Mae Milk

Mae Milk IBCLC Lactation Specialist, RM,RN.

Nobody Talks About This EnoughBreastfeeding is natural. It isnโ€™t always easy.Learning is part of the journey, and asking...
25/06/2026

Nobody Talks About This Enough
Breastfeeding is natural. It isnโ€™t always easy.

Learning is part of the journey, and asking for support is one of the strongest things a new mum can do.

๐Ÿ’› Did breastfeeding come naturally for you, or was it a learning curve?

Looking for more answers? Reach out to Jen โžก๏ธ
๐ŸŒธ DM us | Book a consult via the website: maemilk.com.au/contact-us
๐Ÿ“ž 0401-345-445 | ๐Ÿ“ง info@maemilk .com .au |๐Ÿ“ Canberra, ACT

22/06/2026

True or False?

What do you think the answer is? Pause the video and drop your guess below before the answer is revealed! ๐Ÿ‘‡

Not sure? Take your best shot anyway - you might surprise yourself! ๐Ÿ˜„

And if you've got a friend who's expecting, a new mum, or the person who always seems to know these things, tag them and see if they get it right too. ๐Ÿ‘ถ๐Ÿ’›

Looking for more answers? Reach out to Jen โžก๏ธ
๐ŸŒธ DM us | Book a consult via the website: maemilk.com.au/contact-us
๐Ÿ“ž 0401-345-445 | ๐Ÿ“ง info@maemilk .com .au |๐Ÿ“ Canberra, ACT

As a lactation consultant, I encourage you to start weaning when YOU are ready, not when the internet says so. Whether y...
31/05/2026

As a lactation consultant, I encourage you to start weaning when YOU are ready, not when the internet says so. Whether you're ready now or simply starting to think about it, support is available.

BOOK NOW โ€” 0401 345 445

30/05/2026

That little "hic" sound after every feed? Completely normal and actually more fascinating than most people realise.

Here's what's going on inside your baby's body.
The diaphragm is the muscle sitting just below your baby's lungs that helps them breathe. When it gets irritated or overstimulated, it contracts suddenly and that snap of air hitting the vocal cords is what makes the hiccup sound.

And here's the bit that genuinely surprised me.
Scientists believe hiccups in newborns may actually support brain development. Every time your baby hiccups, it triggers a wave of activity in their brain's cortex that researchers think helps them learn to monitor and control their own breathing.

So those little hiccups after a feed? They might be doing more good than you think.

They tend to happen most around feeding time because:

Feeding too quickly causes the tummy to expand rapidly
Swallowing extra air irritates the diaphragm
Overstimulation and excitement can also trigger spasms

A few things worth trying:

Burp baby halfway through a feed rather than waiting until the end
Keep baby upright for around 20 to 30 minutes after feeding
If bottle feeding, consider a slower flow teat

Most hiccups pass within minutes and need no intervention at all.
That said, if hiccups are regularly distressing your baby, disrupting feeds or sleep, or lasting more than 48 hours, it's always worth checking in with your midwife, GP or lactation consultant.

Does your baby get hiccups a lot? Tell me in the comments when they happen most. ๐Ÿค

Hereโ€™s the truth๐Ÿ‘‡๐ŸปYou donโ€™t have to, BUT.. hereโ€™s why you may want toโ˜๐Ÿป ๐—•๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป..Your ability to remove colost...
29/05/2026

Hereโ€™s the truth๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป

You donโ€™t have to, BUT.. hereโ€™s why you may want to

โ˜๐Ÿป ๐—•๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป..
Your ability to remove colostrum during pregnancy DOES NOT indicate how much milk youโ€™ll be able to produce once baby arrives

๐Ÿ’› ๐—ช๐—ต๐˜† ๐—–๐—ผ๐—น๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—น๐—ผ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฟ๐˜‚๐—บ
โ‹’ To practice hand expression before baby arrives
โ‹’ To build confidence in your ability to breastfeed
โ‹’ In case baby is too sleepy to feed well
โ‹’ In case baby doesnโ€™t latch well
โ‹’ In case baby requires a NICU stay
โ‹’ In case youโ€™re not feeling well enough to breastfeed
โ‹’ To avoid formula supplementation

