North London tongue-tie assessment & breastfeeding clinic

17/05/2024

So much worry about babies swallowing air, or passing gas, or feeding patterns.
Something to think about…

15/05/2024

🛑STOP🛑

Before you go and buy a carrier because your friend, sibling, some random on the internet says it’s the best one - STOP!

💪I am here.
😊I have nearly all the slings (well an awful lot anyway)
✅I have experience and knowledge- far more than the randoms on the internet!
💰I can save you money.
⏰I can save you time.
❤️I can help you find the sling or carrier that suits you and your child perfectly.
💜I can show you how it works, how to fit it properly for your body and your baby.

I see so many people that have bought something - usually expensive- or been given something and it’s either not suitable for the size of baby, not easy to use, not comfortable……… the list goes on.

But these people end up making do with it because it’s what they’ve already spent money on. And I, far too often, find I’m making a carrier fit someone as best I can but I know a different one would be so much better!

So before you rush into spending money - see me first.
I can take the stress out of choosing. I can save you money!

Sling library sessions can be booked here https://ses.lend-engine.com/events.
DM to book consultations

29/03/2024

CCK (full name - cholecystokinin) is a hormone which makes a baby feel full and sleepy). CCK rises as a baby sucks and during the feed it surges so high that it often makes them drift off to sleep. This surge lasts about 10 mins and then drops back to base levels again. This can cause baby to wake up again, feeling hungry and wanting to latch back on. Have you found that? Maybe you’ve even put your baby down in a cot or basket after they’ve drifted off, thinking that they are soundly asleep, only to find that they woke 10 mins later and want to feed again?

After the milk empties from the stomach into the intestine babies have another big surge of CCK which lasts much longer (30-60 mins this time) and this allows babies to fall into a longer sleep. So if your baby wakes a few mins after a feed and wants to feed again - don’t worry. It’s likely just their CCK talking. It caused them to fall asleep before they were completely finished. Pop them back on the breast and allow them to finish off the feed. It’s likely that after a short time back on the breast to finish the feed, milk will be reaching the intestine and they‘ll drift into that longer sleep.

Uvnas-Moberg,Marchini,Winberg (1993)

15/03/2024

It doesn't matter whether you're a human, a gorilla, or the Easter Bunny; you are designed to grow, birth, feed and protect your babies.

And yes, that protection includes having the right to ask for information and make your own decisions about what's right for you and your baby.

I'm not saying that you should decline everything.

(Unless that's truly the right decision for you.)

We're all very grateful for modern medicine and technology when things are going awry.

But that doesn't mean that the standard, modern, routine approach is right for every body, every time.

Everyone's different, and you might not want 'one size fits all' care.

And that's okay.

It's your body and your baby and that means that ALL the decisions are yours to make.

If you'd like to know more, or to better understand some of the wider issues around making decisions in pregnancy and childbirth, take a look at my website, www.sarawickham.com

I have also written a number of books which have been helping women and families with decision making for twenty years.

One is even called "What's Right For Me? Making decisions in pregnancy and childbirth."

It helps women, parents and families to better understand how modern maternity care works and how you can make the decisions that are right for you.

Loads more information at www.sarawickham.com/me

09/03/2024

14/02/2024

A 2020 study found that laid back (aka biological nurturing) positions reduced breast problems significantly including painful or cracked ni***es.
I focus on laid back positions in my breastfeeding prep program. They often make breastfeeding "click" better in the early days, and are usually more comfortable for mum to sustain for long early day feeds.

Study link here: https://internationalbreastfeedingjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13006-020-00261-4

And link to my breastfeeding prep here: www.carolsmyth.co.uk/breastfeeding-app

25/01/2024

11/01/2024

12/12/2023

Are you worried about clicking & gulping noises and whether it means your baby is swallowing air?

Gulping is just fast swallowing. Think of someone “downing” a pint of water. They tip back their head, pour & gulp. They are not taking in a load of air - they are swallowing. Gulping is fast swallowing, and it can be noisy, but that doesn’t mean there is air.

