Flo to Sleep

14/05/2026

Excuse my dog yawning, I think she’s bored of me talking breastfeeding all the time!

12/05/2026

If we don't know normal, then there is no normal.

I’ve been thinking about this sentence all day. I don’t know who originally said it, but it was shared on a call with today, and I can't shake it off.

It perfectly captures something I’ve been trying to put into words for a long time.

So many parents are encouraged to spend money on gadgets, referrals, appointments, and endless rabbit holes of information, when often the baby in front of them is behaving in a completely normal way.

What’s shifted is our understanding and expectations of normal infant behaviour.

Many parents have never spent much time around young babies before becoming parents themselves. That isn’t a criticism, we don't know, what we don't know. And with the current NHS set-up, many families receive very little in-depth antenatal education about what to realistically expect from a newborn.

I’m currently creating a baby behaviour course designed to help parents feel more prepared and confident around normal newborn behaviour, while also understanding the signs that something may be moving outside the realm of normal and needs further skilled support.

If there’s anything you think would be valuable to include, I’d love to hear it.

07/05/2026

The truth is that there are sadly, so called sleep 'experts' out there that aren't fit for working with families. Sleep-deprived parents and parents struggling with feeding challenges are vulnerable. Nobody should ever exploit that.

The fact that the sleep industry has been allowed to prey on vulnerable families is a sad reflection on the lack of support society offers parents of young children. We are often people's last resort. And it shouldn't be this way.

I've been lucky enough to train with and the Holistic Sleep Coaching programme, which offers evidence-based, responsive and attachment-focused support. Combined with my experience as a Registered Midwife and Lactation Consultant, I practice in a way that respects normal infant biological norms.

If you're looking to work with a sleep coach, I recommend asking them what their qualifications are, who they trained with and what their philosophy is. If someone doesn't feel right, trust your gut and look elsewhere. No single sleep coach will be the right fit for everyone, and it's always OK to question their practice.

And on a lighter note, thank you for these beautiful photos!

01/04/2026

Is my newborn baby getting enough milk?

The no. 1 anxiety inducing question I get from many new parents.

While there are many things to look out for, including how many wees and poos your little one is doing, it can also be reassuring to see this visual guide to newborn stomach size.

When we see babies taking larger bottles of formula it can be worrying to think our baby is only getting a few mls per feed, but when you see their stomach, # at 24 hours of age is around the size of a grape, you can understand why drops of colostrum is normal!

What’s really important in these early days is to be alert to your baby’s feeding cues, have lots of skin to skin and aim to feed them 8-12x over 24 hours to help your milk supply come in and to keep building your long term supply. The first few hours, days and weeks are crucial for making a full supply for your baby’s unique needs.

If you’re struggling with finding skilled support I offer home visits across Lancashire and Cumbria to help you get off to the best start possible. I LOVE supporting families in the early days. DM me for more info or visit my website, link in bio.

29/03/2026

You might of heard of the CHINS mnemonic. It’s a common breastfeeding aid for positioning and attachment:
* Close: Baby is held close, belly-to-belly.
* Head Free: Baby’s head can tilt back, not held, allowing the chin to lead.
* In Line: Baby’s ears, shoulders, and hips form a straight line.
* Nose to Ni**le: Ni**le is aligned with the baby’s nose to encourage a wide mouth.
* Sustainable/Sustain: The position is comfortable for the parent to maintain.

However while it’s useful,I had to forget the phrase ni**le to nose when I was learning to breastfeed my own babies. I’d used it countless times myself when supporting families but soon discovered it was confusing.

Instead it was more useful to think of bringing them towards the breast as if the ni**le was going to be aimed UP their nose. This meant their head was tilted back more and aided in achieving a deeper, more comfortable latch as the chin touched the breast first.

Sometimes a simple change in language can make all the difference. Going back to the basics is always my first port of call when supporting any family I work with, as so often families haven’t been supported with the basics first.

27/03/2026

27/03/2026

Hi, I'm Emma, a midwife and Lactation Consultant.

I often hear a common breastfeeding myth that your breast size can determine how much milk you make. This can cause unnecessary anxiety before your baby arrives.

So just to be clear your bra size doesn't relate to how much milk you will make!

What really matters in establishing a full milk supply for your baby's unique needs are frequent AND effective feeding in the first few days and weeks. This usually looks like 8-12 feeds every 24 hours with signs of effective milk transfer.

Getting skilled breastfeeding in the early days is so important. Switching on those milk making cells in the first 4 weeks is essential for building a full supply for the weeks and months ahead.

02/03/2026

There are parts of my journey into parenthood so far that I'm not proud of, things I wish I could change.

But with all mistakes comes learning and growth. And I often tell myself, you can't hit yourself with the guilt sticks for doing something when you didn't know what you didn't know.

Postnatal care and support for families in the early years leaves a lot to be desired.

I do this work because I know once we've birthed our babies and had that flurry of initial checks, appointments and visits in the first 6 weeks, things suddenly go quiet and you can be left feeling alone.

For me, the biggest challenges were when support services had all but disappeared.

If you're navigating challenges with sleep or feeding, I'm here to be that support. Check the link in my bio to book a free connection call with me to see if I'm what you've been looking for. I'd love to get to know you more.

27/02/2026

I'm very excited to have been asked to give a sleep workshop by at

Join me next week for an in-person antenatal workshop all about what to expect with sleep and your new born baby.

This is all the information I wish I had known before I had my first baby, Flo.

We'll be looking at sleep myths, normal sleep biology, why babies sleep the way they do, sleep need ranges, ways to optimise sleep in the early days and safe sleep guidelines. There will be lots of time for your questions too.

Hosted by me, Emma Martlew, Holistic Sleep Coach, Lactation Consultant and Midwife.

If you'd like to come along, or can't make it but have a burning question, let me know here, I can't wait to connect with you.

No need to book, just turn up.

18/02/2026

This is me with a 2-day-old baby Flo. It's making me crave a newborn baby to cuddle again, better not look at these too often!

I had skin-to-skin with her as soon as she was born and on and off in the first week but after that I kind of forgot about it.

But it's a key tool for establishing breastfeeding in those first few weeks. I think it was that said the phrase I love "They need to be in the restaurant to place an order".

Skin to skin means full body contact against your chest and abdomen, your top and bra off, their clothes off, just a nappy on.

It boosts the milk-making hormones, stimulates babies to wake for a feed and helps seed a healthy microbiome. And it's not just for breastfed babies, all babies, however they are feeding, benefit from being in skin to skin.

If you're having any feeding challenges, alongside skilled feeding support, I always recommend going back to basics first and skin to skin is the ultimate!

I'm out of office this week, if you're seeking feeding support there are so many brilliant resources out there.


leche.league