Hettie Grove.- IBCLC, SACLC Breastfeeding Support

17/11/2025

Your milk is amazing - right from the start! Colostrum (your first milk) is highly concentrated & nutrient dense, rich in living components that protect your baby from infection & illness & support the development of their immune system & gut function. Colostrum is extremely important for all babies, especially those born prematurely!

Your milk can also be a powerful medicine for your , even if they aren't yet feeding by mouth! Medical providers know the power of your milk too! Gently swabbing a few drops of freshly expressed or inside a baby's mouth is known as "Oral Immune Therapy" or OIT for short. This therapy is used to support premature or sick babies who are fed by tube or who are receiving nothing by mouth (known as “NPO” in medical settings).

The positive effects are not limited to young babies either! Sick babies over 12 months old also benefit from OIT - your milk is constantly changing to meet their needs so each time you express, your baby has access to a uniquely beneficial & highly specialized milk freshly tailored to their age, stage & situation - no colostrum needed, your milk is perfect for them just the way it is!

How does OIT work? When your milk comes in contact with your baby’s mouth, it is absorbed into their body, & reacts with their saliva - allowing the specialized components contained within to:

🛡️ Protect your baby from illness & support their immune system - your milk provides them with localized & whole body protection!
🛠️Support their gut development.
🪴 Enhance their growth!
🥰 Give them positive oral & sensory stimulation
🏃🏽 Help them reach full feeds faster & begin latching & nursing sooner.
🍽️ Help them accept a wide variety of flavours as they grow by developing their tastebuds.

It also promotes increased bonding & attachment for you & your baby too!

Have questions about your or latch? Looking for tips to help make hand expression, pumping, or nursing easier? Looking for support from someone who really gets it? We’re here to help! Visit the link in our bio to connect with our FREE Virtual & In-Person support options.

17/11/2025

💜 World Prematurity Day: Celebrating Families, Supporting Milk 💜
To the brave families in South Africa whose journey began sooner than expected—you are seen, you are valued, and you are supported.

World Prematurity Day, November 17th, is a day to recognise the strength of every premature baby and the incredible resilience of their parents. As South African Certified Lactation Consultants, we understand the unique challenges of having a baby born too early.

Liquid Gold and NICU Support 🤱
For a preterm baby, every drop of mother's own milk is truly liquid gold. It’s vital for protecting their vulnerable gut, fighting infection, and supporting their rapid growth and development.

Our commitment is to support you in providing your little fighter with the best possible nutrition and bond:

Establishing Supply: We guide mothers in initiating and maintaining their milk supply through pumping, often starting within the first hour after birth.

Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC): We encourage and facilitate skin-to-skin contact, a cornerstone of premature baby care in South Africa, which boosts milk production and helps bonding.

Transitioning to Breast: We provide gentle, individualised support to help your baby move from tube feeds to direct breastfeeding when they are ready, celebrating every milestone.

Navigating Challenges: We offer evidence-based, compassionate care for issues like low supply and managing pumping routines, empowering your choices throughout your baby's NICU stay and beyond.

🇿🇦 A Message of Hope
In South Africa, where approximately 1 in 10 babies is born too soon, community support is essential. Remember that you are not alone. Every day your baby is building strength, and every effort you make has a BIG IMPACT.

We salute the entire NICU team and the strong families who fight alongside their little ones.

Are you a family with a premature baby needing lactation support? Connect with a South African Certified Lactation Consultant for expert, compassionate care tailored to your unique baby's needs.

16/11/2025

I remember this moment. I hated it.

Even her little hand on my chest like that made me want to run away, to flee my home screaming “I can’t do it any more!”

This photo is not one I treasure.

It’s ok to have photos you don’t get warm fuzzy sentimental feelings about. Or have a mixed emotion reaction to seeing.

As much as I want to pull my grandmother-in-law’s move of cutting out the person I don’t like in a photo (RIP the ex-Aunt Robyn’s head, photographically decapitated from the family photo after the divorce) or destroying the digital copy of the offending image, I don’t. Though I’ve entertained the idea of submitting it to one of those photoshop jokesters (I love those!) I refrain.

“Can you make me look happy and erase the memories of how miserable and conflicted I felt and how torn up about that I was how sad that makes me now?” Seems like a tall order even for a silly prank edit.

I keep it because I don’t want to forget.

The me in this picture was struggling with nursing aversion.

