Expressly For Mums

07/02/2026

I can support you with measuring, and have plenty of inserts in stock so you can pump with comfort and improve your expressing experience.

For decades, 24 and 27mm fl**ges have been treated as the standard sizes for breast pumps. These sizes were arbitrarily picked and not actually based on any research or science. Old advice used to recommend sizing up for comfort. Once multiple sizes because available, common recommendations included measuring the base of the ni***es and adding 2-3mm. As more moms started pumping and pumps became more widely available for use, we also saw an increase in plugged ducts, mastitis, ni**le damage and dropping milk supply. Why?! We now know that these sizes are far too big for most women. In fact, ACTUAL research on pump fl**ge fit recommends going SMALLER. New guidelines recommend measuring the base AND the tip of the ni**le and starting with the smaller size and gradually increasing until maximal comfort and milk output are observed. The most common sizes I see in my practice are 13-17mm. I rarely have anything above and 18. Yes. Anatomy is unique. Occasionally someone may need larger for their anatomy. But it’s extremely rare to use what comes in the box.

If your lactation consultant at the hospital told you the 24mm was good by just looking at your ni**le, or they measured the base of the ni**le and added to that number, they are working off of old recommendations that were not based on research because it didn’t exist until 2024. But that could absolutely impact your pumping journey. Hospital based IBCLCs are AMAZING!!! They often don’t have as many resources, have too many patients to see, and are doing the best they can. They may not have time to tell you all of these things or even know it is a thing yet. It is a thing and size does matter.

22/12/2025

Wearable breast pumps are popular. Over half the clients I see for breastfeeding difficulties have one. They promise the convenience of pumping on the move so you can do other things whilst pumping which will save time and make fitting pumping into your busy day easier.

So, are there any downsides?

Wearables were originally designed to make pumping at work easier and more discreet, after a good milk supply had been established.

Effectiveness and durability: The motors in these pumps are small. For anyone struggling to establish a milk supply/increase a milk supply or exclusively pumping in the early days for a non-latching baby a traditional double electric pump is likely to be a better option.

Fl**ge fit: These pumps, like all pumps, typically come with a 24mm fl**ge as standard and may have a smaller fl**ge option of 20/21mm and a larger one of 27/28mm. Recent research has established that these fl**ges are too large for most of us. A fl**ge that is too large can cause ni**le pain and trauma and will not remove milk effectively. Inserts to make the fl**ges on these pumps smaller are readily available in sizes 13-19mm. However, the shape and designs of the fl**ge and the material it’s made of (hard plastic or silicone) can influence fl**ge fit, comfort and efficacy. There is a much wider range of fl**ge options available for traditional electric pumps to achieve optimum comfort and output.

Price: Many wearables are far more expensive than a good quality traditional electric pump and may not be the best option for you so choose carefully.

If you are struggling to fit in the frequent pumping sessions required a wearable can be used alongside a double electric pump to achieve those extra sessions but the double electric pump should continue to be used as your ‘main’ pump.

15/12/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/1i72voVWbZ/

She thought she was studying milk.
What she found was a conversation.

In 2008, Katie Hinde was standing in a primate research lab in California, staring at data that refused to behave.

She was analyzing breast milk from rhesus macaque mothers—hundreds of samples, thousands of measurements. And a pattern kept appearing that made no sense under the old rules of science.

Mothers with sons produced milk richer in fat and protein.
Mothers with daughters produced more volume, with different nutrient ratios.

This wasn’t random.

It was customized.

Her male colleagues waved it off.
Measurement error.
Noise.
Coincidence.

But Katie trusted the numbers.

And the numbers were saying something radical:

Milk isn’t just food.
It’s information.

For decades, science treated breast milk like gasoline—calories in, growth out. Simple fuel. But if that were true, why would it change based on a baby’s s*x?

Katie kept digging.

She analyzed milk from 250+ mothers across 700+ sampling events. And the story deepened.

First-time, younger mothers produced milk with fewer calories—but much higher cortisol, the stress hormone. Babies who drank it grew faster… and became more vigilant, more anxious, less confident.

The milk wasn’t just building bodies.

It was shaping temperament.

Then came the discovery that stunned even skeptics.

When a baby nurses, tiny amounts of saliva travel backward through the ni**le into the mother’s breast tissue. That saliva carries signals about the baby’s immune status.

If the baby is getting sick, the mother’s body detects it.

Within hours, her milk changes.

White blood cells surge.
Macrophages multiply.
Targeted antibodies appear.

And when the baby recovers?

The milk returns to baseline.

It wasn’t coincidence.

It was call and response.

The baby’s spit tells the mother what’s wrong.
The mother’s body makes exactly the medicine needed.

A biological dialogue—ancient, precise, invisible to science for centuries.

In 2011, Katie joined Harvard and looked at the wider research landscape.

What she found was unsettling.

There were twice as many studies on erectile dysfunction as on breast milk composition.

The first food every human ever consumed—the substance that shaped our species—had been largely ignored.

So Katie did something bold.

She started a blog with a deliberately provocative name:
“Mammals Suck… Milk!”

Within a year, it had over a million readers. Parents. Doctors. Scientists. People asking questions research had skipped.

