Alona Hodik IBCLC - Belly to Breastfeeding

20/02/2025

As a lactation consultant and a mom of 3 that breastfed for a total of 8 years I really want to take a moment and normalize not loving every moment of your breastfeeding journey.
You might think to yourself, wow, 8 years! That is a lot…. I know it sounds like a very long time and can even be overwhelming if you are just starting out your breastfeeding journey and especially if you are facing challenges.

But here is the thing, we are all allowed to have good days and not so good days.

What if I told you it is OK to not love every single moment of breastfeeding (or motherhood?) You are doing the best for your baby & that does not mean every moment will be enjoyable or perfect! And that is perfectly OK. You are the best mom your baby can have ❤️

04/02/2025

So cute!

19/09/2024

Most expecting or new parents have heard that newborns should be feeding at least 8 times in 24 hours. However, what you might not know is that most newborns, for the first six weeks of life, usually feed for about 45 to 60 minutes. THIS is normal as long as the latch does not hurt, baby is comfortable and relaxed during the feed, does not fall asleep within 5-10 minutes and at the end of the feed baby is happy and calm and can sleep well.

The good news are that although the first 6 weeks are quite intense and tiring usually by the end of these 6 weeks, babies will feed for 30 to 40 minutes and by 2.5-3 months feeding time will go down to 10 to 20 minutes. So if you just had a baby and feeding take forever, make sure you’re comfortable, watch a show or read the book and know that this too shall pass and will get easier.

08/11/2023

How to bring back your breastmilk supply?
I have been seeing a lot of moms lately who suddenly have a drop in their milk supply. This can happen due to different reasons such as, but not limited to: stress, period returning, feeding/pumping less etc.

The biggest thing to remember is that if you had the milk and suddenly there is less in most cases it can come back and there are things we can do to help. You’ve got this!

This mom has a 2 month old and suddenly her milk supply dropped. Look at how everything she has been doing in the last few days is working! Well done 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

If this is happening to you I am happy to help and am available on WhatsApp +65 6729 2268.

13/09/2023

I always make time for continued education on and how best to support the families I work with. Especially when I have such a cute study partner 😻

14/07/2023

Exactly this 💜

15/06/2023

It’s funny because it’s true 🤣

👀 I’ll never look at these lights the same way again.

09/06/2023

Nope, you don't need to stop breastfeeding at night.

Skeletons examined from long ago find perfect teeth in breastfed children, so it's our recent diets that are causing the issues. We have a LOT of dietary sugar and processed foods, even when we think we eat well. Sugar is even in baby foods suitable for 6 month olds!

If you're concerned about cavities don't stop breastfeeding, but check out their diet and make sure you're brushing their teeth twice a day. 🦷🪥

06/06/2023

Things are heating up! Here is some handy info about breastfeeding in the heat...

05/06/2023

Alongside tucking their bum in, one of my other favourite tips is pulling them round your body in the direction of their feet. So, for example, if they're in cradle/Cross cradle and latched to your left b**b, you'd pull them round to the right.
If they're in side lying, pull them down your body.

This helps with angles for latching, comfort, effectiveness and helps clear their nose of the b**b a bit for a lot of people (not everyone)

05/06/2023

And it's not just that there isn't any harm. Far from it. For a start, from an evolutionary and global perspective many societies have a median breastfeeding duration of around 3 years (and non human primates tend to stop when they get their first permanent teeth - equivalent to about 5 / 6 years in humans.

But there's a whole host of 'benefits' to you and your baby too. I put that in inverted commas as if something is biologically normal, can it really be a benefit? Whatever the wording...

Breastmilk still contains antibodies and the few studies that compare health outcomes for older children find fewer infections in breastfed children.

Breastmilk still has a load of energy & nutrition in it - perfect for busy / fussy toddlers or when they're sick.

The longer you breastfeed, the lower your risk of ovarian and breast cancer.

It may help with mouth, jaw & tooth development.

It's a brilliant parenting tool & way to support emotions.

Possibly your periods may stay away for longer which can be a great thing if you experience painful periods / hormonal issues.

Sometimes dealing with other people’s ridiculous comments is more of an issue than actually breastfeeding a toddler though. People suggest it’s all about comfort with no nutritional value (umm nope) or that comfort is somehow a bad thing (umm nope again) all the while eating and drinking things they like and doing it for comfort (internal scream).

Another really bizarre thing people suggest is that you’re somehow ‘doing it for yourself’ rather than your baby needing you. Clearly whoever comes out with this nonsense has never actually tried to breastfeed a baby who does not want to be fed. Nor have they seen toddler nursing gymnastics and been poked in the eye with a foot mid feed.

But actually it's ok if you're doing this for you. Continuing breastfeeding protects your health & may be important to you for all sorts of reasons.

Surround yourself with people who know why you are doing what you are doing and think it’s normal.

25/05/2023

What a wonderful way to start the day 💕💕💕