Ellen Gulson IBCLC

09/11/2025

12/10/2025

“Pumping Hurts — Is It the Fl**ge Size?”

Let’s talk about fl**ge fit — because one size does not fit all 🌀

If pumping is uncomfortable, your output is low, or your ni***es look swollen after a session...
🚨 It could be your fl**ge size.

🤔 What’s a Fl**ge, Again?

The fl**ge (or breast shield) is the part of the pump that goes over your ni**le and ar**la.

The standard size included with most pumps?
➡️ Usually 24 or 28mm.
But most people don’t need that size — and using the wrong one can cause:

⚠️ Pain or pinching
⚠️ Swelling or blistering
⚠️ Poor milk removal
⚠️ Ni**le damage
⚠️Recurrent inflammation/mastitis

✅ A Good Fl**ge Fit Looks Like:

✔️ Ni**le moves freely in the tunnel without rubbing
✔️ Ar**la stays mostly outside the fl**ge
✔️ No pulling, friction, or pinching
✔️ No pain during or after pumping
✔️ Ni**le returns to normal shape shortly after pumping
✔️ Milk flow is consistent and efficient

📏 How to Find Your Fl**ge Size:

🧼 Measure your ni**le diameter (not the ar**la!) in millimeters
📏 Do it when your ni**le is warm and not engorged
If you can't quite work it out, ask for help. An IBCLC can help you to get the right size

🎯 Fl**ge fit can make or break your pumping experience — and you deserve to pump without pain.

💬 Have you ever been sized for your fl**ge? Did changing sizes help?

**geFitMatters **geSize **geEducation

03/10/2025

Why Won’t My Baby Focus While Feeding?”

👶📱🧠 Welcome to the 4-Month Distracted Baby Phase

At around 3.5–5 months, many breastfeeding parents notice a sudden shift:

🍼 Baby latches, then pulls off
👀 Baby hears a sound and turns their head mid-feed
👋 Baby swats at your chest, arches away, or seems "too busy" to nurse
🕒 Feeds become short, erratic, or spaced out

It’s not your milk.
It’s not that baby doesn’t want you.
It’s development.

What’s Going On?

At this age, babies go through a major brain leap:

🧠 Heightened awareness of the world
👁 Improved vision and hearing
🎉 FOMO kicks in hard!

This often gets lumped in with the “4-month sleep regression” — but it also shows up during feeding.

What Can Help?

🌙 Try feeding in a dark, quiet room
🎶 Use white noise or soft music
🤱 Offer more frequent, shorter feeds
🧸 Limit stimulation (toys, siblings, screen noise)
🌅 Feed when baby is sleepy — right after waking or before naps

✨ This stage usually passes in a few weeks.
If baby is still having wet nappies, gaining well, and content between feeds — you’re doing just fine.

🫶 You don’t need to night-wean or switch to bottles — you might just need some ninja feeding techniques and patience.

💬 Did your baby go through the Distracted Feeder Phase? What helped you get through it?

24/09/2025

🔥 Burning, stinging ni**le pain — but baby’s latch looks fine?
Let’s talk about ni**le vasospasm — a lesser-known cause of breastfeeding pain that isn’t about positioning or infection.

Also known as Raynaud’s of the ni**le, this condition causes the blood vessels in the ni**le to constrict — leading to:

🚫 Sharp or burning ni**le pain
🎯 Pain that comes after feeds (not just during)
🎨 Ni**le color changes (white, purple, or blue)
🌬 Pain triggered by cold, stress, or even air exposure

Many people are told it’s thrush or “normal” pain — but vasospasm is real, and it’s treatable.

💡 Warm compresses, magnesium, and proper latch support can make a big difference. In some cases, medications may help.

✨ Pain is a signal — not a rite of passage. If you're experiencing these symptoms, reach out for help. You deserve a breastfeeding experience without suffering.

**lePain **leVasospasm

15/09/2025

🍼 Have You Heard of D-MER?
You’re not alone — and you’re not broken. 💛

D-MER (Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex) is a real, physiological response some breastfeeding or pumping parents experience — and yet, it's rarely talked about.

💭 It shows up as a sudden wave of negative emotions — like sadness, dread, anxiety, or even anger — that happens just before or during letdown (when milk starts to flow). The feelings often last only a few minutes, but they can be intense and distressing.

👉 This isn’t postpartum depression.
👉 This isn’t a mental health disorder.
👉 It’s a hormonal reflex — linked to a rapid drop in dopamine that happens with the milk ejection reflex.

If this sounds familiar:

❤️ You are not alone.
🧠 You are not imagining it.
📣 And it’s OK to talk about it.

Some parents feel deep guilt or shame for how they feel during letdowns — but D-MER is not your fault. And understanding it can be the first step to feeling more in control.

✨ The more we talk about D-MER, the more we support those experiencing it in silence.

💬 Have you or someone you know experienced this? Let’s open up the conversation.