Tracey Carolan IBCLC

02/03/2026

If we as a country want to increase breastfeeding rates to match the goals of the WHO then we need to do better.

Breastfeeding may be natural but its not always easy and families deserve support

In the US a lot of extended insurance companies cover the services of an IBCLC, not here.
We can get a massage, go to chiro, get glasses and hearing aids but help to feed our babies- nope

We need to demand change

02/02/2026

01/31/2026

🥰🥰

01/30/2026

Were you told that when feeding you need to hold your breast away from Babies nose so they can breathe?

Guess what.......... You Dont !

When a full term healthy baby is at the breast they will protect their airway first.

If milk flow is too strong or fast they usually start coughing and unlatch.

When they are sick and have congestion they actually find it very difficult to nurse and so they take quick gulps and come off breathing hard before going back on.

Their noses are the perfect shape that when right up against even the largest most engorged breast air can still be inhaled.

Making sure you latch your baby properly "nose to ni**le, chin to skin" so they are looking up with an elongated neck, chin buried in to your breast and nose resting on top is all you need to do so baby can suck, swallow, breathe.

01/28/2026

Nursing Myth:

“Nursing past a certain age is for the parent’s benefit only.”
______
Fact:
Human milk is always a nutrient dense food. The need for comfort is as valid as the need for food, clothing and shelter.

01/27/2026

When babies are formula fed from birth, they miss colostrum… the first milk made specifically for the first days of life.

Colostrum is highly concentrated and time sensitive, designed to protect newborns while their immune system and gut are still immature. Without colostrum, babies miss early immune protection from human antibodies like secretory IgA, which coat the gut and help block bacteria and viruses. They also miss living immune cells that actively fight infection and help guide immune development… something formula cannot provide.

Colostrum helps mature and protect the newborn gut through growth factors that reduce intestinal permeability and inflammation. It also delivers human milk oligosaccharides in high concentrations, shaping the gut microbiome and preventing pathogens from attaching to the intestinal wall.

This window is brief. Once the colostrum phase passes, it cannot be recreated.

Those first drops matter.

01/25/2026

The best lactation cookie recipe includes:
your baby (or babies), skin-to-skin contact, self-confidence, information, support, rest, and time.
Simply mix all these together, and enjoy 💛

01/24/2026

In my (educated) opinion, it is very risky. For any baby, but especially if they are neurodivergent, which you may not know when they are an infant.

Not being able to return to sleep without support is biologically normal and expected in the early years.

Rather than hindering development, co regulation to sleep supports the development of self regulation skills.

Neurodivergent, including autistic and adhd brains and nervous systems often take longer than “typical” to develop regulatory skills - and even once they do their capacity to access them may fluctuate a lot from day to day.

We can and need to support parents without expecting children to do things beyond their developmental capability and capacity. Otherwise we are not alleviating anything, we are just shifting the burden - and to the least mature brain at that.

- Dr. Jess

01/24/2026

It breaks my heart every time I hear somebody say to Pump and Dump.
Unfortunately usually those words come from another health care professional which means they actually don't understand how milk is made.

There are very few medication's that have not been studied or have been determined not to be breastfeeding safe.

As your child gets older and doesn't depend solely on breastmilk for nutrition some of those drugs become ever safer.

This is why its important to talk to an IBCLC if you are unsure about any medications. And to know there are alternatives. Dont assume because its your GP or pharmacist that they understand.

Your milk is liquid Gold please use it.

01/23/2026

Breast milk isn’t free.
It’s just unpaid.

We love to say “breastfeeding is free,” but that only works if we pretend a mother’s time, energy, body, and labor have no value.

Let’s do the math for a second. Just numbers.

🍼 The average baby drinks about 25–30 oz (750–1000 ml) of milk every 24 hours.

🏦 Most human milk banks charge about $3–5 per ounce.

That means:
25 oz × $3 = $75 per day
30 oz × $5 = $150 per day

💸 That’s $75–$150 PER DAY
💸 $2,250–$4,500 per month
💸 $27,000–$54,000 per year

And that’s just the milk.
Not the pumping time.
Not the night wakings.
Not the calories burned.
Not the mental load of remembering which side, when you last pumped, or washing pump parts (again).

Whether milk goes directly from breast to baby or breast to pump to bottle, it costs something:
•Time away from work, sleep, and rest
•Physical energy and calories
•Emotional labor and persistence
•A body that is actively working around the clock

We don’t call it “free” when farmers grow food.
We don’t call it “free” when baristas make coffee.
But somehow, when a mother produces food with her own body, we shrug and say, “Well, at least it’s free.”

It’s not.

Breastfeeding parents aren’t lucky to get to do this.
They are working often without recognition.

So if you’re breastfeeding and exhausted, touched out, hungry, or wondering why this feels like so much…
It’s because it is so much.

Your milk has value.
Your labor has value.
You have value. 💛

01/22/2026

Babies no matter what age will ask to nurse for so many different reasons and thats the magic of it, nursing cures all.

Feeding on demand is how we keep a great milk supply.
And keeps our babies happy.