Erica Manners RN IBCLC Lactation Consultant Niagara

Erica Manners RN IBCLC Lactation Consultant Niagara Niagara in-home lactation care🤍
Breastfeeding • Pumping • Low milk supply • Infant feeding support
⬇️ Book a consult
https://ericamannerslactation.janeapp.com

Nurtured Beginnings Niagara offers gentle, evidence-based lactation, newborn, and postpartum support for families across the Niagara Region. Care is available in-home, in clinic, and virtually. Founded by Erica Manners-Clark, RPN, BScN, IBCLC candidate, Nurtured Beginnings was created to bring calm, confidence, and compassionate support to the early days with a new baby.

🤱 Expecting a baby and planning to breastfeed?You don’t need to know everything before your baby arrives — but having a ...
08/09/2026

🤱 Expecting a baby and planning to breastfeed?

You don’t need to know everything before your baby arrives — but having a better idea of what to expect can make those first hours, days and weeks feel a whole lot less overwhelming.

Join me for my next Breastfeeding Basics Virtual Workshop designed for expecting and new parents who want practical, evidence-based information without the pressure or information overload. đź’•

We’ll talk about:

✨ What to expect in the first hours & days
✨ The Golden Hour + early feeding
✨ How milk production works
✨ Positioning and getting a deep, comfortable latch
✨ How to know your baby is getting enough
✨ Normal newborn feeding behaviours
✨ Hand expression & pumping basics
✨ Bottles and supplementation
✨ Common challenges + when to reach out for help

And because I want you to leave with something you can actually refer back to when baby arrives, registration also includes my Breastfeeding Blueprint — a practical quick-reference guide you can keep right on your phone — plus a FREE 15-minute feeding planning conversation with me. 🤍

đź“… Thursday, August 27
⏰ 7 PM
đź’» Live + Virtual via Janeapp
đź’— Registration: $20

Come as you are, bring your questions, and let’s help you feel a little more prepared for feeding your baby.

Message me to register or book directly through the link in my bio.*đź’•

08/08/2026

When a newborn is sleepy, frustrated, or just not quite figuring out the latch yet, sometimes we need to go back to basics.

Here are a few things I might try:

→ Unswaddle baby and get them skin-to-skin
→ Give them a little time to wake up, root and show feeding cues
→ Hand express a few drops of colostrum.. sometimes getting a little milk on the ni**le is enough to get baby interested
→ Adjust positioning and help parents find a position that actually feels comfortable and manageable for them
→ Work on bringing baby to the breast and getting a deeper, more comfortable latch
→ If baby is really sleepy, hand express and offer colostrum by syringe
→ Sometimes let baby suck a little colostrum from a gloved finger to help wake up that sucking reflex, then try the breast again
→ And sometimes… we stop, reset, cuddle skin-to-skin and try again.

Because “baby won’t latch” doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong.

Newborns can be sleepy. Birth can affect feeding. They’re learning. You’re learning. And sometimes they just need a little extra help getting started. 🤍

The goal isn’t to force a latch.. it’s to figure out what *this baby* needs and help the parent feel confident doing it too.

08/05/2026

It’s World Breastfeeding Week! 🤱💛

Many parents do not breastfeed for as long as they hoped and often, it isn’t because they lacked determination. It’s because they lacked the support needed to continue.

Support can look like:

• Skilled, accessible lactation care
• Healthcare providers who listen and take concerns seriously
• Partners and families offering practical help
• Adequate parental leave and supportive workplaces
• Evidence-based information without pressure, guilt or judgment

If we want more parents to meet their breastfeeding goals, we cannot simply tell them breastfeeding is important.

We have to support them.

07/31/2026

How I became an IBCLC—and why it took me five years. 🤱✨

Becoming an IBCLC wasn’t one course or a quick certification. It required lactation-specific education, health-science education, more than 1,000 hours of direct breastfeeding support, studying and passing an international board exam.

I could have written the IBCLC exam sooner, but I was also completing my nursing degree, raising my family and working. In December 2025, I finished my BScN. Then I focused on passing the NCLEX and becoming an RN before finally writing my IBCLC exam in April 2026.

There was also the financial reality: becoming licensed as an RN and maintaining my nursing registration cost more than $1,800, and writing the IBCLC exam cost approximately $900. I had limited time, money and capacity—so I took it one step at a time.

Five years later, I can finally put RN, IBCLC after my name. 🥹

I’m still learning every day. But I’ve spent countless hours studying, gaining hands-on experience and supporting families through real feeding challenges. I genuinely love this work, and I have absolutely no regrets about the path that brought me here.

If you’re working toward becoming an IBCLC, your timeline doesn’t make your accomplishment any less meaningful. 💗

Most parents spend months preparing for birth.You research strollers.Install the car seat.Pack the hospital bag.Wash the...
07/29/2026

Most parents spend months preparing for birth.

