Should You Express Colostrum and What Even Is It?

If you've felt curious about what your breasts are doing in those final weeks of pregnancy, well, you're not imagining things. Your body has been secretly making breastmilk for months. And that first little bit of milk? It's remarkable. They call it liquid gold. Let's talk about liquid gold - or colostrum. Let's learn what it actually is, what it does for your baby, and why so many families are choosing to collect and store it before birth. First Things First: What Is Colostr

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May 95 min read

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Should You Express Colostrum and What Even Is It?

May 95 min read

Nipple Creams - Do's and Don'ts

Standing in the infant aisle, looking at all the products while you're over-tired trying to decide which nipple cream will help you... I've been there! And, it's one of the questions I get most often from new parents. Now, choosing the right product doesn't have to be complicated. In fact, the most effective option might already be at home with you. Read on for a clear breakdown of what's worth using, what to skip, and one widely prescribed treatment that deserves a closer lo

May 35 min read

Do You Keep Seeing: "Rely on your village" - Here's How to Actually Do It.

When we are newly postpartum, or pregnant and need extra support, we absolutely need other people to help us out - to keep us sane, to keep us fed and regulated. But, not all of us have a circle of women who will surround us with support in terms of food drop offs, cleaning help, babysitting help for older kids... Most people say to " use your village ", but how do people know how to be a villager for you if they didn't have one themselves? Here's how to actually have a villa

Feb 93 min read

Pumping: What You Need To Know Before You Start

Pumping can be a useful tool, a necessary bridge, or a full-time feeding method - but it works best when expectations match physiology. Before you buy a pump, build a freezer stash, or start adding bottles, here are the non-negotiables you need to know - based on where you’re starting from. Are you a: Prenatal Parent Who is Planning to (Mostly) Breastfeed Combination Feeders (By Choice or By Need) Exclusive Pumper 1. Prenatal Parents Planning to (Mostly) Breastfeed I find tha

Feb 57 min read

10 Tips From A Lactation Consultant That You Need To Know In The First Week

The first week with a newborn is intense - physically, emotionally, hormonally. Feeding questions come up fast, and a lot of the advice parents receive is well-intentioned but incomplete. A lot of the families I see in practice didn't get a chance to speak to a lactation consultant in the hospital for more than 5 minutes - AND their next available appointments weren't until weeks later. So, don't assume you will learn it all at the hospital. Get prepared early. Here are ten t

Feb 25 min read

How To Tell When Your Baby Is Tired

A common question parents ask is: “How do I know when my baby is tired?” And we often say something like: red eyebrows, eye rubbing, yawning, fussing. Classic tired signs. Those signs can be super helpful, but they’re only part of the story. Babies aren’t robots, and sleep doesn’t always follow "the routine". Understanding how sleep pressure builds, how feeding and closeness play a role, and how flexible rest fits into real life can make this so much easier. Let’s zoom out. B

Feb 14 min read

The nuances of safe milk handling

Most parents are familiar with the basic breastmilk storage guidelines, like how long milk can sit at room temperature, how many days it can stay in the refrigerator, and when it should be frozen. Organizations like La Leche League and The Breastfeeding Network provide excellent foundational guidance on this and they are resources I personally rely on. Where families often need more support, however, is in the grey areas - the real life situations that don’t always fit neatl

Jan 304 min read

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ABOUT HELD BY NICOLE

Welcome to Held by Nicole's "Held Together" - a light educational blog about breast feeding, bottle feeding, pumping, infant sleep, infant milestones, lactation consulting, and various other motherhood posts. Join me as we explore the wild normalcy of new motherhood and provide helpful tips and insights for new moms.

CONNECT WITH ME ON INSTAGRAM

Hi, I’m Nicole, founder of Held by Nicole.

I’m a private lactation consultant supporting families in Oakville and surrounding areas through in-home feeding support that’s rooted in compassion, education, and real life.

My approach to lactation support is:
✨ Responsive over restrictive
✨ Evidence over anecdotes
✨ Realistic over rules
✨ Individualized over generalized

I believe feeding support should feel educational, validating, and judgment-free because there is no single “right” way for every family to feed or care for their baby.

Whether you’re exclusively breastfeeding, pumping, combo feeding, supplementing, trying to make a plan, or changing the plan you originally had… you deserve support that meets you where you’re at, not where someone thinks you should be.

I’m also deeply mental-health forward in my care. The early postpartum period can feel overwhelming, emotional, isolating, and intense - and sometimes what parents need most is someone to sit beside them, help things make sense, and remind them they’re not failing.

