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Made of GOLD Lactation

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Boston, MA
Made of GOLD Lactation

Make an Appointment (781) 579-8167
RN, IBCLC, private practice supporting lactation from prenatal to weaning.

I'm a Registered Nurse (RN), International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and a Neonatal Touch & Massage Specialist. Based in the South Shore, I have been supporting and helping families in Massachusetts for over 17 years. We will work together to develop a breastfeeding plan that works for your life and your family's needs. Let's not forget some time for infant massage education.

02/08/2026

The Trauma–Oxytocin–Feeding Feedback Loop

A traumatic birth doesn’t just “live in the mind.”
It lives in the nervous system—and that matters deeply for feeding.

Here’s what happens:
Birth trauma (emergency C-section, NICU stay, loss of control, fear, separation, pain) can shift the body into survival mode. When the nervous system is stuck in fight-or-flight, oxytocin—the hormone of bonding, calm, and milk ejection—can be harder to release.

The feedback loop:
• Trauma → increased stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline)
• Stress hormones → suppress oxytocin release
• Low oxytocin → challenges with letdown, bonding, and feeding
• Feeding struggles → reinforce feelings of failure, grief, or fear
• Mental health takes a hit → which further suppresses oxytocin

This is not a personal failure.
It’s a biological response to trauma.

Why oxytocin matters:
Oxytocin supports:
• Milk letdown
• Bonding and attachment
• Emotional regulation
• Feelings of safety and connection

When oxytocin is disrupted, parents may experience:
• Anxiety or panic around feeding
• Numbness or detachment
• Intrusive thoughts or hypervigilance
• Grief over “the birth they didn’t get”
• Feeding feeling mechanical, stressful, or overwhelming

And yes—this impacts feeding.
Breastfeeding, pumping, bottle feeding, and combo feeding can all feel harder when the body doesn’t feel safe.

The good news: this loop can be gently interrupted.

Trauma-informed solutions:
• Safety first: slowing down, choice, consent, predictability
• Feeding plans that prioritize regulation over perfection
• Skin-to-skin, warmth, low-pressure feeding environments
• Nervous system support (breathwork, grounding, somatic care)
• Mental health screening + support (especially after NICU or birth trauma)
• Lactation care that understands trauma—not just milk supply

💛 Feeding support should never re-traumatize.
💛 Healing and feeding can happen together.
💛 You are not broken—your body adapted to survive.

If this resonates, you’re not alone—and support exists. Book a session with us at www.madeofgoldlactation.com

02/07/2026

I’m Joanne Gagnon, RN, IBCLC, and the founder of Made of Gold Lactation. I specialize in trauma-informed lactation care for families navigating pregnancy, postpartum, NICU stays, and complex or stressful feeding journeys. With a background in neonatal intensive care and advanced lactation support, I work closely with parents experiencing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders by addressing one of the most common—and often overlooked—contributors: infant feeding stress.

My work focuses on supporting feeding challenges that can intensify anxiety, depression, grief, or feelings of loss of control, including low supply, pumping dependence, bottle refusal, NICU feeding, and weaning. Through compassionate education, nervous-system-aware care, and collaborative support with mental health providers, I help families feel more confident, regulated, and supported in their feeding decisions—without pressure or judgment.

I believe feeding support should protect both the parent’s mental health and the parent-infant relationship, and I strive to meet each family where they are, honoring their experiences, choices, and capacity.

02/06/2026

❤️ February 6 | Wear Red Day ❤️

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women—and maternal health and cardiovascular health are deeply connected.

Pregnancy is often the first “stress test” of the heart. Conditions like preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, diabetes, and preterm birth are linked to a higher lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease.

That’s why we wear red—to raise awareness, start conversations, and advocate for women’s heart health across the lifespan.

❤️ I wear red for my mother—who survived a quadruple bypass five years ago.

Who do you wear red for? Comment 👇 below!

02/05/2026

At Made of Gold Lactation, we understand that every birthing parent carries a unique story. Some are navigating anxiety, depression, or panic. Some have experienced birth trauma or difficult medical histories. And some simply want reassurance that their baby’s feeding journey will be safe, supported, and empowered.

I provide prenatal lactation guidance that meets you where you are—emotionally, mentally, and physically—so that when your baby arrives, you feel confident, informed, and supported.

Preparing for breastfeeding before your baby arrives is one of the most empowering steps you can take. Together, we will:
• Build confidence and reduce anxiety around breastfeeding, pumping, and feeding plans.
• Create a trauma-informed feeding plan tailored to your experiences and needs.
• Discuss realistic expectations for newborn feeding, including latch, supply, and supplementation options if needed.
• Plan for support alongside feeding goals, recognizing that adjustments may need to be made while working together postpartum.

We specialize in supporting parents and families who may feel anxious, overwhelmed, or uncertain about feeding, including those who:
• Have a history of trauma, abuse, or difficult births.
• Are managing anxiety, depression, or other mental health concerns.
• Are expecting or parenting a baby with complications or NICU stays.
• Are seeking gentle, trauma-informed, individualized guidance.

Every family deserves support that is compassionate, non-judgmental, and evidence-based. Our goal is to help you feel confident and supported, no matter the challenges you’ve faced or expect.

