Adrianne Tomasiewicz LC

✨ Calling all local vendors! ✨

We’re looking for vendors interested in joining our 2026 World Breastfeeding Week Celebration! 🤱🩷

Come help us celebrate and support our local breastfeeding families with a fun morning of community, resources, speakers, swag, snacks, and more!

📞 Call: 850-747-5775
📧 Email: [email protected]

We can’t wait to celebrate with everyone this year! 💜

Human milk is not simply “another feeding option.” It is a living, dynamic, biologically active substance created specifically for human babies. 🤍

It contains living cells, antibodies, enzymes, hormones, stem cells, immune factors, and nutrients that constantly adapt to a baby’s needs. A mother’s milk changes throughout the day, changes during illness, changes as her baby grows, and even changes during a single feeding.

Formula is manufactured to feed babies when breastfeeding is not possible or supplementation is needed. But manufactured and biological are *not* interchangeable words.

That is not shame.
That is not judgment.
That is scientific reality.

Somehow society became more comfortable normalizing the replacement of human milk than addressing why so many mothers are left unsupported in the first place.

We normalize:
• mothers returning to work days after birth
• lack of paid maternity leave
• poor postpartum support
• dismissing breastfeeding pain instead of treating it
• separating mothers and babies
• lack of skilled lactation care
• sexualizing breastfeeding
• shaming women for nursing in public
• telling exhausted mothers to “just give formula” before offering actual help

Then people act shocked when breastfeeding rates fall.

Breastfeeding mothers do not need less advocacy.
They need more support.

Because for many women, breastfeeding did not fail.
The system failed them.

And yes, formula has a place. Some babies truly need it. Some mothers truly need it. Feeding a baby safely matters most. But pretending formula and human milk are identical does not help families make informed decisions either.

Babies deserve evidence based information.
Mothers deserve honest conversations.
And breastfeeding deserves protection, education, and support instead of defensiveness every time its value is acknowledged.

Human milk is alive.
Formula is manufactured.
Those are not the same thing. 🤍

‼️

How you labor matters. Having a IV placed has become a standard with hospital births. They are often set to continuously drip while in labor. These fluids don’t just hydrate you, they cross the placenta and also enter your baby. Why is this a big deal? Research suggests that these fluids can actually inflate your baby’s birth weight. They will p*e this fluid out, usually as the first day progresses. So why does that matter if they’re going to p*e it out anyway? Birth weight is the first data point used by healthcare providers to know if baby is feeding efficiently when feeding from the breast, since there are no markers on breast or baby telling us how much they get from feeding

It’s OK for babies to lose weight after birth!! Long standing research shows up to 7-8% of birth weight in the first few days after birth (while drinking the first milk, colostrum) is acceptable, and then once milk transitions they should regain back to birth weight by 10-14 days. We also expect only 1 (2 at the most) p*e diapers on their first day of life. If they are born with excessive fluids, their weight can be inflated and when they p*e this fluid off, the weight loss can be exaggerated. Once a baby loses 10%, supplementation is always recommended as the standard of care to ensure baby is getting the nutrients they need

This can lead to the assumption that baby isn’t feeding well even if they are. It also puts needless pressure for milk supply to “come in” or increase to volumes beyond what the body would typically make at that stage of lactation. Coincidentally, too much fluids can also delay colostrum transitioning to mature milk and increasing in volume as well as cause excessive swelling in the breasts which makes latch more challenging!! This also results in an increased chance of formula supplementation (with or without initiating pumping) which is often associated with a shorter duration of breastfeeding than what was initially intended by the family

How you birth matters. Knowing what happens to your body and baby’s body is so important to help you figure out your journey

📸
Midwife pictured: the amazing

After birth there is an enormous range of normal for when periods return. Exclusive breastfeeding carries the perk in that it may delay periods returning. Frequent nursing inhibits the release of hormones that cause your body to begin your monthly cycles. Some moms will have spotting around 6-8 weeks. Others have a non-ovulatory period before 6 months postpartum, but do not menstruate again for many months. Some start their periods as soon as baby starts sleeping through the night or eating solid foods. Others never get a period at all until they wean, even if they’re only occasionally breastfeeding a toddler! You are more likely to ovulate and resume regular periods if your baby is going for more than a few hours without breastfeeding (for instance, at night) and baby is more than 6 months old.

It is common to have a drop in supply around the time of your period. Breastfeeding can also be uncomfortable during this time from increase breast tenderness. This is from the hormonal changes and is only temporary. It is safe to continue breastfeeding while on your period. Your milk is just as nutritious. You may find baby wants to nurse more frequently while you’re on your period. That’s normal! They are helping regulate your milk supply during the hormonal shift. Some babies are fussier at the breast because milk during your period can be saltier and flow slower. Research from La Leche League shows “a daily dose of 500 to 1,000 mg of a calcium and magnesium supplement from the middle of your cycle through the first three days of your period may help minimize any drop in supply.”

I feel so incredibly blessed to say I was raised and mentored by two of the absolute best. Having my mom and her best friend—who is truly family—as my IBCLC role models has shaped everything I know about supporting mothers and babies. Today I am honored to work alongside some wonderful IBCLCs. I’m so grateful for the roots they gave me and the incredible women I get to learn from every single day! 🤍🤱🏽

If having to Pump in the first few days... Remember 💛 Only Drops — or Nothing — Is Normal
Colostrum is produced in small, concentrated amounts.
In the first 24–72 hours, pumping may yield:
Drops
Beads
Minimal or no visible milk
💛This is normal!💛
⚖️ Pump Output ≠ Milk Supply
A healthy newborn removes milk more effectively than a pump
Visible volume is not an accurate measure of early milk production
Lack of output does not indicate low supply
Early pumping is for: ✔ Breast stimulation
✔ Receptor activation
✔ Supporting long-term milk production
It is not a measurement tool.

Just a reminder— Breast Friend's Mommy & Me Support Group is today at HCA Florida Gulf Coast Hospital 10:30–11:30 😊🤱🏽
Sorry for the confusion about the missing FB event—we’re not sure how that slipped by 🤷🏽‍♀️
Looking forward to seeing everyone soon 🥰

New Year, new life! 🎉👣 Spending the first day of the year helping families welcome their newest additions. It doesn't get much better than this. Happy New Year, everyone! 💗
#2026

Today my heart is full. I get to spend the day caring for new moms and babies, supporting them through the beautiful beginning of their breastfeeding journey 🤱
Tonight, I’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving at home with my family, the people who hold my heart. ♥️🍂🫂🦃