Category: Uncategorized

Donna Walls, RN, BSN, CLC, ANLC

Certified Aromatherapist

For many years I have taught how newborns initially crawl toward the smell of milk in their mother’s breast and how keeping a newborn close in those first days assures they can smell the milk, encouraging more frequent early feedings to build milk supply. As an aromatherapist, it made sense to me. The sense of smell is very important in our everyday lives, like warning us to danger when we smell smoke, protecting us when we smell spoiled food,  when that wonderful whiff of rose or lavender immediately brings a sense of comfort or when the smell of a pie in the oven takes us back to a wonderful childhood memory. Our sense of smell is also involved in our human communications, forming bonds with others or even connecting to romantic partners.

Dr. Julie Mennella’s work, through the Monell Chemical Senses Center, clearly shows that the aromas of foods in the mother’s diet during pregnancy influences their food preferences later in their lives. This may be how infants become enculturated to the traditional foods of their culture. In a 2001 study she demonstrated that infants exposed to the flavor of carrots in their breastmilk more readily accepted carrot flavored cereals. Other studies have shown that breastfed infants who are exposed to the many flavors and aromas of foods through their mother’s milk tend to choose a more varied diet and are less “picky” in early childhood.

In animal studies it has been shown that this same mechanism can be protective as young animals will refuse to eat foods that are not familiar to them, foods they have not smelled through their mother’s milk, avoiding potentially dangerous foods in their environment.

I remember early in my career showing a short film in childbirth education classes of a newborn in an isolette with nursing pads draped on either side of his face. The voiceover states that every single time newborns begin root and attempt to nurse on it’s own mother’s nursing pad. WOW- that was powerful. So, is the sense of smell actually an essential component of attachment between mother and baby?

I watched a nature special once that explained how juvenile zebra can identify their own mother by their unique stripes while seals and penguins identify their mothers through their unique calls and vocalizations among hundreds of other seals and penguins. So, maybe in humans our attachment is based in aromatherapy!

If we recognize how important the sense of smell is to newborns, what can we do to facilitate optimum aroma communication between mother and baby?

Here’s some actions to support breastfeeding aromatherapy:

1. Educate mothers and their families prenatally or early postpartum about the importance of the sense of smell to newborns.
2. Educate healthcare providers and families about the role of immediate and continued skin to skin in facilitating the initial aroma connection.
3. Encourage delayed bathing to avoid replacing natural amniotic smells with artificial smells of soaps. The WHO now recommends waiting 24 hours for the first bath.
4. Avoid the use of “mittens” or hand covers to allow the newborn to introduce aromas on their hands to their mouths. Newborns also transfer smells from their mother’s breasts to their noses and mouths when hands are left uncovered.
5. Minimize or completely avoid the use of lotions or creams when doing early skin care. Consider using the newborn’s own vernix as initial skin care as it has been shown to moisturize and provide antimicrobial protection.
6. Avoid the practice of breast cleansing or application of creams, lotions or ointments which might block the smell to the infant.

I’m hoping that this blog might encourage you to add a new line in your job description- facilitating breastfeeding aromatherapy.

 

 Mennella, J. et al.   Prenatal and postnatal flavor learning by human infants. Pediatrics. June, 2001. PMID: 11389286.PMCID: PMC1351272.DOI: 10.1542/peds.107.6.e88.

Spahn, J. et al. Influence of maternal diet on flavor transfer to amniotic fluid and breast milk and children’s responses: a systematic review. March, 2019. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Volume 109, Supplement 1. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqy240Get rights and content

The Healthy Children Project Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the winners of the seventh round of the Accessing the Milky Way Scholarship Initiative!

The winners receive a full scholarship for the Lactation Counselor Training Course, the evidence-based training helping more than 4,000 participants annually to gain the clinical expertise needed to solve complex feeding issues, build patient trust, and improve maternal child health in their communities. Successful participants will qualify to sit for the ALPP CLC® Exam, the premier national certification in lactation support.

We received nearly 200 applicants, and our decisions were not easy. This year’s winners are:

Grace Adegoye Manika Banks Terese Betts Uduak David Jessica M Eggleston Syeda Fakiha Zaidi Ericka Irizarry Villanueva Essivi Kwashie Pareena Lim Bianca Liu

Araceli Neri Mirta Parodi Perla Perez Ramirez Brooke Salazar Darlene Stadford Megan Udoeyop Jazlyn Velazquez Ulmiche Wagnac Carman Walker Anonymous recipient

In addition to a full scholarship covering tuition for the Lactation Counselor Training Course, our publishing partners, Jones & Bartlett Learning, have graciously donated copies of the Pocket Guide to Lactation Management for each recipient.

