Birthbalance Pregnancy Classes, Howick Pukekohe Remuera Pt Chevalier

31/08/2025

This may seem like a strange question but take a moment and pretend to take a big bite out of a burger.

What does your head do? Where do you put the bun? How do you take a big bite?

The motion of a baby latching well looks a lot like the motion of taking a big bite of a burger.

Your baby's chin is on the breast, then his head tips back as he latches. When your baby is latched well, his chin will be deep into the breast.

A deep latch ensures that your baby gets plenty of milk and you feel no pain.

02/08/2025

10 weird facts about Breastmilk:

🧬 1. Breastmilk changes flavor based on what you eat.
Garlic, spicy foods, or vanilla can subtly flavor your milk—like a surprise seasoning for your baby.

💦 2. It glows under blacklight.
Thanks to riboflavin (Vitamin B2), breastmilk literally glows blue-green under UV light.

🦠 3. Breastmilk has live immune cells.
It's not just food—it's alive! It contains white blood cells that fight infection.

🤧 4. Your baby’s saliva “communicates” with your ni***es.
When baby nurses, their saliva sends signals that can trigger your body to make antibodies if they’re sick.

🌈 5. Breastmilk can be blue, green, yellow, pink, or even orange.
Its color changes depending on your diet, hydration, or even time of day.

🔬 6. Colostrum (the first milk) works like a laxative.
It helps babies p**p out meconium—that tarry first p**p!

🧪 7. Breastmilk kills cancer cells in lab studies.
There’s a compound called HAMLET (yes, real name!) that has shown anti-cancer properties in test tubes.

🥛 8. It's technically a raw, unpasteurized bodily fluid... and FDA classifies it as a "tissue."

💡 9. It has stem cells.
Meaning it could potentially regenerate or repair tissue—science is still exploring the possibilities.

🕷️ 10. Moms have used breastmilk to treat eye infections, ear infections, eczema, and bug bites.
It’s the Swiss Army knife of fluids.

30/07/2025

PODS/ NESTS

Unless you plan on using a nest/ pod for baby's day time rests when you are present and awake with baby, they are not worth the financial outlay. They are recognised as a potential SUDI risk.

30/07/2025

We had 15 fabulous couples in our Pukekohe Pregnancy and Parenting course in July, including 2 midwives and a nurse! Birthbalance courses have been trusted by the Franklin community since 2014. We're here to support you on your journey to parenthood and beyond. We'll help you to feel confident and fully informed with everything you need to know about labour, birth and the early months of parenting. Our courses get fully booked very quickly. If you are due at the end of the year or in the new year, book our September and October course now (September is filling fast)! SEE OUR GOOGLE REVIEW! www.birthbalance.co.nz

09/07/2025

One of the biggest pitfalls we see again and again… If your baby is feeding more than the books or relatives tell you they should, it's probably completely normal. But if it goes against what you’re being told “should” be happening, it can be really distressing.

Do I have enough milk? Why is he so hungry? Is she not getting what she needs from me? What if my milk’s not good enough… It’s really easy to slip into a dark place.

Simply because we haven’t been given the right information.

Professor Amy Brown - Breastfeeding Uncovered and Emma Pickett IBCLC say it best:

"Breastfed babies feed lots, and I mean LOTS. If you listen to great aunty Mable she might tell you babies should be fed every four hours on the dot. Indeed, in the 1950s babies were brought from the nursery to their mother every four hours for a feed.

You’ll still find books telling you this is how babies should feed. However, this advice, quite simply, is nonsense." Prof Amy Brown

"Somehow, somewhere, new mothers got the message that the gap between when a baby stops a breastfeed and the time they start to need another one matters a very very great deal. 24 hours a day.

It seems to matter beyond all logic and reason. They see this magic number – 90 minutes, 2 hours, 3 hours – as a measure of something sacred. And it’s crap." Emma Pickett

Your baby’s tummy is tiny, breastmilk is easily digested, and babies feed for comfort, antibodies, pain relief and all sorts of things as well as food. Some days, it might feel like feeding is all you do.

The more milk we remove from the breast, the more we make. Regular and effective stimulation, especially in the early months, helps establish milk supply for the months ahead.

So get water, snacks, the remote, get comfy, and get ready to whip those magic b***s out way more often than you might think is reasonable.

Trust your body, and trust your baby!

Read Amy and Emma’s articles, read what other mothers have to say on the matter, and find the info and reassurance you need here https://human-milk.com/pages/frequent-feeding-is-normal

And if you have still concerns, you’ll find the support you need here https://human-milk.com/pages/find-breastfeeding-help

A Mission. A Movement. A Brand for Breastfeeding Mothers. Clothing, knowledge and community that new breastfeeding mothers need in order to thrive.

24/05/2025

A great day in Howick supporting 16 fabulous couples through their pregnancy and parenting education with Birthbalance Connect. You're going to make an amazing coffee group. Best wishes for your parenting journey.
Www.birthbalance.co.nz

19/05/2025

Another 29 fabulous new families through Birthbalance Pregnancy and Parenting Courses over the weekend. We love meeting and supporting new parents on their pregnancy and parenting journey. Helping families to make fully informed researched based decisions. We'll set up your coffee group and give you continued support during your pregnancy, labour, birth and once your little miracle arrives. SEE OUR GOOGLE REVIEWS. www.birthblance.co.nz

10/05/2025

Happy Mothers Day to all of our beautiful Birthbalance Mumas. May your day be filled with lots of love and hugs...

