Learning to Breastfeed, Miriam Main IBCLC

A Finnish folk saying, and my own future wizard 🧙‍♂️

Happy IWD! May we be strong women, may we raise them.

Of course, we celebrate women and the beauty and power of motherhood every day here ❤️

Today I would like to thank three women who have been my particular inspiration as a lactation consultant.

Marian Thompson, one of the Founding Mothers of La Leche League. Her wisdom, knowledge and big-heartedness has benefited generations of women. As I revisit the founding concepts of La Leche League time and time again I am awed at how carefully they were crafted and the foresight of these amazing women.

Karla Napier has been a wonderful friend and professional mentor. A legend in Edinburgh (and beyond!) I was so lucky to stumble upon someone with so much knowledge who is also so generous and patient in sharing that knowledge. I have learned communication skills, clinical skills, and felt genuine support and love from Karla. I can thank her for giving me the confidence to become an IBCLC!

Isabella Geraghty, my own mother. Although she did not receive the correct support to be able to reach her breastfeeding goals with me, and suffered years of breastfeeding grief and trauma, she has been immensely supportive of my breastfeeding journeys and a wonderful granny to my babies.

Sending all ladies reading this lots of love today ❤️

Just attended a lovely mum&baby event at with offering a breastfeeding workshop for mums in attendance. So lovely to see events like this re-emerging after COVID, great job Anna for organising!

I am always happy to offer loving guidance for mothers and babies at any stage of your breastfeeding journey. Just pop me a DM or email [email protected]

To all my fellow International Board Certified Lactation Consultants, and anyone who spends time, energy and love supporting mothers and babies to reach their breastfeeding goals: a big THANK YOU this IBCLC day ❤️

Today is National Breastfeeding In Public day! Congratulations if you have ever breastfed your baby in public ❤️🤱.

This is a picture of me breastfeeding my 2-and-a-half year old at the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool this Summer. Did I always find it so easy to breastfeed anywhere and everywhere? Absolutely not! So here are a few of my top tips:

1. Clothing - layers are useful! I like a classic "one up, one down" - so I wear a vest top which I pull down as a base layer, and a t shirt that I lift up on top. This leaves both my belly and chest covered when feeding, so I feel less exposed.

2. Privacy - sitting by a corner, wall, or in a booth can give you a bit of space, especially if you position another adult close to the main body of the room. You may be surprised - often people don't even notice you are breastfeeding!

3. Slingtime - learning how to breastfeed while your baby is in the sling can be really useful for when you're out and about. Having your baby upright and close to you after a feed will help their digestion too.

4. Confidence - know that you have a legal right to breastfeed in public, and that you are doing a wonderful thing for your baby and potentially helping other women see normal breastfeeding behaviours. The more we see breastfeeding as part of our culture, the more mums will feel supported to reach their breastfeeding goals ❤️

Has there been a baby boom? Travelling all over the city this week and next supporting mothers and babies. Enjoying the iconic sights of the city and as always awed by mothers resilience, strength and love ❤️🤱

Sending out lots of love to all the mamas and babies out there ❤️ and a big THANK YOU to all the mums who reached out to me for support this year. I have been awed by the beauty, love, and dedication from incredible women and their supportive families. 🤰🤱

Picture of my first baby on her first Christmas day🎄

A few hours late, but I am a mum so I'm sure you all understand..... 🤷

Last night was the eve of the winter solstice, traditionally known as Mothers Night. Traditionally this is a time to celebrate and honour our female ancestors and women who inspire us. As the evening is early and night is long, it is the perfect time to share family stories with your children.

In the past this was also a time to give thanks to the female goddesses protecting the fields and harvest, home and tribe, pregnant women, warriors and labourers.

Here is a photo of my mother babywearing me back in the late 1980s. I am lucky to descend from a long line of strong and loving women.

Share the stories of your female ancestors with your family, and celebrate their legacy. ❤️

Happy birthday to my beautiful daughter. I was "birthed" as a mother that day too ❤️ and had no idea how much this tiny squirmy person would change my life irrevocably, beautifully, and permanently.

Knowing your baby is feeding effectively is a common anxiety for new breastfeeding mothers. 🤱

So how can you tell if your baby is feeding well?

- breastfeeding is comfortable, you don't experience ni**le or breast pain ❤️
- baby can coordinate a good suck-swallow pattern and you can see and/or hear the swallow👶
- baby is gaining weight as expected: back to birth weight by day 14, then at least 25g/day until day 28, and 21g/day after day 28 ⚖️
- nappy output: day 1 you see one wet and one meconium nappy, day 2 you see 2 wet and 2 poos which are changing from dark sticky meconium colour and may be greenish, day 3 you have 3 wet and 3 changing poos, from day 4-5 you start seeing heavy wet nappies (5+) and 2-4+ mustard coloured poos. 💩💛

If you have any concerns about your baby, get in touch with your midwife, health visitor, GP, or an experienced and trained breastfeeding supporter.

Travelling around this beautiful city supporting mums really is a great job..... Remember that breastfeeding is a relationship between mother and baby. I will support you to reach your own breastfeeding goals, and help your support network (family, friends, colleagues, society) to do that too 🤱❤️

When you are a new mum the huge change in everything is overwhelming. It can be tricky to navigate, and easy to feel panic, stress, imposter syndrome and much more.

If you face challenges to breastfeeding, you need a kind, confident voice to guide you with evidence-based, practical solutions. You need someone who will continue to support you until you feel happy to fly solo. You need a calming influence.

Luckily, that's just what I do 🙂. Hearing this feedback from mums is incredibly heartening ❤️ I'm absolutely privileged to be a piece in the puzzle for new babies and mothers in their breastfeeding journey.

