Ellie May Maternity

Ellie May Maternity Maternity Nurse services to support you in the early days, weeks and months of having a newborn οΏ½

10/09/2026

I missed International Literacy Day on Tuesday so here's a late reminder...πŸ‘‡

Did you know, you can start reading to your baby before they're even here! 🀰🏼

During pregnancy:
🧠 Brain growth - every experience (including reading to your bump) encourages new brain connections to form brain.
πŸ’¬ Big vocabulary - babies who are read to in-utero hear 58,000 more words by the age of 5 than children who weren't
πŸ§˜β€β™€οΈ Calm - stopping to lie down, or sit and read to your bump, encourages your whole body, and baby, to relax.
🀝 Connection - reading to bump allows the non-pregnant partner to bond with baby
πŸ‘€ Recognition - baby will begin to recognise your voice!
⏰ Creates routine - sets up storytime as a familiar and loved part of the daily routine to continue for the rest of your baby's life

With your Newborn πŸ‘Ά:
πŸ—¨ Vocab and language development - reading to your baby adds to their vocabulary and communication skills: new words and all the rhythms and tones of speech
πŸ’– Emotional development - your baby will be exposed to so many
emotions through stories as well as a greater ability to convey emotion through language as their speech develops
🀱 Connection - again, just like during pregnancy, sitting or lying together with your newborn baby to read, is a wonderful chance for you and/or your partner to connect with this new family member
πŸ• Great awake time activity - newborn babies sleep A LOT but when they're not sleeping or feeding or pooing all over their clothes, reading is a lovely calm activity to pass a bit of their wake window. Sit where baby can see you and the book and enjoy that time together
πŸ“š Heading to the library for a Rhyme Time session or just to get out of the house can be a chance to meet people AND introduce your baby to a world of books! I take the baby at work every week and we go at least half an hour before class!
πŸ’“ Setting a love of reading on motion - by reading together from the start, you're building the foundations for a child, a teenager, an adult, and even a future parent who loves to read

Bonus: You can read whatever you like! From Goodnight Moon to War and Peace! Read what you love and pass

I've noticed, across the families I've worked with, a lot missing from standard antenatal classes! So...I decided to fil...
08/09/2026

I've noticed, across the families I've worked with, a lot missing from standard antenatal classes! So...I decided to fill the gaps! This is some of what we covered in my first of these sessions on Friday (fuelled with tea and cookies I'd made)πŸ‘‡

🌟 Biology of breastfeeding: hormones, Supply and Demand, building and maintaining supply, skin-to-skin, antenatal expression, hands-on feeding, baby's reflexes and, of course, good positioning and attachment!
🌟 Laid back feeding: I demoed how breastfeeding does NOT need to be done upright in a cradle hold and the benefits of a biological nurturing position
🌟 What CAN go wrong in breastfeeding, how to reduce the chances and what to do if they arise - mastitis, engorgement, causes of primary and secondary low milk supply, reflux and colic (and what can cause them) and the myth of "thrush" (are medication and drops necessary?)
🌟 Bottles, paced feeding, steralising (and how you don't necessarily need a piece of tech to do it....), pumping (the importance of correctly fl**ge sizes and when it might be needed v when not) and, of course, safe formula preparation
🌟 Biologically normal sleep: is sleep training necessary (spoiler alert: it isn't), the reality of Sleep Progressions, safe sleep (both in a cot but also, importantly, co-sleeping) and how sleep spaces may look in their house
🌟 Sleep struggles and how these can be explored without leaving babies to cry
🌟 Babywearing, the biologically and developmentally normal way babies contact nap and how great slings and carriers are at enabling this: Safety of Babywearing, what to look for when buying and I demoed some of the 5 (or so) examples I'd brought with me
🌟 Support network - what their family could do to help them (that's not always cuddling or feeding the baby) and how they could communicate their wishes in advance
🌟 What they actually need and what to save their money on and how their space could be laid out to make caring for their baby easiest and safest

I left them with handy resources - online and physical - as reminders and to look at when they wish πŸ₯³

02/09/2026

Over my years supporting new parents I've noticed some really fundamental things that have been skipped over in antenatal classes it seems and I want to know what else may be missing that I can bring to my antenatal sessions 🌟

πŸ€” Shock when I explain how breastfeeding works on a supply and demand basis and how this impacts how you care for your baby
πŸ€” Wondering why their baby doesn't like being put down and that it's perfectly ok (and biologically normal) to hold your baby
πŸ€” Asking about when they "need" to sleep-train (as if that is inevitable)
πŸ€” Rushing to the GP with concerns that lead to unnecessary products or medications without understanding the reasons behind behaviours and other strategies to help
πŸ€” Understandable confusion about why certain products exist when they are largely unnecessary (all the different teat sizes for bottles, unsafe accessories for cots, follow on formula etc.)
πŸ€” Assumptions that pumping is always necessary when feeding and/or that formula is the only other option when breastfeeding goals are still being worked on...