Virtual and In Person Prenatal consultations are available.

To book visit www.madeofgoldlactation.com or text 781-579-8167

02/01/2026

💗 February is Heart Health Month 💗

Heart health matters at every stage of life—including during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Research shows that breastfeeding is associated with long-term cardiovascular benefits for mothers. Lactating parents who breastfeed for longer durations have been shown to have a lower risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke later in life. This is thought to be related to improved metabolic regulation, healthier cholesterol profiles, and better blood sugar control during and after lactation.

Pregnancy itself places significant demands on the cardiovascular system. Breastfeeding may help support the body’s recovery by:
• Improving insulin sensitivity
• Supporting healthy lipid metabolism
• Aiding postpartum weight regulation
• Reducing inflammation over time

Importantly, individuals who experience pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, or gestational diabetes already have a higher lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease. For these parents, cardiovascular screening, follow-up care, and supportive feeding counseling are especially important—regardless of how they feed their baby.

Breastfeeding is not a requirement for heart health, and feeding decisions should always be individualized, supported, and free from pressure. What does matter is recognizing the postpartum period as a critical window for long-term cardiovascular wellness, education, and trauma-informed care.

This Heart Month, let’s remember:
🫀 Supporting parents supports heart health—now and for the future.

❤️

01/30/2026

Birth Trauma + Feeding

Birth doesn’t always go as planned.
Sometimes it’s fast and disorienting.
Sometimes it’s long, scary, or full of interventions you didn’t expect.
Sometimes you’re separated from your baby, or left holding a body that feels numb and confused.

And all of that?
It follows you into feeding.

Maybe your baby struggles to latch.
Maybe your letdown doesn’t come easily.
Maybe feeding feels harder than it “should.”
Maybe it feels overwhelming—or even triggering.

This is trauma-informed lactation care:
✨ Listening without judgment.
✨ Supporting without pressure.
✨ Making space for grief, healing, and unexpected outcomes.

Not every breastfeeding story is dreamy.
Not every parent has support.
And not every survivor wants to breastfeed—some can’t, some try, some thrive, some don’t.
All of them deserve compassion.

Here, your story is welcome—just as it is.
No shame. No shoulds. Just support.💛

01/23/2026

Maternal Health Awareness Day 💛
This year’s theme, Holding Ground on Maternal Health, is a reminder that we cannot afford to move backward on the progress made to protect mothers’ lives.

More than 80% of deaths during and after pregnancy are preventable. The solutions already exist: equitable access to prenatal and postpartum care, properly equipped birthing facilities, respectful and trauma-informed care. across the entire perinatal period.

Maternal health doesn’t end at delivery. It doesn’t end at the 6-week postpartum visit. And it doesn’t end when feeding challenges or physical symptoms are dismissed as “normal.”

With Heart Month around the corner, it’s also critical to remember that pregnancy is a cardiovascular stress test. Heart-related risks remain high well into the postpartum year, and early warning signs are too often missed.

Maternal health doesn’t stop at birth—and neither should our commitment to it.

01/20/2026

Make time for yourself.
Prioritize your health.

In the season of parenting and feeding, it can feel almost impossible to pause.
There is always another feed, another pump session, another bottle.

But being gentle with yourself matters.
Your body is doing extraordinary work.
Your nervous system deserves care too.

Even five minutes a day — to breathe, stretch, drink water, or sit in quiet — is not selfish.

And you don’t have to do this alone.
Let someone hold the baby.
Let someone wash the dishes.
Let someone sit with you while you rest.

YOU GOT THIS. 💛

01/13/2026

Words have weight.
Especially in our medical system.

One sentence.
One label.
One off-hand comment.

Those words can stay with someone for years—sometimes for a lifetime.

In birth, postpartum, and newborn care, people are often vulnerable, exhausted, and doing their very best. In breastfeeding and infant feeding, language carries even more weight.

Words like:
👎”Failure to latch”
👎”Insufficient milk”
👎”Lazy feeder”
👎”Poor milk supply”
👎”This is just not working”
👎”At least you can…”
👎”Your body just didn’t work”
👎”If you tried harder…”

These phrases don’t just describe feeding—they can become part of how a parent sees themselves.

I meet parents who can still repeat the exact words spoken to them during those early feeding days—sometimes years later. Words said in the hospital, the NICU, OB office, Pediatric office, can settle into the nervous system and stay there.

In perinatal and lactation care, how we say something matters just as much as what we say.
Language can create shame—or it can create safety.

Let’s choose words that support, inform, and protect families.
Because parents carry these words long after the feeding journey changes.

www.madeofgoldlactation.com

01/09/2026

If you had to describe your feeding journey in one word, what would it be?
Share below.
Every experience is valid. Every journey is unique.

01/07/2026

South Shore IBCLCs who connect, eat, laugh, collaborate, and support one another—because this work is better when we do it together.

Grateful for friendship, shared wisdom, and showing up for each other.

Address

Boston, MA

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 3pm
Wednesday	10am - 3pm
Thursday	10am - 3pm
Friday	10am - 6pm
Saturday	9am - 1pm

Website

http://madeofgoldlactation.com/

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