http://prairiebabylactation.ca/

Prairie Baby Lactation, Stony Plain, AB (2025)

07/06/2025

👰🏻‍♀️🤵🏻‍♂️💍

05/26/2025

Infant feeding is not always straightforward and sunny, but you don’t have to do it alone. 🌞

There are many different factors that come into play with infant feeding, and it can feel SO overwhelming to navigate options for yourself and your newborn.

Seeking support to optimize feeding with an LC can make the best out of your fourth trimester. I always tell moms that I meet: you may not ever need my help, but it’s okay if you do! 🫶🏼

It is always my goal to make you feel seen, heard, understood, and acknowledged. In addition to supporting you and your infant directly with feeding. It is my responsibility to provide you with other practitioners who can work in collaboration with myself in order to provide a well rounded care plan that helps to optimize your feeding experience with your newborn. 👶🏻

03/31/2025

Does your baby seem to be tense? Are feedings an uphill battle or a fight? Your infant may require some extra support to work through tension! 💪🏻
Tension can begin in utero depending on the position of your baby, and can be perpetuated by the action of birth itself. Post-birth recovery is not only a feat for mom, but also for baby. This doesn’t mean that your baby was injured or hurt from birth, but rather that they are just needing some extra support for their womb-to-world transition.
Tense infants often have difficulty with feedings, as their range of motion, comfort, and ability to coordinate feeding is impacted.
Finding a support team to recognize and provide appropriate solutions and interventions can be an excellent way to work through tension, and make feedings enjoyable for both mom and baby! 👶🏻🌾🫶🏼

03/27/2025

Alright mamas! I see this all the time on social media, company pages, advertisements, you name it. There are a lot of items/foods/pills/tinctures marketed as lactation boosters. But do these actually work? 🍪
•There is not a lot of evidence supporting any of these items ACTUALLY increasing milk supply. Yes it is important to ensure you’re hydrated, eating well, and nourishing your body. But there is no magic food or supplement that is going to increase your supply. Furthermore, these items can be expensive!!💰
•The best way to maintain or increase supply is still regularly emptying the breast, ensuring your pump fits you properly and is used properly, ensuring your infant has a deep pain free latch and they EFFECTIVELY remove milk from the breast, practicing skin-to-skin and hand expression, and seeking out support when things aren’t feeling good.
•If you are concerned about supply, a comprehensive assessment of both you & your baby by an IBCLC can be the most helpful to understand the entire situation, root causes of supply problems, and provide you real, evidence based solutions or interventions to help you feel confident and supported with infant feeding. 👶🏻🌾

03/24/2025

Sending love to all families working through premature birth/postpartum. It can be quite the ride, but you don’t have to do it alone 🫶🏼

02/15/2025

Let’s talk about pumps baby 🎵🎶

Did you know that the price of the pump doesn’t always equate a better and more effective session??

Certain pumps are pricier and serve a specific function. For example- pumps in hospital (the Medela’s) are considered multi-user pumps and can be rented. These pumps are ideal for families with infants in the NICU, families who are struggling with oral aversion, ties, oral dysfunction, low supply etc..

Hand pumps can be effective (and inexpensive) especially for those who are not wanting to pump/needing to pump more than the odd time here and there.

Electric pumps come in a variety of price ranges, and while some may have more settings/functions, finding the best to suit YOUR needs is the goal.
It’s not all about the brand or the price!

If you are planning to pump, but aren’t sure where to even start, chat with an IBCLC! Identifying your needs/ your infants needs can start you on the path to finding a pump that will be best for you 🫶🏼

01/19/2025

This is a great reminder of what feeding may be perceived as vs what it will likely look like. Newborns will feed a minimum of 10-12 times per 24 hour period, and while generally this may be spaced out between every 2-3 hours, it could look more like larger gaps after longer feeds, or short bursts of quick feedings. The best thing you can do for your new baby is provide skin-to-skin, hand express if you have a very sleepy baby who is not eager to latch, and offer the breast when you notice your infant cuing to feed. Thank you .dietitian 🫐

12/31/2024

2024 was such a wonderful year of growth, connection, education, support, and gratitude! I couldn’t do this work without the support from my community and fellow practitioners, and I still pinch myself everyday knowing I’m able to do this! Thank you to all my clients this past year, and the year before. It’s through you that I learn, grow, and continue to find ways to better support feeding families. Cheers to 2025! 🥂🎉

11/08/2024

A simple thank you to all of those who I’ve been lucky to support, and all those in the future. 🤍

