Monroe County Lactation

01/03/2026

Babies eat what they feel the need, snacks or smorgasbord…

12/31/2025

Feeding and resting together…there is a way!

Nursing your baby takes energy, time, and care. Rest is not a reward you earn later. It is part of how you get through the day and the night. If this is what your world looks like right now, feeding your baby and resting together, you are doing exactly what matters.

12/31/2025

To all new moms…it’s good to have help, to see how others soothe your little one. Becoming MOM isn’t overnight. It’s gradual, but you will be MOM for a lifetime.

My parents visited when you were four weeks old. Dad quietly got to work. He cleaned our oven and fridge. The smell of Dettol filled our flat and felt like love.

Mum kept the washing rolling over and made the beds. They bought organic strawberries from a local farmers' market. "This will do you good. Get those vitamins zinging" Mum said.

They could see I was delirious with no sleep so they took you after a feed and packed me off to bed. I could hear them trying to pacify you for a wee while as I zonked out.

Dad apologetically nudged me from my slumber: "Sorry doll. He's hungry again." I didn't understand why he was apologising. I had woken up smiling and refreshed. "How long was I out for? It felt like ages" I said, as if I were emerging from a coma. Dad half-laughed his reply: "About 20 minutes".

Between feeds, Mum held you and you melted into her arms. You looked more content with her than with me. But I didn't mind. I put it down to the bigger b***s but really it was some innate calmness.

I watched her little ways. She knew exactly how to hold you. How to pat you. How to talk to you. "Tell me a wee story" she'd say as you looked up wide-eyed and round-mouthed. It felt like a masterclass in mothering that I needed to see. I had felt silly talking to you up until that point.

There is nothing quite so delicate as a first-time mum. She will never forget the way people tried to help. Those who wrapped her up in love and for a moment made her feel like a baby again.

Words: Mother Truths

12/31/2025

Human milk is amazing…

Human milk is not static. It responds to the environment, including the season!!! 😮

A 2024 study published in eBioMedicine found that the types and amounts of human milk oligosaccharides change depending on the time of year (Matharu et al., 2024). HMOs are complex sugars in breast milk that do not feed the baby directly. Instead, they nourish beneficial gut bacteria and play a key role in shaping immune development 🦠🛡️

The researchers observed that during colder months, when respiratory and gastrointestinal infections are MORE prevalent, specific HMOs were present in different concentrations and patterns. These seasonal changes in milk composition were associated with measurable differences in the infant gut microbiota… meaning the bacteria living in the baby’s intestines shifted alongside the milk they received 🧬🫨

SOOOO why does this matter to us?

HMOs *promote* the growth of protective bacteria while helping block pathogens from attaching to the gut lining. Seasonal adjustments in HMOs may help infants better adapt to seasonal infection, particularly during winter when illness risk is higher ❄️🤍

In simple terms: your breast milk is season aware. It adjusts to help protect your baby when winter bugs are circulating and supports gut and immune health in ways that CANNOT be replicated by formula.

12/20/2025

Research shows: When you receive the right breastfeeding support right after your baby is born, you’re more likely to still be meeting your breastfeeding goals when your baby turns 6 months.

At Baby-Friendly designated birth facilities, staff have extra breastfeeding training to help you and your baby get a great start—so you can keep going strong.

Don’t leave your support to chance. ➡️

📍 Find a Baby-Friendly facility near you: https://www.babyfriendlyusa.org/for-parents/find-a-baby-friendly-facility/

12/11/2025

Yes the balance every child needs from infancy to adulthood…

Some dads just have that “let’s play!” energy.
They’re the wild ones, the tickle monsters, the human jungle gym.
Kids run to them for the giggles, the chaos, the adventures that turn the whole house into a playground.

And then there’s moms…
We’re the safe place.
The soft landing.
The arms they melt into when their world feels a little too big or a little too loud.
Kids run to us for the calm, the comfort, the steady heartbeat that tells them everything is okay.

It’s not that one is better than the other it’s that together, it just works.
The fun and the comfort.
The wild and the gentle.
The balance every child needs to feel loved, grounded, and completely understood.

11/17/2025

Human milk is the only biologically active food on the planet.
It contains living cells, stem cells, immunoglobulins, lysozymes, lactoferrin, HMOs, hormones, cytokines, enzymes, microRNA, antimicrobials, antivirals, and over 1,000 molecular components that scientists are still discovering.

Every single feed triggers a biochemical feedback loop:
your baby’s saliva signals your mammary glands, your glands adjust the concentration of antibodies, and the composition of your milk shifts within minutes to meet that exact need.

Breast milk is not “liquid gold” because it’s cute it’s liquid gold because it is a dynamic, species-specific, immunologically active substance engineered by human evolution to protect human infants.

The more we study it, the clearer it becomes:
breast milk isn’t just nutrition it’s a living system.
A biological masterpiece that no lab has ever been able to duplicate.

11/13/2025

A lower risk of breast cancer has long been recognized among the benefits of breastfeeding for mothers. Now, researchers are closer to understanding why.

A new study found that:
✅ Having babies and breastfeeding causes CD8+ T cells—a special type of immune cell—to accumulate in normal breast tissue.
✅ These protective cells remain in the tissue for decades after childbirth.
✅ They act as long-term guards, helping prevent breast cancer—especially the aggressive triple-negative type.
✅ However, this protective T-cell response was observed ONLY after a full cycle of lactation and breast recovery.

Lifelong health benefits for babies AND mothers—that’s why BFUSA partners with facilities to support every family in meeting their breastfeeding goals.🤱🏽

11/08/2025

Looking into your delivering hospital and what they offer sets the stage for a favorable birth story.

This Holiday weekend, lactation professionals from all across our state will be traveling to the Annual BEST at the Beach Conference which will take place November 9-10. One of our main conference focuses is the MPinc Score (both the National and State). Here’s some fun information for you!

🤱 What is the mPINC score — and why does it matter?

mPINC stands for Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care.
It’s a nationwide survey from the CDC that measures how well hospitals support breastfeeding and safe infant feeding.

Hospitals are scored from 0–100 based on practices like:

✨ Skin-to-skin care right after birth
✨ Rooming-in (keeping baby with parents 24/7)
✨ Lactation support and follow-up
✨ Avoiding formula unless medically necessary
✨ Staff training and breastfeeding-friendly policies

The most recent national average score in the U.S. is 82/100 and the Alabama Score is 76/100.

Higher mPINC scores = better hospital practices = stronger breastfeeding success.

Here’s why it matters:

When hospitals support breastfeeding, families are more likely to meet their feeding goals.

This data empowers communities, breastfeeding advocates, and hospitals to work together to improve care for moms and babies.

Strong maternity care practices don’t just happen —
they happen on purpose. 💙

11/06/2025

11/02/2025

Breastfeeding has been linked to a lower risk of breast and ovarian cancer. It reduces lifetime exposure to estrogen, delays ovulation, and promotes healthy breast cell differentiation, all factors that work together to help protect against cancer. The longer a parent breastfeeds, the greater the protective effect.

[Image Description] A photo of an infant nursing in a mother's arm. Text reads, "Breastfeeding is linked to a decreased risk of developing both breast and ovarian cancer." The La Leche League USA logo sits below the text.