Springtides Infant Feeding - Alice Privett IBCLC

Springtides Infant Feeding - Alice Privett IBCLC Lactation Consultant offering home visits & online consultations in London and the South East.

30/09/2025

Shallow latch issues?

Always try tweaking your positioning and attachment (ie LATCH!) first!
Keeping your babe in a straight line,
Bring their feet down and away from the breast.
*If you’re using a cradle position, this would be horizontally away from the ni**le. If you’re in rugby, you’re bringing them back behind you - so move forward away from the back of the chair/sofa to create space!*
You’re looking for their chin to hit the breast/chest tissue first, which should encourage them to open wide, so keep them really close to your body.
If you need to help them on at all, squeezing their bum/ back of their shoulder blades, or around the base of their neck - never behind their head which will cause them to tense up.

BEFORE YOU DO ALL OF THIS…

Try reclining/lying back if that is possible!

If things aren’t working for you, find your nearest support group or IBCLC!

How much milk is ‘normal’ to express?Between 1-6 months, a breast/chest fed baby drinks an average of 750ml (25 oz) per ...
30/09/2025

How much milk is ‘normal’ to express?

Between 1-6 months, a breast/chest fed baby drinks an average of 750ml (25 oz) per day, and this amount doesn’t increase as they get older!. If you’re expressing exclusively and aiming to build a full supply, this is a rough amount to aim for.

However, if you’re exclusively breast/chest feeding and trying to pump as well, sources state that ‘normal’ output could be ½-2 oz (both breasts) per session - thats anywhere between 15-60ml. - So it is ‘normal’ for most people to need a few pump sessions to make up ‘a feed’ (and of course feed sizes vary too!). When parents see pictures of enormous pumped bottles like this, it can understandably put the fear in them.
At the end of the day, ‘normal’ pumping depends on a variety of factors including our aims, our bodies, our babies and our journeys up until the point at which we start. It can be really helpful to talk these things through with someone qualified, and also to consider:

🍉How much we’re aiming to pump, and why
🥝What kind of pump we are using - old/new, wearable, double, single - the list goes on…
🍒Is our fl**ge correctly fitted
🥑Are we maximising our oxytocin before and during pumping - this controls our ‘letdown’ of milk

Fruit for thought! 🍉🍇🍒.

What do you feel when you see this picture?I have very strong memories of Cluster feeds with my first baby in a darkened...
30/09/2025

What do you feel when you see this picture?

I have very strong memories of
Cluster feeds with my first baby in a darkened room, to try and ‘get him to sleep better’ (!!!) whilst I watched hours of TV to try and distract myself, and also pumping at 3am while he fed the other side, to try and get milk for a bottle to give my sore ni**les a break the next day
(* I had lots of painful feeding issues and no support for the first few weeks!*)

Typing very slowly with one hand, trying to do write ups after lactation consults while my 2nd baby slept on me/ nursed

With both kids I have struggled, as many people I speak to seem to struggle, with feelings of guilt around not being ‘present’ enough. It is an ongoing process for me, to try and remind myself that I am juggling a lot and guilt certainly isn’t going to be helpful to me as I try to navigate my life with two kids and freelance work.
In this picture I see a mum who is trying to get some rest, whilst she also maybe entertains herself, distracts herself, or gets some work done, whilst her baby also relaxes - with the thing they most need - her physical presence and proximity.

What does this bring up for you?

30/09/2025

Rugby position how-to!
Not my fave but can definitely be useful in some cases so it’s worth knowing how to problem solve. What’s your experience?

26/09/2025

Laid back feeding how-to!

Get comfy… you deserve it (and so does your babe!)

23/09/2025

How do I know when to feed my newborn baby?

Whenever they ask! Cues in the first 3 months include:

waking
hands to mouth
Turning their head
Sticking their tongue out

But particularly during the first few weeks or until they’ve regained birth weight, we expect a minimum of 8 times in 24 hours (and usually a few more than that, and chuck in some cluster feeding too, for most babies!)

Cold season is upon us! Hooray... 🤧 Most everyday remedies are safe to use while breastfeeding or chestfeeding, and your...
22/09/2025

Cold season is upon us! Hooray...

🤧 Most everyday remedies are safe to use while breastfeeding or chestfeeding, and your body is busy making antibodies that pass straight into your milk, giving your little one extra protection. If your babe has one too they may wake up more frequently at night to feed (!) but their health will improve quicker than it otherwise would with your amazing milk.

Simple things help too: rest where you can, keep fluids up, eat warm, nourishing foods (preferably made by someone else!). The good old ‘extra pillow to help you breathe at night’ is an absolute winner IMHO.

Safe: (as per the Breastfeeding Network guidance)-

paracetamol, ibuprofen

cough syrup

vitamin C!

decongestant nasal spray

throat sweet

AVOID:

oral decongestant (some studies have shown milk supply to decrease with just one dose)

lemsip

Hope you avoid all the bugs, and if you don’t, I wish you good health ❤️

Tracking apps: good or bad?There is growing evidence that tracking apps can make parents feel more anxious as they start...
22/09/2025

Tracking apps: good or bad?
There is growing evidence that tracking apps can make parents feel more anxious as they start to rely on the app rather than their instincts to follow their baby’s cues. Many parents I see tend to keep using them past the newborn period and feel that is something they ought to be doing, and I often feel this could be contributing to their sense of anxiety and (ironically) a lack of control.

HOWEVER, one mum I spoke to recently has ADHD and experiences time blindness, finding it hard to remember when she last fed her very placid baby who doesn’t signal much. She reported feeling more secure writing down when she last fed her babe so she could refer to it during the day.

As with most things, if it works and you need it, keep it! However if your babe is gaining weight well and nappy output is all normal, and you have a good sense of when they are feeding in general, maybe consider ditching the app past the first couple of weeks… it’s just more work after all 😃


19/09/2025

Nursing clothes- who needs em

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70 Mount Road
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SE136RE

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+447599067130

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