Tamzin West IBCLC - Infant Feeding Support

26/03/2025

The eagle-eyed among you might have noticed that my socials have now changed to my own name, Tamzin West IBCLC, to better reflect the work I am now doing. I will be submitting my 5-year recertification soon to maintain my qualification.

At the start of this year I successfully secured a part-time position to return to teaching in September (after a LONG break) and in fact might be starting earlier than planned. As such, my IBCLC work will be going on hold for a little while as I figure out my capacity and juggle the new routine. (Of course my feeding work has been busier than ever in the last couple of months!) This means that if you contact me I might need to pass you on to someone else once the Easter holidays get underway.

For free support, you can contact the , .bus, or for face-to-face support. In Derby, you can also contact the Infant Feeding Team via Chat Health or book into one of their breastfeeding groups by .childrens019service.

For an IBCLC, check the directory on website.

It's a privilege serving families in this way and I hope to find a way to continue both roles before too long.

26/03/2025

Our second WBTi report found many gaps in the high-level training standards for nurses, doctors, dietitians and pharmacists (this would be the required minimum knowledge for those qualifying).

The red squares indicate that breastfeeding/infant feeding topic is not required in their training standards. Yellow indicates it is unclear or partially included. Green means it is included.

So many of our health care professionals have little to no training around infant feeding.

Midwifery training has a strong cluster of breastfeeding knowledge and skills, as do BFI accredited health visitor university programmes.

We recommend that all health visitor university training should meet BFI standards, and that other health professions should address the gaps in their requirements.

Read all about it in our new report (see also Part 2 for more details)

https://ukbreastfeeding.org/wbtiuk2024/

25/10/2024

Many midwives now encourage you to collect colostrum before your baby's born. Like everything, it's a choice, but there are some good reasons why you might like to. There are lots of situations where babies might need some additional milk. Ideally, you would express some freshly, but this isn't always possible, and having some colostrum ready can avoid the need for formula supplementation. There is also some research suggesting that it improves confidence in breastfeeding more generally.

Some situations where additional milk might be needed include:
🥄 your baby (or babies) is born early
🥄 you have gestational diabetes or diabetes before getting pregnant
🥄 your baby is sleepy after birth, particularly after the first 24 hours
🥄 your baby has a cleft lip and/or palate, making feeding difficult
🥄 your baby has a congenital condition such as Down syndrome
🥄 your baby has a cardiac (heart) condition
🥄 your baby has been diagnosed with intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR)
🥄 you know your baby is going to need special care

(Why have I used a spoon emoji there? Because a sterile spoon can be a great way to feed colostrum to a baby if they are not latching well on the breast or need a supplement).

Research tells us that hand expressing colostrum is safe from 36 weeks of pregnancy. If you are likely to give birth before that (e.g. you're having multiples), speak to your healthcare team about when to start. Your midwife should be able to provide you with some syringes for collection.

It's important to understand that you will probably only see a few drops at a time, aand this is normal. Some people find it difficult to hand express anything at all; this is not connected to how much milk you will produce once your baby is born. You don't HAVE to collect colostrum antenatally, particularly if you're finding it stressful or don't feel it's necessary.

The Association of Breastfeeding Mothers has a helpful article here with information on expressing before birth: https://abm.me.uk/breastfeeding-information/antenatal-expression-colostrum/

22/10/2024

It's my birthday today so I'm feeling generous. I'm giving away a free enrolment into my online course Tip Top Tummies. Designed for parents with babies up to about 3 months old, Tip Top Tummies is your guide to wind, colic and reflux. It's a self-paced course with lifetime access, normally priced at £30.

If you'd like to win, like this post and comment below. Please feel free to share as well!

18/10/2024

Sadly, flu season is upon us. Parenting when ill is no joke, and that may well include you if you're breastfeeding too. So, here's some information to try and get you through:

🤧 it is fine (and recommended wherever possible) to continue breastfeeding when you're poorly. It will help to maintain your supply as well as providing wonderful antibodies for your little one. This means that even if they do get ill as well, it's more likely to be mild and pass more quickly. Remember that they will probably already have been exposed to your germs before you feel ill.
🤧 Some people experience a temporary dip in their milk production when ill (particularly with vomiting or diarrhoea, so not necessarily flu). Keep feeding responsively and it should recover.
🤧 Avoid decongestants containing pseudoephedrine when breastfeeding. Unfortunately it can reduce milk production quite significantly. Other over-the-counter medications are generally compatible with breastfeeding - check the fact sheet linked in comments.
🤧 If you are eligible for the flu vaccination, this is compatible with breastfeeding. The vaccine is not orally bio-available so your nursling cannot absorb it via your breast milk.
🤧 Keep your hands clean and try to avoid coughing or sneezing on others.
🤧 Get support for looking after you and your little one(s) if possible.
🤧 Mastitis can also involve flu-like symptoms. If you have any pain or inflammation in your breasts as well make contact with your GP as soon as possible.
🤧 Rest as much as you can (!)
🤧 Try to drink plenty of fluids and eat what you can manage.

15/10/2024

14/10/2024

Another awareness month happening in October is .

