Shimmer Maternity Support Services

17/11/2025

Much better to carry on normal noisy activity around your sleeping baby. No need to ever creep around. I used to vacuum around my sleeping son's pram

Many people assume newborns need total silence to sleep, but in reality, they’re used to a very noisy environment. Inside the womb, babies are surrounded by constant sounds — the whoosh of blood flowing through the placenta, the rhythmic beat of their mother’s heart, and the gurgles of digestion.

These noises can reach up to 80–90 decibels, roughly the volume of a vacuum cleaner! That’s why many newborns actually sleep better with consistent background noise, like a white noise machine or fan. Silence can feel unfamiliar — even unsettling — after months of listening to the comforting hum of the womb.

So the next time someone whispers, “Be quiet, the baby’s sleeping,” remember: a bit of noise might just help them feel at home. 🤍

16/11/2025

Slate grey nevus, also known as blue-grey spots or congenital dermal melanocytosis, are a type of birthmark that are typically flat and blue-grey, or sometimes purple, in colour.

They are most common on babies with Black and Brown skin and are generally found on the sacrum and buttocks, but can also be observed on arms and legs.

Slate grey nevus are NOT bruises. They are simply the result of pigment cells, or melanocytes, not reaching the surface of the skin.⁣ They do not hurt and generally require no treatment; they often fade by the age of 4.

If you identify a slate grey nevus when doing a baby examination, or NIPE, it is important to document it. This is to avoid it later being mistaken for a bruise.

Finally - you may have heard these birthmarks called ‘Mongolian blue spots’. This is derogatory, racially insensitive terminology and should NOT be used. If you hear it used in practice, please take the time to correct it. We can all play our part in decolonising language and midwifery education.

📸: 💕

16/11/2025

Our bodies are awesome!

Human milk is the only biologically active food on the planet.
It contains living cells, stem cells, immunoglobulins, lysozymes, lactoferrin, HMOs, hormones, cytokines, enzymes, microRNA, antimicrobials, antivirals, and over 1,000 molecular components that scientists are still discovering.

Every single feed triggers a biochemical feedback loop:
your baby’s saliva signals your mammary glands, your glands adjust the concentration of antibodies, and the composition of your milk shifts within minutes to meet that exact need.

Breast milk is not “liquid gold” because it’s cute it’s liquid gold because it is a dynamic, species-specific, immunologically active substance engineered by human evolution to protect human infants.

The more we study it, the clearer it becomes:
breast milk isn’t just nutrition it’s a living system.
A biological masterpiece that no lab has ever been able to duplicate.

10/11/2025

09/11/2025

09/11/2025