07/05/2025

JAUNDICE
Most newborn babies have some jaundice (yellow-ish skin) temporarily, from Day 2 to Day 7 of life. This is called physiological jaundice and happens as a result of baby’s natural adjustment to life outside the womb. The unborn baby needs more red blood cells to carry oxygen than he needs after birth when he is taking oxygen into his system through his lungs. As excess red blood cells are broken down by the body, one of the molecules which break off is a fat soluble yellow-pigment molecule called bilirubin. The baby’s liver and kidneys can’t process all of the bilirubin at once and some molecules find their way to the fatty tissue under the skin (making the skin look yellow) and also the fatty tissue of the brain making the baby sleepy.
If the condition is mild and baby continues to wake up for feeds every few hours, and does plenty of wee and poo to excrete the bilirubin molecules, jaundice does not cause any problems. If the baby becomes very sleepy as a result of excess circulating bilirubin he should be woken for feeds if he does not self-waken, and he may need stimulation and prompting to continue feeding properly after latching. Positioning baby’s bassinet in an area of the home where white light comes in, and exposing baby’s head and upper body to the light during the day will also help her body to eliminate the excessive bilirubin from her system. Note: baby should not be exposed to direct sunlight! New parents need to be aware of the importance of baby taking frequent and effective feeds if he is jaundiced. If baby is allowed to sleep for long periods the bilirubin builds up in the bloodstream, skin and brain tissue. The bilirubin is not readily eliminated from baby’s system via baby’s output (wee and poo), which slow down when baby is feeding infrequently. If baby is too sleepy to breastfeed he must be offered milk by finger feeds or bottle and medical help sought immediately. Excerpt NewBaby101 P75.

08/04/2025

At night time, prolactin, the hormone that facilitates breast milk production as well as bonding and attachment reaches the highest levels during night time breastfeeds. This means your baby will probably get the ‘best milk’ at night. Recent research also shows that eighty percent of our serotonin receptors are in the gut and night time breastmilk is rich in tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin - so this magic mummy milk is also helping the development of serotonin receptors and a healthy foundation for future well-being.

https://www.boobiefoods.com.au/blogs/boobie-foods-blog/does-your-baby-really-need-night-feeds?

Mostly, night time breastfeeds feel precious and beautiful, but there are niggling doubts about night time breastfeeding, especially if your baby is a ‘certain age’

31/03/2025

GIVEAWAY TIME! 🌟

WOW! What an EXTRAVAGANZA!

Hey, beautiful mamas, mamas-to-be, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and anyone excited about a little bundle of joy on the way! 👶💕

We’ve teamed up with some incredible brands to bring YOU a chance to win a HUGE bundle of pregnancy, birth, and family-friendly essentials to make this an extra special experience! 🎉

✨ What You Can Win: A dream bundle of pregnancy + birth must-haves worth over $1300!!!

Here’s what’s included:

1. Cute & Co – an amazing month’s worth of FREE nappies and wipes worth $100

2. HOTTEA MAMA – delicious teas for pregnancy and after worth $100

3. Little Beat First Aid - a very important Baby’s First Aid Kit worth $69

4. Olive Alley – a tailored facial and sachet of their very own Olive Jam pedicure soak to use at home worth $130

5. The Naked Chemist – post-partum skincare designed to gently treat acne breakouts after the event 🌿worth $95

6. Fragrance Cartel – your choice of two delicious designer fragrances worth $120

7. TENS machine hire from Driftaway – pain relief and relaxation with a FREE 6 week hire worth over $100

8. BirthBalance– an accredited online prenatal course of your choice from experienced childbirth educators and doulas 🎁 worth $150

9. nectarbodyandbath – an essentials hair and body care pack to pop in your hospital bag worth $120

10. Silverette – Sterling Silver protective and healing ni**le guards worth $95

11. Baby HQ – a designer cotton baby blanket valued at $99 plus a $25 store voucher

and last but not least Lullaby Lou BODY, BUMP, BIRTH, & BOO goodies – premium body, bump and body care to calm the nerves and keep that beautiful skin moisturised and glowing 🌱 Custom design your pre and post pregnancy package to the whopping value of $160!

📸 How to Enter:

FIRSTLY – GO TO PAGE AND CLICK ON THE GIVEAWAY POST

1. Like the post ❤️

2. Follow us + our awesome giveaway partners





.nz

3. Tag 3 of your friends and family ON THE POST —whether they’re expecting, are already grandparents, or can’t wait to be the best aunts and uncles! More tags = more chances to win.

4. Share to your story for an extra entry point.

👶 The winner will be announced on April 8, so be sure to enter before it’s too late!

NB Although it is not a condition of this giveaway, but due to the epic generosity of the participating companies, we would love to see the winner share the b***y on their IG page with the rest of the world!

Disclaimer: This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Instagram, nor is Instagram associated with this giveaway in any way. By entering, you agree to release Instagram from any liability.