The list continues! 🫣

So, my question is: what did YOU wish you'd known before having a baby? What do YOU wish someone had told you or shown you? πŸ‘‡

26/08/2026

Back again asking for a volunteer wanting FREE infant feeding support to help a gal (me!) renew her Infant Feeding Certificate with the before 15th September (I am NOT normally this last minute, I just now work full time with 1 family as a Maternity Nanny so haven't been doing as many 1:1's) πŸ«£β­πŸ‘€

Do you, or someone you know, need some support with feeding your little one? First baby? 5th baby? Breastfeeding? Bottle? Both? πŸ‘Ά

I can help - In-person (I'm based in North London, N8 but can travel) or virtually if needed! πŸ™‹

Talking through your birth and feeding history and any struggles, reassuring you about biologically and developmentally appropriate infant feeding behaviour, observing a feed and any red flags, signposting to alternative professionals if needed and supporting you to move towards your goals (whatever they may be!) πŸ™Œ

Get in touch if you're interested in getting help and helping me out in return! (Comment, message, fill in a form via my website, email)! βœ‰οΈπŸ’¬

Sleep is biological and developmental - it is complex and changes constantly between babies and within individuals based...
19/08/2026

Sleep is biological and developmental - it is complex and changes constantly between babies and within individuals based on environment, health, temperament, routine, diet etc. there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to struggling with sleep with a baby (or anyone) πŸ’€

Lots of generic advice is handed out when you Google, ask AI "how can I get my baby to sleep longer" or buy a generic book promising you 12hrs of sleep by 12 weeks of age or something through 3,5 or 32 magic steps 🫣

πŸ€” They need to learn to "self-soothe" when the part of the brain responsible for this skill isn't fully developed until closer to 30-years old
πŸ€” "Drowsy but awake" methods when the success of this is entirely dependent on your baby's unique temperament
πŸ€” "They're hungry" - put baby rice in your young baby's bottle or start solids early (neither safe for your underdeveloped babies digestive system)

BUT

πŸ€” Stop feeding them to sleep and overnight as this is a "bad habit" even though breastmilk has sleep-inducing qualities for mum and baby on purpose and stopping night feeds before 1yr isn't recommended
πŸ€” They need to sleep 7-7, their bedtime is too late, sleep breeds sleep when we know there's a limit to how much anyone can sleep in 24hrs and not all babies do 12hrs overnight

As a certified holistic and gentle sleep and Infant Feeding Coach I know what is biologically and developmentally normal for a baby and can support you to identify where small changes may improve sleep for your family, where red flags need further specialised signposted support and where you may benefit from other support and skills in your toolbox while you're managing less sleep (from Babywearing to more relaxed feeding positions etc.) πŸ₯³

If you are happy with your situation and so is baby, you don't need to do anything. If you or baby are not happy, there are supportive people to talk to πŸ™‹πŸ’¬

18/08/2026

Very unlike me (normally a Friday Evening Homework gal not a Monday Morning Homework gal) I have less than a month to find a 5th and final parent and baby feeding duo to support and write up about to renew my registration as an Infant Feeding Coach πŸ«’πŸ€±πŸ‘€

Do you, or someone you know, need some support with feeding your little one? First baby? 5th baby? Breastfeeding? Bottle? Both? πŸ‘Ά

I can help - In-person (I'm based in North London, N8 but can travel) or virtually if needed! πŸ™‹

Talking through your birth and feeding history and any struggles, reassuring you about biologically and developmentally appropriate infant feeding behaviour, observing a feed and any red flags, signposting to alternative professionals if needed and supporting you to move towards your goals (whatever they may be!) πŸ™Œ

Get in touch if you're interested in getting help and helping me out in return! (Comment, message, fill in a form via my website, email)! βœ‰οΈπŸ’¬

13/08/2026

Just preparing for my documentary on how human babies (just like us adults) are Carry Mammals and what this means for caring for and parenting them πŸ‘ΆπŸŽ₯

Lead narrator: Ellie of Ellie May Maternity - Newborn Care Specialist, Infant Feeding Coach, Holistic/Gentle Sleep Coach and Babywearing Peer Supporter πŸ™‹

A deep dive into.......

