The Latch Revolution

We nearly didn’t record this episode because breastfeeding and nutrition is a topic loaded with pressure, strong opinions, and a lot of misinformation.

But after an Instagram comment asked us to cover it, we realised this conversation is exactly what many breastfeeding mums and clinicians need: less perfection, more realism, and a lot more nuance.

Katie shares a vivid early-midwife memory of breastfeeding leaflets paired with food pyramids and impossible expectations, and Joh describes the common end-of-consult question: “What should I eat?”

Often it comes with a long list of foods a mum has been told to avoid — brassicas, onion, legumes, spicy food, dairy, gluten, eggs, caffeine, alcohol, fizzy drinks — until it feels like there’s nothing left.

We talk about why, for most breastfeeding mums, the most helpful message is simple: you should be able to eat everything, unless you have a diagnosed medical condition and specialist support.

We explore the difference between “ideal,” “optimal,” “good,” and “okay,” and why removing foods based on fear can cause guilt, anxiety, and unnecessary restriction in a vulnerable postpartum period.

We also unpack common myths: the assumption that “gassy foods” or fizzy drinks create unsettled babies, and how sleep deprivation plus repeated advice can lead mums to blame themselves for normal baby behaviour.

Katie and Joh discuss cultural patterns around postpartum foods and how many traditional recommendations have the same themes: calorie-rich, nutrient-dense, comforting, and nurturing.

Finally, we talk about calories and diet culture postpartum. Making milk requires fuel, and severe restriction can become risky, especially when anxiety or OCD shows up as control of food intake.

The thread that runs through the whole episode is clinical reality: meet the mum where she is, support her capacity, and choose advice that reduces pressure rather than adding to it.

Key Takeaways:

• Many breastfeeding mums are told to avoid long lists of foods, leaving them restricted, stressed, and hungry.

• For most mums, the simplest helpful message is that they should be able to eat everything, unless a diagnosed medical condition is involved with specialist support.

• Postpartum food advice should reduce pressure, not add guilt or anxiety.

• What often matters most is adequate calorie intake and practical nourishment during an intense period of life.

• “Ideal” nutrition and “what is possible right now” are not the same thing — flexibility matters.

• The idea that foods like cabbage, onion, legumes, or fizzy drinks automatically cause unsettled babies is often assumed and then self-blamed when a baby has a hard night.

• Many cultural postpartum food traditions share common themes: calorie-rich, nutrient-dense, comforting, and nurturing.

• Diet culture postpartum can collide with the demands of making milk, and restrictive control of food can spiral in an already vulnerable period.

• Good clinical care includes meeting the mum where she is, understanding capacity, and supporting mental health alongside feeding.

Want to go deeper?

Head to thelatchrevolution.com to learn more about our latest "baby": Decoding The Suck: Gentle support for Babies With Sucking Difficulties.

For More Resources & Courses: katiejames.site

Breastfeeding & Lactation: The Fundamentals

The Feeding Couch

Instagram: @katiejameslactation@milkandmotherhood

YouTube: The Latch Revolution

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Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for personalised medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listeners should always seek the guidance of their own healthcare provider, midwife, or lactation consultant with any questions they may have regarding their own situation or that of their clients. Katie James and Johanna Sargeant do not accept responsibility for any decisions made based on this content.



breastfeeding nutrition, breastfeeding diet, foods to avoid breastfeeding, cabbage and breastfeeding, spicy food breastfeeding, onion garlic breastfeeding, fizzy drinks breastfeeding, gassy foods myth, milk supply calories, diet culture postpartum, postpartum nutrition, breastfeeding myths, lactation consultant advice, maternal nutrition pressure

Re-lactation is everywhere in the media right now — and in this episode, Katie and Joh slow the conversation down.

They talk through what re-lactation actually is, who it’s most likely to work for, and why a woman’s early breastfeeding history matters far more than social media makes it seem.

Katie describes scenarios where a breastfeeding mum has built and maintained a full milk supply, stopped feeding, and later wants to bring breast milk back into her baby’s life — and why, in those cases, re-lactation can be very achievable. They contrast this with situations where a mum never reached a full milk supply in the early weeks, and why restarting later may still be possible, but with different expectations.

Joh shares real-world stories, including working with a woman whose milk supply was medically suppressed during a vulnerable postpartum period, and the importance of first holding space before talking protocols. Together, they emphasise how re-lactation is intensive work, similar in effort to triple feeding, and why sustainability, mental health and daily life must be part of the conversation.

