Francesca Camille Carey

03/06/2024

29/05/2024

I am now lucky enough to be on maternity leave 💙. I won’t be taking on any new clients at present, but may well be posting on here with my own baby in the coming months and will let you know when I’m back up to business! Thank you all for your support 🙏

💙

22/04/2024

01/02/2024

** Big news, mamas! My new Lactation Consultant website is finally LIVE!**

Designed with you in mind, making it easier than ever to find the breastfeeding support and resources you need.
Please check it out and spread the word if you know someone who may need my help and support:

www.francescacarey.co.uk

And if you don’t already, please head over to Instagram and give me a follow on .ibclc

Francesca Carey Lactation Consultant Specialist support – empowering women and families to achieve their infant feeding goals Get In Touch Services Antenatal A home visit (or Zoom consultation) during your pregnancy providing information & evidence-based teaching to help you prepare for the arriva...

04/01/2024

Ni**le shields - are flexible silicone ni***es that are worn over a mother’s own ni**le during breastfeeding, and come from many different brands and sizes.

Why use this device? Some examples include:
- premature baby struggling to latch
- tongue tied baby
- ni**le pain, soreness or damage
- flat or inverted ni***es
- weaning a baby from bottle to breast
- re-lactation or induced lactation (adoptive breastfeeding)
- breast refusal

Warning! Use with caution!

These devices should not be used as a first resort, nor without the assistance of skilled breastfeeding support, as they can risk blocked ducts and mastitis, breastmilk supply reduction and baby not getting enough milk. They must be properly cleaned, and mother’s will be recommended to express while using, to protect supply. The underlying latch problem may still need to be fixed. Baby’s weight and nappy outputs must be closely monitored.

A lactation consultant can help you use ni**le shields safely, troubleshoot underlying issues, and also help eventual weaning from them.

***eshield

21/10/2023

Koala hold 🐨

Upright breastfeeding is useful for babies experiencing reflux or abdominal discomfort, an overactive or forceful letdown, oversupply, or even to give your arms a bit of a break!

Baby straddles your thigh or hip, facing you, nice and close. Chin should be tipped up toward the breast, with nice neck extension. CHINS principles apply.

Once latched, you can try leaning back if more comfortable, with pillows behind you for support. Why not give it a try?

your instinct

07/07/2023

Laid-back breastfeeding :)

Research has shown that breastfeeding in a (semi) reclined position stimulates a baby’s natural feeding reflexes; leg, hand and head movements that help a baby find and latch deeply to the breast, using gravity to assist.

*Find a bed/sofa where you can comfortably lean back and be well supported (perhaps by cushions)
*Have your head and shoulders well supported and tilt your pelvis forward
*Let your baby’s whole front touch your whole front, in anyou like
*Let your baby’s cheek rest somewhere near your bare breast
*Support your baby to find and latch on to the breast when she shows feeding cues; remember bring baby to the breast, rather than breast to the baby
*It helps your baby if his feet are resting against something firm like your thigh or hand
*Use the principles of CHINS to help baby to lead chin first into the breast and latch deeply

In this position, when a baby’s instinctual feeding behaviours are used to facilitate latch, mothers report less ni**le pain.

Perhaps this is a breastfeeding position that could help you?

03/03/2023

Breastmilk is a living fluid, changing its composition to meet the needs of your growing baby. Some examples include:
- Breastmilk produced in the evening contains more serotonin to help baby sleep.
- Breastmilk of mothers of premature infants contains higher protein and more Lysozyme - an enzyme that attacks bacteria.
- Your breastmilk changes during periods of illness to produce specific antibodies to the causative factor and pass these to your baby in breastmilk.
- Breastmilk for baby boys contains more fat and protein, whereas breast milk for baby girls contains more calcium.

Fascinating isn’t it!!

# your instinct

08/02/2023

Sometimes how you had hoped to feed your baby doesn’t go to plan, and that can understandably create some big feelings. Guilt, loss, grief, anxiety. Any and all breastmilk is valuable, whether it be the first colostrum, or that one bottle of expressed breastmilk a day. What’s important is that you feel informed, safe and supported. Reach out if you need help.

your instinct

27/01/2023

Tongue tie is a restriction of the function of the tongue, whereby movement is impaired by the presence of a short, tight membrane called the lingual frenulum - which we all have - stretching from the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. Lingual frenula are normal anatomy, however when one is abnormally short, tight and inelastic, it interferes with the normal movement and function of the tongue - affecting breastfeeding.

Signs and symptoms for Mum:

- Ni**les misshapen, ridged or blanched after feeds
- Sore/blistered/bleeding/cracked/ bruised ni***es (pain!!!)
- Low breastmilk supply or conversely oversupply
- Exhaustion from a constantly feeding and fussy baby.

Whilst IBCLC differ from Tongue Tie Practitioners in that we cannot divide tongue ties - we can assess function and appearance of the tongue.

For more information, see:

https://www.tongue-tie.org.uk/

# your instinct

21/11/2022

Props!
My very kind and amazingly talented friend has crocheted me a breast and baby puppet (with moveable tongue no less!) to assist with demonstrating latch. Very excited to start using these to help more families!

your instinct

08/11/2022

Is your baby very gassy/windy and unsettled? Do they have copious green and frothy or mucousy bowel motions? Perhaps they wriggle and squirm at the breast.

Lactose is the main sugar found in breastmilk. Produced in the breast (rather than coming from the mother’s diet), it is important for the normal health and development of human babies, and their main energy source.
However, if there is too much lactose in the baby’s gut for the enzyme Lactase to digest, the above symptoms may result.

So why is there excess lactose?
- One cause is simply a big breastmilk feed with a normal lactose content but low fat content. Excess low fat milk tends to be related to breast storage capacity and how often baby changes breasts during breastfeeding. Switching baby between breasts quickly may exacerbate the problem.
- There may be damage to baby’s intestinal lining which affects lactase production, such as bacterial/viral infection, partially digested formula, antibiotic usage or even vaccinations (particularly live ones such as Rotavirus) as well as inflammation from cow milk protein or gluten allergy.

So how to avoid lactose overload:
- Finish the first breast, then offer the second. Fat content of breastmilk increases during a feed and increases the closer together feeds are. Feed frequently and on cue.
- Use breast compressions and breast massage during breastfeeds to help release more higher fat milk.
- Check optimal positioning and attachment
- See a lactation consultant to determine whether breastmilk oversupply might be a possibility for you.

your instinct