Jessica Thorpe IBCLC

04/03/2026

Happy IBCLC day to my wonderful friends and colleagues 🤱🏻 🧑🏽‍🍼

It’s IBCLC Day 🥳🎉

Here’s a shoutout to the people who chose to study the science of feeding babies in a world that still treats breastfeeding support like a nice little bonus instead of basic healthcare.

IBCLCs hold the messy middle of early parenting.

Milk chaos, hormones, pain, doubt, sleep deprivation, tiny humans learning to eat, and parents learning to trust themselves.

It’s not just “help with latching” (although it can be a lot of this!) It’s anatomy, endocrinology, pathology, psychology, and lived experience.

For me, and many of my colleagues, there's often a lot of quiet, fierce advocacy for families who deserve better support than they’re usually given.

If you’ve ever sat with an IBCLC while everything felt impossible — you’ll know exactly why they matter.

Know an IBCLC who deserves some noise today?

👉 Tag them below so we can celebrate the work they do!

I'm tagging my exceptional mentor, who I am blessed and grateful to call my friend, because I wouldn't be the IBCLC, woman, or mother I am today without her special brand of awesome. , you're the t**s.

26/02/2026

10/02/2026

Are you a parent in the UK who feels impacted by the recent formula milk recalls (whether your batch/brand has been affected or not?)

Recently there have been a series of formula milk recalls in the UK. Specific batches made by Nestle and Danone were recalled because of contamination with the toxin, cereulide. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says it has received clinical notifications of babies developing symptoms, including vomiting and diarrhoea, consistent with cereulide poisoning.

If you are unaware of this or want to know more you can find out more information here https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/infant-formula-recalls

We are conducting some research to explore UK parents' experiences of the impact of this upon their wellbeing, their trust in manufacturing, and what they feel should be done.

We hope that the findings from our research will raise further awareness of the impact of these recalls upon parents and lead to stricter regulations around formula milk safety and composition.

We are looking for parents to complete a survey that will take between 10 – 30 minutes depending on how much you would like to say. Our survey will remain open for the next 2 weeks until 24th February.

We would like to hear from parents who are:

• Based in the UK
• Aged 16+
• Have a baby/ babies who is/are fully or partly formula fed - whether your formula brand/ batch was affected or not.

If you’d like to take part please click the link below for further information.

https://swanseachhs.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_41HRa2c4Yhk5UA6

04/02/2026

Fantastic opportunity to have a fl**ge fitting session with a lovely and super knowledgable local IBCLC.

Interested? Contact Amber directly on AmberClarkIBCLC@gmail.com or find her on Facebook. I think the Wi******er area suits her best.

Hi lovely parents. I’m a lactation consultant and infant feeding lead at a hospital in the region. I have been the lead on a large project with Health Innovation Wessex for the last couple of years on fl**ge sizing and expressing breastmilk.

I am working on a different project with expressing and fl**ge sizing
and need to be able to do some fl**ge sizing and expressing with
lactating parents who would be willing to let me video the effect the
different sizes have on the output of breastmilk.

I’m offering a free fl**ge fitting session in exchange for the ability
to take some videos for this training. I would have a consent form and
release to be signed for this, no identifiable images or video would be
shown (no faces etc).

Please let me know if you’d be interested in this, thank you so much!

Amber

07/06/2025

Simeticone (infacol) is no more effective than a placebo, and is not recommended but the NICE guidelines for treatment of colic.

02/04/2025

Babywearing is wonderful but make sure your baby is correctly positioned in the sling or carrier. Incorrectly fitted slings can be dangerous.

Carrier height matters. Babies have large heavy heads with a prominent occipital bone at the back which can be easily pushed forwards by fabric/panels, forcing the chin onto the chest and obstructing airway. This can happen in loose carriers also as baby curls forward and sinks down.

The ideal height is at the nape of the neck so the head is free to move and airway is open. The body of the carrier must be snug to support the chest.

Carrier height can be too low: small/young/sleeping babies need support to their upper back. Older awake babies who have trunk control may enjoy arms out (typically the age they can be perched on the hip and held with one arm).

