Cooper County WIC

09/02/2026

Pumping numbers and images can mess with your confidence if no one explains the context. When you pump in place of a full breastfeeding session, the average total volume for most is 2–4 oz combined per session. Some bodies make more, some less, and both can be completely normal depending on baby’s age, how often milk is removed, and storage capacity.

When you pump after breastfeeding, the expectation shifts. This is “dessert milk,” not a full feed. Your baby ate dinner and you’re pumping dessert. Many parents see ½–2 oz total, sometimes even just drops, especially in the early months. That doesn’t mean baby didn’t get enough. It means baby already did their job.

Time of day matters more than most people realize 🌅
• Morning pumps often yield the most milk due to higher prolactin levels in the MOTN. The higher water content also helps them p**p during the day
• Afternoon and evening pumps are commonly smaller. This is normal physiology, not a supply problem. There’s less water content in the milk to help baby sleep longer and not p**p over night
• Milk supply works on a 24-hour cycle, not a single pump session. One “low” pump does not define your supply

Baby’s age, weight, and feeding patterns matter too 👶
• Newborns typically take 1–3 oz per feeding, but they feed often, so pump volumes may look smaller and more frequent.
• Older babies can take 2–5 oz per feeding depending on how they prefer to feed and your breast storage capacity. Their total 24 hour volume is what matters, not necessarily each feeding
• Babies who “snack” all day often leave less milk for the pump than babies who take fewer, bigger feeds. Both patterns are normal.
• A larger baby does not automatically mean you should be pumping huge volumes. Intake is about stomach capacity, feeding frequency, and efficiency, not just weight.

There is no single “normal” pump volume. Normal is individualized. The goal is not to chase a number, but to make sure milk removal matches your baby’s needs over the course of the day

09/02/2026

This is one of the most important things I want parents to understand before considering a tongue tie release. When a restrictive frenulum is released, the procedure can remove a physical restriction and give the tongue more freedom to move

But more movement does not automatically mean:

• better tongue strength
• better suck coordination
• better endurance
• better suck-swallow-breathe coordination
• better oral motor patterns
• better ability to maintain a seal
• more efficient milk transfer

If I’ve been moving with a cast on my arm for months and someone removes the cast, my arm may suddenly have more range of motion. That doesn’t mean I immediately have the strength, coordination, or motor control to use that new range well

The same concept applies to the tongue. Baby has had limited tongue movement for a long time. Since 8 weeks in utero!!! Their nervous system has learned how to feed with the movement they have available

After a release, the tongue may have more potential. Now the baby has to learn how to use it. Making sure baby is READY for release by strengthening the system and helping teach coordination can help improve the outcome once a release gives more range of motion.

08/26/2026

One of the best pieces of advice we can give is Feed the baby, not the freezer 🫶🏾

No further caption needed.

08/19/2026

08/18/2026

08/13/2026

In light of recent events, we want to remind our families of something important: you don’t have to navigate postpartum or parenthood alone.

At Parents as Teachers, we believe you are your child’s first and most important teacher. And one of the best ways we can support a child’s development is by supporting the person raising them.

We are actively involved in the Cooper County Breastfeeding Coalition, where we meet with community partners to stay connected to resources for postpartum mental health, breastfeeding, child development, and family support.

You may recognize some of the faces below. We all support families in different ways, but we work together. We may not always have the answer, but we know who to call and we’ll help you make that connection.

As Parent Educators, we’ve sat on couches with mothers who were struggling just to make it through the day. We’ve listened without judgment, held hands through tears, helped make that first phone call to a doctor, and stayed beside them while they took the next step. Sometimes a home visit becomes less about the developmental activity we planned and more about making sure mom is okay, too.

You are your child’s first teacher, but you were never meant to do it alone. Your Parent Educator is here for your child, and we’re here for you, too. ❤️

07/13/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions about breastfeeding is that once the milk stops flowing, the feeding is over.

Many mothers watch their toddler continue to nurse after several letdowns and wonder:

“There’s no way they’re still getting milk.”
“They’re just using me as a pacifier now.”
“They’re not actually eating anymore.”

But breastfeeding isn’t like drinking a bottle.