I’ve personally experienced many different parts of the feeding journey myself, which is a big part of why I practice the way I do now: with flexibility, empathy, and zero judgment.

Outside of lactation support, I’m also:
🧩 A puzzle doer
🧵 A competent sewer
🛍️ A thrift hunter
🍟 A committed chip lover
👶 And a mom of 2

Thanks for being here. Whether you’re preparing for baby, currently deep in the newborn haze, or somewhere in between or outside of it all, I appreciate you following along!

#ibclc #oakville #breastfeeding

This week is Maternal Mental Health Week - and in Canada, 1 in 4 mothers experience postpartum depression or anxiety after giving birth. Of those, an estimated 85% aren’t getting adequate treatment. PPD and PPA are the most common complication of pregnancy & postpartum - more common than gestational diabetes!

That’s NOT a small number. That’s the mom next door. Your friend who just had a baby. Your sister who keeps saying she’s fine. The mom who is smiling at the baby-and-me class.

This carousel isn’t just about awareness. It’s about what to actually do for the new mothers in our lives.

Swipe through for four small, real things you can do for a new mom in your life. None of them require a plan.

And if YOU’RE the one who’s struggling - girl, almost 25% of other moms are feeling it too! You’re in one of the hardest seasons of your life, and you deserve real support. Ask for what you need. Don’t downplay your feelings. You matter!

Some places to start looking into:

International:
* Postpartum Support International: 1-800-944-4773 (call or text)

Local:
* Bridgeway: Postpartum Mood Disorder Peer Support Group
* Ontario Structured Psychotherapy (OSP): free, evidence-based therapy for PPD and anxiety - searchable at ontariohealth.ca
* Healthy Babies Healhty Children: public health nurse visits available through Public Health Ontario
* WCH Postpartum Matters: Ontario online therapist-facilitated postpartum therapy group
* CAMH - learn more here
* Halton: Call 311 to get directed to local services

#maternalmentalhealth #mmhweek #postpartumdepression #postpartummentalhealth #newmom postpartum ibclc fourththrimester ppd canadianmoms oakvillemoms heldbynicole

Not all nipple creams are created equal. Here’s a straightforward breakdown of what’s out there and what ingredients to look for (or avoid).

Swipe through for the full breakdown and SAVE this for when you need it.

📌 The recap:
→ Your own milk is free and research-supported. (Anti-capitalism ftw)
→ If using lanolin, purity matters - look for HPA lanolin
→ Organic options like Earth Mama and Motherlove are well-formulated and safe for baby
→ Skip anything with fragrance, Vaseline, or Blistex

And if nipple pain isn’t improving after the first few days - a cream won’t fix the cause. Send me a message or book a consult.

#breastfeeding #breastfeedingtips #nipplecare #lactation #ibclc newmom breastfeedingsupport evidencebasedcare heldbynicole

Has someone told you to “feed the baby every 3 hours” ? This is one of the most misleading things new mums are told and sets mums up to feel like they have low supply or their baby has a tongue tie if they want to feed more frequently than every 3 hours...

Nobody warned you that babies often nurse to calm down before getting in the car, to fall asleep, to feel safe, to deal with teething pain, to cool down on a hot day, or just because you smell like home and they happen to like you!

Frequent feeding is not a red flag by itself. That said, every baby is different, and sometimes frequent feeds are telling you something is worth looking into.

If you’re feeling unsure, exhausted, or like something feels off, then that gut feeling matters - especially if the frequent feeds are paired with one of the red flags above.

A lactation consultation is the best way to get eyes on your latch, your baby’s weight gain, and your feeding relationship as a whole, so you can either get the reassurance you need or catch something early.

Book a consult with me and let’s figure it out together.

Did you know that it takes many hours for your fridge to get back to its programmed temperature after you restock your groceries?

Did you also know that you can keep your breastmilk in the fridge for 4-5 days at 4℃. You could even likely leave it for up to 8 days under strict hygiene practices and fridge temperature.

Check out the resources below on safe milk handling to learn more!

❇️ La Leche League
❇️ The Breastfeeding Network

The more you know, the more you can save your milk.

Send this to a pumping mom today.

#ibclc #safemilkstorage #lalecheleaguecanada #thebreastfeedingnetwork #heldbynicole

Perspective changes how this moment might feel postpartum.

In a society that rewards productivity, how can laying around feel that way? How can we measure what we can’t see?

With contact naps, you are laying the foundation for connection, safety, closeness, and if you’re lucky, you’ll share some spontaneous breastfeeds upon waking - further supporting your breastfeeding goals.

And honestly, babies are gonna act like babies - they are going to want to contact nap... heck, I want to contact nap!

