Providing compassionate assistance and evidence-based resources for breastfeeding, sleep, solids etc
30/03/2026
This is challenging some of the common narrative about “allergies”
Are baby’s green stools a sign of gut problems? Maybe not according to this 2024 study of 1052 healthy term infants. During their first 4 months, nearly half had at least 1 week of green stools, so it is likely a normal variation. Also noteworthy: blood in their stool was found in nearly 1 in 10 healthy babies. For more on normal infant stooling patterns, see the study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11263225/pdf/431_2024_Article_5625.pdf
28/03/2026
We know that breastfeeding protects breasts, but how? New research gives some important clues.
TLDR: Every single month of breastfeeding adds up. Frequent suckling is protective.
Check out this sneak peek into how breastfeeding prevents breast cancer. This 2024 review reveals the mechanisms that cause this major positive impact on women’s health. If you have breast cancer in your family or know someone who does, this is info you don’t want to miss: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38884025/
Source:
Mustafa M, Sarfraz S, Saleem G, Khan TA, Shahid D, Taj S, Amir N. Beyond Milk and Nurture: Breastfeeding's Powerful Impact on Breast Cancer. Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd. 2024 Jun 13;84(6):541-554. doi: 10.1055/a-2313-0637. PMID: 38884025; PMCID: PMC11175834.
27/03/2026
IV fluids = more weight loss in early days as baby offloads the excess fluid load. This leads to higher rates of unnecessary formula supplementation.
Let’s talk about something that stresses a lot of new parents out… baby’s weight 💛
All babies lose some weight in the first 24 hours. If you received IV fluids during labour, your baby may lose even more, not because of feeding, but because the fluids make the birth weight look higher than it really is. So sometimes what looks like a big drop is just your baby settling into their true starting point.
Canadian research found that when the 24 hour weight is used as the baseline, more babies were exclusively breastfed in those early days.
Sometimes it’s not about fixing anything, it can be understanding what’s normal.
27/03/2026
💟💟💟
The act of breastfeeding supports not only the physiological growth and development of a baby, but also psychological development by enveloping baby in warmth, smell and taste of familiarity.
Breast milk contains antibodies that matures the gut and helps baby fight off viruses, bacteria and infection.
Breastfeeding reduces the mother’s risk of diabetes, obesity & some cancers.
WHO recommends:
✅ Start breastfeeding 🤱🏻 straight after birth
✅ Breastfeed 🤱🏻 exclusively for the first 6 months
✅ Continue until the baby 👶 is 2+ years old
Photo by Naera Ohia
24/03/2026
Share a on the Big Latch On (Aotearoa/New Zealand) page to enter to win 🏆
💜 Happy Big Latch On week!
Let’s Join Together. Feed Together.
Starting on Friday, we’ll be celebrating online with our (breastfeeding selfie) campaign — for those who can’t make it to an event (and those who can!).
It’s a simple way to connect, raise awareness, and celebrate your feeding journey — wherever you are.
To be in to win a spot prize:
👉 Head to our page Big Latch On (Aotearoa/New Zealand)
👉 Find the Brelfie post
👉 Share your Brelfie (feeding selfie) in the comments (or DM us) using between 27–29 March
✨ Every Brelfie = one entry
All feeding journeys are welcome — we celebrate breastfeeding, chestfeeding and all infant feeding journeys 🤍
24/03/2026
People say it all the time … but that doesn’t make it true.
Formula milk marketing exploits parental anxieties about common infant behaviours such as fussiness or poor sleep.
Premium branding is paraded as having “premium benefits”, when in fact the only difference is the price.
Claims made by the formula milk industry about their products are often misleading, scientifically unsubstantiated & violate the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.
WHO is calling on governments to end exploitative marketing and protect babies’ health.
24/03/2026
Heard of Girl Math? Wait til you hear about Motherhood Math! More reasons to seek out people to make up your “village” 💟
23/03/2026
Thanks Beth & Kate! 💟
23/03/2026
Hand pressure stimulates suckling. Also try baby shoulder massage!
22/03/2026
Well worth reading!
Dispelling Cry-It-Out Sleep Training Myths and What to Do Instead
21/03/2026
You can also choose to skip swaddling entirely. But if you do choose to swaddle, stopping at 2 weeks can avoid some of the unintended consequences.
The sleep industry is targeting your vulnerability. As a developmental speech therapist I have an unpopular opinion: your baby needs to be unswaddled for sleep starting by 2–3 weeks, not 2-3 months
Swaddling can feel like magic in the early days.
It quiets the chaos. It helps babies settle. It gives exhausted parents a moment to breathe.
But here’s the part we don’t talk about enough…
Babies are supposed to move in their sleep.
That startle reflex everyone is trying to “fix”?
It’s not a flaw. It’s part of how their undeveloped nervous system organizes and matures.
When we tightly swaddle day after day, night after night, we dampen that process. We override the very movements that help babies learn where their bodies are in space. Research has also shown that dampening the startle also increases the risk of SIDS
Stretching. Startling. Bringing hands to face. Kicking. Turning the head.
That’s not disruption.
That’s development.
When movement is restricted for long stretches:
– Reflexes can take longer to integrate
– Muscles don’t get the same opportunity to strengthen
– Head position stays more fixed, increasing risk of flat spots (which can lead to needing a helmet later on) or increase the risk of tortícolis
– Babies have fewer chances to practice natural repositioning
And over time, that “good sleeper” can become a baby who struggles more with movement, strength, and coordination. Or who struggles for longer to sleep without aids
Swaddling has a place, especially in the earliest days.
But it was never meant to be a long-term sleep solution.
By 2–3 weeks, babies benefit from more freedom than we often give them.
Because sleep isn’t just about rest. It’s also an active time of growth, wiring, and learning. So by the time they are developmentally able to roll they’ve already practiced all the skills they need to get there
Your baby doesn’t need to be stilled to sleep well.
They need the space to move, to startle, to stretch
To become strong in their own body.
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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!