Nursing aversion… sucks.

This is one of those parts of baby feeding that many experience but few talk about. There’s shame and fear and grief tied up with it in my own experience and it’s hard to open up with all that.

But we need to.

There’s a lot we don’t know about nursing aversions. It is an experience that is difficult to describe and hard to understand. Not surprisingly, there’s a lot we don’t know about it.

What is it?

Strong negative feelings when baby is latched or during pumping.

Emotions such as anger, rage, anxiety, impatience, desperation, irritation, restlessness, discomfort, pain, tension, feeling trapped, being “touched out,” the “heebeejeebees,” and a strong desire to unlatch the baby are some possibilities.

I experience all the above when I have nursing aversion due to pregnancy. I experience several of these when I’m ovulating. I experience a couple of these when I’m over tired and my nursling is more fidgety or persistent with touch I don’t like (i.e., I have intense anger, feeling trapped, and desperation when my nursling tries to twiddle the other side or fiddle with the mole on my neck while latched).

Physical symptoms are also possible like restless leg syndrome at night, feeling itchy, elevated heart rate, sweating, sensitivity to loud sounds and bright light, a sense of skin crawling, pain, and discomfort.

For me the skin crawling can be overwhelmingly intense when I’m experiencing nursing aversion.

It usually persists through the duration of a feeding or pumping session and goes away when the session is done.

D-MER (Dysphorix-Milk Ejection Reflex) is similar in that the emotions are intense though the emotional range can include unease, a sense of doom, intense sadness, and overwhelming despair. But D-MER typically lessens after letdown but can return with each subsequent letdown.

Nursing aversion may have not been present at all and then suddenly is there. It can be every feed or only some of the time.

Nursing aversion can make normal, regular aspects of baby feeding much more challenging. The instinctual behavior of the nursling patting, pushing, squeezing the tissue may become intolerable with nursing aversion. Cluster feeds can be overwhelming when dealing with nursing aversion.

Going through nursing aversion brought up feelings that maybe I was a bad mom or I didn’t love my child enough. I hated how I felt but I also couldn’t stop it. Eventually, I did find some ways to address it for myself and that helped but I had to start with being honest about my experience and having a lot of grace for the me in this photo.

If you’d like to learn more, let me know here and I’ll give you that info.

16/11/2025

The pumping partner is a pillar of the breastfeeding journey, especially with a preemie. How Dad/Partner can rock it: 1. Cleaning Patrol: Wash pump parts! It's a never-ending task. 2. Milk Runner: Taking milk to the NICU or fridge. 3. Kangaroo Time: Hold the baby while Mom pumps (or rests!). 4. Emotional Backup: Reassurance and positivity. You are a team! 👨‍🍼

13/11/2025

Do you want to know more about the myths of breastfeeding ….. why there are risks if you are not breastfeeding . Come bust the myths with us .

Seats are limited . Book early to secure your seat

07/11/2025

Are you ready ! Calling pregnant couples to attend a breastfeeding workshop. Busting the myths to make an informed choice ! Let us help you reaching your goals! .jepson.9 . When 29 November from 9 h 13
Venue St Mary’s wing Parklands Springs Cost R400 per couple Book with Roelene +27 (82) 843-4835 First five will receive a gift plus all will receive a goody bag ! 🚨Spread the word

06/11/2025

📣Brand and Beyond Media November 2025 issue🎯
www.brandandbeyondmedia.co.za
Sr.Hettie Grove - Academy of Health Education
‍🧚Springs🌼
📞011 812 4234/083 492 5861
📧hetti@worldonline.co.za
🌐https://academyofhealtheducation.wordpress.com
St Marys wing at Parklands Hospital Artemis road Springs, 1559 Springs
📍https://goo.gl/maps/venGMngJf4zwofo69

06/11/2025

This !

If your baby arrives early, establishing your milk supply quickly is key! Your breasts respond to frequent stimulation. Tips for success: 1. Start pumping/hand-expressing within 6 hours of birth. 2. Aim for 8-12 milk removals (pump/express) every 24 hours. 3. Kangaroo Mother Care is magic! Every tiny step counts. We are here to guide you! 🇿🇦

25/10/2025

Jungle juice, gummy bear juice call it what you want, the recipe is all over social media and even local hospitals as well as medical professionals and friends are giving the recipe for mothers to drink while breastfeeding.