โœจ ๐—•๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—น๐—ผ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฟ๐˜‚๐—บ
โ‹’ Easy to digest
โ‹’ Encourages early bowel movements
โ‹’ Protects against infection & disease
โ‹’ Helps regulate babyโ€™s blood sugar

๐Ÿคฐ๐Ÿป ๐—ช๐—ต๐—ผ ๐—œ๐˜โ€™๐˜€ ๐—•๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—™๐—ผ๐—ฟ
๐™ˆ๐™ค๐™ข
โ‹’ Of multiples (twins, triplets, etc)
โ‹’ With a planned induction
โ‹’ With a planned c-section
โ‹’ With pre-existing or gestational diabetes
โ‹’ With high blood pressure
โ‹’ With history of breast surgery
โ‹’ With breast hypoplasia
โ‹’ With prior breastfeeding difficulty
๐˜ฝ๐™–๐™—๐™ฎ
โ‹’ Expected to be premature
โ‹’ With planned NICU admission
โ‹’ With congenital condition(s)
โ‹’ With IUGR or SGA
โ‹’ With a cleft lip/palate

โœ‹๐Ÿป ๐—›๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—ผ๐—ณ๐—ณ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—น๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ถ๐—ณ..
โ‹’ Not cleared by OBGYN/midwife
โ‹’

Breastfeeding is often spoken about as โ€œnaturalโ€ โ€”but whatโ€™s rarely acknowledged is just how physically demanding it can...
28/05/2026

Breastfeeding is often spoken about as โ€œnaturalโ€ โ€”
but whatโ€™s rarely acknowledged is just how physically demanding it can be.

Your body is producing food, regulating hormones, supporting immune protection, and sustaining another human around the clock.

Breastfeeding can burn hundreds of calories a day.
It draws on maternal nutrient stores.
Temporary changes in bone density can occur as calcium is redirected to support milk production.

And the physical and emotional load can be enormous โ€” especially while recovering from birth, functioning on broken sleep, returning to work, caring for other children, and trying to meet everyone elseโ€™s needs too.

In the first year alone, feeding a baby can take thousands of hours.

So if breastfeeding feels exhausting at timesโ€ฆ
that does not mean you are failing.

It means your body is doing something incredibly complex.

To the mothers feeding, pumping, mixed feeding, expressing through the night, and showing up every day despite exhaustion โ€” you deserve support too.

๐Ÿ’› Tag a breastfeeding mum who deserves this reminder today.

Breastfeeding temporarily changes maternal bone density.And most women are never told this is physiologically normal.Dur...
27/05/2026

Breastfeeding temporarily changes maternal bone density.

And most women are never told this is physiologically normal.

During pregnancy and lactation, the maternal body adapts in remarkable ways to support growing babies. Calcium is transferred into breastmilk, and temporary reductions in bone mineral density can occur, particularly during periods of exclusive breastfeeding.

Importantly, current evidence shows this is usually a normal, hormonally mediated adaptation, with most women recovering bone density after weaning.

But conversations around postpartum bone health matter too.

Rare conditions such as Pregnancy and Lactation-Associated Osteoporosis (PLO) can occur, and persistent or severe postpartum pain should never simply be dismissed as โ€œnormal motherhood pain.โ€

Women deserve evidence-based conversations about:
โ€ข breastfeeding and bone health
โ€ข postpartum recovery
โ€ข nutrition and calcium intake
โ€ข persistent pain
โ€ข when further assessment may be appropriate

Motherhood is physiologically extraordinary. โ™ก

References
Kovacs CS. Physiol Rev. 2016.
Kovacs CS. 2025.
NHMRC Infant Feeding Guidelines, 2019.
Institute of Medicine (IOM), 2011.
Gak et al. Front Endocrinol. 2024.
Anagnostis et al. JCEM. 2024.
Solomon CG. N Engl J Med. 2002.

