Thrive Infant Feeding

Thrive Infant Feeding Shami Shafi (IBCLC)
Tongue Tie Practitioner
Infant Feeding Specialist

07/06/2026

If you are a parent or professional working with or caring for babies, come give me a follow!

This is not a usual reel for me! It is vulnerable and unpolished...because that is life. For more polished, professional infant feeding content, see my page 🤣

🏆 My name is Shami, and I am an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) tongue tie specialist and mum of 3 working in the Midlands, UK. I share daily tips and answer your feeding questions here in my little corner of the internet!

04/06/2026

Supplementary nursing systems (SNS) can be home made using simple equipement or purchased if you prefer this option

For a FREE tip sheet that shows you how to make and use a supplementary nursing system, straight to your inbox, comment "SNS" and I will send this over!

✅️ When is a SNS useful?

If your baby requires supplementation of expressed milk/donor milk or formula and you do not wish to use a bottle, cup or syringe

If you would like your baby to continue feeding at the breast while receiving their top up/supplement

❌️ When would a SNS not be suitable?

Babies who have a poor suck or have short sucking bursts (eg. Premature infants) that don't allow them to feed well enough to draw up the milk via tube. However, the syringe method may help to push the milk through to keep your baby actively feeding

For babies who have additional needs or medical conditions that impact their feeding. These cases require careful consideration

🏆 My name is Shami, and I am an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) tongue tie specialist and mum of 3 working in the Midlands, UK. I share daily tips and answer your feeding questions here in my little corner of the internet!

This reel is for educational and learning purposes. It does not replace individualised care planning or assessment. Speak to your HV or midwife if you feel you may benefit from using a SNS

03/06/2026

💚 Almost all babies will suffer a cold/congestion at some point when breast/bottle feeding. Save this for later and share with other parents!

Tips:
1. Focus on comfort and control
2. Allow breaks, support your baby to have freedom to unlatch so that they can breathe
3. Offer feeds frequently to compensate for taking smaller amounts
4. If combi fed, offer breast more too
5. Slow the flow and pace the feed more
6. Use saline spray/drops before feeds

🏆 My name is Shami, and I am an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) tongue tie specialist and mum of 3 working in the Midlands, UK. I share daily tips and answer your feeding questions here in my little corner of the internet!

This reel is for educational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for face to face assessment or medical review. If you are worried about your baby, speak to your GP or Health Visitor.


📢 Parents and Professionals! Save this post as a quick reference guide.🏆 My name is Shami, mum of three and feeding spec...
03/06/2026

📢 Parents and Professionals! Save this post as a quick reference guide.

🏆 My name is Shami, mum of three and feeding specialist working as an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) and tongue tie specialist in the Midlands, UK...welcome to my corner of the internet where I share my expertise with you 💚

This is my quick guide on finger feeding... and I will be 100% honest here and say that this is not something that I came across for the best part of my Health Visiting career...until I started reading more and more about breastfeeding and supplementation. I am hoping that sharing this will increase understanding and awareness of finger feeding in babies for both parents and those working with/supporting parents.

As a lactation consultant, I have witnessed the success of finger feeding many times but sadly, it still isn't widely understood or utilised. Guidelines have been published by several NHS Trusts in the UK on how to practically use finger feeding to supplement babies and this is reassuring but many practitioners have little or no experience or training in it which can pose a challenge in practice.

I would be interested to hear your experience of finger feeding..did you know about it? Have you used this method? Have you been trained in it?

I have a whole load of other FREE guides for you to access on my Instagram page so don't forget to follow!

This post is not intended to replace individual assessment and care planning, it is designed to raise awareness, understanding and to educate.

03/06/2026

💚 Save this for later and share with other parents who are breastfeeding or planning to do so

💡 Breast compressions - avoid at the point of 'let down' as this can sometimes cause the milk to spray too fast and disrupt feeding

💡 Switch feeding - effective feeding is 1-2 sucks per swallow with pauses, allow your baby to have these breaks and use breast compressions before switching

💡 Increasing feeds- if your baby is already feeding 12 or more times in 24hours, increasing feeds may not be the best option

While these tips are great, they do not replace face to face assessment and care planning. If your baby is not gaining weight as expected, seek support

🏆 My name is Shami, and I am an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) tongue tie specialist and mum of 3 working in the Midlands, UK. I share daily tips and answer your feeding questions here in my little corner of the internet!

