Your Inner Light

03/10/2024

"Your milk is WAY MORE than just food for your baby. Your milk is actually the perfect MEDICINE.

Not only is it made specifically for your baby, but also for exactly what is making them sick."

✨Breastmilk is magical for so many reasons!✨
This is another mind blowing benefit of providing breastmilk for your baby. 💖

❤ BREASTFEEDING FACT ❤
Your body/breasts can detect if your baby is ill and adapt to provide your baby with the antibodies they need to get better...

Research that suggests that when your baby nurses at the breast, their saliva may actually be transferred backwards into the ni**le. This allows your body to begin the process of creating breast milk that is specifically attacking the virus or bacteria that is making your baby ill.

This is one of the reasons why breastfed babies tend to have fewer infections, and when they do get sick, they recover more quickly.

Your milk is WAY MORE than just food for your baby. Your milk is actually the perfect MEDICINE.

Not only is it made specifically for your baby, but also for exactly what is making them sick.

These changes that occur in breast milk to accommodate your babies needs, can sometimes be seen when the milk is pumped. It may appear as a different color than usual, although this is NOT always visible. You do not need to worry if you cannot detect the change, just trust that your body knows exactly what to do to take care of your little one.

This is something important for exclusively pumping moms to keep in mind. While your breast milk will respond to the detection of a virus or foreign bacteria in your environment, you may not be receiving the “communication” of the baby’s saliva drawing up into the ni**le as with nursing.

My best advice for all breastfeeding moms, nursing at the breast or exclusively pumping is to find ways to be as close to your baby as possible.

Even being drooled on (among other things) will help this transfer to take place and kick start your body to begin the process of creating the special “medicine” that your baby needs and can only get from you. ❤

📸 Melissa Jean Photography (Australia)

To learn more, watch Simply Breastfeeding, my Online Breastfeeding Course!

02/14/2024

❤️🤱🏽❤️

01/25/2024

Cluster feeding is normal. It may happen on and off throughout your breastfeeding journey! However, if you’re concerned, please reach out. I’d love to help. 😊

01/20/2024

🩵🩷🩵When working with families, one of the most common concerns I hear is, “My partner wants to give the baby a bottle so they can bond with the baby, and they also want to give the baby a bottle to help me out. When should we start?” The answer to this question does not come with a one size fits all answer. We start by identifying your breastfeeding goals. I provide education on baby becoming a good, established breast feeder, and the risks of introducing bottles too early. We talk about how if your desire is to exclusively provide mother’s own milk, it is important to pump when baby gets a bottle, which means that you don't really get to “skip” a feed: you almost always need to pump while your partner feeds baby their bottle. But perhaps more importantly, we explore ways that your partner can bond with their baby, and help aside from feeding bottles. When you step back to think about it, literally the ONLY thing your partner CAN’T do is breastfeed! And sometimes, introducing a bottle creates more work than not. I acknowledge the deep parental desire to connect with your baby. There is nothing as sacred as creating a bond with this tiny human you love so deeply. A few ways to foster that connection outside of feedings that can also be meaningful ways to help out include;

👶🏽Holding baby skin to skin after feedings

🛁Being in charge of bathtime

😴Taking care of baby’s bedtime routine

💩Doing diaper changes

🚿Snuggling baby while mom takes a shower

🥤Making sure mom has access to snacks and something to drink

🫶🏻Giving your baby a massage to settle them down or help them relax

💖Providing words of encouragement to your partner

📖Reading to your baby

🧺Doing the dishes or running a load of laundry

👣Rocking or soothing your baby so they know you are responsive to their needs

The possibilities are endless! I love hearing the ideas couples come up with. Not only do these actions help parents bond with their baby, they create teamwork in couples, and they can help the breastfeeding mom feel appreciated and supported. If you have any additional ideas, drop them below! ⬇️

01/14/2024

Some breastfeeding (and motherhood) moments are picture-perfect and beautiful, while others are frustrating and difficult. We are set up with the expectation that things are going to be easy, and that we should enjoy each fleeting second with our infant. There is pressure from every angle to make all the right decisions and to have a “good” baby. Also bestowed upon us is a plethora of advice from well-meaning people in our lives whose experiences, goals, and priorities differ greatly from our own. If you need to feel seen, heard, and understood, please reach out! I offer lactation consultations and life coaching packages that are tailored to your individual needs. I will meet you wherever you are in your journey free of judgment or expectation. I strive to create a space that is safe, honest, and empowering for the women I work with.❤️