Steph Richards IBCLC

14/10/2025

And this is why you'll find most IBCLCS NOT recommending these ni**le shields with viewing tubes attached!

14/10/2025

I hear lots of people say their baby is lazy. It's literally impossible for a baby to be lazy! ❤️❤️

17/09/2025

The natural term for humans to breastfeed is anywhere between 2 and 7+ years. Some babies stop earlier, some carry on for longer.

Many cultures around the world breastfeed to natural term, including many women in the Western world. This age range is only surprising in cultures that interrupt breastfeeding, often without realising it or knowing which norms are biological and which are cultural.

The concentration of fats and proteins increase as a baby grows into a toddler, along with increased levels of antibacterial and antiviral components such as lysozyme, which is an anti-inflammatory, and destroys bacteria.

Lysozyme increases in concentration from about 6 months old, when babies become more mobile and everything (toys, sand, cats biscuits?) goes straight in the mouth, and keeps increasing after the first year.

The concentration of Lactoferrin also increases over time. Lactoferrin inhibits the growth of some cancerous cells. It also binds to the iron in our baby’s body, preventing it from being available to harmful microorganisms that need iron to survive. Lactoferrin also kills the bacteria strep mutans, a cause of tooth decay and cavities.

Our body’s immune system takes around 6 years to become fully mature, so the support of the protective factors in breastmilk until our immune system can fully function on its own seems play a part in the timescale of natural term weaning too.

Longer term breastfeeding is also associated with reduced risk of diseases for mothers, including breast cancer.

We acknowledge that many mothers find it difficult to establish breastfeeding in the first place, that is a multi-layered investment on the part of a mother and that natural term feeding might not feel like, or be, a possibility for many.

We're not here to tell anyone what to do.

We also acknowledge that lack of information about our biology contributes to lack of support for mothers when they want to establish, or continue, breastfeeding, but cannot find the help they need from people who understand why it matters, or what is normal.

More at https://human-milk.com/pages/science-of-breastmilk

28/08/2025

A great new educational resource. A place to share images (via a permission form) for educational and resource purposes!

📸 Every. Image. Counts.📸

Your submission could be the one that helps a mother or parent get an accurate diagnosis.
If you have pictures of a condition experienced during your feeding journey, submit them to Spectrum Lactation.

We need YOUR help to ensure that parents get the right support.

🔗 Submit today! Link in bio.

05/08/2025

💚 MPH's Infant Feeding Team Invites You! 💚

🌍 In honour of World Breastfeeding Week, Musgrove's Infant Feeding Team invite you to join them in their celebrations: Thursday 7th August, 12:30-14:30 in French Weir Park, Taunton.

🧁 They will have cakes, drinks and maybe even ice cream if the sun is shining.

☀️ It doesn’t matter if you are pregnant, a new mum or had your baby ages ago- you are welcome to celebrate with them. Children and partners also welcome.

🤝 This year's theme is ‘create a sustainable support system’, so just by showing up and having a piece of cake, you are helping to improve the culture around breastfeeding and create a nurturing community for breastfeeding/expressing parents and babies.

Infant Feeding Team, Musgrove Park Hospital

05/08/2025

Check out this Presentation designed by hayleypoulsom.

01/08/2025

This year, the themes of are all about building sustainable support systems, for a sustainable planet.
Our WBTi team have put together some of our key recommendations towards building sustainable infant feeding support systems in the U.K., over the next few days!
Follow and share! 💕

All nurses, doctors, and other health care professionals such as dietitians and pharmacists should be required to have basic training in infant feeding; currently there are many gaps in training standards.
Mothers and babies should be able to be confident that every healthcare provider that supports them understands breastfeeding physiology and management, and can refer them to an infant feeding team or specialist for further help.

See Indicator 5 in our report in Part 1 for our main findings, and in Part 2 for further details.
Read More… https://ukbreastfeeding.org/wbtiuk2024/



Alt text: Purple and green image with WBTI and World Breastfeeding Week logos. “Breastfeeding support starts with skilled care. Every healthcare professional working with mothers and their babies. Fully trained. Every family. Fully supported.

31/07/2025

Lovely journalists, I know you're out there...World Breastfeeding Week starts tomorrow and you may find yourself involved. If so, could we politely request you work with some well qualified people? It really will make a huge difference.

There are any number of wonderful IBCLCs and infant feeding specialists who will happily chat with you, and our national charities are incredible and their work needs to be highlighted.
And it's not just about the UK, we need to be discussing the incredible work of .infant.nutrition.alliance and what's being done to support those in emergencies and war zones.

What you report can have a huge impact on the lives and wellbeing of families, could you be persuaded? Thanks!