If this sounds like what you need please get in touch via my website learningtobreastfeed.com

*World Mental Health Day* (a day late because I have kids and I'm always late now 🤷)

This photo is of me about to go out for an evening without my children. I can count on one hand the number of times this has happened since the birth of my oldest (almost 6 years ago!).

I remember when both babies were little people were desperate that I should leave my babies. "Give yourself a break"! "Go and have some fun"! Etc. The thing is... I didn't want to leave my babies! I'm here to tell you that if you feel the same, that is ok! It is totally normal for you to feel a deep, biological need to be with your babies. You can meet their needs and your needs without having to be physically separated, if that is what works for you. Trust your mothering instinct.

Equally, if you are a new mum suddenly transformed into a different person and you miss the "old" you, I'm here to say that a time will come back around where you can go out and have fun and be happy that you and your wee ones will both be ok. Even if you have to send your other half into the attic to look for shoes that aren't wellies or trainers, like I did before this picture!

I'm running my first online Preparing To Breastfeed course tonight for pregnant mums.🤰❤️ If you have any mum friends who are pregnant and want to breastfeed let me know and I can add them to the waiting list for the next one! [email protected]

A whole new meaning to the phrase "tiger mum"....🐯🤱
Breastfeeding toddlers or older babies can be an invaluable mothering tool, but can come with its own challenges. Some facts about breastfeeding beyond babyhood:
- the WHO recommends breastfeeding until your baby is *at least* two years old
- your milk continues to change to meet your baby's needs: breastmilk in the second year postpartum contains more fat, protein, lactoferrin, lysozyme and Immunoglobulin A
- in the second year 450ml of breastmilk provides 75% vitamin A, 60% vitamin C and 94% vitamin B12 requirements
- research tells us that nursing toddlers aged 1-3 years old have fewer illnesses, and their illnesses are of shorter duration
- research shows us that breastfeeding improves cognitive development (IQ scores etc), and that the longer you breastfeed for, the greater the gains are
- many of the health benefits for mothers are increased by a longer duration of breastfeeding

Looking forward to a good day!

A beautiful poem ❤️ motherhood is transformational for sure.

Today I saw an old friend
from my past
She barely stopped,
she was moving so fast.

Hurrying and shushing
and looking quite flushed
The frazzled kind,
not contoured with blush.

I had to double take
her brows in a frown
Her clothes mis-matched,
her hair in a crown.

She carried herself differently
tired and raw
A beauty that shined
more visibly than before.

She swayed side to side
a baby on her hip
as she stared in the distance
chewing her lip.

I decided to approach
and reconnect with this girl
To remind her that she
was conquering the world.

She told me her life
had completely changed
That the pieces of her
had been rearranged.

Pieces left for months
on the floor
so it took her a while
to feel whole once more.

Then she said, “I get it now,
this is who I’m meant to be”,
and I actually believed her
as she stared back at me.

She was tired yet knowing.
A world of content
In a place so new,
for where she was meant.

I took a deep breath
as I left our embrace,
from the girl in the mirror,
with a smile on my face.

Words: Jess Urlichs, Writer
‘from one mom to a mother’ poetry book www.jessicaurlichs.com
Art: angelica.ch.r

If you can help with this study, please do:

Can you help the University of Dundee with this project please ( I am involved and know there is affects many of you)

https://dundee.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/action4breastfeeding-parents-panel

Those who work in health care, or have worked in health care within the last 5 years, are not eligible to join the Panel. A separate professional panel has been recruited.

My new website is now live www.learningtobreastfeed.com ❤️🤱 check it out and please share with any pregnant or breastfeeding mothers.

If you are looking for kind, knowledgeable support to help you reach your breastfeeding goals then please get in touch: [email protected]

Many of us will think of this when we remember Queen Elizabeth II: the monarch, the crown.

However, she was also a mother, who despite enduring the horrors of "twilight birth" breastfed all four of her babies in a huge break from ancient precedent. She was breastfed by her own mother, and her legacy enabled Princess Diana and Kate Middleton the freedom to also breastfed their babies. Her family will reap the benefit of her advocacy for generations.

An inspirational woman and mother in many ways.

What does breastfeeding do for you?

Common Wild hits the nail on the head again!

Expectations around birth, breastfeeding and motherhood often don't match reality. When we share the ugly, beautiful, messy truth we can help other mothers around us feel less alone and more informed ❤️

So who started this 'pitter patter' myth? In my experience it's a 💥thump 💥 thump💥 thump💥 catapult 💥 body slam❗💥

Hello!

This feels like an appropriate photo to share to introduce myself and the birth of this new venture: Learning To Breastfeed. My name is Miriam and I'm a mother of two in Edinburgh. In this photo you see me and my oldest child just a few hours before our family grew to 4 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦. I was about to embark on my second breastfeeding journey, to learn a whole load of new tips and tricks, and over my maternity leave to study hard about all the clinical aspects of breastfeeding.

Two years later I achieved the highest worldwide clinical accreditation in breastfeeding, and I can now call myself an IBCLC*. My mission is to protect, promote and support breastfeeding mothers and babies ❤️🤱🤰. Breastfeeding is a skill that both mother and baby learn together. Through life we are all on a learning journey, and I can teach you the skills and knowledge I have worked hard to understand. My knowledge comes with love, empathy, and practical understanding.

Soon my website learningtobreastfeed.com will have a list of the services I can offer, but if you are pregnant or currently breastfeeding and could use some help, please get in touch by DM here.

*International Board Certified Lactation Consultant