The episode also explores goals beyond milk volume — including feeding at the breast, comfort, connection and at-breast supplementation. They discuss how even small amounts of milk, or feeding at the breast with additional milk, can be deeply meaningful for some mothers.

Finally, they clearly distinguish re-lactation from induced lactation, explaining when induced lactation might be considered, what it involves at a high level, and why these two processes should not be lumped together.

Throughout, the focus remains on nuance, realistic expectations, and listening carefully to what each mother actually wants.



Key Takeaways:

Relactation outcomes depend heavily on what happened in the first 2–4 weeks postpartum.

Women who built and maintained a full milk supply before stopping often have the clearest path back to milk production.

Women who never reached a full supply may still relactate, but expectations need careful, honest discussion.

Relactation is intensive and demanding, similar in workload to triple feeding.

Goals may be about connection and feeding at the breast, not just milk volume.

At-breast supplementation can be a valuable option many mums have never been told about.

Relactation and induced lactation are different processes and should not be confused.

Sitting with the mum, understanding her life, and exploring what feels sustainable is essential.

Keywords:

relactation, induced lactation, breastfeeding after stopping, milk supply restart, breastfeeding goals, at-breast supplementation, breastfeeding support, lactation physiology, realistic breastfeeding expectations, feeding at the breast



Want to go deeper?

Head to The Latch Revolution to learn more about Decoding the Suck: Gentle support for babies with sucking difficulties.

Resources & Courses: katiejames.site

Breastfeeding & Lactation: The Fundamentals

The Feeding Couch

Decoding the Suck: Gentle support for babies with sucking difficulties

Instagram: @katiejameslactation

YouTube: The Latch Revolution

Leave us a 5-star review — it really helps more mums and professionals find the show. \nSubscribe so you don’t miss new episodes.

Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for personalised medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listeners should always seek the guidance of their own healthcare provider, midwife, or lactation consultant with any questions they may have regarding their own situation or that of their clients. Katie James and Johanna Sargeant do not accept responsibility for any decisions made based on this content.

Low milk supply is one of the biggest trigger topics in breastfeeding — and in this episode, Katie and Johanna sit with the rage, grief and nuance that surround it.



Joh shares why she has avoided this topic for so long because low milk supply is her own story. Together they unpack how the phrase “perceived low milk supply” can humiliate mums, undermine instinct and become a barrier to help.



They explore how often a new mum has to justify her pain before anyone will support her — whether that’s in online groups, clinics, or emergency departments where unsettled babies are checked, labelled “well”, and the mother’s worry is dismissed.



They talk through what they actually look at when low supply is on the table: how the breasts feel between feeds, whether a mum ever feels full, what she notices during a feed, whether she hears swallows, and the story of when her milk came in. They bring nuance from later-postpartum mums around 9–10 weeks, who suddenly feel “empty”, stop leaking and stop feeling letdowns — even while their baby is swallowing happily. And as always they keep circling back to counselling skills: pausing, asking open questions, letting mums talk, watching a feed together and helping her see what’s really happening.



They discuss weight gain as a trend, nappy output as a key sign of intake, and why believing mums — rather than forcing them to defend themselves — is the foundation for any plan.



This is not a list of causes and fixes. It’s a deep dive into trust, listening, and the emotional reality of low supply for breastfeeding mums and the professionals who support them.



Takeaways

Why the term “perceived low milk supply” can feel humiliating and dismissive to mums.

How online forums and some services make women justify their pain before offering help.

What we looks at when low supply is suspected: breast fullness patterns, swallows, history of milk coming in, and baby’s nappies and weight trend.

Why many mums around 9–10 weeks panic that their milk has “disappeared” when breasts regulate and stop feeling full or leaky.

How open questions, silence, and watching a feed together help mums rebuild trust in their own perception.

Why partners’ emotional support and whole-family dynamics matter when low supply worry has been simmering for weeks.

Keywords low milk supply, perceived low milk supply, low supply anxiety, breastfeeding worry, new mum support, nappies and weight gain, breastfeeding consult, counselling skills, lactation consultant, IBCLC, emergency visit crying baby, nine weeks postpartum, breast fullness, leaking stopping, letdown sensations, partner support, believing mums



Want to go deeper? Head to The Latch Revolution to learn more about our course Decoding the Suck: Gentle support for babies with sucking difficulties.



