Kim Wright Lactation Consultant

01/12/2025

Did you know? Your body makes bre.astmilk from your blood supply, not directly from the food you eat?

Many new mums worry that every bite of food instantly changes their milk but let’s bust that myth.

Bre.astmilk is made from your blood supply. Your body absorbs and filters the nutrients you eat, then transforms them into milk tailored perfectly for your baby.

That’s why it’s often called liquid gold: living, dynamic nutrition filled with antibodies, hormones, and everything your little one needs for immunity, growth, and brain development.

Every time you nourish yourself, your body acts like a natural lab, creating the ideal food for your baby.

28/11/2025

Tips for increasing milk transfer!

01/10/2025

A poorly fitted ni**le shield can cause damage and pain!

Photo and text credit to

Ni**le shields are made of soft silicone and fit over the ni**le to protect it during breastfeeding. The most common reasons to use a shield include:
- Help a premature, weak, or uncoordinated baby latch
- Help a baby practice latching to a flat, inverted or retracted ni**le
- Help a baby with tongue tie stay latched
- Help a damaged ni**le heal

Unfortunately, there can be some down sides of using a shield include:
- Can lead to less stimulation of the breast which can decrease milk supply
- Some babies have a harder time transferring milk from a shield
- Some babies can have a hard time transitioning off the shield once they get used to it
- Some people use the wrong size shield or are not placing it correctly which decreases its effectiveness

💛Always seek guidance from a board certified lactation consultant before starting to use a shield - sometimes small adjustments in position can make all the difference!
💛Make sure you’re using the correct size. Find the correct size for your ni**le by measuring the diameter of your ni**le. The shield should be 2-3mm larger than your ni**le.
💛If there is a lot of space at the top of the shield, size down.
💛If your ni**le pokes through the holes by the end of a feeding, size up.
💛Do not just place the shield on like a bandaid. This does not draw the ni**le in far enough for baby to get a deep latch. Roll the shield down to make a cup, place your ni**le as far into the cup as possible, place the shield on your ni**le and stretch the sides of the shield to pop your ni**le as far into the shield as possible.
💛Fill the shield with breast milk prior to latching to help baby associate milk comes from your breast
💛Wash your shield with hot, soapy water after each use

If you'd like help with ni**le shields or weaning off them, please contact us or your local group 💚

25/08/2025

22/08/2025

Breast milk isn’t just food. It’s a living substance full of enzymes, immune cells, and protective factors that change with your baby’s needs. That’s why storage matters.

👉 While storage guidelines are pretty generous (hours at room temp, days in the fridge, months in the freezer), the reality is that fresh milk is always best. If you know you’re not going to use it soon, pop it in the freezer to slow down the natural breakdown of nutrients and immune properties.

💡 A few tips to make your stash work for you (not against you):
•Feed fresh whenever possible. Use the fridge milk first, freezer milk as backup.
•Taste test before you stash. High lipase or oxidation can make milk taste soapy or metallic. Try the oldest bag in your freezer before creating a massive stash. You don’t want to discover weeks to months in that baby refuses it.
•Freeze in small amounts. 2–4 oz portions thaw quickly and reduce waste if baby only takes part of a bottle.
•Label like a pro. Always date your bags, and if baby goes to daycare, write their name too.
•Lay flat, then stand tall. Freezing bags flat saves space and makes it easy to “file” your milk like a library.
•Never refreeze thawed milk. Once it’s thawed, use within 24 hours (and toss what’s leftover in the bottle after a feed).
•Room temp rule of thumb: freshly pumped milk can sit for up to 4 hours, but if it’s a hot day or baby won’t be drinking it soon, refrigerate sooner.

✨ Bottom line: milk is precious liquid gold, and how you store it helps protect all the goodness your body made for your baby. Be intentional with your stash. Bigger isn’t always better. Your stash should match your goals and your lifestyle, not someone else’s. A freezer full of milk no one drinks is way less helpful than a system that works.

08/07/2025

✨ Breastmilk Donors needed for our milk bank! Share the Love! ✨
Calling all supermums! 💪💕 If you’ve got a little extra liquid gold in the freezer, you could be a hero to a pēpi in need.

Your donated breastmilk can help nourish and protect vulnerable babies who need a little extra support to thrive. It’s one of the most powerful gifts you can give — straight from the heart (and the b**b 💛).

💖 Pasteurised on site at our amazing milk bank
🎁 One donation = a huge difference for tiny lives
🌟 Join our amazing whānau of donors
📩 Message us to find out how!

