Around 9-10 months, babies often do the unthinkable thing and bite hard on your nipple! After all you have done to breastfeed them, its hard to love a chuckling baby who thinks your reaction is funny or has had such a shock at your response, they have burst into tears.

The first teeth to erupt around 6 months are the bottom two at the front. Sometimes babies might nip you with these sharp, new teeth but this is usually while they get used to how their mouth works now with this teeth in place. Their own tongue stretches over the gum and lower lip while attached, so they have a different experience at feed times once those teeth come through.

It is the top two front teeth which commonly lead to a bite strong enough to break the skin, leaving a painful sore which takes time to heal. As the teeth move through the gum, pressure from biting down hard relieves discomfort. Which is fine when they are biting down hard on a toy, teething ring or hard, cold food sticks. But not so much when they reflexively bite on the breast!

This is a developmentally-related, temporary stage which does not signal a need to wean. It does mean needing to be a bit more watchful during feed times, as biting often occurs when the baby is frustrated, bored, playful or uncomfortable. Watching and engaging with them during feeds helps to know when to interrupt or end the feed before biting might happen.

You might have been told that frequent breastfeeding supports breastmilk production. But if you already feel like your baby spends most of the day breastfeeding, what on Earth does frequent feeding look like and how can that fit into your busy life?

The first thing to know is that it is normal for babies to breastfeed a lot. Last century, a lot of attention was given to controlling infant sleep and feeding patterns, leading to a lot of problems with milk supply. Responsive (demand) or “cue-based” feeding follows the individual baby's needs and not the clock.

Power pumping is a technique aimed at increasing breast milk production by mimicking the natural behavior of cluster feeding. During cluster feeding, babies nurse more frequently and for shorter durations, which signals the mother’s body to produce more milk to meet the increased demand.

To practice power pumping, mothers usually pump in a focused way, typically over a set period each day. This could involve pumping for a specific pattern, such as pumping for 20 minutes, then resting for 10 minutes, and repeating this cycle for about an hour. By following this routine, the body responds by enhancing milk supply.

While there are various methods to boost milk production, power pumping can often yield quicker results, sometimes within a few days. It has the added benefit of avoiding potential side effects that could accompany supplements and medications, which can include sleeplessness, headaches, or gastrointestinal discomfort.

Burps. Farts. You do it. Everyone does it. We swallow air when we eat, drink, talk. We produce gas when we digest. And we expel this gas and air at both ends of the digestive tract - mouth and bum. And babies do too.

New parents are often alarmed by their newborn’s experience of this normal part of life outside the womb. As are those newborns! However - despite what everyone and their grandmother has declared since the dawn of time - discomfort with the process of dispelling swallowed air or digestive gases is not a cause for concern in the majority of cases.

A foetus lives in the womb for around 40 weeks and does not experience air or digestion. The bacteria which will populate the gut and produce those natural gases (as they process breastmilk or infant formula) only arrive after birth, through colostrum and contact with the mother’s skin during and after birth. And while babies swallow in the womb, that is only amniotic fluid and doesn't require coordination of the suck, swallow, breath cycle.

Newborns can be distressed by the normal experience of a distended stomach (stretched) or a bowel expelling gas and faeces. And even if they aren't experiencing discomfort, they will squirm and pull funny faces as they process that expulsion. They will hiccup. They will grunt and they might cry or fuss. Normal is not always comfortable. Babies will signal displeasure by crying.

In a world filled with data, many new parents struggle with the concept of not knowing how much milk their fully breastfed baby is taking at feeds. Is it enough? How can you know it is enough? What if they are crying because I don't have enough? And - possibly the most common - if i want to feed my baby expressed breastmilk, how much is enough?

A breastfeed is as long as a piece of string! Which feed? What time of day? Whose baby? What stage baby?

I often wonder about the first woman to apply chilled cabbage leaves to her swollen, engorged breasts just days after giving birth. What made her think of it? Was it the similaritiy of the thickly-veined leaves? Was it simply in season and available, chilled from the night air in the garden? Or did she see the cup-shaped leaves and have a lightbulb moment?

