Breastfeeding might seem straightforward, but many new moms find it challenging. Patience is essential, and being well-prepared can make the process smoother. Here, we break down the basics to help you get ready for this journey.
The Three Stages of Breast Milk
Colostrum: The First Stage
When your baby is born, your body produces colostrum, a clear or yellowish liquid packed with nutrients, proteins, and vitamins. This small amount is perfect for newborns, helping to protect their digestive tract and immune system.
Transitional Milk: The Second Stage
Regular breastfeeding will stimulate the production of transitional milk, which appears around the third to fifth day. It looks like a mix of milk and orange juice, rich in lactose, fat, and calories.
Mature Milk: The Third Stage
By the second week, mature milk replaces transitional milk. This pale, sometimes bluish milk provides all the nutrients, fat, and proteins your baby needs, adjusting its water content in hot weather and boosting antibodies when needed.
Achieving a Good Latch
Proper latching is crucial to prevent discomfort. A good latch covers both the nipple and the areola and shouldn't be painful. Here’s how to ensure a successful latch:
Positioning Your Baby
Hold your baby tummy-to-tummy with your breasts, keeping their head aligned with their body.
Mouth to Nipple
Tickle your baby’s lips with your nipple or express a bit of milk to encourage the rooting reflex. When your baby opens wide, bring them to your breast.
Ensuring Proper Attachment
A proper latch involves the baby’s chin and nose touching your breast. If necessary, adjust the bottom lip to ensure it isn’t tucked in. Watch for a steady suck-swallow-breathe pattern.
Trying Different Positions
If you encounter difficulties, experiment with different breastfeeding positions like the football hold or side-lying. Consult a lactation consultant if needed.
Maintaining Comfort and Milk Supply
Relax and Feed on Demand
Stay calm and relaxed to enhance milk production. Allow your baby to feed without time limits, ensuring one breast is fully drained before switching to the other.
Recognizing Hunger Cues
Signs of hunger include nuzzling your breasts, rooting, sucking on hands or clothing, and making lip-smacking noises. Crying is a late hunger cue.
Feeding Frequency
Newborns typically feed 8-12 times a day. Some may need to be woken up for feeds if they sleep for more than six hours.
Patience and Persistence
Breastfeeding takes time and practice. Be patient with yourself and your baby, seeking professional help if needed. With time, breastfeeding will become more natural and enjoyable for both of you.
By following these tips, you can create a calm and successful breastfeeding experience, eventually making it look effortless.
Bringing a new baby home is one of life’s most beautiful - and exhausting - adventures. In this blog, Family Sleep & Wellness Coach, Lauren Moran from Little Dreamers, shares her expert advice on newborn sleep in the fourth trimester.
Creating a gift registry takes the guesswork out of gifting for you and your loved ones. While the journey of pregnancy can come with plenty of challenges, ticking off your shopping list doesn't need to be one of them.
Pregnancy and the postpartum period are times of incredible change, physically, emotionally, and mentally. You’ve entered a brand-new chapter in your life, one filled with love, learning, and sometimes, a little chaos. Your body is adjusting, your hormones are shifting, your routine is changing, and now there’s a tiny person who depends entirely on you.
With such big changes, it’s completely natural to feel overwhelmed at times. These experiences can take a toll on your mental health, no matter how “small” the changes may seem. But one thing is certain, you’re not the first, and you’re not alone.
Mood Swings
Mood swings are incredibly common during pregnancy, postpartum, and even during menstruation. They happen when emotions change quickly or feel more intense than usual. While hormones play a big part in this, mood swings can also stem from things like lack of sleep, changes in routine, or neglecting your own needs.It’s important to care for yourself through these transitions so they feel a little smoother.
Ways to Support Yourself During Mood Swings
Take a walk to clear your mind. Fresh air and gentle movement can work wonders. If your baby has arrived, bring them along so you can both enjoy the change of scenery.
Seek support from loved ones. Whether you need someone to talk to, help with the baby, or just company over a cup of tea, reaching out makes a huge difference. Connection is one of the strongest protectors of mental health.
Create a little “you” space. It could be a cozy corner, a seat by a window, or a sunny spot outside. A quiet place to pause, breathe, and gather your thoughts can bring you back to centre.
Keep up with small acts of self-care. Taking a shower can feel like a luxury with a newborn, but it truly helps. Products like the Nuna Leaf Grow can be a lifesaver, let your baby gently sway while you take a few minutes to refresh. Do your skincare routine, put on a face mask, or spend 10 minutes doing a hobby you love. Even short moments of care help your mind reset. Remember, no matter what you are feeling, your emotions are valid. If your moods are starting to affect your daily life, please reach out to your doctor, midwife, or a mental health professional. Your wellbeing matters deeply, both for you and for your new little family.
