Caoimhe Whelan, IBCLC

09/06/2026

There should be a word to describe the delighted that lactivists and b**b feeding enthusiasts expereince when they happen upon references to breastfeeding and lactation in unexpected places. Or maybe there is and I just don't know it?

I'm reading a biography of Colette (French writer and actress), and it gives an account of how her wet nurse weaned her age 16 months. Colette's mother breastfed her initially (for an unspecified time) but then handed over breastfeeding duties to a live in wet nurse (a very normal practice at the time in France). The wet nurse put mustard on her ni**le. The burning and the humiliation that little Colette felt when she latched, still seemed to be quite palpable for her as an adult.

There are kinder ways to wean little onea from breastfeeding.

22/05/2026

I have availability next week for antenatal and postnatal consultations - Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

Fees:

Zoom - €125
Home Visit - €175 (includes a copy of my book)
Package - an antenatal zoom (or a postnatal zoom follow up), a postnatal home visit, access to a 2-hr class recording and a copy of my book €250

DM me!

12/05/2026

For people in south Dublin - a €250 breastfeeding support package which includes a zoom antenatal consult, a postnatal home visit, access to a 2-hr class recording, a copy of my book 'Practical Breastfeeding: An Illustrated Guide for Parents' and WhatsApp support for 2 weeks after the postnatal appointment.

Please DM or email me at [email protected] for details or to book.

04/05/2026

To mark Maternal Mental Health Week, I'm giving away a copy of 'Practical Breastfeeding: An Illustrated Guide for Parents'. As anyone who has read the book will know, mental health and maternal emotional well-being feature prominently in the book. There's a chapter on breastfeeding and mental health, and another on the emotional impact of difficult breastfeeding experiences.

To enter, Like, Share, & Comment.

I'll pick a winner at random tomorrow at 6pm.

29/04/2026

This post might seem like I'm stating the obvious, but many of the mums I'm seeing at the moment are using cross-cradle hold because they've been given the impression that this is the position they have to use, and that it is the 'correct' position to feed in.

Cross-cradle is a mother-led position. There are times when it works well. But for many mother-baby dyads it can be problematic for a few reasons:

- it tends to limit baby's neck extension, and can result in a suboptimal latch

- it can cause some babies to get annoyed! They know how to breastfeed, and may not respond well to being pushed to the breast.

- it may not be comfortable for the mother

- research has found that cross-cradle hold increases the risk of sore or cracked ni**les

If cross-cradle position ia working for you - great! If not, consider trying a more laid back position and giving your baby more automony in the latching and feeding process. Attend a group for support, or seek out one-to-one support.

Sometimes the smallest changes to positioing can have a huge positive impact on breastfeeding for you and your baby.

27/04/2026

I did a toddler weaning consultation on Zoom last week and it reminded me of this fabulous little book called 'The Story of Jessie's Milkies' by Emma Pickett . The beautiful illustrations are by Jojo Ford.

The book explores three possible weaning journeys for three year old Jessie.

Toddler weaning can be challenging and is most definitely not a one-size-fits-all scenario. What works for one family may not work for another.

But whatever journey you take, it really helps to try and understand things from your toddler's perspective and to communicate with them about what's happening in a way that they can understand and that will resonate with them. One of the ways you can do this is through story telling. Jessie's Milkies offers a gentle way to plant the seed of the idea with your toddler that breastfeeding will some day end. And that that's ok. Toddlers tend to love repetition, so that means reading the same books over and over again! Doing this with Jessie's Milk may give them space and time to explore how they feel about stopping breastfeeding. Because for many of them it's a big big thing.

I actually got really emotional when I picked the book up and had a flick through 😭 It brought me back to the years when my kids were small and we were reading stories at bedtime, and I just felt weirdly sad that that chapter of my life is very much over. At the time I thought it would never end and that I'd never not feel exhausted and sleep deprived!

26/04/2026

I have availability for home visits in South Dublin or Zoom consultations on Tuesday and Thursday of this week.

DM or email me ([email protected]) to book.

Home visit fee is €175. This includes a copy of my book.

Home visits typically take between one and a half and two hours.

24/04/2026

Of the 136 participants in this study, 6% had mammary hypoplasia (insufficient glandular tissue). The figure is based on participants self-reporting the condition. This is not a small or insignificant number. IGT is real, and thankfully there has been growing awareness about it in the last few years.

Women with IGT CAN breastfeed. But support and skilled help is important.

The paper is open access in International Breastfeeding Journal.

Manshanden, T.M.N., Abelha, S.G., Velzel, J. et al. Characteristics and experiences of lactating women with measured low milk production. Int Breastfeed J 20, 64 (2025).

16/04/2026

Please email me [email protected] or DM me to book.

16/04/2026

Today's Irish Farmer's Journal Country Living Magazine

Breastfeeding rates in Ireland are improving, reaching 55% among farming families, but the country still falls behind global averages, with experts pointing to gaps in support.