Erica Manners RN IBCLC Lactation Consultant Niagara

09/04/2026

Add this to your “before baby arrives” list: learn how to use the car seat. 🚗👶

Discharge day is not the ideal time to discover that you don’t know how to loosen the straps, adjust the harness or take the seat out of the base.. especially when you’re holding a tiny, scrunchy newborn.

Nurses may offer a little mom-to-mom support, but we are not automatically certified car seat technicians, and every model is different.

Read the manual, practise with the seat and have the installation checked by a qualified car seat technician if you need support.

You might still wrestle with the straps the first time but at least the car seat itself won’t be a complete stranger. St. John’s ambulance Niagara region offer support with car seat education and safety and checks.

09/01/2026

14 years ago, I became a mom who gave birth to a beautiful baby boy I didn’t get to bring home.

August 31, 2012. 🤍

Happy 14th birthday, Mason.

You will always be remembered, always be loved, and always be mine. 🤍

08/31/2026

Our unscripted conversation but oddly he is right on! He does love watching call the midwife with me so he does have some idea how things happen. It’s interesting how he also said to dim the lights and nap. I almost think this is natural human instinct. After this which I am so sad I didn’t record was him telling me how happy he is to be a boy and NOT have to push a baby out 😂🥰

08/26/2026

08/15/2026

An IBCLC’s to-do list is never just about breastfeeding. 🤍

Yes, I assess latches, measure pump fl**ges and talk about milk, p**p and ni***es more than the average person probably should. 😂

But I also listen to your goals, create a plan that works for your actual life, research the latest evidence and celebrate the wins that might feel small to everyone else but feel enormous to you.

And yes… I absolutely think about your family after I leave and replay our conversations in my head. I’m always wondering how that next feed went. 🥹

Supporting families through feeding challenges is clinical work but it’s also deeply personal work, and I don’t take that trust lightly.

08/14/2026

Maybe you’re not a first-time mom.

Maybe feeding your first baby didn’t go the way you hoped. You experienced pain, struggled with your milk supply, received conflicting advice or simply didn’t have the support you needed at the time.

You did the best you could with what you knew and the circumstances you were navigating. Your first feeding experience was not a failure. 🤍

But it’s also okay to want this time to feel different.

Some of the parents who reach out to me most often are second-time moms. They know how challenging feeding can be, and they want to enter their next journey feeling more informed, prepared and supported. For some, it can even feel like an opportunity for healing or redemption.

A new baby means a new feeding journey. There are no guarantees but you don’t have to approach it with the same information or support you had the first time.

My live Virtual Breastfeeding Basics class covers:

✨ What feeding can realistically look like
✨ Positioning and achieving a deeper latch
✨ How to know whether your baby is getting enough
✨ Milk supply, pumping and bottle-feeding
✨ What to do when things don’t go according to plan
✨ When and where to reach out for support

Whether this is your first baby, your second or your fifth, you’re welcome here.

Virtual Breastfeeding Basics
August 27 at 7 p.m.
Live online | $20
Partners and support people are welcome

Register through the link in my bio or send me a message. 💗

08/11/2026

There’s always one overachiever… and one who’s just happy to be included 😂

After date-night pumping: 8 oz from one side and 4 oz from the other.

Having one breast that produces more milk than the other is incredibly common. Each breast has its own amount of milk-making tissue, storage capacity and response to stimulation—so they don’t have to produce matching amounts.

If baby is growing well and your overall milk production meets their needs, you don’t need to “fix” your slacker b**b.

If you’d like to encourage a little more production on that side, you can try:

✨ Offering the lower-producing side first
✨ Letting baby spend a little more time there
✨ Pumping that side for a few extra minutes
✨ Checking your fl**ge fit on both breasts—they may need different sizes
✨ Using gentle breast compressions while feeding or pumping

But remember: your breasts are sisters, not twins. Uneven output is usually normal, and combined milk production matters much more than perfectly matching bottles.

Do you have a slacker b**b—or does yours switch sides? 😂

08/10/2026

When should you start preparing for birth, postpartum and feeding? 🤰🏼

My general answer: start learning a little bit early, and aim for more structured prenatal education around 28–32 weeks.

You absolutely do NOT need to spend your entire pregnancy studying. 😂 But giving yourself time to hear information more than once, revisit it, ask questions and think about what actually matters to you can make a big difference.

Preparation doesn’t guarantee an easy birth, postpartum experience or feeding journey. Things can change. Plans can change. Babies definitely have their own plans.

But education can help you understand your options, set realistic expectations, recognize when you might need support and know where to find it.

And we have LOTS of fabulous prenatal education options here in Niagara! If you’re looking for a class or support that I don’t offer, I’m always happy to point families toward other local resources and providers. 💕

If feeding is something you want to feel more prepared for, my next Virtual Breastfeeding Basics class is:

📅 August 27th
⏰ 7:00 PM
💻 Live + virtual

We’ll talk about what to expect in those first hours, days and weeks, getting a comfortable latch, how milk production works, signs baby is getting enough, hand expression, pumping, bottles, common challenges and when to reach out for help.

You can register through my website or send me a message and I’ll help you get registered. 🤍

Erica Manners RN IBCLC

08/09/2026

🤱 Expecting a baby and planning to breastfeed?

You don’t need to know everything before your baby arrives — but having a better idea of what to expect can make those first hours, days and weeks feel a whole lot less overwhelming.

Join me for my next Breastfeeding Basics Virtual Workshop designed for expecting and new parents who want practical, evidence-based information without the pressure or information overload. 💕

We’ll talk about:

✨ What to expect in the first hours & days
✨ The Golden Hour + early feeding
✨ How milk production works
✨ Positioning and getting a deep, comfortable latch
✨ How to know your baby is getting enough
✨ Normal newborn feeding behaviours
✨ Hand expression & pumping basics
✨ Bottles and supplementation
✨ Common challenges + when to reach out for help

And because I want you to leave with something you can actually refer back to when baby arrives, registration also includes my Breastfeeding Blueprint — a practical quick-reference guide you can keep right on your phone — plus a FREE 15-minute feeding planning conversation with me. 🤍

📅 Thursday, August 27
⏰ 7 PM
💻 Live + Virtual via Janeapp
💗 Registration: $20

Come as you are, bring your questions, and let’s help you feel a little more prepared for feeding your baby.

Message me to register or book directly through the link in my bio.*💕

08/08/2026

When a newborn is sleepy, frustrated, or just not quite figuring out the latch yet, sometimes we need to go back to basics.

Here are a few things I might try:

→ Unswaddle baby and get them skin-to-skin
→ Give them a little time to wake up, root and show feeding cues
→ Hand express a few drops of colostrum.. sometimes getting a little milk on the ni**le is enough to get baby interested
→ Adjust positioning and help parents find a position that actually feels comfortable and manageable for them
→ Work on bringing baby to the breast and getting a deeper, more comfortable latch
→ If baby is really sleepy, hand express and offer colostrum by syringe
→ Sometimes let baby suck a little colostrum from a gloved finger to help wake up that sucking reflex, then try the breast again
→ And sometimes… we stop, reset, cuddle skin-to-skin and try again.

Because “baby won’t latch” doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong.

Newborns can be sleepy. Birth can affect feeding. They’re learning. You’re learning. And sometimes they just need a little extra help getting started. 🤍

The goal isn’t to force a latch.. it’s to figure out what *this baby* needs and help the parent feel confident doing it too.