Down Syndrome, or Trisomy 21, is a genetic condition where there is an additional copy (or partial copy) of chromosome 21. Unfortunately, parents of babies with Down Syndrome are often discouraged from breastfeeding, and though there may be some additional challenges, generally it should be possible for most.

Babies with DS are prone to respiratory and viral infections, and of course breast milk provides vital antibodies and immunological factors which may reduce the frequency and severity of illness.

One of the key challenges for breastfeeding is that babies with Down Syndrome will tend to have low muscle tone. This might mean that the baby needs extra support with positioning and sucking skills. The Dancer hold can be really helpful here, and breastfeeding will actually help to strenghten the muscles needed. Additionally, the baby might be more sleepy than expected, and weight gain can sometimes be slower than average. Optimising breastfeeding with good positioning, frequent feeding and breast compressions will be important. Some parents will need to or choose to express and give some milk by bottle.

Babies with Down Syndrome might also stick their tongue out a lot. Encouraging a good tongue and mouth position and some simple sucking exercises can help with getting well attached at the breast.

For more resources, check out and

11/10/2024

I'm delighted to say that I also offer gift vouchers. You can buy a gift voucher for a specific service or product, or for a set value which can be put towards anything I offer. (I don't want to use the C word yet, but you might be thinking about presents soon!) Get in touch for more information.

09/10/2024

October is a busy month! It's also . What do we know about breastfeeding and breast cancer?

DISCLAIMER: stats given are on a population level. They do not mean that you, as an individual, will definitely develop cancer if you don't breastfeed, or that breastfeeding is a guarantee that you won't. It is only one factor.

Research tells us that for every 12 months of breastfeeding, our risk of developing breast cancer is reduced by 4.3%. The longer you breastfeed for, the lower the risk. It is theorised that this is due to changes in the breasts' cells during lactation, which makes them more resistant to cancer. It might also be because of the cumulative effect of less oestrogen in the body.

According to a 2015 meta-analysis, breastfeeding for more than one year reduces the risk of triple-negative breast cancer by around 20%, and the risk in women with BRCA1 mutations by around 22-50%, compared with women who have never breastfed. (Triple-negative is a subtype of breast cancer that has a poorer prognosis than other types).

In the UK, it is estimated that 4.7% of breast cancer cases are associated with not breastfeeding, which is approximately 2600 cases per year.

It is important to check your breasts regularly, even if you are breastfeeding. This will help you to understand what your breasts feel like "normally" and identify any changes early. ALWAYS get any unusual lumps or changes to your breast or skin texture/appearance checked out. Check out Know Your Lemons Foundation for loads of excellent free information on what to feel and look for.

If you do develop breast cancer while breastfeeding, very sadly radio- or chemotherapy are in the small number of medical treatments which will require you to stop breastfeeding for your baby's safety. If you are in this situation, please talk to an IBCLC to help you wean safely and to consider your options moving forward.

07/10/2024

October is also . Perimenopause, which is the period of time leading up to the menopause (when periods actually stop for good), can last for several years, even up to 10. As many people now start their families later in life, we are starting to see more overlap between lactation and perimenopause. Many of the symptoms associated with perimenopause occur due to decreasing oestrogen levels. As oestrogen is also generally low in the early stages of lactation, breastfeeding might get the blame for symptoms which are actually due to perimenopause.

Of course, there is no real research in this area yet, but as perimenopause generally improves in awareness, maybe this will change.

A fantastic resource from a medical perspective is , Dr Claire Phipps, on Instagram.
My second Instagram account aims to provide educational information and relevant research on both subjects.
Dr Phipps and I spoke to on her Makes Milk podcast earlier this year if you'd like to listen.

04/10/2024

October is . Something that is often not considered, but can have a big physical and emotional impact, is the lactation process in the case of a pregnancy or baby loss.

If you are already breastfeeding an older child, you might notice a reduction in milk production with your pregnancy, though your nursling might be happy to dry nurse. With an early pregnancy loss that doesn't require any medical intervention, you can continue breastfeeding your other child as normal.

If a surgical procedure is needed, you can breastfeed again as soon you are awake and feel up to it. You might need to express while in hospital for your own comfort, and to maintain milk production, but you do not need to "pump and dump".

Methotrexate is usually given in the case of ectopic pregnancy. Advice from the Breastfeeding Network is to avoid breastfeeding for 24 hours, and then to monitor your nursling for signs of reaction after that.

With a later pregnancy loss or a stillbirth, you might still experience your milk "coming in", which can be a shock to some people. This will often come with engorgement as well. It is important to treat the engorgement to avoid mastitis.

Depending on your circumstances, and your personal feelings, some options might be:

💙 have medication prescribed to dry up your milk supply
💙 donate any milk you have already expressed
💙 start expressing to donate your breast milk
💙 have some of your milk made into a keepsake
💙 ask the hospital to dispose of your milk for you if you do not want to keep it

All of these choices are valid, and completely personal to you. If you need help with expresssing, or safely reducing your supply, or even talking over your options, you can speak to a breastfeeding counsellor or IBCLC.