It’s a dynamic, living interaction between two nervous systems.

And perhaps most surprisingly…

Breastfeeding doesn’t end when the first letdown is over.

🥛 Milk doesn’t come out all at once.

Many people imagine the breast like a cup of water.
You pour it out. It’s empty. Done.

That’s not how lactation works.

When your baby begins nursing, the first milk ejection reflex (letdown) releases milk that has already been stored in the breast.

But your breasts don’t stop making milk once that milk is removed.

They’re continuously producing more. In fact, many nursing sessions include multiple letdowns, anywhere from 4-9! The first two are just the strongest and move the most milk.

Your toddler may pause. Swallow less for a few minutes. Then suddenly you’ll hear swallowing pick up again.

That’s often another milk ejection reflex.

Many mothers never even realize they’re having multiple letdowns because they don’t always feel them.

❤️ Toddlers know how to wait.

A newborn expects milk immediately.
A toddler has learned something different. They’ve learned that if they stay latched… Another letdown often comes. Older nurslings are incredibly efficient. They know your body and your patterns. They know that milk doesn’t always flow continuously.

Sometimes they’re simply waiting.

🧠 Breastfeeding is also a conversation between the brain and the body.

Every time your child suckles, sensory nerves in the ni**le send messages to your brain.

Your brain responds by releasing oxytocin. Most people know oxytocin as the hormone that helps release milk. But that’s only part of its job.

Oxytocin also lowers stress.

It promotes relaxation.
It supports bonding.
It can lower blood pressure.

It helps many moms feel sleepy during nighttime feeds.

For children, breastfeeding is associated with warmth, safety, familiarity, and regulation. They also are getting an oxytocin release.

It’s one of the reasons a toddler who falls down, feels overwhelmed, gets sick, or simply has a hard day may ask to nurse even if they ate a full meal 20 minutes ago.

They’re not always asking because they’re hungry.

Sometimes they’re asking because their nervous system needs help settling. They want some oxytocin dosin’, too

🤍 This is called co-regulation.

Young children aren’t born with fully developed nervous systems.

They borrow ours. Your calm voice. Your heartbeat. Your touch. Your breathing.

And yes…

Breastfeeding.

When a toddler nurses after getting startled, frustrated, overstimulated, or hurt, they’re often using breastfeeding as one of many tools to help regulate their emotions and physiology.

That’s not a bad habit, it’s a normal part of early childhood development.

Eventually, children develop more independent ways to regulate themselves.

But in the toddler years, they still rely heavily on their caregivers.

🍼 Comfort and nutrition aren’t opposites.

Some people say, “They’re only nursing for comfort.” As though comfort somehow makes breastfeeding less valuable.

Imagine if someone said,

“You’re only hugging your partner for comfort.”
Or, “You’re only calling your best friend because you needed emotional support.”

Comfort is a human need

Breastfeeding has always provided both nutrition and comfort. Those two things have never been separate

Even during a feeding that looks mostly like comfort nursing, your child may still receive small amounts of milk through additional letdowns.

And even if very little milk is transferred, the interaction itself still has value.

🌱 Breastfeeding changes as children grow.

A newborn breastfeeds primarily for nutrition.

An older infant breastfeeds for nutrition, comfort, hydration, immune support, pain relief, connection, and regulation.

A toddler often breastfeeds for all of those reasons too, just in different proportions depending on the moment.

Sometimes they’re thirsty
Sometimes they’re hungry
Sometimes they scraped their knee

Sometimes they had a big day and simply want the place they’ve always felt safest.

That’s one of the remarkable things about breastfeeding.

It grows with the child
It meets different needs at different ages

So the next time someone says,

“There’s no milk left. They’re just using you as a pacifier.”

Remember this:

Milk production continues throughout the feeding.
Many breastfeeding sessions include multiple letdowns. Toddlers are often patiently waiting for the next one. And even in the moments between milk ejections, something important is still happening.

Oxytocin is being released. Stress hormones are decreasing. Two nervous systems are communicating.

A child is finding comfort and safety in someone they trust.

Breastfeeding was never just about transferring milk.

It has always been about nurturing a whole human being.