Springtides Infant Feeding - Alice Privett IBCLC

Springtides Infant Feeding - Alice Privett IBCLC Lactation Consultant offering home visits & online consultations in London and the South East.

26/09/2025

Laid back feeding how-to!

Get comfy… you deserve it (and so does your babe!)
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23/09/2025

How do I know when to feed my newborn baby?

Whenever they ask! Cues in the first 3 months include:

waking
hands to mouth
Turning their head
Sticking their tongue out

But particularly during the first few weeks or until they’ve regained birth weight, we expect a minimum of 8 times in 24 hours (and usually a few more than that, and chuck in some cluster feeding too, for most babies!)
*xbreastfeeding

Cold season is upon us! Hooray... 🤧 Most everyday remedies are safe to use while breastfeeding or chestfeeding, and your...
22/09/2025

Cold season is upon us! Hooray...

🤧 Most everyday remedies are safe to use while breastfeeding or chestfeeding, and your body is busy making antibodies that pass straight into your milk, giving your little one extra protection. If your babe has one too they may wake up more frequently at night to feed (!) but their health will improve quicker than it otherwise would with your amazing milk.

Simple things help too: rest where you can, keep fluids up, eat warm, nourishing foods (preferably made by someone else!). The good old ‘extra pillow to help you breathe at night’ is an absolute winner IMHO.

Safe: (as per the Breastfeeding Network guidance)-

paracetamol, ibuprofen

cough syrup

vitamin C!

decongestant nasal spray

throat sweet

AVOID:

oral decongestant (some studies have shown milk supply to decrease with just one dose)

lemsip

Hope you avoid all the bugs, and if you don’t, I wish you good health ❤️
*xbreastfeeding

Tracking apps: good or bad?There is growing evidence that tracking apps can make parents feel more anxious as they start...
22/09/2025

Tracking apps: good or bad?
There is growing evidence that tracking apps can make parents feel more anxious as they start to rely on the app rather than their instincts to follow their baby’s cues. Many parents I see tend to keep using them past the newborn period and feel that is something they ought to be doing, and I often feel this could be contributing to their sense of anxiety and (ironically) a lack of control.

HOWEVER, one mum I spoke to recently has ADHD and experiences time blindness, finding it hard to remember when she last fed her very placid baby who doesn’t signal much. She reported feeling more secure writing down when she last fed her babe so she could refer to it during the day.

As with most things, if it works and you need it, keep it! However if your babe is gaining weight well and nappy output is all normal, and you have a good sense of when they are feeding in general, maybe consider ditching the app past the first couple of weeks… it’s just more work after all 😃


*xfeedingsupport

19/09/2025

Nursing clothes- who needs em

Sing to your baby!Singing stimulate the vagus nerve, which promotes oxytocin release!Oxytocin promotes the let down of m...
27/01/2025

Sing to your baby!

Singing stimulate the vagus nerve, which promotes oxytocin release!

Oxytocin promotes the let down of milk, bonding, and enhances mood and trust- amongst other benefits

Studies show that parents feel more bonded to their child after singing, and infant’s crying episodes have been shown to be reduced when they are sung to more

I am also a professional singer, so I have a specific interest in this topic(!). Parents (in both a musical and a parental context) often tell me they are ‘tuneless’ or ‘tone deaf’ - (which is never true by the way, they’ve often just not been given confidence in their innate ability). However, EVEN if you have no confidence in your singing voice, your baby thinks it is the most enchanting sound in the world.

We often talk about the benefits to your baby - language development, bonding, soothing - but not so often for the parent. We are a culture who don’t use our voices very much - so try it out! You may be amazed by the impact it has on your relationship and your mood.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871519217300367

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2059204317745746 this study short term benefits - the authors indicate the limitations of the study meaning that they don’t show longer term benefits, and authors recommend further research based on their positive findings

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Study: Professor Amy Brown’s study from 2015 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25973527/There is so much nonsense we are f...
24/10/2024

Study: Professor Amy Brown’s study from 2015 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25973527/

There is so much nonsense we are fed about infant sleep - how much babies should be sleeping and when; how feeding certain amounts of milk or formula, or solid foods, might affect their sleep - and especially that once they hit the magic 6 months, they should be ‘sleeping through!’. We are bombarded by this message from all angles, so no surprise when we worry our babies are ‘broken’ or we’re doing something to cause them to wake more frequently. (Spoiler: nope! They’re just going through massive developmental changes, getting teeth, probably having colds, and experiencing the first pangs of separation anxiety- so they want to connect with us more at night).
However, at this age frequent waking along with their increased activity in the day can start to become overwhelming at times.

