01/04/2025
✨ Infant Feeding Support Matters ✨
This little one came in bloated, gassy, and struggling with feeds. His mum, a first-time mother, experienced excruciating ni**le pain early on, which later resolved. But after losing birth weight, she was advised to supplement with formula—without being given proper breastfeeding support.
It turned out she had a generous milk supply, but no one had explained how to recognise when her baby was still feeding. He would drink the first rush of milk (rich in lactose) and seem to stop gulping, leading her to think he was done. Soon after, he’d seem hungry again, and formula top-ups became the routine—causing digestive discomfort.
With a few small adjustments to fit and hold, and learning to recognise changes in his sucking pattern, this baby had his first truly full feed. The result? He sat up on Maria’s lap, head held high, looking around as if to say, “What are you looking at?”
🍼 Breastfeeding is natural—but it isn’t always easy.
In many hospitals, even those with BFI accreditation, infant feeding support is underfunded and understaffed. The public health system assumes that if breastfeeding doesn’t “work,” it’s the mum or the baby’s “fault.” But as a researcher in breastfeeding and tongue-tie, I know that infant feeding has always been a bio-social practice.
Mothers have never breastfed in isolation. As Margaret Mead said:
“It takes a village to raise a child.”
Women and babies need time, patience, and compassionate care. That’s what we offer here. 💛