26/05/2026

To every family who has trusted me with part of your feeding journey, thank you. ๐Ÿค
I feel incredibly grateful and genuinely honoured to have walked beside so many families during such a vulnerable and important chapter of parenthood. Being invited into your journey and supporting you and your baby is something I never take for granted.

Supporting families through breastfeeding, bottle feeding, combination feeding, and complex feeding challenges is a privilege I feel deeply lucky to be part of every day.

Mae Milk is a small, heart-led practice built on compassionate, evidence-based care, and your support truly means so much to me.

If I have supported you and your baby, I would be incredibly grateful if you could take a moment to leave a Google review.

Your words not only support my small business, but also help other families in our community find the feeding support they may be searching for. ๐Ÿ‘‡
tinyurl.com/4evv5jze

The Haakaa (& similar silicone milk collectors) can be an amazing tool for some familiesโ€ฆbut it is also one of the most ...
25/05/2026

The Haakaa (& similar silicone milk collectors) can be an amazing tool for some familiesโ€ฆ
but it is also one of the most misunderstood feeding products I see in practice.

Used gently & intentionally, they may help:
โ€ข catch leaking milk from the opposite breast
โ€ข relieve mild fullness
โ€ข collect milk without pumping
โ€ข reduce milk wastage

But hereโ€™s the part many parents are never told:
The Haakaa still creates suction.
And repeated suction can stimulate the breast to make more milk.

In clinic, I often see mothers struggling with oversupply after โ€œcatching let-downโ€ multiple times a day without realising ongoing milk removal may still be occurring.

For some women, this may contribute to:
โ€ข oversupply
โ€ข blocked ducts
โ€ข engorgement
โ€ข forceful let-down
โ€ข babies becoming unsettled at the breast

I have also seen situations where large amounts of milk are collected from one breast before the baby feeds from that side.

The challenge is that milk has already been removed before the baby reaches the breast. Some babies may then become fatigued, fall asleep early, or struggle to continue feeding effectively and in some cases, poor weight gain can occur.

Importantly, in some situations, when we stopped routinely โ€œcatching the let-downโ€ & allowed the baby to regulate milk removal themselves:
โ€ข feeding improved
โ€ข babies transferred milk more effectively
โ€ข maternal supply settled more appropriately

This does NOT mean the Haakaa is โ€œbad.โ€

And it does not mean every family will experience these issues.

It simply means feeding tools are not one-size-fits-all, and feeding advice should always consider:
โ€ข the individual dyad
โ€ข maternal supply
โ€ข babyโ€™s feeding behaviour
โ€ข the overall clinical picture

Social media often normalises large milk collections as โ€œsuccessful breastfeeding.โ€

But more milk removal is not always better.

Sometimes the goal is helping feeding feel calmer, more comfortable, & sustainable for both mother and baby.

If your baby is in the NICU, this matters more than many parents are ever told.Skin-to-skin care is often spoken about a...
24/05/2026

If your baby is in the NICU, this matters more than many parents are ever told.

Skin-to-skin care is often spoken about as bonding.

But in neonatal care, it is so much more than that.

Research continues to show that Kangaroo Mother Care supports physiological stability, neurodevelopment, feeding outcomes, parental attachment, and regulation in premature babies.

Parents are not visitors in NICU care.

They are part of the treatment.

Human babies are biologically designed for connection.
Especially during one of the most vulnerable periods of life.

References: Bembich, S., et al. (2023); Charpak, N., et al. (2022); Fathi, R., et al. (2022); Hen, G., et al. (2022); Lillieskรถld, S., et al. (2025); Sivandan, S., et al. (2023).
WHO Immediate KMC Study Group. (2021). Immediate โ€œKangaroo Mother Careโ€ and survival of infants with low birth weight. New England Journal of Medicine, 384(21), 2028โ€“2038; Winner, J., et al. (2022).


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