Understanding Anxiety
Anxiety has been part of human life since our earliest ancestors. In prehistoric times, it was a survival mechanism helping people stay alert to dangers like predators or the risk of being left out of their group. This “fight, flight, or freeze” response kept them safe.Today, we don’t face the same physical threats, but our brains still use the same alarm system. Instead of warning us about predators, anxiety now shows up in moments like worrying about parenting, work, or social situations, times when it may feel overwhelming or out of place.
Feeling anxious during pregnancy is completely normal. The “what ifs” and the doubts about being a good parent can feel heavy and persistent. Many people experience this, but it’s still something that’s often under-recognised.
There’s an important difference between feeling anxious and living with anxiety. Feeling anxious is a temporary and natural response; anxiety, on the other hand, is ongoing and can impact your daily life and wellbeing.
Common Symptoms of Anxiety
Excessive worry about your baby’s health, birth, or your ability to parent
Physical symptoms like sweating, shortness of breath, or difficulty sleeping
Intrusive or distressing thoughts about your baby
Irritability, restlessness, or difficulty focusing
These symptoms can affect sleep, appetite, and how you function day to day, sometimes even making it harder to bond with your baby.
If your anxiety feels overwhelming, please reach out for support. You do not need to face this alone.
Support in Aotearoa New Zealand
Anxiety NZ: Call 0800 ANXIETY (0800 269 4389) or visit anxiety.org.nz
PADA - Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Aotearoa: pada.nz for help specific to pregnancy, birth, and early parenting
Need to Talk? Text or call 1737 anytime for free, confidential counselling; 1737.org.nz
For Māori whānau, resources like Te Whare Tapa Whā and Whānau Ora offer holistic, culturally grounded support; visit manamokopuna.org.nz.
For Pasifika families, PADA offers programmes such as Tama'ita'i Toa, and you can also explore stories like Sela’s Project: A Mother’s Cry at mentalhealth.org.nz.
Reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness. Help is available, and you deserve support.
Postpartum Depression (PPD)
After giving birth, some people experience postpartum depression (PPD) or anxiety, sometimes weeks, months, or even years after their baby arrives. It’s something that has existed throughout human history, yet it’s still under-researched and often misunderstood.If you’re experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety, please know this is not your fault. These feelings do not define your worth or your ability to be a good parent.
Common Symptoms of PPD
Persistent low or flat mood
Frequent irritability or loss of interest in usual activities
Changes in appetite or sleep
Constant fatigue
Trouble concentrating or making decisions
Some parents may also experience distressing intrusive thoughts about their baby. These can feel terrifying or shameful, but having these thoughts does not mean you want to harm your child. They are a symptom of your mental health, not a reflection of who you are.
If you’re struggling with these thoughts or any of the symptoms above, please reach out for help. You are not alone, and there is care available to support both you and your baby. In Aotearoa, you can find support and information through Healthify NZ’s Postnatal Depression.
Finding Your Balance Again
While pregnancy and postpartum can bring moments of uncertainty and emotional ups and downs, they also bring incredible growth, connection, and love. You are learning new things about yourself every single day, how strong you are, how deeply you can care, and how resilient the human heart can be.
Remember, there will be good days and harder ones, but none of them define you as a parent. The difficult moments will pass, and with time, support, and self-compassion, things will start to feel lighter again.
Be gentle with yourself. You are doing one of the most important and beautiful things in the world: nurturing life, both your baby’s and your own.
Take each day as it comes, celebrate the little victories, and remind yourself often: you’ve got this.
NUK First Choice+ Siicone Teats are specially designed and modeled off a mother's nipple during breastfeeding, leaving enough room by your baby's tongue and jaw to perform the natural sucking movements. Perfect for use with NUK First Choice Bottles and NUK Breast Milk Containers.
NUK First Choice Plus Silicone Teat
Naturally shaped to fit the jaw: modelled on a mother´s nipple as she breastfeeds
As soft as possible: for a familiar feeling while drinking
Helps prevent colic: the improved Anti-Colic Air System
Available in size 1, 0-6 months, S (extra- fine hole = for thin liquids), M (medium-fine hole = for formula) and size 2, from 6-18 months, S (extra- fine = for thin liquids), M (medium-fine hole = for formula), L (large hole = for thick liquids)
Fits all NUK First Choice Bottles and NUK Breast Milk Containers
NUK First Choice+ Silicone Teats are specially designed and modeled off a mother's nipple during breastfeeding, leaving enough room by your baby's tongue and jaw to perform the natural sucking movements. Perfect for use with NUK First Choice Bottles and NUK Breast Milk Containers.
