Thrive Lactation Consultants- Josie Plant RN IBCLC

11/11/2025

While some discomfort may be expected during initial engorgement, pain on latching otherwise should not be expected.

Latch pain is a sign that there is something not quite right with the latch.
Telling lactating parents that pain with breastfeeding/chestfeeding is normal, prevent them from accessing the support they need to optimise their breastfeeding/chestfeeding journey.

Usually, when someone tells you that pain in breastfeeding/chestfeeding is normal and to be expected, they are actually projecting their own experience of not being adequately supported or adequately informed.

And LOTS of people still believe that pain should be expected in the first few weeks. Because LOTS of people don't get the support they deserve for a comfortable feeding experience!

If it hurts, seek support. don't suffer through it. Don't accept it as normal. It can get better.

11/11/2025

Be discreet.
No.

Cover up.
No.

Go sit in a private area.
No.

Go feed in the bathroom.
No.

I am not ashamed of feeding my child. Why do you think I should be? I won't hide because you have been misinformed. I won't hide because you have a relationship with breasts that does not align with mine.

Breastfeeding/chestfeeding is not shameful.
I will feed my child without discretion, without hiding, without shame.
Get over it.

09/11/2025

The 4 pillars of milk supply.

Milk supply is one of the number one stressors for new parents in breastfeeding/chestfeeding. There are so many different factors that cause doubt in milk supply, so often lactating parents may believe their supply is not good enough when it is actually exactly what their baby needs. This is perceived low supply.

Actual low supply happens when one or more of the 4 pillars of milk supply are cracked or broken.

So, what do we actually need for milk supply?

No, it's not special supplements, drinking 5 litres a day, or specific foods (I'm looking at you "lactation cookies").

The answer is:
1. Frequency of milk removal
2. Effectiveness of milk removal and breast stimulation
3. Hormone balance
4. Adequate functional breast tissue and nerve supply

If you have ACTUAL low milk supply, the answer lies in one of these 4 pillars of milk supply.

This is why it's so important to seek support, as some of these factors can be difficult to identify and need proper assessment.

23/10/2025

Please don't use these feeding devices. Not only are they unsafe, but they don't allow for the connection and regulation that babies need at feeding time. And for those saying "but what about twins or multiples". I had twins. I still wouldn't touch a device like this to feed my babies. There are better strategies.

Self-feeding pillows can be deadly. That’s because the baby can’t push the bottle away, so can choke or suffer aspiration pneumonia.

Your baby needs you with them while they are feeding, so you can react if they start gagging or choking.

Avoid using anything that encourages you to leave your baby alone to feed with a propped-up bottle.

In 2022, an urgent safety alert was issued for baby self-feeding pillows. Yet, self-feeding pillows are still available to buy in some places. And, Office for Product Safety and Standards warned today that new variants of these dangerous products are available online.

To learn more about these and other dangerous baby products visit: https://capt.org.uk/10-baby-products-that-could-pose-serious-safety-risk/

18/09/2025

I'm taking some much-needed time off.

Please note that I am on annual leave for the next couple of weeks and at times will not be contactable (no phone reception/internet where I'm going).

I will return for my next available appointment on the 10th of October.

14/09/2025

Should children be exposed to breastfeeding/chestfeeding?

Short answer: yes, absolutely.

Long answer: yes, children seeing breastfeeding/chestfeeding in action is essential for the collective success of breastfeeding/chestfeeding.

Children learn through observing, role modelling and mimic play.

If we really want breastfeeding/chestfeeding to succeed at a population level, children MUST be exposed to it.

How else will they learn?

How else will they learn what is normal?
How else will they learn how to do it?
How else will they learn how to support it?

Our children grow up to be the next generation of parents- needing to understand how to feed their babies.

Our children grow up to be the next policy makers, politicians, infrastructure developers, educators, health care professionals, friends, strangers, members of society- your child can become an adult that knows, accepts and supports breastfeeding/chestfeeding. We need adults, in all social capacity, to protect breastfeeding/chestfeeding, to scaffold around breastfeeding/chestfeeding parents and ensure success.

We need to teach our children how.
We teach our children by allowing them to see how.

Don't hide biologically normal infant feeding from children.

06/09/2025

Happy Father's Day (Australia)!!

To all of the dads and those who identify with the father role, I wish you a wonderful day.

Did you know that you do not need to feed your baby to bond with your baby?

Amazingly, 1 hour of skin-to-skin is enough to wire the non-lactating parent brain for bonding.

This helps the non-birth parent to work out what baby needs more quickly and helps to work out how to calm baby better for an easier parenting experience!

Baby wearing is a wonderful way for the non-lactating parent to settle baby.