Congratulations and thank you for your commitment to supporting mothers and babies in your communities as they travel the Milky Way!

 

Every August, we celebrate National Breastfeeding Month, a time dedicated to recognizing the importance of breastfeeding and the collective responsibility we all share in supporting families. While breastfeeding is a personal journey between a parent and baby, it is also a public health issue, an economic issue, an environmental issue, and a workplace issue. The success of breastfeeding depends not only on the motivation of parents but on the support they receive from their families, healthcare providers, employers, policymakers, and communities.

National Breastfeeding Month 2026 reminds us that breastfeeding is about much more than infant nutrition. It is about creating a society where every family has the opportunity to meet their feeding goals without unnecessary barriers.

Breastfeeding Is a Community Responsibility

Parents do not breastfeed in isolation.

A mother who receives encouragement from her partner, practical support from grandparents, evidence-based care from healthcare professionals, and accommodations from her employer is far more likely to reach her breastfeeding goals than someone who faces criticism, misinformation, or structural obstacles.

Unfortunately, many parents encounter challenges that have little to do with milk production or motivation. They may experience:

• Limited access to skilled lactation support
• Short parental leave
• Pressure to return to work early
• Lack of clean, private pumping spaces
• Public discomfort surrounding breastfeeding
• Aggressive marketing of breastmilk substitutes
• Conflicting advice from healthcare providers

These are not individual failures. They are societal barriers that require societal solutions.

The First Days Matter

Research continues to demonstrate that the earliest hours after birth have lasting effects on breastfeeding success.

Immediate skin-to-skin contact, allowing infants to complete their instinctive newborn behaviors, delaying unnecessary separation, and supporting uninterrupted breastfeeding after birth all improve breastfeeding outcomes.

These practices also strengthen maternal-infant bonding, help regulate infant temperature and blood glucose, reduce stress hormones, and promote physiologic stability for both mother and baby.

When hospitals make these practices standard—not optional—they give families the strongest possible beginning.

Workplaces Can Make the Difference

Returning to work is a common reasons parents stop breastfeeding earlier than they intended.

Laws such as the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act have improved workplace protections for many employees by requiring reasonable break time and private spaces for expressing milk. However, implementation remains inconsistent, and many workers still struggle to access the accommodations they need.

Employers who support breastfeeding are investing in healthier families, reduced employee turnover, improved morale, and lower healthcare costs.

Supporting breastfeeding is good for employees—and good for business.

We All Have a Role

Even people who never breastfeed can make an enormous difference.

Support can be as simple as:

• Offering words of encouragement.
• Protecting a parent’s time to feed or pump.
• Welcoming breastfeeding in public spaces.
• Sharing evidence-based information.
• Supporting paid family leave.
• Advocating for Baby-Friendly maternity care.
• Encouraging employers to provide lactation accommodations.
• Respecting every family’s feeding journey.

Sometimes, the most meaningful support comes from simply saying, “You’re doing a great job.”

Looking Ahead

National Breastfeeding Month is not simply about celebrating breastfeeding—it is about asking ourselves how we can make breastfeeding easier for the next family.

Imagine communities where every parent receives skilled lactation care before problems arise.

Imagine hospitals where uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact is routine.

Imagine workplaces where pumping is expected rather than accommodated as an exception.

Imagine public spaces where breastfeeding is viewed as completely ordinary.

These are achievable goals when healthcare systems, policymakers, employers, educators, and communities work together.

Breastfeeding should never depend on luck, privilege, or geography. Every family deserves the opportunity to succeed.

As we observe National Breastfeeding Month 2026, let’s remember that breastfeeding is not solely a parent’s responsibility. It is a shared commitment that reflects how much we value the health of future generations.

When we support breastfeeding, we invest in healthier children, healthier parents, stronger families, and a healthier world.

Because breastfeeding doesn’t just matter to babies.

It matters to all of us.

 

In celebration of National Breastfeeding Month and continuing with our mission and focus to support families in their breastfeeding journeys, Healthy Children Project would like to announce another round of full scholarships in the Accessing the Milky Way initiative!