And the discoveries kept coming:

• Milk changes by time of day (fat peaks mid-morning)
• Foremilk differs from hindmilk (nursing longer delivers richer milk)
• Human milk contains 200+ oligosaccharides babies can’t digest—because they exist to feed beneficial gut bacteria
• Every mother’s milk is as unique as a fingerprint

In 2017, Katie brought the story to a TED stage, watched by millions.
In 2020, she explained it to the world in Netflix’s Babies.

Today, at Arizona State University’s Comparative Lactation Lab, Dr. Katie Hinde continues uncovering how milk shapes human development from the very first hours of life—informing NICU care, improving formula design, and reshaping public health policy worldwide.

The implications are staggering.

Milk has been evolving for 200 million years—longer than dinosaurs walked the Earth.

What science dismissed as “simple nutrition” is actually one of the most sophisticated communication systems biology has ever produced.

Katie Hinde didn’t just study milk.

She revealed that the most ancient form of nourishment is also the most intelligent—
a living, responsive conversation between two bodies, shaping who we become before we ever speak.

All because one scientist refused to accept that half the story was “measurement error.”

Sometimes the biggest revolutions begin by listening to what everyone else ignores.

15/04/2023

What a lovely surprise to receive a bunch of flowers and thank you card from a grateful client who I've been supporting the past few months. It's nice to know we make a difference 🤱

16/03/2023

How fascinating!

Isn’t human milk just incredible!
Just another reason to get out for a walk with your baby.

11/01/2023

I thought this was an idea that had phased out a couple of decades ago, but believe it or not a client was questioned by a HCP this week about whether she had enough milk in her diet for her to make good enough milk. Sigh!
The reasoning seemed to be that she would need to drink milk to get enough calcium.

OK - let’s just deal with this. How do apes make milk without drinking cows milk? Mmm… In fact, how do the cows make milk if they aren’t drinking milk? What a nonsense!
Milk is made in your breast. Some nutrients (e.g. lactose) are made within the breast itself in cells called lactocytes. Other nutrients (e.g. vitamins, minerals, proteins and the water component) will be moved from the blood to milk. Do you need to drink milk to have these nutrients in your blood? No! In fact in lots of parts of the world dairy does not make up a big part of the diet - yet people continue to be able to make breastmilk.

What about the calcium? Well, there’s no doubt that your calcium needs are high when breastfeeding- but that doesn’t mean you need to drink milk either! Calcium isn’t exclusive to dairy. Calcium is in fish, fruit, vegetables, beans, nuts and even in water. The body also adapts during breastfeeding by taking some of the calcium from your bones to put into the milk (yes you are liquifying your body to feed your baby).

You can have a perfectly healthy diet without dairy. You don’t HAVE to drink milk to make milk. Please stop with this nonsense, and stop making mothers worry unnecessarily about they are eating.

26/12/2022

Sometimes it’s hard to tell if baby is “getting anything”. If only we could see the milk moving out of our breast and going to the baby. Good news is, there are lots of signs that baby is getting enough breastmilk, without having to see the actual transfer.

If you are concerned because you are not seeing these “vital signs”, see a lactation specialist.

02/12/2022

Supporters of breastfeeding 🤱🏻:

What can we do when breastfeeding isn’t going as expected?

The first thing we can do is really listen to the mother and understand what is important to her.

Second, it is vital that we connect her to the best resources and help available to her.

Last, be there for her - whatever she is experiencing through the shift: anger, sadness, grief, and more.




***es ***es

photo by Danica Donnelly Photography

30/11/2022

The best way to be ready for breastfeeding is to build a network of support prenatally, and in the early postpartum period. Seek out whatever breastfeeding education you can find, from reputable sources. Find those friends who successfully breastfed; they can be your cheerleaders 📣!

You can also do a prenatal breastfeeding consultation with me.




***es ***es

26/11/2022

Most babies never feed every 3 hours!

For some reason the message has been warped slightly about a baby's feeding pattern. 3 hourly feeds is only ever a way to ensure a sleepy, new baby is getting enough in the early days. This just means they get at least 8 feeds in 24 hours, which is the MINIMUM a baby should be fed. It is not something to aim for after that.

Most babies don't naturally feed 3 hourly, its usually more often. Most adults have something pass their lips, whether that be a meal, snack or drink, at a variety of time intervals, so why shouldn't we expect our babies to do the same?

New babies, once they are out of the sleepy phase, tend to have periods of cluster feeding, generally at night. Cluster feeding could be regarded as one long 8 course banquet, or many smaller feeds, it depends how you look at it. And they may sleep a bit longer at other times of day, often the mornings.

Babies who are a bit older often have a cluster feeding session late evening and in the early hours of the morning. They often have a longer sleep after these periods. Then gradually feed more leading up to the next one.

Babies who are a bit older again often feed when they wake, have a short play time, then want to feed again, then have a nap, then they want to feed again when they wake, then they play for a bit and feed again to nap. They may begin to sleep for slightly longer stretches at night. Then that often stops!

When babies are more awake and alert they often have short feeds and then get on with something else. When they're sleepy they often have longer feeds.

So how do we know our babies are OK and getting enough milk? Well, if it goes in one end it needs to come out the other. At least 6 wet nappies a day after the initial week, and at least 2 poos a day up until around 6 weeks (sometimes poo is more infrequent after this age). Babies should be generally settled between feeds, and that means settled in someone's arms (anyone who has been following me for a while knows babies dont really like to be put down very much!) And they should get bigger! We don't need frequent weighing once babies are feeding well, but they should be growing out of their clothes!