Whatever it was, by the time my first baby was born in 1984, cabbage leaves were part of the kit in postnatal wards and there was a faint waft of cooked cabbage which had nothing to do with the kitchens!

However, by the 1990s, the use of chilled cabbage leaves to relieve swollen breasts had fallen out of favour. Awareness of forever chemicals in our soil and pesticides used in farming raised safety concerns. There were also potential infection risks in soil and bacteria which might remain after washing. Mothers were encouraged to use a bag of frozen peas (or other vegetables) wrapped in a clean tea towel instead. And it wasn't long before industry jumped in to fill the gap, with special gel-filled chilled packs becoming widely available.

So, the question we are often asked: "My mum says she just used cold cabbage leaves, is that okay?"

The original concerns about potential chemical contamination of soil are sadly still valid. While there is no evidence of actual harm, it is something which can be avoided. The use of a food-grade cool pack is probably the safest option. It doesn't need to be breastfeeding specific. As long as you protect the tender nipple from direct chilling (a nursing pad is perfect for this), you can use something you already have. And bags of frozen vegies still make an effective substitute.

Has your predictable walking baby dramatically changed almost overnight? Are they constantly seeking the breast, needing to be picked up but not wanting to be carried and not sleeping as easily?

Welcome to the shift which happens around three months after the first birthday!

While we celebrate twelve months of life outside the womb, 15 months is when infants really evolve into toddler hood. Most have progressed from taking steps to walking the majority of the time. They are beginning to explore words beyond the initial M(um), D(ad), B(ub) sounds we identify as language (even though these are universal across cultures, who mostly use similar words for these meanings).

It is around 15 months that we see some of the more frustrating signs of development:

Human infants - like all other mammals - are programmed to breastfeed from birth until the natural weaning age. Nature created this system thousands of years ago and has never needed to modify the system. However, modern life for mothers and babies is nothing like Nature had in mind and society has introduced some big changes to how babies are fed.

The separation of mother and baby was never part of Nature’s plan but it is increasingly part of society’s. The support for women to stay at home with their infants has never been lower. Productivity is measured by a contribution in the paid workforce and access to paid maternity leave is far from equitable around the world. In some countries like the USA, there is zero mandated paid leave and women are back at work within weeks or even days after giving birth. In other countries, like Sweden, paid leave is available for as many as eighteen months after having a baby.

This inequity impacts infant feeding. In a country like Australia, where six months of paid parental leave is available to most mothers, babies need alternative ways to receive breastmilk when they are separated from their mother. Common-practice is to introduce bottles and teats for babies to be given expressed breastmilk or infant formula by caregivers.

After the intense weeks or months of establishing breastfeeding, it can come as a shock to discover your baby is - as you planned - exclusively breastfed. As in, they refuse to have anything to do with a teat and bottle and protest at any suggestion of it. This can lead to huge concern as the return to work date looms.

“Bottle refusal” is a new term used to describe this issue. But is this as big a problem as it can seem?

While you might be familiar with cup-feeding newborn babies who are still working out how to breastfeed, did you know a cup continues to be an effective alternative to bottles for breastfed babies?

Replacing direct breastfeeding with products is a global multi-million dollar marketplace. Most focus on this is the marketing tactics used by formula companies but a new opportunity has crept in over the past decade or two.

Bottles and teats promoted as replicas of the human breast have a dual target market: parents who are keen to reproduce the breastfeeding experience because they regret the transition to formula and breastfeeding parents introducing bottles of expressed breastmilk, donor breastmilk or formula alongside direct breastfeeding.

Many parents believe that toddler formula is beneficial for their child beyond twelve months, citing reasons such as their toddler enjoying it, ease of supplementation, and potential concerns about picky eating. While these reasons seem justified, it's crucial to question whether the cost justifies a product that essentially contains powdered milk with added supplements.

According to Deakin University nutrition researcher Jennifer McCann, the toddler milk category has seen significant growth over the last two decades. The market is now valued at billions of dollars globally and is expanding rapidly. McCann stated that around 30% of toddlers in Australia regularly consume toddler milk. She also noted that there has been an almost 200% increase in market growth over the past decade.

You might be surprised to learn that some women successfully breastfeed their babies without ever using a breast pump! 