06/07/2025

These are very expensive and come with some benefits and some warnings…

Silver ni**le cups. Sometimes called silver ni**le shields (not to be confused with the silicon ni**le shields that can help a bottle fed baby latch, you wont get much milk out of a silver ni**le shield as there are no holes!)

So what are they designed for?
The answer is to aide healing when you have damaged ni**les from breastfeeding.

Now I am an evidenced based account and there is actually no research into how effective these gizmos are. It is true that silver has been used for healing for a very long time. But us in the lactation world have also seen a worrying side effect which is important to discuss before you shell out your hard earned cash.

The risk of using these, and especially if you leak, is that the ni**le sits in a pool of milk for an hour or two at a time. Just like when we have been in a long luxurious bath for over an hour (remember those times when you could do that?), when we get out our skin has absorbed water, it looks a bit soggy and wrinkly and more importantly, it is more sensitive and easier to damage! I have seen this with ni**les where a silver ni**le cup has been used a lot in between feeds. The skin is macerated, is sore and easier to damage. In one recent case the ni**les actually looked grey and soggy. Like they were developing trench foot.

Pros and cons of using silver ni**le caps

Pros
Silver possibly aides healing
Stops ni**les rubbing on clothing

Cons
Can cause skin to macerate which makes it more easily damaged
They are expensive
They won't treat the cause of the sore ni**les, make sure to seek breastfeeding support to work out what is going on.

So, yes some people love them. But do use with caution and for short periods, especially if you leak a lot.

10/09/2024

Switch feeding is a great tool when used properly!!

20/08/2024

Side lying can be a great position for sore damaged ni**les too.

20/07/2024

Such a balanced approach from Lucy Webber Feeding Support - IBCLC!

Ok, the first thing to say here is not to panic about this. I think we've really overcomplicated starting solids on the whole.

My personal approach to adding food to their diet is pretty simple
-Watch for signs of readiness
-Start putting some food in front of them if they're in a good mood at a time you're eating (eat together)
-Let them learn to eat by playing, licking, squeezing, smelling, throwing etc

Over the following weeks try and offer a wide variety of foods in a variety of forms, and give them plenty of opportunity to practice learning how to eat. Include common allergens early on in the process.

So where does breastfeeding come into it?
Well, ideally when you're offering food at first you want them to be in a pretty relaxed mood. So on the whole this is going to be after a breastfeed! But if, on occasion, food time is before the breastfeed don't worry. Starting solids should be a relaxing and fun affair ideally.

Some babies *reallllly* tank into food straight away, and seem to have the most enormous appetite. For these babies, it can be helpful to try and remember to offer the breast first so that they're not filling their tummy with food and missing out on milk.

Other babies just don't seem very bothered by food, and for these babies you may want to play around with offering the breast after -but I'm talking  several weeks or more after starting, not after a couple of days for example. It's normal for them to take time to learn.

Lots of babies like to have a breastfeed, eat some food, then have *another* breastfeed after. And that's ok! Lots of us like a drink after eating to 'wash it down' It doesn't mean they're not getting enough food.

Remember, this isn't about getting loads of food into them right here and now, it's about learning how to eat, having an enjoyment of food, letting them practice appetite regulation, and setting up a healthy relationship with food. Until around 1 year milk is still their main source of nutrition and solid foods are there to complement their intake.

So I guess the 'too long didn't read' version is, try and offer b**b first but don't panic if not. Each baby is individual and you know them best.

20/07/2024

“It’s the volume of milk that matters”

Someday I hope that people stop worrying about hind milk….. but it looks like we’re not there yet unfortunately.
Read through my blog on foremilk and hindmilk here: www.carolsmyth.co.uk/hindmilk

TLDR version: Milk Volume is what matters, not whether it’s milk from the start of end of a feed.

20/07/2024

🌈 BREASTFEEDING MYTH 🌈
"It's ideal to make as much breast milk as you possibly can."

When it comes to your milk supply I always go with the “Goldilocks” rule…not too much, not too little, but JUST RIGHT!

That means that the perfect amount of breast milk that you want to make is the amount that will feed your baby and keep him or her content and thriving or growing.

You DON'T need to be able to pump hundreds of ounces or have a freezer full of extra milk!

This is not only not necessary but can be the cause of breast infections, painful engorgement, difficultly latching, gassiness from on overwhelming let down and watery, low fat, high lactose foremilk that can be causing your baby to be very uncomfortable, not gain weight as they would normally be, green stool, etc…

CREATING an oversupply situation from excessive pumping in addition to nursing can be a real problem. Have realistic expectations, learn what is normal, trust your body...and follow your baby's lead. ❤️