Resources & Courses: katiejames.site



Breastfeeding & Lactation: The Fundamentals

The Feeding Couch



Instagram: @katiejameslactation

YouTube: The Latch Revolution



Leave us a 5 star review!

Subscribe to make sure you don’t miss out on any new videos.



Medical Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for personalised medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listeners should always seek the guidance of their own healthcare provider, midwife, or lactation consultant with any questions they may have regarding their own situation or that of their clients. Katie James and Johanna Sargeant do not accept responsibility for any decisions made based on this content.

In this episode, Katie and Johanna pull apart the confusion around foremilk and hindmilk.

They talk about how mums are told there’s “watery” milk and “fatty” milk, why it feels like there are three or five different milks once you add colostrum, transitional milk and mature milk into the mix, and how this has made feeding feel far more scientific than it needs to be.

They explore fat globules sticking to the “bunch of grapes” inside the breast, the hot water tap analogy, different milk ejection reflex patterns, the famous six-minute feeder, high sugar milk in oversupply, explosive green “bubble bath” poo, unsettled but thriving babies, and why you can never truly “empty” a breast.

Throughout, they keep coming back to the same theme: nuance – and actually reading the baby, not just the rules.

Takeaways

• There is one milk that changes – not separate “watery” and “good” milks.

• Fat globules stick inside the “bunch of grapes” and are released gradually.

• The hot water tap is a useful way to picture how milk fat changes during and between feeds.

• Different mums have different milk ejection reflex patterns; some give most of their milk in the first few minutes.

• Some babies are six-minute, one-side feeders and still completely satisfied; others take both breasts and longer feeds.

• High sugar milk in oversupply can lead to a very full, thriving but grumbly baby with lots of gas and explosive green, bubbly poo.

• We can’t fully empty a breast – babies remove around two-thirds, and some milk always remains.

• Old rules like “20 minutes on the left and 20 on the right” don’t fit every mum or every breast.



Want to go deeper?

Head to The Latch Revolution to learn more about our course Decoding The Suck: Gentle support for Babies With Sucking Difficulties.

🌐 katiejames.site

🎓 Breastfeeding & Lactation: The Fundamentals

🛋️ The Feeding Couch

🧠 Decoding the Suck

📸 @katiejameslactation

▶️ YouTube: The Latch Revolution

⭐ Please leave us a 5 star review!

🔔 Subscribe to make sure you don’t miss out on furture eps!

Keywords: foremilk, hindmilk, watery milk, high sugar milk, fatty milk, oversupply, unsettled baby, reflux, explosive green poo, bubble bath poo, milk ejection reflex, six-minute feeder, 20 minutes each side, bunch of grapes, hot water tap, storage capacity, breastfeeding class, new mum confusion



Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for personalised medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listeners should always seek the guidance of their own healthcare provider, midwife, or lactation consultant with any questions they may have regarding their own situation or that of their clients. Katie James and Johanna Sargeant do not accept responsibility for any decisions made based on this content.

In this episode, Katie James and Johanna Sargeant unpack the myths and panic surrounding newborn weight gain and loss.

They discuss normal physiological weight loss, how over-frequent weighing fuels anxiety, and why nappies (diapers) reveal more than the scales.

You’ll learn how to interpret percentage loss correctly, when to act, and how IV fluids, birth interventions, and feeding frequency all play into the picture.

Takeaways:

• Most babies lose 7–8% of their birth weight — and that’s normal.

• Over-weighing increases anxiety and confusion for parents.

• Pee and poo output is a more reliable early indicator of milk intake.

• IV fluids during labour may be falsely inflating birth weight.

• Look at the whole clinical picture — not just the number.

• Healthy feeding plans require nuance, not one-size-fits-all charts.

The information in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personal medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek guidance from your doctor, midwife, lactation consultant, or another qualified health professional regarding your own health or your baby’s care. Katie James and Johanna Sargeant share insights from clinical experience and current research but do not provide personalised medical care through this podcast.

Explore more education: 🌐 katiejames.site 🎓 Breastfeeding & Lactation: The Fundamentals 🛋️ The Feeding Couch 🧠 Decoding the Suck 📸 @katiejameslactation ▶️ YouTube: The Latch Revolution

Keywords: newborn weight loss, baby weight gain, breastfeeding, milk intake, infant growth, postpartum care, IV fluids, lactation consultant, midwife, baby scales, feeding plan, nappies, milk transfer