Thrive Infant Wellbeing

11/10/2025

Give me a follow for more real parent Q and As!

05/10/2025

I recently saw a baby in clinic with a 100% tongue tie who had struggled with feeding for weeks. Parents were told at birth that "its a small tongue tie, see how you get on"... returned to hospital with jaundice and again, parents were told "tongue ties arent a thing" so..they contacted me for reassurance because they felt something wasn't right but by this time had given up on breastfeeding due to low milk supply.

Here are some learning points if you are working with parents of young babies:

When describing anatomical characteristics of any body part, you should try to use numeric value to document or report what you can see..especially if you are unsure or untrained in what these measurements mean. A frenulum that is short should be described as (for example) "frenulum appears short, measuring under 1cm in length when tongue lifted". AVOID diagnosis.."small tongue tie" is not the same as "short frenulum" because if the frenulum is short, it is more likely to be restrictive and therefore significant. In this context, small is used to imply "less of a worry" to parents too often..this is not okay.

If a tongue tie can impact tongue function..and tongue function can impact feeding..explain to me how tongue tie suddenly stops affecting functionality of the tongue based on the feeding method? It doesn't. It may affect feeding differently or to a varying degree, or it may be more difficult to detect...but it still does. Some bottle fed babies are only bottle feeding BECAUSE of the tongue tie and then still get refused an onward referral...mind blowing!

There is not enough evidence to warrant surgical intervention for the sole purpose of preventing future speech issues. However, this is not the same as "tongue tie doesn't affect speech". There are so many people out there who have speech issues and no tongue tie or have a significant tie but to the average person, they speak and sound fine (I say this but most TT practitioners can tell you have a possible restriction by watching you speak 😅...I promise we are not looking for it!!)

04/10/2025

"Can you overfeed a breastfed baby?"

If they are feeding responsively directly from the breast and your milk supply matches their needs..no...you can't.

But if you have an oversupply, if you are giving expressed breastmilk in a bottle or if you are immediately post partum and your milk supply is abundant then your baby can inadvertently take more milk than they intend.

30/09/2025

👶 Pregnant & feeling unsure about feeding your baby?

❓️Maybe you are not undecided, but rather overwhelmed by all the information you have at your finger tips?

👩‍👦‍👦Or you are an experienced parent, looking to learn more about different ways that you can feed your baby?

🍼Whether you are planning to breastfeed, bottle feed or combi feeding, knowledge is power (and peace of mind!) and this is exactly wh

🏆 This is your chance to book onto the first stand alone, expert-led Antenatal Feeding Masterclass to be offered in the Midlands by Shami (IBCLC, Tongue tie Practitioner, HV and mum of 3!) 💚

👌🏽Experience feeding preparation like never before in a small group, with practical, hands on demos in the evening with refreshments provided

💶 If you are wondering about the price...stop wondering....this session is incredible value for money. It includes a telephone consultation worth £45, a colostrum harvesting kit/bottle cleaning kit, WhatsApp support AND the opportunity to ask an expert in person!

📍In person at The Lunar Swing, ST5 1RW

📅 Date to be confirmed for October

📝 Spaces are limited, if you would like to reserve a place, register now by sending through a contact form:

🌐https://www.thriveinfantwellbeingservice.com/contact

29/09/2025

This morning's FREE feeding cafe went wonderfully, lots of giggles, happy moments, confidence building and successes.

💚💚💚💚💚💚

We were joined by some AMAZING mums and babies, some new to the world and still learning to feed, others starting their journey without shields for the first time, over supply conversations, high palate, milk blebs, low milk supply reassurance and planning, tongue tie assessments, positioning and latch support as well as bottle feeding and combination feeding support.

And then mums who were there to help others...literally THE best thing to experience is the building of a village right before my eyes.

This all with the help of the wonderful Dawn from Mothers Mind - Staffordshire. who spent the morning making tea and the best buttery toast, all served with a dash of compassion, support and understanding.

For anyone who is considering coming along but unsure, pop along and give it a go...if only for the toast! This is something that I do in my spare time, it is voluntary and so FREE to access. I want to be able to give all mums and babies the support they deserve to help them to THRIVE 💚 so please do take advantage of this and share with any mums and babies who you may feel would benefit from the support

Shami
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27/09/2025

If your toddler is still using a bottle and you would like to reduce this. Take a look at my FREE parent guide below!

It is packed full of handy tips and snippets of information that will help you feel more prepared and confident!

Reducing bottle use in toddlerhood can prove challenging for many parents and of course isn't always a great experience for your little one either! So how do we do this without causing too must distress to either parent or child? Look no further! This guide is packed full of gentle techniques that y...

06/03/2025

Baby wearing offers comfort and closeness, it reduces crying, increases oxytocin release and stimulates milk production 💚 So if you are considering it...get in touch with The Babywearing Guru - Carrying Consultant - Stoke on Trent

It truly is so uplifting to receive feedback like this, I feel honoured to be in this position to make such an impact on your journey. Thank you Vicky for your lovely recommendation 🥰

If you're struggling, get in touch to see how I can support you and your baby or toddler!

03/03/2025

Loved spending some time with pupils at Harpfield Primary Academy - HPP talking about education and career choices. The children were very inquisitive and so polite 💚 Hoping I've inspired some little minds!

12/02/2025

Get booking with BabyMoon Pregnancy and Postnatal services 💚

12/02/2025

🌸FREE Support starting back up 24th Feb 2025🌸

I am off next Monday to spend some time with the kids whilst they're off school but I will be back after half term!

Come and join me for a brew and some expert feeding support!