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Ellie May Maternity, London (2026)

26/02/2026

Has your little one decided the day starts earlier than you would like? 😴

This was what was happening to a mum of a 6 month old I've been supporting during the day 🌞👶

First day, he'd woken at 3:50am...the day after closer to 5 🙈

This led to a domino effect to the days routine so, when I left at 4pm, both mum and baby were ready to go to bed for the night in the next hour! 💤

When I saw her a couple of days later she had had a 5:30 wake, then a wake just before 6 and then....6:15am! A lie-in! 🥰

What had she done (because I did little other than listen and reflect back)? 👇
🤗 Talking through recent 24hr periods, we identified he was probably just done with sleep by the early hours and so the first idea would be to shift bedtime later...how? By shifting the routine
🤗 When baby woke early, she continued to treat it like nighttime, dark and quiet, offering closeness and comfort to help re-settle
🤗 Once the day had started, she gentle pushed her little one's awake periods wherever she could even just by 15 minutes so that everything shifted slightly across the day
🤗 For naps, she continued letting them happen wherever he was most likely to sleep best - in the carrier, in the buggy or safely co-sleeping like they do at night

For this mum, persisting with these strategies and supporting her little one through it meant a nap towards the end of the day was no longer needed and baby was able to push through until closer to 6/6:30 for the bedtime routine 🎉

Sometimes talking things through and making the smallest of changes to the daytime routine can be all that is needed to make a big difference 🌟

NOTE: your situation is unique so this is just one thing that could help

As a sleep coach who works holistically and gently based on biologically and developmentally normal sleep, I love supporting parents as they lead their own journey towards the sleep goal they are looking for 💝

23/02/2026

Recieved such a lovely review from a mum I've been supporting since October 🥰💝

"Ellie came to support me in caring for my son from when he was 5 weeks old and we genuinely couldn’t have gotten through this special but also very challenging period without her. Her knowledge of newborn care is vast and she makes such an effort to keep up to date with the latest guidance that I was always reassured that my baby was in the very best hands. She has such a gentle, loving manner and he was soothed by being with her from day one (no easy feat!). She was also just great to chat to, incredibly supportive and keen to help out in any way she could often without being asked. An absolute godsend during my maternity leave - couldn’t recommend her enough!"

And then, something else happened...keep an eye out for my next reel to see what my early support can evolve into! 🌟

19/02/2026

"From meltdown management to fixing our buggy, you've gone above and beyond" 🤗

This was a lovely card and gift (I don't hide the fact I am a chocolate fan!) To recieve on my last day with this gorgeous family of 3 who I joined back in October when baby boy was just 6 weeks old 👶

The last couple of days I've been with them, now he's 6 months, he's been trying some solid food! 🥦🤯

And I've been getting in some last cuddly, morning contact naps, as well as some good buggy naps through the local park as well as returning to (where one of the class leaders couldn't quite place me since the last time we met I was with the twins 😂!) 🎵

It's hard leaving but I know I'll be seeing them again 🥰

17/02/2026

Another celebration and thanks to 💜💛

Over the years, I've supported 2 families whose little ones have been, and continue to be, under the care of GOSH 👶🏨

Last year, one of the little twins I was with from 3 weeks old all the way until their first birthday, was diagnosed with a heart condition and is now under the careful and dedicated care of Great Ormond Street ❤️‍🩹

In thanks and to support the hospitals ongoing care of Baby Max and all the other little one's who rely on the hospital, Max's mum is running the London Marathon 🏃‍♀️

(As someone who only runs if being chased or in mortal danger...I.e. never really...I am in awe of anyone willingly signing up to any sort of run, let alone a marathon) 🤯

If you, like me, prefer to support the runners over actually running, the link to donate, anything you can, is in my bio 👇📢🤑

11/02/2026

I get it. Making up powdered infant formula (PIF) is a pain. But there's a reason for the box instructions 👩‍🏫

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the NHS recommend the water used to make PIF is over 70°C (and it's NOT to do with the quality of the water💧🚰🌡)

PIF production isn't a sterile process - so any bacteria in the powder needs to be destroyed before your baby drinks it 🍼

The temperature needed to destroy this bacteria is 70°C or above. Bacteria found in formula powder can include Salmonella and Cronobacter 🤢

A Swansea University Study for the Food Standards Agency (2023) stated that gastro-intestinal infections in young babies occur most often in formula fed babies with 3000+ hospitalisations being attributed to the use of formula in the UK/year 🏨

Preparing the formula correctly reduces the number of such hospitalisations! 📉

The same study found that the quantity of water in the 'hot shot' a prep-machine dispenses is not sufficient to stay at 70°C+ for long enough to kill any of the dangerous bacteria with only 14.9% of 74 prep-machines that were tested producing water at the necessary temperature.