This apparently essential item is a relatively new piece of equipment and while it is an important tool for many breastfeeding experiences, it is not always necessary.

The reasons women pump breastmilk fall into two categories:

Babies mouths and women’s breasts are designed to work together, transferring milk from the mother to the infant efficiently and effectively. However, sometimes the fit between breast and baby isn’t optimal. Some nipples are short, tight, or inverted and some babies have restricted tongues, shallow jaws or just need to grow a bit more. Sleepy babies, pre-term babies or those with other challenges might need some assistance.

If your baby’s attachment hasn’t improved despite trying different techniques and receiving support from professionals, a nipple shield might be suggested.

You have probably heard the saying before “you can't overfeed a breastfed baby!” but what does that even mean and is it true?

Firstly, we need to look at the statement in context: you can overfeed a baby with infant formula or even expressed breastmilk from a bottle. It is very important to accurately measure the water and powder when making up formula feeds. Too weak or too strong a ratio can have an impact on your baby’s health and nutrition. And paced bottle feeding is important whatever is inside the bottle - the infant needs time to register satisfaction without being pushed to empty the bottle, drink the last bit or avoid wasting the milk. You can easily overfeed a bottle fed baby by insisting they take more milk than they want.

So, this was the original context of the message about overfeeding. You can overfeed a bottle fed baby but you can't overfeed a breastfed baby.

Women around the world wear tattoos as a form of self-expression and/or cultural tradition. But tattooing is an invasive procedure and breastfeeding mothers often wonder about the safety of having art added to their body while they are breastfeeding.

From bushfires to earthquakes, Mother Nature is a powerful woman! But mankind can also create disruptions through conflict and infrastructure breakdowns.

As one of the most vulnerable groups in our community, it is extraordinary that the needs of those who are exclusively or partially milk-fed is rarely considered as evacuation centres and refuges are rolled out. In many cases, there is more information about evacuating with pets than there is about infants! This is why parents need to plan for natural or societal disasters, whether their infant is breastfed, breastmilk or formula fed.

Gastroenteritis, - also known in some countries as stomach flu - commonly known in Australia as “gastro”, is a common illness caused by viruses like norovirus and rotavirus. Most of us have probably experienced the unpleasant symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea. In adults and older children, this usually presents as a day or two of feeling ill and not moving very far from the bathroom. But for infants and young children, these symptoms can lead to dehydration and are among the most common reasons for hospital admissions.

Globally, breastfeeding is recognised for reducing infant deaths from diarrheal diseases. This is just one factor behind the World Health Organization recommendations of six months exclusive breastfeeding and two years or more continued breastfeeding alongside family foods.

People of Islamic faith practice a period of religious fasting during the month of Ramadan, when no food or drink is consumed between dawn and dusk. The time of year Ramadan is celebrated varies according to the lunar cycle.

Parents who follow the teachings of the Quran are encouraged to breastfeed their babies for two years. This means the question of fasting while breastfeeding is one faced by many mothers.

All mammals use touch to stimulate milk flow when feeding, including humans. Your tiny baby strokes, pats or holds your breast while they feed and the hormone oxytocin surges in your body in response. This increases the flow of breastmilk and the baby sighs in satisfaction. Watch a mother cat, dog, pig or other mammal feeding and you will observe activity among her babies: kneading the breast tissue rhythmically with their paws, nudging their snout into the breast tissue or grasping at nipples with tiny fists. Baby mammals instinctively know that this stimulation releases milk and enthusiastically activate the response when they want to get things going. Keeping babies unwrapped during breastfeeds and their hands free to move helps this valuable interaction happen naturally

Often referred to as blocked or plugged ducts, inflammation of the breast can occur at any stage of your breastfeeding journey. When breasts become over-full due to delayed breastfeeds or pumping, when feeding patterns change suddenly or when outside pressure from tight clothing etc, swelling can happen inside the breast tissue.

How we refer to this common condition and the best management of it has changed recently, with better understanding of how breasts make and store milk leading to new guidelines globally. So let's look at what you need to know.

Language to describe the changes in the breast has been refined to be more accurate.