Manchester Lactation Consultants

23/02/2025

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February is Raynaud's Awareness Month.

Raynaud's phenomenon is where your blood stops flowing properly to your extremities, usually your fingers and toes - but sometimes your ears, nose, lips, or ni***es are affected.

It can affect the ni***es of breastfeeding mothers and cause painful breastfeeding.

Some of the symptoms include:

- Pain which worsens in the cold e.g. passing fridges in the supermarket or even exposure of the ni**le to feed
- Bi or tri-phasic colour changes immediately after feeds

You can find self-help measures, as well as information on medication, here:
www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/factsheet/raynauds/

You can also find more information on Raynaud's here:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/raynauds/

[ID: Raynaud's Phenomenon in Breastfeeding Mothers. Image of a person wearing gloves, taking one off.]

05/05/2024

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It is very common for babies to be fussy and feed very often, especially in the evenings🌆, particularly in the early months.
Cluster feeding, is when babies space feeding closer together at certain times of the day and go longer between feedings at other times. This is very common, and often occurs in the evenings. It’s often -but not always- followed by a longer sleep period than usual😴: baby may be “tanking up” before a long sleep. For example, your baby may feed every hour (or even constantly) between 6 and 10 PM, then have a longish stretch of sleep at night.
Cluster feeding often coincides with your baby’s fussy time. Baby will feed for a few minutes, pull off, fuss/cry, feed for a few minutes, pull off, fuss/cry… on and on… for hours. This can be VERY frustrating🤯, and you can start wondering if baby is getting enough milk, if something she is eating is bothering baby, if EVERYTHING she is doing is bothering baby😕… It can really ruin your confidence, particularly if there is someone else around asking the same questions (your mother, your husband, your mother-in-law).🤬
This behaviour is NORMAL! It has nothing to do with your breastmilk or your mothering. If baby is happy the rest of the day, and baby doesn’t seem to be in pain (as with colic) during the fussy time – just keep trying to soothe your baby and don’t beat yourself up about the cause. Let baby feed as long and as often as he will.🤱
Does this mean that baby needs more milk than I can provide?
No! Don’t give baby a bottle — supplementation will only tell your body that you need LESS milk at this time, and that will not help matters. Also, keep in mind that formula fed babies🍼 experience fussy periods in the evening, too — fussy evenings are common for all young babies, no matter how they are fed.
Adapted from:
https://kellymom.com/parenting/parenting-faq/fussy-evening/

13/04/2024

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12/04/2024

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10/03/2024

• STAYING HYDRATED: Daily water intake is very important to keep the body sufficiently hydrated. It is recommended to drink bit by bit throughout the permitted time, from sunset to early sunrise. Drinking too much just before fasting will just fill up the bladder and gets urinated out soon after, resulting in the mother feeling thirstier for the rest of the day.
• EATING WISELY: Eating well-balanced food, including proteins and complex carbohydrates, during “suhoor” – the meal right before the start of a fasting day – is very essential. This will provide the energy that mothers need for the rest of the day, until the breaking of the fast.
• BREAKING THE FAST: As the fasting day ends, mothers should break her fast as early as possible, by eating natural high-energy foods, to quickly regain energy. A common option among the muslim community (which is also culturally recommended) are black dates. Mothers can opt for creative preparations such as blending the dates with milk.

06/01/2024

Blocked nose and sinus pain? Many people take decongestant tablets, powders and lemon drinks when they have a cold. But these should be avoided during breastfeeding as they can have a potential significant impact on milk supply.

Inhaling steam is a cheap and effective alternative to medication when trying to reduce congestion, and can be used frequently. Decongestant sprays can also be effective and have no effect on supply.

Take a look at our Decongestants & Breastfeeding factsheet for more information this : www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/factsheet/decongestants/

29/11/2023

21/11/2023

Breastfeeding through mastitis...we all hope to avoid it but it comes for some of us 😏

Most of all, we want to reassure you to:
✅ feed/pump as normal;
✅ rest where you can;
✅ use cold compresses to relieve discomfort;
✅ take pain relief if you need it (usually ibuprofen); and
❎ avoid heat or firm pressure.
Your GP can advise on whether a specific case of mastitis is bacterial and therefore requires antibiotics.

We have information on mastitis on our website: https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/breastfeeding-information/mastitis-breastfeeding/

For feeding support through mastitis, reach our colleagues at the National Breastfeeding Helpline UK; and for any questions around prescribed antibiotics or treatments, pop us a message to see if we can provide any additional information to help.

01/11/2023

A huge thanks to Matt, Charlie and the star of the show Ted, for being filmed having a tongue tie division at our clinic in Hale in September when he was days old! We are delighted to report he is still breastfeeding and gaining lots of weight. 🎉🎉🧑🏼‍🍼❤️

22/09/2023

Celebrate National Breastfeeding Week 18 – 24th September

29/08/2023

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