11/04/2024

How much milk does your baby need? And how can you tell if they are getting the milk they need? Your brand new baby, whether they are 4lbs or 11lbs, only requires a FEW drops-5mls of milk PER FEED in the first 24 hours! And while this may seem like a small amount, their tummy size at this age is about that of a cherry. In addition to this, they may feed more frequently, have some shorter/sleepier feeds mixed in with longer feeding intervals, and are taking in all the nutrients they require through colostrum.
Colostrum is the first stage of milk produced, and it packs a punch. Full of vitamins, minerals, fats, carbs, and protein that your newborn needs to sustain their body. This is also produced by your body in smaller amounts to accommodate for your infants tummy size and nutritional needs at this stage of the game.
As your newborn grows (24, 48, and 72 hours old), their volume requirements will increase, and your body will match the demand of your newborn.

What are some things to watch for to know if your baby is transferring milk, and getting what they need?
-An effective latch. No pain or pinching for the feeding parent, no clicks/pops, gulping, or smacking from your baby. A rhythmic suck-swallow-breath pattern. Baby is in an optimal body posture with extended neck to allow for a wider gape and deeper latch.
-Adequate output: in the first 24 hours, only one p*e and one p**p is expected.
-Restful periods: after a feed your infant may fall asleep or be content.
-Audible swallows: if your baby is drinking effectively at the breast, you should be able to hear them swallow. Ideally the suck to swallow ratio is 1:1, however, as newborns are beginning to learn to feed effectively, along with mom learning, this may be a 2:1 ratio. Swallows sound like sighs or the letter “k”. If you aren’t noticing any swallows, or are hearing them only after baby has sucked 3-4 times or more, try a position adjustment or seek support and advice from either your care practitioner, or trusted support!

10/24/2024

What does this mean?? Our babies, although new to this world, can process their environment, strengthen their reflexes and behaviors (feeding being a big one), and enhance their skills and milestones through movement!!
When I see infants who are struggling to feed, I look into the reasons that they may not be physically able to latch on to a breast, or bottle feed effectively. Assessing their entire body for function allows me to see and understand where tension and the lack of movement is playing a factor into why baby will not eat. As an IBCLC and LPN, my scope is limited to assessment of the physical body, and not necessarily treatment of this tension. We can work together to improve latching positions, comfort of both mom and baby, and try to assist with better body support for your baby to allow them to relax BUT I often will refer you to a bodywork specialist so that your infant is able to have a full functional assessment and treatment that compliments my lactation assessment and interventions.
There are also things YOU as a parent can do at home to support body function, sensory integration, and facilitate more effective feeding behaviors through movement.
-Lay baby out on the floor on their back and provide visual stimuli to help support side-to-side movement (lateral movement through flexion and extension)
-Supervised tummy time to strengthen head and neck function, coordination, and endurance (holding up without immediate exhaustion)
-Gently stretching out your infants arms to the side, up, and down, as well as their legs to add movement into quiet alert/ or active alert times
-Asking your bodywork provider for at home stretches/play to help strengthen your infants reflexes, sensorimotor skills, and movements 👶🏼

10/21/2024

What the heck is a ni**le shield, and do I have to have one for when my baby arrives?

A ni**le shield is a thin silicone barrier that can help support infant feeding and/or protect the feeding parent from damage or further damage to the ni**le. They are NOT required for every feeding dyad, and should only be used with the support of an IBCLC or infant feeding professional.

Ni**le shields can be used for various reasons including- damaged ni**les, truly flat or inverted ni**les that do not erect with stimulation/baby cannot latch, pain with feedings, tongue tied infants who are having difficulties achieving an effective latch that DOESN’T hurt the feeding parent, low-tone (hypotonic) infants, premature babies, or babies born with anomalies. HOWEVER- you may have a baby or situation mentioned above and STILL NOT NEED A SHIELD! It is imperative that a proper assessment of the dyad and feed is done by an IBCLC to be able to best support the feeding dyad, and a find a solution to or tool to support.

Ni**le shields can cause issues as well. Poor fitting shields can make milk transfer difficult and ineffective, cause milk supply problems, be difficult to wean off of, be the source of slow weight gain in a newborn, cause baby to be sleepy at the breast, and sometimes may not be necessary in the first place.

If you are given a ni**le shield in hospital or by your provider, follow up with an IBCLC is the best way to support yourself, your infant, and your supply!

Were you given a shield??

Prairie Baby Lactation

07/06/2025

05/26/2025

03/31/2025

03/27/2025

03/24/2025

02/15/2025

01/19/2025

12/31/2024

11/08/2024

11/04/2024

10/24/2024

10/21/2024

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