Ann Watts IBCLC

06/09/2025

The Matriarch of all campaigners for truth and transparency in infant feeding has an article on AIMS

Gabrielle Palmer, clear, factual, fierce!

Gabrielle Palmer, author of ‘The Politics of Breastfeeding’, explains how little has changed since she published her inspirational and eye-opening book in 1988.

12/08/2025

I don’t teach formal breastfeeding positions. Each mum and baby will find their own way, but the principles are all the same.

25/07/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19qMQHeFUj/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Mother’s experiences of access to International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) support in the UK

We are conducting research to understand who accesses IBCLC support in the UK and what facilitates this access. You do not need to have breastfed, and you do not need to have received support from an IBCLC to take part.

As a thank you we would like to offer participants the opportunity to be placed in a prize draw to win one of 10 x £20 Love2Shop vouchers.

This is a Swansea University research project led by Emily Lunny as part of a PhD study, supervised by Dr Catrin Griffiths and Professor Amy Brown from the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences. You can contact Emily, Catrin or Amy for further details of the research.

Email Emily: 2457218@swansea.ac.uk
Email Catrin: c.r.griffiths@swansea.ac.uk
Email Amy: a.e.brown@swansea.ac.uk

The research has been approved by the Health and Social Care Research Ethics Committee (approval number 2 2025 13501 13457).

Our research aims to understand mothers’ experiences of accessing IBCLC support in the UK, whether they chose to or were able to access IBCLC support or not.

We understand that talking about infant feeding experiences can be upsetting if things didn’t go to plan. Please contact the Birth Trauma Association or any of the breastfeeding support associations in the UK if this is upsetting for you.
La Leche League: https://laleche.org.uk/
The Breastfeeding Network: https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/
Association of Breastfeeding Mothers: https://abm.me.uk/
The Birth Trauma Association: https://www.birthtraumaassociation.org/

As part of this we are looking for mothers to complete a survey that will take between 20 – 30 minutes depending on how much you would like to say. Our survey will remain open for the next 4 weeks from 24th July to 21st August 2025.

We would like to hear from parents who:

• Are based in the UK
• Had a baby between May 2021 and May 2025
• Breastfed, formula fed, combination fed or anything in between

We would like to hear from mothers and parents no matter how they fed their baby, and whether they received IBCLC support or not.

If you’d like to take part please click the link for further information and the survey questions https://swanseachhs.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8uGyfv2Nl3ugWZ8 The

16/07/2025

Mary Pownall
The Harpy Celaeno
Kelvingrove in Glasgow

Skillful and scary model of a very powerful woman. Maybe a very powerful woman trying to work out which b**b she fed from last?

Do you do this?

Sometimes remembering which side is next is pretty blooming obvious. Sometimes less so, and sometimes it’s all just one long blur 😴

15/07/2025

Lovely day trip to beautiful Glasgow. We walked miles in a pouring summer shower to visit St Enoch breastfeeding her son, St Mungo (St Enoch is co patron of Glasgow alongside her son St Mungo who founded the city).

Blooming typical 😂😂😂

But here she is without her privacy shawl because she is beautiful.

Nevertheless a grand day out, and it just means I’ll have to return.

06/07/2025

Online Training – Open to All

Support, Protection and Sustaining of Breastfeeding in Conflict Zones: The Experience of Gaza

Hosted by eCrianza in collaboration with GINA, the Gaza Infant Nutrition Alliance (gaza.infant.nutrition.alliance)

This session explores how breastfeeding becomes a lifeline during war, displacement, and the collapse of health systems. It includes insights from professionals supporting mothers and babies in Gaza, and from the remote support team around the world.

Date: Saturday 12 July
Time: 10:00 am to 12:15 pm UK time
Languages: English and Spanish

The session is accredited by the IBLCE with 2 L-CERPs (Area VII).
Participants will have access to the recording until 31 December 2025.

All registration fees will be donated to GINA.
You can choose your donation amount: 15 euros, 20 euros or 25 euros.

To register or donate, visit:
https://ecrianza.com/producto/gina-presentation/

For more information, visit:
https://ecrianza.com/gina-conference/

Please share this event and show your support for breastfeeding in emergencies.

02/07/2025

Jess Brown Fuller MP, called a debate around infant feeding. She speaks from the heart, and makes sensible arguments for comprehensive, available, skilled feeding teams.