🌟 Biologically and developmentally normal carry mammal behaviour
🌟 Why your baby doesn't like being put down
🌟 Why your baby probably settles and sleeps better in contact with you - In a sling, on your chest while you watch this documentary, in your bed - compared to in their cot
🌟 Why myths like "teaching your baby to self-soothe" and "feeding/rocking/supporting your baby to sleep is a bad habit" exist and how to ignore them
🌟 Why your baby wants to feed all the time (and when it is actually a problem rather than just biology overriding a babies ability to read the book on 3hrly schedules that you were recommended)
🌟 Why responding to your baby's needs is not "spoiling them"
🌟 How you weren't designed to parent alone and it's ok to ask for help - from friends, family and professionals

The baby at work turned 1 this past weekend πŸŽ‰ Suddenly, it can feel like there are all these changes you can/should make...
11/08/2026

The baby at work turned 1 this past weekend πŸŽ‰

Suddenly, it can feel like there are all these changes you can/should make, things you can stop doing or start doing etc. because they've officially been around for that extra day or 2 more than 12 months! πŸ“…

🍼 Infant formula isn't needed after a year (unless medically recommended,) but this doesn't mean they NEED to drink cows milk: they simply need to make sure they are eating a varied diet with plenty of calcium daily

Bottles are not recommended past a year due to the effect they have on oral development, dental hygeine and the increased amount taken from a bottle over alternative cups

🍯 The day before your baby turns 1, honey is not ok...but technically on their birthday they could eat it. Honey contains bacteria that can cause Botulism in babies so is not recommended before 1

πŸ₯€ Straw and open cups are recommended for milk and other drinks instead

βš οΈπŸ’€ Safe clear sleep spaces are always optimal, especially in cots as opposed to toddler beds, but the Lullaby Trust do state that a small comforter can be introduced at this point and a light, thin blanket but still not a duvet

BUT

🀱 Breastfeeding continues to be recommended until at least 2 years and beyond alongside an increasingly varied solids diet
πŸŒƒ Night waking (and needing feeds) is still normal in many cases
❀️ Needing support to sleep, contact naps and babywearing are all normal!
🚘 Car seat safety remains the same! Rearfacing is a legal requirement until a minimum of 15 months and continues to be the safest option until at least 4years old and beyond

The reality is that your baby is still the same human they were the day before their 1st birthday and a switch doesn't automatically go off meaning things that were less safe yesterday are 100% safe or that your birthday baby will throw their bottles on the floor and take up a cup with no complaints or not need you so much πŸ‘Ά

All changes take time and you know your baby better than anyone to know when they're ready and at what pace to make changes! 🌟

07/08/2026

It's the end of World Breastfeeding Week 2026 so...

Here are some ways your support system can help you, or you can help a breastfeeding friend or relative, that isn't suggesting pumping, formula or stopping
breastfeeding or offering to give a bottle...❌🍼:

❀️ Look after mum so she can feed baby -ask how's she's feeling and just listen

πŸ₯€πŸ₯ͺKeep her fed and hydrated,

🧺🍽️ Notice what needs doing (dishes, laundry) and don't offer/ask... Just do,

🧰 Find helpful breastfeeding support resources - lactation, Babywearing professionals, groups etc. for if/when she needs help and to build her tool kit

πŸ‘Ά Offer to take baby after feeds for a bit (change nappies, go for a walk, babywear to settle IF mum is happy to BUT always give baby back when mum asks

πŸ™Œ Keep her company and be her confidence booster - stand up for her feeding goals when out and about, be her cheerleader when feeding in public,

πŸ“– Make sure youre up-to-date with biologically normal baby expectations to avoid saying things like "is he sleeping through yet?", "is he a good baby?", "she can't be hungry again!?", "have you considered formula" "Why don't you do some sleep training?" Etc.,

Remind her what an amazing job she is doing and that you are there ❀️

07/08/2026

It's the end of World Breastfeeding Week 2026 so...

Here are some ways your support system can help you, or you can help a breastfeeding friend or relative, that isn't suggesting pumping, formula or stopping
breastfeeding or offering to give a bottle...🍼❌:

❀️ Look after mum so she can feed baby -ask how's she's feeling and just listen

πŸ₯€πŸ₯ͺKeep her fed and hydrated,

🧺🍽️ Notice what needs doing (dishes, laundry) and don't offer/ask... Just do,

🧰 Find helpful breastfeeding support resources - lactation, Babywearing professionals, groups etc. for if/when she needs help and to build her tool kit

πŸ‘Ά Offer to take baby after feeds for a bit (change nappies, go for a walk, babywear to settle IF mum is happy to BUT always give baby back when mum asks

πŸ™Œ Keep her company and be her confidence booster - stand up for her feeding goals when out and about, be her cheerleader when feeding in public,

πŸ“– Make sure youre up-to-date with biologically normal baby expectations to avoid saying things like "is he sleeping through yet?", "is he a good baby?", "she can't be hungry again!?", "have you considered formula" "Why don't you do some sleep training?" Etc.,

Remind her what an amazing job she is doing and that you are there for her ❀️

Let me know what you'd add! πŸ‘‡πŸ’¬

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