Please see your local sling library for support if your carrier is too tall or loose. If your baby has a floppy head, let us help you, *don’t be tempted to put the panel height up*. Usually the carrier needs tightening around the chest or the carrier may too big for your baby. See the link below for more information and help/suggestions.

https://www.carryingmatters.co.uk/safe-carrier-height/



Thanks to Ronnie's Creative for the gorgeous artwork

16/03/2025

Breastfeeding isn’t just for the first year—it’s a dose-dependent biological process that continues to provide critical health benefits for as long as it’s sustained. The idea that breast milk somehow “loses” its value after infancy is simply false. In fact, the immunological, neurological, and emotional benefits increase the longer a child breastfeeds.

Breast milk doesn’t just supplement nutrition in toddlerhood—it actively adapts to meet a growing child’s needs. The antibodies, probiotics, stem cells, and growth factors in breast milk continue to protect against infections, boost gut health, and support brain development well beyond the first year. Studies show that children who breastfeed longer have lower rates of respiratory and ear infections, better emotional regulation, and even a reduced risk of chronic diseases later in life.

For mothers, the benefits of extended breastfeeding are just as powerful. The longer a mother breastfeeds, the greater the protection against breast and ovarian cancer, heart disease, metabolic disorders, and osteoporosis. The hormonal balance created by continued nursing can also help regulate stress and lower the risk of postpartum mood disorders.

Breastfeeding is more than just food—it’s a lifelong investment in health, connection, and well-being. A lucky child, indeed. 🤍

28/02/2025

A good latch on a bottle is important for comfortable, paced bottle feeding.

10/08/2024

Normalise newborn behaviours!

So much worry about babies swallowing air, or passing gas, or feeding patterns.
Something to think about…

23/05/2024

If your baby has reflux read this.

GORD can only truly be diagnosed by an endoscopy to look for inflammation and a pH probe. That is pretty invasive. Babies are usually “assumed” to have GORD from the symptoms of being unsettled, not wanting to lie on their back, wanting carried all the time etc - basically due to crying and demands on the caregiver(s).

If medication is started it tends to follow a cycle. Gaviscon is usually tried first. A common side effect is constipation. What do babies do if constipated? They have to push harder, strain more, increase their abdominal pressure. What does increased abdominal pressure do? It increases reflux episodes.

Then an acid suppressant is trialled. For some babies this makes a difference (these tend to be allergy babies IME and the acid suppressant is not the solution there, it’s just helped uncover the original problem). For the vast majority of babies though acid suppression does not reduce crying - we know this from studies. So parents return to GP a few weeks later saying there is no change. Baby has grown in those weeks and is now heavier, so the dosage is just increased. If it didn’t make a change before (because the crying was nothing to do with acid) then it doesn’t make a difference again.

After a while caregivers decide to stop the acid suppressant which doesn’t seem to be working. That causes acid rebound (genuinely higher than normal production) and that may really make the baby more unsettled - so they conclude the drug is needed and go back on it.

This is why babies need a proper assessment at the start, rather than an assumption that crying=excess acid. In reality in almost all babies crying = 4th trimester or crying = a feeding issue. Good support around feeding, and helping you understand your baby’s neurodevelopment and their communications is key and can stop you getting into this medication cycle.

14/05/2024

Highly recommend this wonderful organisation 💕☕️

Coming up next Tuesday 21st May at Coffee #1 in Fareham, our Fareham and Gosport Group Meet-Up.

Our in-person meet-ups are very informal, free to attend and with the option to purchase reasonably priced and delicious food and drinks in our lovely cafe venues. Our team can usually be spotted in bright pink t-shirts with our logo or by the pile of pregnancy, birth and parenting books in the middle of the table. �
There's no time too soon or too late to start coming along. You can come alone or bring anyone you like with you. You don't have to arrive at the start or stay the whole time just drop in when it works for you. You don't have to ask anything just come and enjoy some company but if you want to you can ask anything, there's no such thing as a stupid question or something that's too embarrassing.
�We're just as happy to talk about feelings that feel overwhelming, making birth choices, vagina-related topics, the contents of babies' nappies or anything in-between.�
Image: Blue background with purple IPBB logo and text that reads:
Fareham & Gosport Group Meet-Up
Tuesday 21st May
Coffee #1 Fareham
Everyone Welcome