NUK First Choice Plus Silicone Teat
Naturally shaped to fit the jaw: modelled on a mother´s nipple as she breastfeeds
As soft as possible: for a familiar feeling while drinking
Helps prevent colic: the improved Anti-Colic Air System
Available in size 1, 0-6 months, S (extra- fine hole = for thin liquids), M (medium-fine hole = for formula) and size 2, from 6-18 months, S (extra- fine = for thin liquids), M (medium-fine hole = for formula), L (large hole = for thick liquids)
Fits all NUK First Choice Bottles and NUK Breast Milk Containers
Experience relief with the award-winning Rite Aid Hydrogel Breast Discs, designed specifically for mums experiencing breastfeeding pain. These cooling hydrogel pads provide soothing comfort, promote healing, and protect sore nipples. Ideal for nursing mothers, our Hydrogel Breast Discs offer instant relief from breastfeeding discomfort, providing gentle care during breastfeeding.
NUK First Choice+ Flow Control Silicone Teat, right for the jaw, leak-proof, 6-18 months, BPA-free, 2 pieces
NUK First Choice+ Flow Control Teat: helps the transition to independent drinking
The special NUK First Choice+ Flow Control teat lets babies control the flow themselves when they are drinking. No matter if they want to drink quickly or slowly or if whatever you are feeding is thin or thick. Just as the baby likes it.
In addition, the teat is also leak-proof. This is because the innovative Y-opening of the teat only opens when your baby is sucking and widens depending on the sucking strength of your baby. Together with the NUK Anti-Colic Air System, this ensures a controlled drinking flow.
The NUK First Choice+ Latex Teat is designed to make bottle feeding feel as natural as possible.
Shaped to resemble a breastfeeding parent’s nipple, it allows your baby’s tongue and jaw to move naturally for a comfortable, familiar feeding experience. The soft latex teat adapts perfectly to the baby’s mouth, while the improved Anti-Colic Air System ensures a smooth flow and helps reduce air intake, easing wind and tummy discomfort. Clinically proven and widely accepted by babies, it’s ideal for those who combine breast and bottle feeding.
NUK First Choice+ Siicone Teats are specially designed and modeled off a mother's nipple during breastfeeding, leaving enough room by your baby's tongue and jaw to perform the natural sucking movements.
Perfect for use with NUK First Choice Bottles and NUK Breast Milk Containers.
NUK First Choice Plus Silicone Teat
Naturally shaped to fit the jaw: modelled on a mother´s nipple as she breastfeeds
As soft as possible: for a familiar feeling while drinking
Helps prevent colic: the improved Anti-Colic Air System
Available in size 1, 0-6 months, S (extra- fine hole = for thin liquids), M (medium-fine hole = for formula) and size 2, from 6-18 months, S (extra- fine = for thin liquids), M (medium-fine hole = for formula), L (large hole = for thick liquids)
Fits all NUK First Choice Bottles and NUK Breast Milk Containers
Haakaa's Breast Pumps are soft, comfortable and made from 100% food grade silicone. The unique compact design fits perfectly in any handbag or nursery bag and makes this pump perfect for long distance trips, car rides, family BBQ's or anywhere you would like to discretely express silently and quickly.
The suction support base and increased volume to 150 ml means you are able to make the most out of these pumps and not have to worry if they accidentally get knocked. Simply suction the pump to your breast and let the pump do all the work for you as it draws your milk using suction. No longer do you need to hunt for the right cord or batteries these breast pumps are made to be easy!
A nipple saviour for breastfeeding Mamas to keep those nips intact. We've got you, Mama!
This 100% natural and organic butter instantly soothes, nourishes and restores dry and cracked nipples. A nutrient-rich and expertly formulated blend, the butter uses the highest calibre , plant-based ingredients including Calendula, NZ Native Kawakawa, Shea Butter, and Marshmallow Root extract to help ease discomforts, restore skin and support skin resilience.
With an easy flip top lid, this non-sticky, gentle buttery balm is fragrance and lanolin free, plus there is no need to wash off before feeding.
This exclusive set combines three of Pure Mama’s bestselling skincare essentials for pregnancy and postpartum, along with two beautiful baby gifts to support you both through the early days and beyond. It’s the perfect way to nurture yourself or gift a loved one preparing for motherhood.
What’s Inside:
Belly Oil – A deeply hydrating blend of Rosehip, Vitamin E, Almond, Avocado and Coconut oils to support skin elasticity and help prevent the appearance of stretch marks. Ideal for daily use from the first trimester.
Bump Scrub – A creamy exfoliator made with organic Coconut Oil, Bamboo Powder, and ground Pumice to gently smooth and nourish your growing bump. Best used before applying Belly Oil.
