Geddes Hartmann Human Lactation Research Group Recruitment Page

19/08/2026

Are you a -based breastfeeding mum of a 1 to 6-month-old baby with some pumping experience?

We are currently seeking mums and babies (6 months and under) to participate in our exciting research, which involves 2+ visits to The University of Western Australia

and a light from the café provided.
If you are interested in participating or would like to know more, please message us we will get back to you ASAP.

Thank you so much! 😃

11/08/2026

Did you have a low lying placenta, praevia or accreta during pregnancy?

We invite women to share their early postpartum care and breastfeeding experiences in a 10 minute anonymous survey.
Your time and input is greatly appreciated, thank you 😃

https://redcap.link/PPH

07/08/2026

What's in your milk is shaping your baby's mouth microbiome — in a good way

Your baby's mouth has its own community of , and it starts forming from the first days of life. babies have a noticeably from formula-fed babies. Until now, nobody really knew which parts of milk were responsible.

Our team looked at 45 breastfeeding mothers and babies here in Western Australia, measuring 16 different things in each mother's milk and matching them against the microbes in her baby's mouth at three months.

The standout was , one of milk's natural antimicrobial proteins. Where it was more concentrated or more lactoferrin was consumed, babies had a narrower set of bacteria in the mouth. Lactoferrin works partly by locking up iron that bacteria need to grow, so this makes good biological sense. It's actually one of the ways milk quietly does its work at every feed.

But it's also a reminder that milk isn't just food. It's actively shaping the environments it touches including the gut, and as it turns out, the mouth too.

📄 doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2026.1765736

BackgroundHuman milk is characterised by its complex composition, consisting of nutrient and bioactive components that play a crucial role in infant health. ...

07/08/2026

What's actually in breastmilk? It's harder to measure than you'd think

Every mother's is — and it across a feed, across the day, and across the months of breastfeeding. That variation is a , not a flaw. It's milk doing its job. It makes milk remarkably hard to measure, and in neonatal units, where a preterm baby's milk is sometimes fortified with extra nutrients to help them grow, getting that measurement right really matters.

In a new review, Lisa Stinson and Prof Donna Geddes looked at how well the science is currently doing. Fat and lactose we can measure well. we tend to overestimate which can mean a preterm baby's milk could get less added nutrition than it should. Vitamins, minerals and the many bioactive components in milk remain genuinely difficult.

None of this is a reason for worry at the breast. It's a to-do list for researchers: better reference standards, agreed protocols, and simple tools clinicians can use in the clinic instead of shipping samples to a specialist lab.

Better measurement is how we make sure the support families receive is built on solid ground.



📄 doi.org/10.1097/MCO.0000000000001214

06/08/2026

WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK 2026
Join Dr Sharon Perrella this evening for a free online webinar on Breastfeeding - what makes it work?

Whether you are a parent, expecting a baby, or a health professional providing care during pregnancy and the months after birth, this session will provide useful insights on:

- Preparing for breastfeeding during pregnancy
- Setting up for success in those critical early weeks
- What to do when things go wrong
- Making the breastfeeding journey work

There will also be an opportunity to ask questions during the Q&A.

Event details: , Thursday, 6 August 2026 at 7:00 PM (Online via Microsoft Teams)

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1993580704553?aff=oddtdtcreator

05/08/2026

This week, in line with World Breastfeeding Week 2026, Prof Donna Geddes and Dr Sharon Perrella from the UWA Centre for Human Lactation Research and Translation conducted two lactation and breastfeeding for 3rd year Human Reproduction students.

The workshop covered the and of and , with special guests Sally and baby Rory, Lauren and baby Jack providing -life insights into the practical aspects of breastfeeding.

With this week's World Breastfeeding Week theme being "Breastfeeding for a sustainable start in life: strengthen what works" it was a great opportunity for students to learn about the that mums and babies to continue breastfeeding when faced with challenges.

05/08/2026

If you've struggled with milk supply, it probably wasn't something you did wrong

One of the hardest things a mother can hear is that she just needs to try harder. Feed more often. Relax. Drink more water. For most women with genuinely low supply, often none of that is the real story.

Our team has just published a study of 281 breastfeeding mothers, where we milk production over a full 24 hours rather than guessing it. We found that differences in were closely linked to how much milk-making a woman's breasts had developed. This is something largely set during pregnancy, and not something she chooses or controls.

That's important. It means low supply is often a of and , not effort or dedication. Mothers who struggle are usually working extremely hard.

It also points to something better than reassurance after the fact: knowing in . If we can during which mothers may need more support, that support can be there from day one - a skilled clinician, a plan, a follow up - rather than arriving in week three when everyone is exhausted and disheartened.

This World Breastfeeding Week, the theme is strengthen what works. Getting the right help to the right mothers, early, is exactly that.

And if this was your experience: it likely wasn't your failing.

📄 doi.org/10.3390/nu17233726

04/08/2026

World Breastfeeding Week 2026 | Supporting every breastfeeding journey with better evidence

Not producing enough milk is one of the most common concerns among breastfeeding mothers. But how do we know when milk supply is truly low?

Our research involving 460 breastfeeding women used a data-driven approach to better understand and define . We identified distinct patterns based on measured milk , infant , and , and found that a milk production threshold of 708 g/24 h may provide a more evidence-based approach to identifying low milk supply.

We also found that low milk supply is not simply about breastfeeding effort or infant demand. and matter, highlighting the need to recognise low milk supply as a rather than placing responsibility on mothers.

This World Breastfeeding Week, our message is simple: better identification leads to better support.

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17223524

03/08/2026

Your Milk Isn't "Boy Milk" or "Girl Milk"

Our study has shown there is in macronutrients based on your 's *x.
We analysed milk from 161 mother-infant pairs from Denmark and Australia, measuring protein, lactose, fat, and energy. In the Australian infants, actual 24-hour milk intake was measured.
The result: across both countries, there were in milk composition or in how much milk, protein, fat, lactose, or energy babies took in over 24 hours, whether they were boys or girls.
This challenges the idea, partly inspired by studies in animals like macaques, that mothers unconsciously change composition according to whether they are a girl or boy. Our , including this study, doesn't back that up. Many other things impact milk macronutrients composition like the time after birth and time of day, not your baby's s*x.
So, if you've worried your milk isn't "tailored enough" for your son or daughter specifically, you can let that go. In terms of macronutrients and energy it's built for babies, not "boy babies" or "girl babies."

Source: Honoré et al., Nutrients 2025, 17, 3647.
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/17/23/3647

02/08/2026

🍼 Does birth mode matter if a baby is exclusively breastfed?

In this study, researcher Stinson followed infants' gut from into and found some reassuring news: while caesarean birth is often linked to lower levels of beneficial Bifidobacterium ("good bacteria") in the gut, this dip wasn't seen in babies who were exclusively breastfed. This is likely because breastfeeding is -boosting, thanks to specialised sugars it contains that feed these good bacteria. Even more striking, continued to these well past infancy. The researchers found Bifidobacterium levels were still elevated at 24 months in toddlers who were still breastfeeding.

🔗 Read the full paper here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19490976.2025.2557981