So, if we can change our perspective on what babies need and what may help them long-term (instead of just a full tummy and a clean diaper), then we can see this work as productive too. We can see it AS productive as feeding the baby, as productive as cleaning the baby... We can see it for what it is; a need to feel safe and held.

#motherhood #ibclc #heldbynicole

The secret to more comfortable breastfeeding is positioning, positioning, positioning. 🤱

Small adjustments to how you sit (if you’re doing a seated feeding position) can dramatically reduce strain and help baby stay latched more comfortably.

‼️ALWAYS bring baby to the breast, NOT breast to baby. I say this a billion times in practice. Your back should feel supported, not curled forward like you’re holding a crunch the whole time.

✅ Set yourself up like this:

* Lumbar support behind your low back (rolled towel, cushion, or chair support)
* Densely supportive pillows under your elbow if needed - not squishy ones that collapse
* A step stool so your feet are grounded and your pelvis isn’t tipped
* A chair that isn’t straight upright - the idea is to lean back
* Let gravity help you hold baby across your body while leaning back instead of you leaning forward. Letting gravity help also ensures baby’s belly stays in contact with your belly

Basic latch support starts with body positioning.

#ibclc #breastfeeding #heldbynicole

Kissing your baby isn’t just affection, it plays a huge role in immune development, microbiome exposure, and breastmilk composition.

When you kiss your own baby, your lips come into contact with the bacteria and viruses that are on their skin, in their saliva, and on their breath.

Your body then takes in these microbes and your immune system analyzes them. This helps build antibodies specific to what your baby is encountering day-to-day.

It’s like your immune system is taking notes.

Once your body identifies new pathogens from close interaction (kissing, touching, holding, even sniffing), then it can actually change the composition of your breastmilk - making it a super tailored immunity prescription for your babe!
 This is why breastmilk is often called adaptive. It’s constantly updating, and kissing is one way that information gets transmitted.

Another super cool pathway is through your baby’s saliva AT the breast. When your baby latches, their saliva enters the milk ducts through the n*pple. This provides your body with real-time information about the microbes and pathogens your baby has been exposed to. In response, your immune system can adjust the antibodies and protective factors in your milk.

Any questions? Write them below!
#ibclc #breastfeeding #heldbynicole

✨ Breastmilk and flu season ✨

Listen, I know firsthand how stressful flu season is. I had two babies in a pandemic wearing PPE - don’t come at me! 🤣

The stakes are definitely higher for those of us with a newborn during cold and flu season (especially in those first 3-4 months!). The anxiety is real. But, did you know about the DYNAMIC and PROTECTIVE properties of breastmilk? Let this give you a hint of ease this flu season.

When a parent is exposed to germs (through older siblings or baby), their body begins producing targeted antibodies that pass directly into their milk helping baby fight off illness before symptoms may even show.

🔬 Here’s SOME of what’s inside breastmilk that supports baby’s immune system:

→ 🧬 Immunoglobulins (e.g. Secretory IgA): coats baby’s gut and respiratory tract to block pathogens
→ 🧬 White blood cells: offers direct immune defence
→ 🧬 Anti-inflammatory compounds: helps regulate baby’s immune response
→ 🧬 Prebiotics: feeds beneficial gut bacteria, building long-term immunity
→ 🧬 Live probiotic bacteria: supports gut immunity by ameliorating bad bacteria, enteropathogens, etc.
→ 🧬 Fatty acids: aside from helping baby’s brain grow, they help actually build immune cells and control inflammation
→ 🧬 Bioactive proteins: with antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal properties

🧴Still, some reasonable precautions can go a long way:

✔️ Encourage handwashing when older kids get home
✔️ Avoid face kisses when someone’s sick
✔️ Focus on rest, hydration, and balanced meals for everyone

You’re not expected to control every germ, but you can support your baby with the tools your body is already offering while they are in those first few vulnerable weeks and months.

And if your baby does get sick? Keep nursing. A lot. Your milk will shift in real-time to support them. ✨

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Should You Express Colostrum and What Even Is It?

LATEST POST

INSIGHTFUL ARTICLES

Should You Express Colostrum and What Even Is It?

Nipple Creams - Do's and Don'ts

Do You Keep Seeing: "Rely on your village" - Here's How to Actually Do It.

Pumping: What You Need To Know Before You Start

10 Tips From A Lactation Consultant That You Need To Know In The First Week

How To Tell When Your Baby Is Tired

The nuances of safe milk handling

ABOUT HELD BY NICOLE

CONNECT WITH ME ON INSTAGRAM

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