Clicking is about changes in vacuum. Everyone can make the click noise. Push your tongue upwards against your palate hard. Now quickly pull it downwards. You’ll hear a click, but you didn’t swallow! The click is from the break in vacuum, not from a swallow. When breastfeeding, the click usually happens when the tongue loses contact with the breast in the same way that you lost the contact with your palate.

ALL babies will click sometimes. They will click if the positioning isn’t quite right and they are struggling to keep up with the milk flow. They might click if feeding from a really full breast. They will click simply because they are a bit immature. Remember that a baby goes from no breastfeeding in utero to suddenly breastfeeding for hours a day - perhaps 6 hours? Imagine if you went from doing no exercise to exercising 6hours a day. Muscles get tired. The tongue is a muscle. Sometimes the tongue drops and then re-engages. A little clicking is not an issue. If your baby is constantly clicking throughout every feed however, then get some feeding support to see if a change in positioning or feeding pattern might help.

Studies do not back up the idea that clicking causes a baby to swallow lots of air. MRI of babies actively feeding found no air in the oral cavity while the baby remained latched (Mills et al 2020). I have spoken to someone who has watched ultrasound of babies feeding and has told me that even when you hear the click, no air is seen in the oral cavity. Ultrasound of breastfeeding babies stomachs show that breastfeeding babies do not have a lot of air in their stomach (Gridneva et al 2017).
All of us swallow a little tiny bit of air when we swallow - including adults, but there is no evidence that babies are taking in large quantities of air when you hear a click.

11/12/2023

Hi- we are a voluntary community support group for people in Haringey… Camilla Lissauer needs your support for Haringey Home Birth Support Group’s fundraiser

15/11/2023

I often have parents contact me because they are worried about gas, and their concerns are because they hear gurgling or growling in their baby’s tummy.

Gurgling / growling noises are a normal part of digestion. The noises are called Borborygmi, and are caused by food moving through the stomach or intestine (usually intestine) or yes by gas moving along - but it’s important to remember that gas formation is a normal part of digestion too.
The 3rd most abundant substance in breastmilk is a number of special sugars called oligosaccharides. These are sugars that the baby can’t even digest - they are solely there to feed gut bacteria. When gut bacteria feed, they produce gas - that’s the output of their digestion. So it’s very normal for babies to be gassy and to hear tummy noises. We all have tummy noises - we don’t worry when we hear it in our own tummies - we usually just think of it as a hunger sign!

A complete lack of tummy noises is actually a much greater concern because it can indicate no movement, and a possible obstruction.
If your baby seems uncomfortable and cries at the same time as you hear these noises you can help. If your baby isn’t in your arms, pick them up and hold them against your chest or your shoulder with their tummy towards you. The fact you are holding them will make them feel safe and secure - and that aids digestion. If you are already holding them, try a shift in position. Sometimes holding babies in the chair hold (back towards you and thighs parallel to the floor) can help release gas or help them to poo. Tummy massage can help too - but if you are breastfeeding and your baby seems gassy and sore, latching on can also help to relax their muscles and pas gas.
The noises themselves though are usually just a sign of normal healthy digestion. Not a sign of reflux. Not a sign of a problem.

27/10/2023

Is this pattern familiar to you?

Burping can become a vicious cycle. We, as a society, seem to be a bit obsessed with burping. There’s an idea that swallowed air is the cause of a multitude of things in babies. Often parents tell me that they have real difficulty getting wind up and they are slapping their little baby’s back really quite hard to try to get that air up.

Burping should be gentle. Air should naturally bubble its way to the top of the stomach. Usually just popping a sleeping baby upright on your shoulder for a while is enough. After a little sleep you will likely notice they rouse, grizzle, you can gently rub their back and the burp just comes. Or you can sit a sleeping baby upright and move them gently back and forward or move them in circles to help the air come up, while still allowing them to sleep.
If you’ve tried for a few minutes and it’s not coming- maybe there is no air! A baby who is breastfeeding well, is unlikely to take in very much air when feeding. If you are really active about winding, and using a lot of slapping on the back you are likely to wake your baby, and actually we have some research suggesting that you baby is more likely to reflux / spit up.

Burping isn’t mandatory after every feed. If you choose to do it - be gentle with your little person. If they are sleeping, it should be gentle enough to allow them to sleep.