Some vague promises from the minister about protecting all families from unfair pricing and marketing and a whiff of gov support for infant feeding specialists being available more widely.

https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/2b0b9b50-ee08-42b3-b6b9-655175fbe6d7?

21/06/2025

☀️ Solstice survival tips for breastfeeding parents!
Feeding non-stop? You are not imagining it.
Routines all over the place? Normal.

Hot days mess with sleep and routines. Responsive feeding helps settle your baby when everything else feels off.

Use a fan, or get out and about to a lovely air conditioned cafe.

Enjoy the light!

Need support? Book a video call.

21/06/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16rSTdBtB8/?mibextid=wwXIfr

We're really pleased to see this new guide on recognising jaundice in Black and Brown babies, produce by the Race and Health Observatory in partnership with Bliss and Five X More.

https://nhsrho.org/resources/a-parents-guide-to-recognising-jaundice-in-black-and-brown-babies/

20/06/2025

First Steps Nutrition are our final Virtual stall for this year.

First steps Nutrition is an independent, UK-focused public health nutrition charity. They endeavour to fill practical and policy-relevant information gaps and provide resources for health workers supporting eating well in the early years., from pre-conception to the age of five years.

A huge thanks to First steps Nutrition who funded one delegate to attend our conference this year.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/association-of-breastfeeding-mothers-hybrid-conference-2025-tickets-1269607332709

18/06/2025

As the weather is getting warmer across the UK, we're sharing some guidance from First Steps Nutrition on giving water to babies in the hot weather.

💧Breastfed babies under 6 months old don't need water - you can feed them as often as needed to quench their thirst.

💧Formula-fed babies under 6 months can be given small sips of cooled, boiled water if needed during the hot weather. There is no specific guidance on this, so please talk to your GP, midwife, or health visitor if you are unsure if your baby needs extra water.

💧Water can be given to babies over 6 months old at mealtimes, and no longer needs to be boiled.

Keep an eye on nappies - around 6 wet nappies in 24 hours is a sign of a well-hydrated baby. If you are worried, please call your GP, midwife, or health visitor. In emergency situations, always call 999.

If you need support feeding your baby through the hot weather, please contact us anytime.

Call 0300 100 0212 or send us a DM on social media - 24/7 💜

The Breastfeeding Network (UK) Association of Breastfeeding Mothers

[ID: Should I Give Water To My Baby? guidance and recommendations. Breastfed babies 0-6 months. No extra water is needed for exclusively breastfed babies until solids are introduced. During hot weather breastfeed often to quench your baby's thirst. Formula fed babies 0-6 months. May need amounts of extra water during hot weather. Tap water is not sterile. It needs to be boiled and cooled first. Bottled water may be inappropriate due to high sodium and sulphate levels. filtered water can be given to babies under 6 months, but still needs to be boiled and cooled. How much? There is no specific guidance on how much extra water to give babies 0-6 months when it's hot. If needed, give small sips in between milk feeds. Generally, a well hydrated baby produces about 6 wet nappies every 24 hours. What about babies 6-12 months? Water can be given from an open cup or beaker as mealtimes from 6 months, and tap water no longer needs to be boiled. young children aged 1-5 years do not need any drinks other than milk and water. For more information visit: firststepsnurtition.org]

06/06/2025

Will the food I eat make my milk upset my baby?

Messages and comments about restricting your diet when you are breastfeeding are really unhelpful.

🥦🍑🍊🍓🍍🥑🫐🫒🍳🥯🧀🍔🌶️

Your body is amazing at filtering!

Your milk is made from your bloodstream, not from your stomach contents.

That lovely lunch goes through a whole heap of stages before it becomes your babies dinner.

Your milk will change composition from start of a feed to the end, from morning to night and from day to day. It’s designed that way 😍

If your baby is crying, it’s probably nothing to do with their tummy- if you see a friend crying, you don’t assume it’s wind……

A balanced (or there abouts) diet, and a wide range of the foods you like eating, foods that your family and eventually your baby will be enjoying, including spicy, garlicky, exciting dishes, will be great for you both.

Not directly breastfeeding related, but good all the same
‘Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.’ (Michael Pollan)

If you are worried about your baby being unsettled, and would like to talk it through, your local IBCLC, your HV or your breastfeeding support group will be happy to help you unpick what’s going on.