EPISODE OUT ON YOUR FAVORITE PLATFORM
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The Tiny Big Joys Podcast | Guest: Olivia Hinge | Host: Olivia Parker
Part 2 is where the myths come out. Where Part 1 covered the early weeks of latching and weight gain, this one goes further. Olivia Hinge explains how to pump in a way that works with your body, from flange fit to the small, frequent sessions she calls micro pumping, and how to combine and store your milk safely. She walks through how our understanding of mastitis has changed: why the advice is now ice, gentle lymphatic massage and rest rather than heat and deep massage, and when it's time to see a GP. She clears up the thrush myth and explains what burning, itching and deep breast pain more often mean. Then she looks beyond the early months, to starting solids, moving on from formula, night feeds, and breastfeeding through a new pregnancy, and ends with a message for every mum finding feeding hard right now. This episode covers pumping and flange fit, power and micro pumping, combining and storing breast milk, mastitis and blocked ducts, the thrush myth, vasospasm and nipple dermatitis, starting solids, formula to cow's milk, follow-on milks, night feeds and night weaning, breastfeeding through pregnancy, tandem feeding, and making an infant feeding plan.
Instagram @thetinybigjoys
Olivia Hinge is NHS midwife, lactation consultant, and mother of three. Olivia's work is shaped by both her clinical expertise and her own early struggles with breastfeeding her first daughter — an experience that gave her a deep understanding of how physically, emotionally, and mentally demanding feeding a baby can be. She is the author of A Judgment-Free Guide to Feeding Your Baby: Boobs, Bottles and All, and shares practical, evidence-based advice to her community of parents daily. Find Olivia at @olivia_lactation_consultant on Instagram.
Olivia Hinge @olivia_lactation_consultant
Key Takeaways
Get your flange measured. Many of us were given flanges far too big. Measure your nipple at the tip (by hand, not after pumping) and try inserts. The right fit often means more milk and more comfort.
Pump more often, not longer. Several shorter sessions across the day do more for supply than a few long ones.
Create your oxytocin environment. Warm the flanges, keep your hands on the breast, and put on headphones with something you love. It all helps the milk flow.
Micro pumping over power pumping. Keep the pump out on the worktop and add short two-to-three-minute bursts whenever you can. It tells your body to make more.
Combine pumped milk once it's cold. Add fresh milk to a bigger container only when both are fridge-cold. Store milk in the body of the fridge, not the door.
A cool bag and ice block can carry milk for a day. Useful if you're away from your baby, and hospitals use the same approach.
Mastitis advice has turned on its head. It starts as inflammation, not a blockage. Think of it like a swollen ankle: ice, gentle lymphatic massage, rest, and let your baby feed as normal. No deep, vigorous massage and no extra pumping.
When to see a GP. If there's no improvement after about 24 hours, or sooner if you have a high temperature or see blood or pus in your milk. If antibiotics are needed, complete the full course.
Look after your breast's microbiome. Antibiotics before they're needed can make mastitis more likely to come back. Probiotics may help.
Blocked ducts get the same gentle care. Ice, light lymphatic massage and steady draining. Maya Bolman's free "breast gymnastics" technique can bring real relief.
It's very rarely thrush. Burning, itching and deep pain usually point to something else, such as restricted blood flow, nerve sensitivity from the latch, or skin irritation.
Check what's touching your nipple. Lanolin in nipple creams, foods from weaning, and children's toothpaste can all cause reactions that get mistaken for thrush.
Thrush isn't contagious. True oral thrush in a baby looks thick and curdy, like cottage cheese, and is treated in the baby. The breastfeeding parent doesn't need treating too.
Starting solids doesn't mean dropping milk feeds. Milk stays the main nutrition until one, alongside iron-rich foods and learning to eat. Many babies eat better on your lap.
Follow-on milks aren't necessary. First infant formula meets your baby's needs for the first year. From 12 months, you can switch to cow's milk straight away or mix gradually.
Breastfed toddlers don't need cups of cow's milk. Just keep an eye on their calcium. As your supply naturally reduces, the immune factors in your milk increase.
There's no magic age for night weaning. For many children, night feeds are a nutritional safety net. Look at how your whole family is coping, not just at outside pressure.
Breastfeeding through pregnancy is more common than you'd think. Milk naturally turns back to colostrum, nipple tenderness is common, and some toddlers wean themselves. Talk to your own care team about your situation.
Tandem feeding can bring siblings together. Many families find it becomes a shared connection between big and little.
Make an infant feeding plan before you need it. Know how you'd reach skilled support: whether you can self-refer, and who the good lactation consultants are locally.
Your self-worth as a mother is not measured by how you feed your child. And Olivia's tiny big joy: caring for and responding to your baby. Small moments, massive impact.
Missed Part 1? Sleepy babies, tricky latches, tongue tie, weight gain and cluster feeding. Listen first if you can.
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