02/06/2026

🏆 My name is Shami, and I am an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) tongue tie specialist and mum of 3 working in the Midlands, UK. I share daily tips and answer your feeding questions here in my little corner of the internet!

02/06/2026

💚 Save this for later and share with other parents who are breastfeeding or planning to do so

🏆 My name is Shami, and I am an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) tongue tie specialist and mum of 3 working in the Midlands, UK. I share daily tips and answer your feeding questions here in my little corner of the internet!

Breast compressions - avoid at the point of 'let down' as this can sometimes cause the milk to spray too fast and disrupt feeding

Switch feeding - effective feeding is 1-2 sucks per swallow with pauses, allow your baby to have these breaks and use breast compressions before switching

Increasing feeds- if your baby is already feeding 12 or more times in 24hours, increasing feeds may not be the best option

While these tips are great, they do not replace face to face assessment and care planning. If your baby is not gaining weight as expected, seek support

01/06/2026

💚 Share in the comments things that you wish you knew about breastfeeding sooner!

Here are some examples of the kinds of questions that parents come to clinic with:

"What are the alternatives to using a bottle/formula?"
"What are the symptoms of tongut tie?"
"How do I combi feed without reducing my supply?"
"How do I measure my fl**ge size?"
"Do I need to use a shield?"
"Does a traumatic delivery really affect feeding THAT much?"

I answer all of these questions almost daily, in person and on my page, so if you want to learn more, give me a follow!

My name is Shami, I am an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) and Tongue Tie Specialist working in the Midlands, UK. As a mum of 3, I have experienced feeding difficulties myself and this is why I do what I do now

I post information, guides, and have real parent Q and A opportunities all for FREE so give me a follow and share this post with friends and family to help me grow my online community!


31/05/2026

Start solids as soon as your baby shows all the signs (follow my page for more info on what these are)

Remember that babies with tongue tie can struggle with eating due to the functional ability of the tongue being impaired or limited...so what does this mean in practical terms?

1. Your baby may struggle with moving solid foods around their mouth

2. Your baby may appear a "messy" eater

3. Your baby may need more time to process food in their mouth

4. Your baby may prefer foods that are easier to navigate such as purees

Remember that lots of tongue ties babies do fine with eating and even without a tongue tie, you may notice you baby struggles with solids...this can just be a normal part of learning to eat 💚

What can you do to help your tongue tied baby with starting solids?

Control- let them self feed as much as possible

Ability- start with puree if needed, progress to lumps and finger foods as soon as your baby is showing signs of skill mastery (don't delay!)

Opportunity- increase opportunity to practice eating early on by offering smaller portions through the day rather than one meal

Safety- as with all babies, supervise mealtime. Learn to distinguish between gagging and choking and book onto a first aid course to build your confidence

If you are worried about your baby's feeding/eating, speak to your HV, GP or seek support from a specialist such as myself:

🏆 My name is Shami, and I am an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) tongue tie specialist and mum of 3 working in the Midlands, UK. I share daily tips and answer your feeding questions here in my little corner of the internet!

29/05/2026

💚 If you are a parent looking for reliable, easy to follow, professional advice on infant feeding, give me a follow!

Some foods are naturally rich in water and perfect for your little one when starting solids:

1. Cucumber
2. Watermelon
3. Tomatoes
4. Oranges
5. Melon
6. Strawberries
7. Blueberries

Homemade sugarfree jelly/ice lollies, soups and broths are also ideal (although we don't usually recognise them as summer foods in the UK).

Offering milk feeds more frequently or making breastmilk ice lollies can also support your little one's hydration in warmer weather

🏆 My name is Shami, and I am an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) tongue tie specialist and mum of 3 working in the Midlands, UK. I share daily tips and answer your feeding questions here in my little corner of the internet!

This reel is for educational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for face to face assessment or medical review. If you are worried about your baby, speak to your GP or Health Visitor

Address

Stafford Health And Wellbeing Centre
Stafford
ST163EB

Opening Hours

9am - 5pm

Website

https://buymeacoffee.com/shamishafi

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