Warm Hearts Lactation

01/28/2026

Amazing article showing that brain development benefit of breastfeeding extends into adolescence!
Teen years are hard. What a wonderful gift to your child it could be to help reduce the neurological difficulties that often occur during this time by truly changing the way their brain functions.

What improves adolescent brain function? Longer breastfeeding, according to this 2025 longitudinal study. It found the longer babies breastfed, the greater the structural brain enhancements in adolescents that lead to better mental health, better executive functioning and better school performance. Free download here:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40382469/

01/21/2026

I have a lot of opinions on this…

I have seen it cause supply issues later, because nearly every patient I’ve worked with that has collected colostrum has ended up using it heavily in those first few days after delivery, without any guidance that they should also be trying to remove colostrum/milk if they are supplementing with their own pre-collected colostrum.
Most have reported not a single postpartum nurse has explained that they may face long term supply issues if they aren’t signaling to their body to make milk often after delivery.
I see OB clinics handing out syringes like they are candy those last few weeks, but with zero guidance on how to use that colostrum later safely, without interfering with supply, and without any education that pre-natal colostrum supply/collection does not equate to strong milk supply after delivery.
I feel like it’s causing more harm than good the way in which is being approached across the board currently.

If you are leaking colostrum freely, sure collect some… just in case… if you have endocrine issues or are expecting a c-section, having some colostrum on hand may help. BUT if you use pre-collected colostrum in place of a direct feed or a pumped feed, YOU MUST do something to signal to your body your baby is eating. You must attempt to remove milk (colostrum IS milk). Relying on pre-collected syringes, especially with no attempt at removing milk though hand expression, nursing, or pumping, for days can absolutely tank your long term supply.

Should moms be harvesting colostrum before their babies are born? Hear from ABM Member, Dr. Miena Meek Hall, and others on this emerging trend and leave us a comment with your thoughts. 👇

https://nypost.com/2026/01/05/health/moms-are-harvesting-liquid-gold-colostrum-before-their-babies-are-born/

01/10/2026

When studying for my CLC, this is information I learned. This was information that the AAP had access to, as the CLC course is affiliated with the AAP.
I do not want this data to be misconstrued and turned into fear mongering, I do hope it helps paint a more thorough picture of feeding options in America and the risk associated with formula feeding, especially when a new parent is looking for lactation support and her requests are dismissed and suggestions to switch to formula are pushed instead.
How one feeds their baby is their choice, but we can not ignore risks associated with either choice.

Florida's Department of Health discovered elevated heavy metals in 16 out of 24 tested infant formula products, prompting state officials to expand formula options for families.

12/09/2025

I did it! I passed my IBCLC exam!

Once everything is finalized with IBLCE, I’ll be officially an IBCLC!

I can’t wait to get back into helping new families with even more credentials by my name.

05/11/2025

05/01/2025

A patient reached out last week to ask if I’d be on post this week, and if I could swing by.
She gave me a thank you gift, along with this card. It brought me to tears when I read it.
Lactation Support is often a thankless job. Many medical providers find our profession pointless. The general community acts as if we are weird when we say what we do. When things don’t go as hoped, parents often blame us for the myriad of reasons why… but then when we see the true difference we make for some parents, it’s humbling, and all worthwhile. And sometimes, we are told we were the one and only person that sat and listened when no one else would.

I still remember Julie, the British Lactation Professional I saw when I had my first child, nearly 13 years ago. I only had to talk to her a few times, but she always assured me I was doing a wonderful job and provided me guidance that worked when everyone else just told me all the reasons I should quit breastfeeding.

As I close out this chapter at Fort Johnson, I really do hope I’ve made a difference here. I hope I’ve been that ear a new mom needed. I hope I’ve been the voice of compassion that no one else provided. I hope I provided them with knowledge and support in a sea of incorrect myths and detrimental advice. I hope that some of the women I’ve helped have felt educated and empowered enough to pay that forward to other moms that need help. I hope that in 13 years at least one of these families still thinks of me fondly.