In August of 2020 Healthy Children Project announced our initiative called Accessing the Milky Way. The goal of the initiative was to provide Black, Indigenous, and other people of color with scholarships for the Lactation Counselor Training Course. Since then, we have offered six rounds of scholarships and awarded over 120 full scholarships and 30 partial scholarships.

Each scholarship awarded will cover tuition costs for the Lactation Counselor Training Course. Additionally, Jones and Bartlett, the publishers of the required textbook, The Pocket Guide to Lactation Management, have graciously donated textbooks for each recipient. Recipients of the scholarship will be responsible for the cost of the CLC exam administered by the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice.

We explicitly welcome individuals from racially and ethnically marginalized communities and/or historically underrepresented communities, including Black, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, and all Hispanic or Latinx individuals. You can apply by following the link below and filling out the form on our website.

Please only apply once during each round. Any duplicate applications will be disregarded and only the first one received for any individual will be reviewed.

Applications will be open through August 14, 2026.

APPLY HERE! 

Healthy Children Project is proud to support those who want to help mothers and babies!

A few days ago, I was sitting in a local coffee shop when I noticed a mother breastfeeding her baby.

It wasn’t a dramatic moment. There were no stares, no confrontation, no applause. Just a mother and her baby sharing a quiet moment together while the rest of the world carried on around them.

I smiled to myself. As a lactation professional, I’ve spent years thinking of families and how to help them navigate breastfeeding—from the overwhelming first hours after birth to the many questions and challenges that arise in the weeks and months that follow. Seeing a mother confidently breastfeeding in public always makes me happy. Every time it happens, it helps normalize something that is both biologically ordinary and profoundly important.

I thought about walking over.

I imagined saying something simple:

“You’re doing a wonderful job.”

“Your baby looks so content.”

“Thank you for helping normalize breastfeeding.”

Nothing more. No advice. No interruption. Just a few words of encouragement from one woman to another.

But then I hesitated.

What if she wanted privacy? What if I interrupted a peaceful feeding? What if she thought it was strange that a stranger approached her?

So, I stayed where I was.

Eventually she finished feeding, packed up her things, and left.

I’ve thought about that moment several times since.

Not because I believe I missed some life-changing opportunity, but because I know how powerful encouragement can be—especially for breastfeeding mothers.

Many mothers spend their breastfeeding journey wondering if they’re doing enough. They question whether their baby is getting enough milk. They worry about feeding in public. They hear conflicting advice from family, friends, social media, and sometimes even healthcare providers. They often carry an invisible mental load while trying to care for another human being.

Sometimes all it takes is one kind comment to remind someone they’re doing better than they think.

I’ve heard mothers remember encouraging words years after they were spoken.

A cashier who smiled instead of staring.

An older woman who quietly said, “I breastfed my babies too.”

A fellow parent who simply said, “You’re doing great.”

Those moments stay with people.

Of course, encouragement should always respect boundaries. Not every mother wants conversation while feeding, and that’s okay. A warm smile across the room may be exactly what’s welcome. Sometimes simply treating breastfeeding as completely normal is the greatest support we can offer.

Still, I wish I had trusted my instincts.

I wasn’t hoping to congratulate her for doing something extraordinary. Breastfeeding shouldn’t require courage simply because it happens in public. My hope was to acknowledge something our culture too often overlooks—that nurturing a baby deserves support, not silence.

As I reflected on that morning, I realized something else.

We often assume people know they’re doing well. We assume someone else will encourage them. We assume there will be another opportunity.

Sometimes there isn’t.

The experience reminded me that kindness doesn’t have to be elaborate. It can be as simple as a smile, a nod, or a few sincere words.

Next time, I think I’ll say hello.

Not because breastfeeding mothers need strangers’ approval, but because every parent deserves to know that someone sees the care they’re pouring into their child.

Our communities become stronger when we support families in small, everyday ways. Encouragement costs nothing, yet it can lighten someone’s day in ways we’ll never fully know.

So, if you happen to see a mother breastfeeding, remember that your reaction matters.

You don’t need to make a scene. You don’t need to offer advice.

Simply treating breastfeeding as normal—and, when the moment feels right, offering a genuine word of encouragement—can help create a world where parents feel supported rather than judged.

I missed my chance that day.

I hope I won’t miss the next one. I hope that mother has a joyful journey along the Milky Way.