Nipple Butter – A rich, all-natural balm formulated with Kawakawa, Marshmallow Root, Calendula, Coconut Oil, and Shea Butter to soothe and restore sore, cracked nipples.
Plus, receive two free baby gifts:
3 Organic Cotton Muslin Washcloths
1 Silicone Teething Ball
Carefully curated to support both mama and baby, this limited edition set helps you feel prepared, nurtured, and pampered every step of the way.
Crane's Rechargeable Single Electric Breast Pump gives you everything you need in an electric pump - comfort, efficiency and ease of cleaning along with amazing convenience! Just read the incredible reviews for this pump if you are deciding whether to choose a Crane pump.
First and foremost, an electric pump needs to be efficient and effective, pumping as much milk in as little time as possible. The Crane pump delivers efficient, hospital level performance and the reviews totally back this up with many mums reporting significantly improved milk volume. With a powerful hospital level motor, you'll find pumping is efficient and effective.
The Crane Single Electric Breast Pump is designed to mimic a baby's natural sucking. World leading 3D pumping technology and easily adjustable modes help to stimulate milk let down, whilst gently massaging and squeezing the breast and nipple. There are 2 modes - simulation to help your let down and expression for effective pumping.
Crane pumps are also very compfortable, again just read the reviews! The soft silicone breast cushion is so much more comfortable than the usual hard plastic against your breast. Plus the wide range of suction levels make a big difference to comfort.
Cleaning and caring for your pump is simple and hygienic with backflow protection and the simple to reassemble milk collection kit.
Whether you are using your pump at home or out and about, you'll find the Crane Pump very convenient. It has a built-in rechargeable battery (works continuously up to 3 hours on a full charge), with a super sleek and portable design that allows you more flexibility. Like all Crane products, the Single Electric Pump is quiet to use. Not silent....it does have a powerful motor inside after all, but quieter than your average breast pump!
The Rechargeable Single Electric Pump is made for Crane by one of the world's leading breast pump manufacturers.
Crane's Rechargeable Double Electric Breast Pump gives you everything you need in an electric pump - comfort, efficiency and ease of cleaning, plus a whole lot more features and convenience. Just read the incredible reviews for this pump if you are deciding whether to choose a Crane pump.
First and foremost, an electric pump needs to be efficient and effective, pumping as much milk in as little time as possible. The Crane pump delivers efficient, hospital level performance and the reviews totally back this up with many mums reporting significantly improved milk volume. With two independent motors, you can double pump at maximum suction on both breasts at once, choose different suction levels for each breast or pump just one side. Double pumping is both efficient for time and can also help to increase your milk supply.
The Crane Double Electric Breast Pump is designed to mimic a baby's natural sucking. World leading 3D pumping technology and easily adjustable modes help to stimulate milk let down, whilst gently massaging and squeezing the breast and nipple. There are 3 modes - simulation to help your let down, expression and a 2-in1 mode.
Crane pumps are also very compfortable, again just read the reviews! The soft silicone breast cushion is so much more comfortable than the usual hard plastic against your breast. Plus the wide range of suction levels and ability to have different suction levels makes a big difference to comfort.
Cleaning and caring for your pump is simple and hygienic with backflow protection and the simple to reassemble milk collection kits.
Whether you are using your pump at home or out and about, you'll find the Crane Pump very convenient. It has a built-in rechargeable battery (works continuously up to 2 hours on a full charge), with a super sleek and portable design that allows you more flexibility. Like all Crane products, the Double Electric Pump is quiet to use. Not silent....it does have 2 powerful motors inside after all, but quieter than your average breast pump!
The Rechargeable Double Electric Pump is made for Crane by one of the world's leading breast pump manufacturers, who developed this incredible 3D pumping technology loved by expressing mums around the world.
Silverette® are the original, award-winning silver nursing cups trusted by mothers worldwide since 2002. Designed to help prevent and soothe nipple pain, inflammation, and cracks from pregnancy, breastfeeding, and pumping, they give your body the gentle care it deserves during recovery.
Crafted in Italy from genuine 925 sterling silver, Silverette® naturally harnesses antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties to support healing between feeds or pumping sessions. Safe for both mum and baby, they’re non-toxic, easy to use, and completely reusable. No creams or extra products are needed, and there’s no need to wipe your nipples before feeding.
Recent awards won by this fantastic product:
Bounty Baby Awards 2025 (Australia) – GOLD for Breast Care Product and Best Breastfeeding Accessory
Mother, Baby & Child Awards 2025 (Middle East) – GOLD for Best Maternity Product
OHbaby Awards 2024 (NZ) – GOLD for Best Postpartum Product and Best Breastfeeding Aid
OHbaby! Awards 2024 (NZ) – SILVER for Best Hospital Bag Essential
