Providing compassionate assistance and evidence-based resources for breastfeeding, sleep, solids etc
10/03/2026
“When we focus only on individual behaviour, we unintentionally place responsibility, and sometimes blame, on mothers. A system perspective shifts that lens. We should be asking how well our hospitals are structured to ensure all infants have access to human milk,” Dr Jin explains
“I would love to see a shift in how we talk about breastfeeding in New Zealand. Instead of asking ‘why aren’t mothers breastfeeding?’, we should ask ‘how well are our systems supporting lactation?’”
National data tells us how many healthy, full-term babies are exclusively breastfed when they leave hospitals, but for those who are cared for in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), the picture is far less clear.
10/03/2026
Hey māmā! Those cuddles aren’t “too much” 💟💟💟
10/03/2026
Do you know about TICKS?
Babywearing Aotearoa and the Australian Babywearing Assn have joined forces to launch a new babywearing week unique to Australia & Aotearoa. Monday 9th March - Sunday 15th March 2026.
This years theme is TICKS check:
T ight
I n view at all times
C lose enough to kiss
K eep chin off chest
S upported back
"Feeding in a carrier can be super handy if you are out and about. However, there are very clear safety factors we need to let you know about. This is particularly important when babies are premature and up to the age of 4 months.
This information is specific to the combination of feeding AND using a sling or carrier together. See our Safety page for general babywearing safety information."
For more info on breastfeeding in a carrier and to find out more about Babywearing Week, check out the link in the comments.
09/03/2026
Babies can’t find a moving target!
08/03/2026
Scheduled feeds have unintended consequences for Māmā and Pepī
Follow your baby’s hunger cues to grow their brain and body to health ❤️✨❤️
08/03/2026
Can’t make it to an in-person support group? This one is a fab place to ask questions and share experiences 💚💚💚
Open to all pregnant, breastfeeding, expressing, and mixed feeding mothers, please join us for a Zoom gathering. Meet (virtually) other mums, share your breastfeeding experiences, and have your questions answered. Please click on the link to register for this online event, and you will be emailed directions for how to join on the day.
04/03/2026
Celebrating my +39,000 colleagues around the world 🥰🥳
Happy IBCLC day!
What's an IBCLC?
International Board Certified Lactation Consultants are the highest qualified professional in infant feeding, and are recognised across the world.
They come from a variety of backgrounds and will have taken one of three different routes to get there, but all will have met the same requirements.
-At least 1000 hours of supervised breastfeeding support
-At least 95 hours of lactation specific accredited training
-14 health sciences or be a health care professional
-Once those are completed you can then apply to sit the exams!!
If you manage to pass the exams, which have a really high rate to pass, (often up near 80%) you then get to be an IBCLC! (A protected term. You can't use it unless you're registered.)
In order to STAY an IBCLC, you have to recertify every 5 years by proving you've done at least another 75+ hours of accredited learning or by sitting the exam again.
So, basically, it isn't a weekend course 🤣 I believe on average it takes about 5 years, and usually a lot of financial investment. It's quite the privilege to be able to do it in fact, and I acknowledge it wouldn't be a possibility for everyone.
IBCLCs work in a variety of settings, from hospital to community, NHS, voluntary and private, and are involved in policy, guidance and research as well as direct family contact.
We can support with any and all areas of infant feeding, from pregnancy preparation to stopping breastfeeding at any age, from basics of latch support through to complex medical issues. Of course, a lot of IBCLCs have a particular area they specialise in or enjoy.
I'm so very proud to be an IBCLC, and proud of my colleagues working so tirelessly to support families.
28/02/2026
It’s not about “fatty milk”! We’re looking for volume 👍
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For those living in pandemic quarantine, it isn’t very hard to imagine -- being surrounded with people, but unable to access any support. That’s how I started out my mothering journey. Even though I lived in Europe’s largest city, I felt like I was alone on an island. I couldn’t speak the local language. I didn’t know where to turn. This experience 20 years ago launched my passion for supporting mothers and babies.
First, I reached out and found support for myself. Then, I started getting calls from other isolated mothers who just wanted to talk. Before long, I was going to lactation conferences (for fun, while on vacation!) and building a lending library. In 2002, I founded the Moscow Mommy Milk Meetup, a weekly get-together for mothers in my city. Several years later, this group transformed into Russia’s first La Leche League group, led by Katya Lokshina, a friend, a fellow breastfeeding enthusiast, and Russia’s first LLL Leader.
After more than a decade of calling Russia home, my family moved to Minsk. There, I started a similar mother support group, which blossomed into the first LLL group in Belarus, led by Olya Prominski, the first LLL Leader in that country. Just before our next relocation to Kyiv, I passed the exam to become the first IBCLC in that corner of the world. Since then, I have maintained close contact with the network of lactation professionals in the former Soviet Union. These women are doing incredible work under complex conditions. They continue to inspire me!
In 2011, we exchanged globe-trotting for the peaceful beauty of Aotearoa, and are happily settled into our new lives as proud Kiwis. In Auckland, I’ve worked as a parent educator and a lactation consultant. This included time in private practice, as well as several years in a busy breastfeeding clinic, working with a doctor who specializes in Breastfeeding Medicine. In short, I’ve seen it all with regards to the challenges faced by parents.
Fun fact about me: I speak Russian fluently. My multi-cultural background gives me a unique perspective on mothering around the world and how to dig down to the essence of mothering.
Having provided long-distance consulting for two decades to mothers in remote areas, my best tip for our crazy lock-down lifestyle is to try to think “What Would Great Grandma Do?” Throughout human history, women have been caring for babies in all kinds of unexpected circumstances. We can do it, too!
