As a IBCLC, my approach to supporting breastfeeding is holistic. I work closely with both mother and baby as a unit. Sometimes, this includes collaborating with other healthcare professionals, such as osteopaths and chiropractors, to help babies feed more effectively and comfortably.

As a lactation consultant, I can often identify challenges in breastfeeding related to positioning or latch. These can usually be improved with targeted techniques. However, if a baby consistently, prefers one breast over the other, causes more nipple damage on one side or favours turning their head in one direction it often suggests an underlying issue such as torticollis, a form of neck strain. In these cases, bodywork care can be incredibly effective. With gentle therapy and guided parent-led exercises, osteopaths can help improve the baby’s neck mobility, allowing for better movement at the breast, less clamping down on the nipple, and a more relaxed feeding experience.

Christmas is a beautiful time of year to show off your new baby to your family. All those extended Aunt’s Uncles and Grandparents ready for a snuggle with your sweet baby!

This is all absolutely wonderful, however did you know that the highest incidence of mastitis is on Boxing Day? The day after big events is a really common time for mastitis to occur. 

Why does this happen? At home, Mum and Baby do lots of regular, frequent feeds, often taking their time and having lots of boobie snuggles. But when your baby is being passed around and held by everyone else, maybe being kept quiet or asleep in those loving grandma arms, you may find that you accidentally skip a feed, or you feel bad taking the baby back, so you go longer between feeds. Another thing that can happen to our lovely Mums who are doing a million things, organising all the joy, presents and food, is that we get a bit burnout and don’t get enough rest or food and hydration for ourselves.

Breastmilk supply in the vast majority of women is abundant and in perfect amounts for your growing baby. However, in some cases, low milk supply can be an issue and close investigation is needed to determine the cause and implement remedies. It can be categorized into two categories, there could be an initial low milk supply due to the birth or events surrounding the birth or there can be true low milk supply and it is important to distinguish between the two. Initial low milk supply can usually be managed and corrected with some hard work and close monitoring but true low supply due to physiological reasons may need ongoing supplementation. The sooner initial low supply is caught and corrected the better the long-term supply outcomes.

Tongue tie or Ankyloglossia as it is officially known, is when a piece of frenulum (tissue) that holds the bottom of the tongue, to the floor of the mouth is too short or tight. There is also lip tie or labial frenulum or buccal / cheek ties. But more on those later.

Everyone has frenulum, but in some babies, that piece of tissue can be really tight, thick or forward closer to the tip of the tongue, restricting its ability to move freely, to lift, to cup and hold nipple, to obtain a deeper latch and to effectively transfer milk. All key ingredients in breastfeeding.

This can lead to some or all of the following feeding symptoms: