SuckleBubs

SuckleBubs I help mothers prepare for newborn life with feeding, sleep & sensory care, so they feel confident, calm & connected from the very first day.

17/06/2026

As an IBCLC here’s some of the ways I support mothers and babies to navigate establishing breastfeeding in the first few days with a sleepy baby after birth intervention. I hope it’s helpful x

Disclaimer: General education only, not individual clinical advice. Registered Nurse (AHPRA) + IBCLC. For concerns specific to your baby, please seek support from your healthcare provider or a lactation consultant.

12/06/2026

Birth intervention directly impacts on baby behaviour after birth and I see this nearly every day in clinical practice. The variables of birth are not within our control and neither is how our babies metabolise medication they have been exposed to during birth. Sleepy babies who don’t wake for feeds or don’t suck effectively because their feeding reflexes are depressed are at a higher risk of other complications such as excessive weight loss and jaundice. Please know that drowsy babies can be managed with IBCLC support, and they gradually become more alert (some sooner than others) as I said it is highly variable, but there is a large majority of newborns who are simply drowsy for at least the first few days after birth and this directly impacts on the establishment of breastfeeding if not managed early with a plan B. If the breast does not have effective and frequent stimulation after birth, long term supply can be impacted. With increasing rates of birth intervention it’s a conversation all parents should be offered antenatal. I always worry when parents tell me how their baby is such a good sleeper in those early days. If a baby is a good sleeper and not waking to feed at least 8 times in 24 hours it’s a red flag. The good thing about creating awareness about this is that we have opportunity to have conversation, to prepare mothers and families before birth, so that if intervention is your choice or if it’s something you don’t choose, you are prepared with what the variables may be and don’t personalise it as your fault because it simply is not. There are ways to protect lactation and your baby from birth if this is a situation you find yourself in after birth. Connecting with an IBCLC lactation consultant will help you prepare for this and navigate your next steps.

12/06/2026

Drowsy babies after birth is something you can prepare for! Informed choice protects the breastfeeding experience and enables you to get ready for a plan B so you can protect lactation and your baby. Don’t just prepare for birth but prepare for what happens next!

12/06/2026

Not all baby advice is really about the baby.
Honestly, one of the hardest parts of newborn life is the conflicting advice. Especially when it comes from the people who love you most. Watching you respond to every single cry can stir something in those who weren’t supported to parent that way. Their advice comes from love (and a very different era).

You cannot spoil a newborn. Babies are born expecting closeness, it’s how they feel safe in the world. Every time you respond, you’re literally growing your baby’s brain.

So if you notice self-doubt creeping in, get curious. Is that doubt actually yours? Or was it handed to you by someone parented in the behaviourism era, when babies were left to cry and mothers were told their instincts couldn’t be trusted?

Have compassion and know that this advice comes from them doing their best with the support and information available at the time. See it for what it is, and choose to build your confidence anyway.

Your instincts telling you to respond to your baby is never the problem.

If you’re pregnant or a newborn parent save this: you cannot spoil a newborn 🤍

11/06/2026

Honestly, one of the hardest parts of newborn life is the conflicting advice. Especially when it comes from the people who love you most. Watching you respond to every single cry can stir something in those who weren’t supported to parent that way. Their advice comes from love (and a very different era).

What you need to know is that you cannot spoil a newborn. Babies are born expecting closeness, it’s how they feel safe in the world. Every time you respond, you’re literally growing your baby’s brain.

So if you notice self-doubt creeping in, get curious. Is that doubt actually yours? Or was it handed to you by someone parented in the behaviourism era, when babies were left to cry and mothers were told their instincts couldn’t be trusted?

Have compassion and know that this advice comes from them doing their best with the support and information available at the time. See it for what it is, and choose to build your confidence anyway.

Your instincts telling you to respond to your baby is never the problem.

If you’re pregnant or a newborn parent save this: you cannot spoil a newborn 🤍

02/06/2026

If you want to establish breastfeeding after birth, this is one of the best things to keep an eye on in the colostrum stage so you can not only build confidence while learning but you can advocate for early support if your baby isn’t pooing in the first few days of life. This is also a great thing to look at if you are considering topping up with formula. What goes in must come out, and making informed decisions is what I value more than anything in my work with families
* Note this is for the colostrum stage ONLY. Once your milk comes in, urine is the best indicator of hydration typically from day 3 onwards. If you’re concerned, check in with your health professional or an IBCLC for support.
Arnikka x

11/05/2026

Breastfeeding is a learned skill, for every mother and every baby. But when you have two, the pressure to do it all at once can feel really overwhelming before you’ve even started.

In my clinical experience, so many mothers of multiples find it really helpful to learn to breastfeed one baby at a time first. Not because tandem feeding isn’t possible, it absolutely is, but because learning one feed at a time gives you the chance to tune into what an effective latch actually feels like, to get to know each baby individually, to build your confidence, and to troubleshoot (with hopefully a spare hand once baby is on!)

Once you’ve given yourself permission to just learn, experimenting with tandem feeding often comes so much more easily and you can tell when it’s working or when you need to troubleshoot. Because you and your babies have actually had the chance to figure each other out first.

There is never one right way. Every breastfeeding journey looks different and what works for some can work different for others.

If you’re a mother of multiples, please feel free to comment or share any kind words for the mums who are about to begin this journey or are currently in the thick of it.
🤍 Arnikka

10/05/2026

When my mother held my son for the first time, she looked at me and said, “your life is now on a whole new level.”

I didn’t understand the weight of her words in that moment.
I do now.

Motherhood has rocked me entirely. Emotionally, physically, spiritually. It has undone me and rebuilt me in ways I couldn’t have anticipated or prepared for. It wasn’t until I became a mother that my soul came alive and ‘online’ for the first time.

Nobody tells you that becoming a mother is its own kind of becoming. That the woman who you were before and the woman who you are now are not quite the same person. That you grow forwards only, and you’re never going back there. That it will be the most ordinary and the most sacred thing you have ever done, sometimes in the same moment.

To my mum, you are pure magic. Thank you for being my home, my safe place, and for loving me unconditionally. Watching you love my babies has been one of the greatest gifts.

To every mother today, whether this day feels full of joy, or grief, or both at once, I see you. All of it is valid. All of it is real.

Happy Mother’s Day. 🤍Arnikka

If feeding helps your baby settle into sleep and it’s working for you, nothing needs to change.That’s your baby regulati...
02/02/2026

If feeding helps your baby settle into sleep and it’s working for you, nothing needs to change.

That’s your baby regulating with you. Borrowing calm.
Letting their body switch off because it feels safe.

Sleep isn’t something you have to manage or teach.
It develops as babies mature, when their needs are met and their nervous system feels supported.

When we learn about what’s biologically normal and how to support our individual babies needs, we can make informed choices with confidence.


Uvnäs-Moberg, K., Widström, A. M., Marchini, G., & Winberg, J. (1993). Plasma cholecystokinin concentrations after breastfeeding in healthy newborn infants. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 16(2), 153–158.

Quigley, K. M., et al. (2017). Vagal regulation in breastfeeding infants and their mothers. Developmental Psychobiology, 59(7), 852–862.

17/11/2025

Night two often surprises even the most prepared parents. Your baby is suddenly unsettled, feeding what feels like constantly, and you might wonder if something is wrong. The truth is - this is one of the most normal behaviours a newborn will have around 48 hours of life.

Frequent feeding on night two helps bring your milk in and supports your baby’s nervous system while they adjust to life outside the womb. Skin to skin regulates your baby’s temperature, heart rate and breathing, reducing cortisol and increasing oxytocin.

Night two can feel intense - but it’s also temporary (and necessary) to bring your milk in. Your baby is communicating, not complaining. Your body is responding to frequent feeding, not failing, and both of you are learning each other, one feed at a time.

Save or share with someone who’s preparing to meet their baby soon 🤍 Arnikka x

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