Ensure the carrier is properly and safely fitted for comfort and effectiveness. (see the TICKS guidelines).

A nice bath together with your baby can help to re-connect at the end of the day (after work) before baby goes to bed.

All of these activities support bonding and connection. Not having the 'breasts' to calm and nurture baby can feel frustrating and helpless sometimes. When the lactating parent becomes the default parent, the non-lactating parent may feel left out and disconnected.

Try to take the focus off the task of feeding and think about all the wonderful things you CAN do as the parent without the milk supply. In doing so, you are supporting your partner, building your parenting confidence and setting the foundation for the long-term relationship with your child.

Happy Father's Day xx

29/08/2025

Have you breastfed/chestfed through difficult circumstances?

What has pure DETERMINATION got you through?

***Personal story time!***

Today is the 8-year anniversary of my brain tumour diagnosis.

When my 4th baby was 7 months old, I could no longer ignore and dismiss some symptoms I was experiencing. Long story short, I ended up at the (old) Royal Adelaide Hospital Emergency department for an urgent MRI which confirmed a 3cm Vestibular Schwannoma/acoustic neuroma.

> 8 years since I started pumping madly to prepare for our separation (ie. surgery and hospital admission).

> 8 years since I started deep diving into the literature around radiology and breastfeeding, surgery and breastfeeding, medications in breastfeeding.

> 8 years since I had to find a way for my direct-breastfed baby to work out how to get my milk from something other than me.

I used the time between my diagnosis and my surgery to prepare for breastfeeding success. I managed to pump enough expressed milk to cover his needs, created a written plan for my health care staff to follow- teaching them how to use my pump and when to use it, knowing that I would not be able to do this myself at times (unconscious in the ICU).

My surgery was on the 19th of October in the new RAH- a 12 hour marathon procedure, followed by a night in intensive care and a week in hospital total. Due to an additional complication of an abusive and manipulative father of my baby, visits with my baby were limited and I worked hard to maintain my supply through pumping alone.

Post-op was hard. REALLY hard. I couldn't see properly. One eye was patched for 7 months due to facial paralysis so I had no depth perception. I had poor coordination, couldn't look after myself, felt constant dizziness and vertigo. Pumping was a nightmare! I knocked bottles over. I forced myself to wake up to pump every 2-3 hours when all I wanted to do was sleep and recover. I was desperately fatigued, and alone. Physically, I was the most awful I have ever felt.

But I was determined to meet my breastfeeding goals.

This circumstance could have been the end of my breastfeeding journey, but through motivation, determination, planning and being informed, I continued until he was 4 years of age.

Don't underestimate determination.

What has determination got you through in your breastfeeding/chestfeeding journey?

(picture of me, Josie Plant, pumping after brain surgery in the hospital bed, 2017)

22/08/2025

Can you believe it?
Nestle are still using predatory, aggressive marketing methods!

You may already be aware of the unethical practices of formula production company Nestle.
You may also be aware of the boycott of Nestle, that started in the 70's.
But are you aware that they are STILL using unethical marketing practices??

Nestle have a long history of aggressive marketing. did you know that they used to send sales-people into hospitals, posing as nurses, to market their product directly to new parents and health professionals, lying about their product being superior to breastmilk.

You would think that this is a thing of the past, right?

WRONG!

Nestle are still using "health professional" (sold their soul to the devil) sales-people to market their product, but these days they need to be even more under-handed about it (as we have the Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and the history of MAIF to guide marketing practices to prevent predatory marketing). I have seen this just last week in fact.

How?

By using employed dieticians to make contact with hospital health professionals and attempting to sell their free education sessions, promote brand loyalty, requesting ignoring standard branding rotations (just stick with us instead), and attempting to market expensive specialist formula.

Why is this a problem?

By using health professionals to market products, this gives the appearance of being authentic and trustworthy, reinforcing their strategy to appear science-based and genuine.
Education designed by formula companies is fraught with issue: biased information, conflict of interest, fake science, talking about the "benefits" of formula types that they produce, even if the sessions are "unbranded".
Providing "free" services builds relationships, psychological preference towards brands. 'You scratch our back, we'll scratch yours!'
Education designed by formula brands are at high risk of containing information detrimental to breastfeeding, despite appearing to promote breastfeeding at a surface level.

Nestle are also in bed with SAHMRI.
You won't get solid scientific results from a study funded by the companies that are set to benefit from the results. Again- issues with bias and conflict of interest.

And people get sucked in!!
Even experienced, senior health professionals.

That's why Nestle still use these tactics.
The boycotts taught them nothing, other than to be increasingly sneaky in their marketing attempts.