I pray that future Fort Johnson parents get the help and support they need from whomever may come after me.

I hope I’ve left this installation better than I found it.

04/18/2025

It is with very mixed emotions that I announce Warm Hearts Lactation will be closing up services in the Fort Johnson Community next month.

Our family has been here nearly six years and it is time to move to the next stage of life.
I greatly appreciate each of you that supported me here, so that I could best support our new moms! I hope that I have made a difference during my time here.

As always, I am not abandoning anyone! Anyone still needing advice is welcome to message me and I can help in anyway I can virtually or point you in the direction of local support.

Once we get settled in our new town, I will share what the next stage of my lactation support journey will look like.

03/27/2025

It’s been shown that breastfeeding lowers the rate of obesity later in life, but the mechanism in which this happens has yet to be identified.

A new study was just released showing that it appears as though the gut health of exclusively breastfed babies seems to offer a protection against ths correlation of infants that gained weight rapidly becoming overweight children.

There is so much more that we have to learn about all the benefits of breastfeeding.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11901506/pdf/nutrients-17-00826.pdf?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1pndLoHi1qzNOjMYfYRzNZmJoFhmFBKmEoaC7BNO1ho_G1ATbmz9Tp5RQ_aem_7f0l4uNTj2-Kt73nbQFqVQ

01/29/2025

Breastmilk truly is amazing

How does breastfeeding affect bone health? This 2024 study found the risk, of bone fractures later in life decreases by 3% per month of exclusive breastfeeding in its 6.6K study mothers. Another reason nursing our babies is good for us, too! Read more here:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11654412/pdf/12889_2024_Article_20890.pdf

01/02/2025

2024 was certainly a busy year. 2025 will be filled with change. Our family will relocate this summer and I'm not sure how that will impact my ability to help families.
I feel honored to have been able to serve the Fort Johnson area and will certainly make the most of my last few months here.

11/11/2024

Misconception Monday!

“If you don’t pump in addition to nursing, you will lose your supply….”

How many of you were told this?!

This is not advice that should be given to everyone.

There are circumstances when a parent will need to pump in addition to nursing, but for the VAST MAJORITY of infants that are nursing well at the breast and gaining well, you do NOT need to pump extra too.

Pumps are meant to remove milk when you can’t, or don’t want to, feed your baby directly. We are meant to remove approximately the same amount the baby would need for the feed.

Pumping excess milk everyday just tells your body to make more milk.

Regardless of the freezers full of milk you see on TikTok, or your friend that brags about try extra 20 ounces a day she freezes…. Our bodies weren’t designed to do that. And for most people, we shouldn’t be trying to do that.

Pumping extra can create an oversupply, which can lead to a long list of health complications for mom and baby.

So, save yourself the time, the headache, the washing, and the freezer space, and just focus on nursing, or pumping only what baby needs when unable to nurse directly, and if exclusively pumping, just the approximate amount your infant is consuming each day (which should top out around 30 ounces a day, depending on the child).

And while you’re at it, let any health professional that tells you otherwise to check out the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine’s free courses so they can be properly educated. ❤️

09/15/2024

Many breastfeeding parents find themselves co-sleeping when they had never planned on it.
Most won’t tell their child’s pediatrician, as the AAP strongly states that infants should sleep in their crib. This can lead to parents making unsafe choices, by not knowing who to ask about how to co-sleep safely.

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine recognized this and worked to create a protocol for safe bed sharing for breastfed infants. This team of physicians looked at data related to culture, SIDS, bed sharing, alcohol and drug use, and numerous other factors.

They do not want parents to feel shamed. They want to provide data and guidelines so that families can choose a sleep environment that is both safe and works for their family.

For information about safe bedsharing that you can discuss with your child’s physician, visit here:https://abm.memberclicks.net/assets/PatientHandouts/English_ABM%20Bedsharing_Breastfeeding_Handout_Protected.pdf

Their entire protocol can be found here:https://www.bfmed.org/assets/DOCUMENTS/PROTOCOLS/Protocol%20%236%20-%20English%20Translation.pdf