Some ideas to get some more rest:
😴Contact napping - at home on the sofa. Close your eyes if you can, listen to a podcast or a meditation guide.
🛏️Try getting to bed earlier if possible- your babe will sleep deeper in the hours before midnight
👯Family members/ friends - anyone you feel comfortable asking to come and make you dinner, play with your baby while you have a nap, take them out for a walk, vacuum… you get the idea
🕺Try and fit in at least one small activity a day that makes YOU feel good - even for 10 minutes.

If you’re struggling but have no-one to speak to, the breastfeeding helpline is open for exactly this purpose 🌷

See Lyndsey Hookway and Second Star to the Right for more information on normal infant sleep

… when you unintentionally make your tie dye project a work shirt…
28/08/2024

… when you unintentionally make your tie dye project a work shirt…

If ever a roll eye/ rage emoji were called for...This was said to a mum regarding her 18 month old who is a gorgeous, th...
16/06/2024

If ever a roll eye/ rage emoji were called for...

This was said to a mum regarding her 18 month old who is a gorgeous, thriving toddler.
There are so many things to unpick around why anyone might say this - but I won’t do that here. I just want to do a shout out for that parent who (despite being really understandably upset) knew that she was doing the thing that worked best for her and her child, and carried on doing it despite the criticism.
Parents need support, and they need recognition and respect for their choices. Comments like this, whether throwaway or predetermined, can undermine us in the most profound of ways.

Imagine if, this person who was having a tough day babysitting had said,
“I’m struggling to settle your daughter when I look after her. Do you have any tips that might help me?” (And they could have thrown in a ‘what a wonderful parent you are”, too 😀).

What are your best tips for settling a breastfeeding toddler when a ni**le isn't available?!

*xfeedingsupport

Let’s all trust our babies more! Humans are ventral feeders: this means we are programmed to feed on our tummies. In fac...
16/06/2024

Let’s all trust our babies more!

Humans are ventral feeders: this means we are programmed to feed on our tummies. In fact all of our movement is developed this way - strengthening our neck muscles so we can crawl, sit up, and eventually walk, as well as development of neurological and sensory integration. (This is why ‘tummy time’ is so important when we live in a society where we tend to put babies down a lot on their backs rather than carrying them).

Many people find their first feed after birth worked in skin to skin, in a laid back position. Then we get home, dress our babies, sit up to feed, (often because we’re told to or its what we've seen on TV) and our instinctive behaviours -both parent and child - can get muddled!

So, if you’ve any issues with feeding, try going back to basics first - get naked! Get your baby naked! (Maybe leave a nappy on...😂).
Lie back, get comfy. Place your baby on you, tummy in full contact with your body, cheek on your breast - and see what happens….

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As an adult, what activities or skills went perfectly first time for you?Cooking?Driving?S*x?If you are surrounded by ot...
16/06/2024

As an adult, what activities or skills went perfectly first time for you?

Cooking?
Driving?
S*x?

If you are surrounded by other people doing these activities (maybe not the last one 😂) you probably would have a good head start, and maybe it would go perfectly first time. However, most of us in the UK aren’t surrounded by people breastfeeding in close quarters.

So maybe we should give ourselves some grace, and remember it is a learned activity, as well as a biologically normal one.

…(Just like s*x 😄)

*x

Breast/chestfeeding parents have heard this phrase so often it has literally become a meme. So it is worth repeating…Bre...
30/01/2024

Breast/chestfeeding parents have heard this phrase so often it has literally become a meme.

So it is worth repeating…

Breastfeeding is not just a meal!

It is a conversation between two minds and bodies.
Amazing things that are happening whilst your baby is ‘just sucking for comfort’:

-Your milk supply is being stimulated
-The parasympathetic nervous system is calmed for both mum and baby
-Vagal regulation is improved: this helps a baby digest their food, and supports social engagement and self regulation skills (ie calming themselves down, eventually, when they’re a lot older!)
-Helps reduce pain and discomfort for baby and parent
-Promotes bonding and trust through oxytocin release
-Develops your baby’s coordination
-Supports normal bone and dental development

Not to mention, just being next to your heart beat is incredibly calming for your baby, and they’ve been suckling in utero from around 16 weeks gestation.
They’re programmed to continue!

Yes, we want an efficient latch for milk transfer. And to be able to sustain a little being attached to your ni**les for multiple hours a day, things have to be comfortable. If it’s not - seek support ❤️


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70 Mount Road
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SE136RE

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+447599067130

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