78% of the 69 kettle users reached the right temperature to safely make up the PIF. The average temperature from a prep machine was 65.78°C 🙈

Meanwhile, creating home-made alternatives to these machines i.e. with some freshly boiled water and some cool boiled water is equally not a proven way of safely destroying all the necessary dangers ⚠️

In a world where, within weeks, several powdered formulas have been recalled due to contamination (some of the contaminants of which even a 70°C kettle won't kill), it is even more evident how important it is to do what is needed to make bottles up safely for our vulnerable babies 👶

Having worked with a lot of families over the years, I am conscious that these machines are valued in terms of feeding a hungry baby in a busy household as well as, of course, making a bottle quickly in the middle of the night 🌛

It is, however, important to understand why they may not be the best choice for your baby 👩‍🍼

06/02/2026

There are so many small ways to support a partner or new parent after they've had a baby that does NOT involve just giving formula (and isn't the huge systematic/cultural changes needed around paid parental leave etc.) 🤯👇

🌟 Keep the breastfeeding parent fed and hydrated
🌟 Notice what tasks need doing around the house and getting on with them
🌟 Look after your other children - waking early with them, doing bathtime, reminding them they haven't been forgotten in the newborn haze
🌟 Settle baby after feeds
🌟 Listen and offer useful suggestions and support that aren't just "let me feed the baby"
🌟 Keep her company while she feeds/pumps
🌟 Educate yourself on normal newborn behaviours e.g. frequent feeding, cluster feeds, night feeds, wanting to be held, settling best on/next to your partner/you
🌟 Look up local breastfeeding support - both before baby arrives so you know what to expect and how you can help, and after, so your parter can be around others who are in the same boat and ask for support

03/02/2026

Formula has been in the headlines recently so let's do a quick recap on how to make powdered formula to your baby safely - sometimes, little changes to how you feed your baby are the answer to unsettled behaviour 🍼

📢 (Note: if it is recalled or visibly contaminated then this formula should be discarded and it is completely safe to use other first stage brands - they all have to meet the same evidence-based standards!) 📢

In its powdered form, formula isn't sterile and has been through a lot to become this product which exposes it to contamination! ⚠️

Every box has instructions of how to safely feed your baby so please follow these 👇

Focusing on standard UK infant formula and following the World Health Organization (WHO) guidance:

🍼 Ensure hands and surfaces are clean!
🍼 Boil 1 litre of freshly boiled water - (you can boil less, it will just cool in less time so keep an eye on this)
🍼 Leave to cool for UP TO 30 minutes so that the water is no less than/at least 70°C (it is ok to use water hotter than 70°)
🍼 Pour the amount dictated on the box (depending on how much milk you're making) into a steralised bottle
🍼 Use the scoop provided in the box to add the necessary number of LEVEL scoops (there's a handy leveller on the opening of the box you can use!)
🍼 Swirl the bottle to incorporate the powder fully into the 70°C water
🍼 Cool the bottle under cold running water and test it on the inside of your wrist - or place in a bowl of cold water and top up/replace if needed until bottle is cool (i find this takes 5-10mins)

⚠️ NOTE: simply adding a "shot" of hot water is not in-line with reccomendations for sufficiently destroying pathogens that might be present. Machines that make formula up for you this way have been tested independently and found to produce not enough water at the right temperature (above 70°C) to sufficiently steralise the powder...⚠️

It may feel like extra work to use the instructed kettle method...but it's the safest for your baby! 🌟

While making up the formula itself should follow the box guidelines, offer smaller, more frequent feeds than the box implies - 120-150ml/feed can be enough from 1-6 months pacing feeds 🤗

29/01/2026

Your Guide to Being, and Parenting, a Carry Mammal: Step 6 🤱🦘

Familiarise yourself on biologically, and developmentally, normal infant sleep and how to safely bedshare BEFORE baby arrives 💤🛏

It is easy to forget, in our busy modern world that pushes early independence, that sleep is a very vulnerable state and our human babies, like all other carry mammals, are hard-wired to sleep lightly and wake frequently for feeds and just to check they're still safe 👶

Because of this, many babies struggle, or simply refuse, to fall asleep, or stay asleep for more than a single sleep cycle, in their bassinet or cot 🤷‍♀️

So, as easy as it feels to tell yourself you'll never bedshare, the likelihood is that, on some occasions at the least, and for some babies from day 1 onwards, sleeping safely on or next to you in bed is the only way they, and you, will sleep 👀

So, knowing how to ensure you and baby are being as safe as you can through learning about safe bedsharing early, is a great way to prepare 🤰

I'd recommend following accounts like , and

But here are some starters, noting it is always safest to be breastfeeding if bed sharing 🤱
💤 Never fall asleep with your baby on a sofa or armchair
💤 Never share a sleep space with baby if you smoke, have drunk alcohol or taken drugs
💤 Avoid bedsharing with your premature baby (born before 37 weeks or under 5.5lbs)
💤 Keep Pets away from the sleep space
💤 Keep pillows and bedding away from baby
💤 Keep bed away from walls so baby cannot become wedged, trapped or fall out of bed
💤 Follow safe sleep ABC's
💤 Never leave baby on the bed unsupervised
💤 Use the cuddle curl position or safe chest-sleeping

As a Holistic and gentle sleep coach, I love talking to families about their baby's sleep so reach out if you want some support 💬

Ellie May Maternity

26/02/2026

23/02/2026

19/02/2026

17/02/2026

11/02/2026

06/02/2026

03/02/2026

29/01/2026

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