting of the World Health Assembly earlier this year

If you are pregnant and you want to breastfeed, I would love to invite you into the Breastfeeding Before Baby program

An online course to help you feel more confident and avoid common obstacles - all before your baby is born

You can sign up here and save yourself $20 off with code BIRTHPREP at checkout in honour of World Breastfeeding Week

https://learn.motherhoodbloomslactation.com/the-breastfeeding-before-baby-program

Did you know breastfeeding benefitted your health too? Let me know in the comments!

07/31/2025

Can I breastfeed while pregnant?! ⚠️

There are many moms all over the world who continue to breastfeed their baby or toddler through their pregnancy

But because your body is preparing to feed the newborn, your body is going to go through some changes including your milk transitioning back to colostrum 🤯

If you’re currently breastfeeding and pregnant (or hope to be soon) my blog post will walk you through what you can expect:

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Your milk will transition back to colostrum which means your supply will drop. It's not until the placenta is born that your supply will increase.

07/28/2025

If you’re ready to wean your baby or toddler but don't know where to start

Or you’ve started and it’s proving to be more difficult than you thought

💕 Weaning With Love is for you!

This online class is for you if…

💫 You are ready to wean your little one but they’re not quite there yet
💫 You’ve already started weaning but it’s feeling a lot harder than you thought
💫 You’ve started weaning and are experiencing tenderness, hardness or full blown plugged ducts and mastitis
💫 You want to know how to give up those night feeds but keep nursing your toddler during the day
💫 You’ve tried weaning in the past but it was too difficult and you decided to keep going for a few months but you can’t keep going anymore
💫 You want your body back to yourself for a little bit but are feeling guilty for wanting to wean your little one

If you answered yes to at least one of those, this class is for you!

You can purchase it for $47 CAD here:

https://learn.motherhoodbloomslactation.com/weaning-course

💜 It's time you feel supported through the weaning process

💜 Because you deserve care and compassion, even at the end of your breastfeeding journey

👇🏻👇🏻

https://learn.motherhoodbloomslactation.com/weaning-course

07/27/2025

What’s more important than what a latch looks like is how the latch feels⁣
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The latch could look pretty good from the outside but if you’re in pain, or uncomfortable or it’s causing damage to your ni***es, then it’s not a good latch and something needs to be adjusted⁣
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Your baby’s latch could be shallow for several different reasons⁣
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➡️ It could just be how their body is positioned and some small adjustments can make the difference⁣
➡️ It could be their age - babies born prior to 39 weeks can have some challenges coordinating the suck-swallow-breathe pattern babies need to eat⁣
➡️ It could be a physical restrictions such as ties affecting their ability to get a deep latch
➡️ It could be tension in their body ⁣from birth or how they were positioned in your womb
➡️ It could be any combination of these ⁣or something else entirely
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Need to know if your baby has a “god latch”? Check out the blog post I wrote below

If your baby has a good latch, their chin should be touching your breast and their lips should be flanged. A good latch should be comfortable and you shouldn't hear any clicking or smacking sounds.

07/25/2025

I haven’t always known a lot about breastfeeding

It wasn’t until I had my first child that I discovered my passion for breastfeeding education and support which (unfortunately) was discovered after feeling dismissed by the lactation consultant helping me

That experience is the reason I went back to school at 4 months postpartum and changed careers

Before that? I spent lots of time on Google as a new mom!

🤱🏻 I tried all kinds of tools and supplements when it came to my first breastfeeding journey

I was overwhelmed with information

You Google one thing and you have pages and pages of advice and ideas and suggestions and often it’s all different! 😵‍💫

But the biggest thing I lacked was the right kind of EMOTIONAL support

That’s the whole reason I do what I do now. To help you:

❤️ feel seen
❤️ feel heard
❤️ be validated
❤️ be supported

To give you the right information for you and your baby AND the emotional support you need to make it over the possible challenges and well on your way to having an enjoyable (and dare I say easier) experience

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