Formula is a 55 billion dollar industry, and companies spend millions on marketing.

Don't get sucked in. Open your eyes.

https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/baby-friendly-resources/international-code-marketing-breastmilk-substitutes-resources/the-impact-of-infant-formula-marketing/

https://waronwant.org/sites/default/files/THE%20BABY%20KILLER%201974.pdf

https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/food-drink/continuing-controversies-nestle

https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/report-nestle/

https://utopia.org/guide/crime-controversy-nestles-5-biggest-scandals-explained/

20/08/2025

Mastitis
Potential triggers and causative factors.

What causes mastitis?

There are several factors that may make you more prone to mastitis and localised breast inflammation.
The main themes are:

>Hyperlactation- producing too much milk
>Mammary Dysbiosis- imbalance of breast bacteria
>Breast/ni**le damage/trauma.

Pumping can cause too much milk, breast or ni**le trauma from poor fit or incorrect use, and prevent saliva transfer- impacting on the breast microbiome.

Caesarean birth upsets the natural breast microbiome and increases risk of inflammation.

Tongue tie, shallow latching, ineffective feeding can lead to ni**le trauma which can result in inflammation.

Certain medical conditions and medications can increase risk.

Recurrent mastitis or localised breast inflammation (previously called blocked ducts) may be a result of the triggering factor not being addressed, or treatments such as heat, massage, vibration and overuse of the breast, exacerbating the inflammation and not giving your body the opportunity to heal.

If you are experiencing mastitis, it's important to identify the reason why, not just treating the issue, but preventing it from coming back.
See your local IBCLC for further assessment.

Katrina Mitchell's website has a great overview of mastitis spectrum and management advice: https://physicianguidetobreastfeeding.org/maternal-concerns/mastitis-and-associated-complications/

18/08/2025

Let's talk about "snack feeding".

Some people think "snack feeding" should be avoided and worked away from.
I don't subscribe to this thought.

Snack feeding is the term sometimes used for short, frequent feeds and is often considered the opposite of a "full feed".

Think about all the reasons WHY babies breast/chestfeed.

If you consider that your baby is more than just a gastro-intestinal system, who's needs go beyond that of just being "filled up", you can start to appreciate the need for those frequent, snack style feeds.

So, we'll look at the list of potential reasons why your baby might need a breast/chestfeed.

~ hunger
~ thirst
~ stressed
~ tired
~ connection seeking
~ feeling dysregulated
~ pain
~ wind
~ overwhelmed
~ bored
~ sick
~ teething
~ scared
~ needing comfort
~ needing a poo
~ needing a burp

How many times a day do you have feelings- emotional, physical?
As an adult, you can do things to manage these feelings.
Yet, babies rely on feeding to manage the vast majority of their physical and emotional regulation.
They often need to feed at least 14 times in 24 hours.
Research tells us that normal, biological frequency of feeding is anywhere between every 30 minutes to 1.5 hourly (Dettwyler).

Not every feed needs to be a "full feed"
Not every feed will be for the purpose of meeting hunger and nutrition requirements.

"Snack-feeding" is not snack-feeding. It's using breastfeeding and chestfeeding for all those purposes for which nature intended.
Short feeds are OK.

However, if you are concerned that your baby is not getting enough milk, is tiring before they are finished feeding then please see your local IBCLC.

07/08/2025

As World Breastfeeding Week comes to a close, there's two themes I want to cover.
When putting the spotlight on something as emotional as breastfeeding/chestfeeding, this can raise some feelings for many people.
I'm talking about breastfeeding grief.
For many, not reaching personal feeding goals, or even in reaching feeding goals but having had a journey with challenges, the spotlight on infant feeding naturally leads to personal reflection.
Your feelings are valid. It's perfectly normal to have strong emotions.
The second theme is "Fed is Best". This concept often hits strongly during World Breastfeeding Week, in the defensiveness against breastfeeding/chestfeeding struggles. It's a concept directly tied to breastfeeding/chestfeeding grief.

Breastfeeding/chestfeeding can be hard. It can be REALLY hard. Support often isn't readily available, and society is full of detrimental misinformation. And we also know how great breastfeeding/chestfeeding is for babies and mothers/birth parents, the environment, economy and public health- and often hearing all this information just makes it hurt more when your own journey hasn't gone to plan.

World Breastfeeding Week isn't just to celebrate how great breastfeeding/chestfeeding and human milk is. It's about acknowledging the struggles and the barriers and working together to find a way to make it work on a population level.

So, this post is a 2-for-1: grief and 'fed is best'. It's about seeing the struggles and validating your feelings.

Understand "Fed is Best" here:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/c0vyHgSnF_0