There is no scientific evidence that jungle juice makes more milk! Why not? Because it cant increase the prolactin levels or any of the hormones that are involved in the lactation process .It might have a placebo effect though.

To ensure good milk production is to remove milk more effectively by frequent breastfeeding or expressing Breastfeeding work on a demand supply chain. The effective draining lead to a better supply. Baby's take about 2/3 of the milk at a time. Full signals the brain to decrease the production.Skin-to-skin, smell your baby, keep him in the breastaurant , the best tools we have for increasing milk supply

But do you really have a low supply or is it a perceived low supply See a certified Lactation Consultant to help you to reach your goals

And some more ❤️🩷💜💙💚🩵Angeline Manyuha RNRM Pretoria Central, North and West Kekana Boitumelo RD Pretoria Amber Kitchen RNRM Gordonsbay

25/10/2025

We are grateful for each one of you hard work pay of!

Congratulations to our newly qualified SACLCS!🥰❤️🩵🩷💜Koketso Mohlopi RD from Mafikeng Courtney Human RD Benoni .thedietitianfoodie Laika Maharaj RD Pietermaritzburg Tharien Thompson RN.Midwife Mediclinic Kloof Lyndall Roach ST East London Dr. Ivanna Balanco Chiropractor Elicia Thompson RD Kemptonpark Dr Anika de Klerk Chiropractor Alberton JHB South .deklerk.7 Andrea Robbertse ST CApe Town Jessica Durrheim OT East London Rosanne Reitz RN.RM Roodepoort West Rand .14 Lize Eloff OT/Doula Stellenbosch Alexandra Lu OT East London .lu.13 Dr Keevara Raidoo chiropractor JHB South Mariska Taljaard St Nelspruit Mbombela Ammaarah Moola ST Johannesburg Madia Pretorius RN.RM Graaff-Reinet and surrounds Anlu Behm ST Somerset West Sarah Swart PT Swakopmund Namibia .physio Aneska Swart RN.RM Pretoria East . Anke van Waveren RD Polokwane Dr Sarah McPhail Chiropractor CBE Hillcrest . Rafeeha Amiroodien STA Krugersdorp Hanne Roos RNRM Western Seaboard Sister Roos Baby Clinic. Danielle van Staden Pharmacist Potchefstroom, Parys Tahiyya Cassim Audiologist Laudium and surrounds Dr Cindy Nkosi Peadiatric Dr Stanger KZN L Ellis PT AtlanticSeaboard and Claremont

15/10/2025

We mourn the passing of Dr. Ruth Lawrence, a true pioneer in breastfeeding medicine whose vision, wisdom, and compassion have shaped the care of families worldwide. Her groundbreaking work and mentorship continue to inspire clinicians, researchers, and advocates everywhere. Please join us in celebrating her extraordinary legacy by sharing your reflections and tributes on our digital memorial wall: https://recocards.com/board/c-dr--ruth-128992968150.

For those who wish to honor Dr. Lawrence’s memory further, contributions may be made to funds that were close to her heart and will help sustain her lasting impact:
- The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine’s Growth Fund or the Founders’ Endowment: https://www.bfmed.org/support-abm
- The Dr. Ruth A. Lawrence Educational Fund at the University of Rochester: https://www.rochester.edu/advancement/dr-ruth-a-lawrence-educational-fund/

15/10/2025

🎓✨ WE ARE EXITED TO ANNOUNCE- BREAKING NEWS - REGISTRATION FOR 2026 IS OFFICIALLY OPEN! ✨🎓

📅 15 October 2025 – 16 January 2026

The South African Certified Lactation Consultants (SACLC) proudly announces that registration for the 2026 training programme is NOW OPEN! 🚀

💥 NEW & IMPROVED CURRICULUM
Incorporating the latest international updates in lactation education

1 additional unit

Now a 16-month dynamic and intensive course designed for passionate healthcare providers ready to make a difference! 🤱🌍

🔥 This is not just another course – it’s a transformative journey.

Be part of South Africa’s community of professional lactation consultants and take your career to the next level. 🌟

📍 Limited spaces available – first come, first served!

📧 Enquiries & registration:
✉️ saclc.education@gmail.com
✉️ saclc.finances@gmail.com

📞 By appointment only:
📱 083 226 0709
📱 083 492 5861

💫 Start your journey towards a meaningful career – where every drop of knowledge makes a difference!