Snohomish Valley Breastfeeding - Shannon Demiter IBCLC

08/27/2025

Your body and your baby work together to make the milk your baby needs. Milk supply grows when milk is removed often and effectively. Responding to your baby’s cues, latching well, and spending time skin-to-skin all help keep the cycle going.

08/15/2025

I carried my 9 year old yesterday when we were on a long hike 😬😬😬
Some species park their young in a nest or burrow and come back to feed them (like bunnies). Others, like humans, are built to carry our babies close.

Why?
•Human babies are born very immature compared to other mammals. Their brains and bodies still have a lot of developing to do.
•Staying close regulates their temperature, heart rate, breathing, and even blood sugar.
•Being carried keeps them calm, helps digestion, and supports bonding.
•Your movement is their favorite lullaby—they’ve been rocked to sleep by your walking since before they were born.

What this means in real life:
•Your baby isn’t “spoiled” for wanting to be held. They’re wired for it.
•Baby gear can help, but nothing replaces the biology of your arms or a good carrier.
•You’ll get more done (and have freer hands) if you learn to use a wrap, sling, or soft-structured carrier early on.

So, instead of wondering how to stop holding your baby so much… lean in to it. You were made for this. And so were they. 🤱✨

08/12/2025

08/09/2025

Nursing after a C-section! Beautiful!!

08/08/2025

08/06/2025

Only 1% of babies are still exclusively breastfed at 6 months.
Not because moms don’t want to. But because the system fails them.

Breastfeeding is one of the hardest things a mom can do. You’re handed a baby and told it’s “natural,” but no one prepares you for cracked ni***es, latch issues, tongue ties, colic, and the exhaustion of being the only one who can feed your baby.

81% of women start breastfeeding. By 6 weeks, it drops to 24%. By 4 months, 12%. By 6 months, only 1%. That’s not a mom problem. That’s a support problem.

We don’t need another pamphlet. We don’t need to be told to “try harder.” We need real help. Lactation consultants included in standard postpartum care. Hands-on support when things aren’t working. A system that shows up for moms instead of leaving them to figure it out in the middle of the night, bleeding, crying, and Googling if their baby is starving.

Moms aren’t failing. We’re being failed.
Stop blaming moms. Start supporting them.