You research strollers.
Install the car seat.
Pack the hospital bag.
Wash the tiny newborn clothes.

But very few parents are taught what those first hours and days of feeding might actually look like.

You picture your baby being born, latching beautifully, and breastfeeding coming naturally.

Sometimes that happens.

But sometimes...

🤍 Your baby is sleepy and won't wake to feed.

🤍 Latching hurts.

🤍 You're not sure if your baby is getting enough milk.

🤍 You pump for the first time... and only see drops.

🤍 Your birth doesn't go as planned.

🤍 Your recovery is harder than expected.

🤍 Your baby needs extra care in the NICU.

Suddenly, you're home with a newborn, searching the internet at 2 a.m., wondering if what you're experiencing is normal.

A prenatal breastfeeding class can't promise a perfect feeding journey.

What it *can* do is prepare you for the most common situations parents face in those first hours, days, and weeks.

We'll talk about:
✨ The Golden Hour
✨ Skin to skin
✨ Colostrum and when your milk changes
✨ Latching and positioning
✨ Hand expression
✨ Pumping and when it actually makes sense
✨ Bottle feeding
✨ What to expect in the first few days
✨ How to navigate the first six weeks with confidence
✨ When to seek support

My goal isn't to help you have a "perfect" breastfeeding journey.

My goal is to help you leave the hospital with a plan instead of panic.

Because confidence starts before your baby arrives.

🤍 **Breastfeeding Basics Workshop**
đź“… July 30 at 7:00 PM
đź’» Live Virtual Workshop

If you're expecting, I'd love to help you feel prepared before you meet your baby. The registration link is in my bio.

07/24/2026

If social media has you questioning everything about feeding your baby, you’re not alone.

Every day, parents are bombarded with advice like:

“Pump after every feed.”
“Never pump.”
“Just give a bottle.”
“Don’t nurse to sleep.”
“Your baby is too clingy.”
“Your milk probably isn’t enough.”
“Just push through the pain.”

Some of these recommendations may be appropriate in certain situations. Others aren’t. The problem is that social media often presents them as universal truths, when infant feeding is anything but one size fits all.

It’s okay not to have it all figured out.

We have more information at our fingertips than ever before. That’s a blessing, but it can also create confusion, uncertainty, and make you question yourself.

If you have questions about feeding, ask someone who is experienced and specialized in infant feeding. Someone who can assess your goals, your body, your history, your baby, and your family’s unique situation to help you build a plan that’s right for you.

You don’t have to navigate this alone.

What’s the most confusing or conflicting breastfeeding advice you’ve seen online?

07/24/2026

💉 The vitamin K injection is one of the very first decisions you’ll make for your newborn.

It’s also one of the most discussed and misunderstood.

As a nurse, I’ve noticed more and more parents asking questions about vitamin K after seeing conflicting information online.

I welcome those conversations.

Here’s what the current evidence tells us:

🤍 Newborns are naturally born with very low vitamin K stores.

🤍 Vitamin K is essential for normal blood clotting.

🤍 Without enough vitamin K, babies are at risk of **Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding (VKDB)**, which can occur without warning and may cause serious bleeding, including bleeding into the brain.

The Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) and the College of Family Physicians of Canada recommend a single intramuscular vitamin K injection for all newborns because it is the most effective way to prevent VKDB. For families who decline the injection, an oral regimen can be offered, but it requires multiple doses and is considered less effective than the injection.

If you’re expecting a baby, I encourage you to have an open conversation with your obstetrician, midwife, family physician, pediatrician, or another trusted healthcare provider.

Ask questions.
Read the evidence.
Discuss the benefits and limitations of each option.
Make an informed decision that is based on credible, evidence based information.

One excellent resource is the Canadian Paediatric Society’s Position Statement: Guidelines for Vitamin K Prophylaxis in Newborns which was reaffirmed in 2024 and is freely available online.

Every parent deserves respectful conversations, transparent information, and the opportunity to make informed decisions for their family. 🤍

07/24/2026

🚨 Congratulations... you survived a postpartum hemorrhage.

But did anyone tell you that it can affect your milk supply?

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a major medical emergency, and while your body is working hard to recover from significant blood loss, it may temporarily prioritize healing over milk production.

For some families, this can lead to:
🤍 A delay in your milk “coming in” (lactogenesis II)
🤍 Lower milk production in the early days
🤍 Increased fatigue, making frequent feeding and pumping more difficult
🤍 Challenges establishing breastfeeding

But here’s what I want you to know:

This does not happen to everyone who experiences a postpartum hemorrhage.

And if it does happen, it is not because you didn’t try hard enough.

Your body has just been through a major medical event.

The good news? There are evidence based strategies that can help protect and build your milk supply while you recover. Early assessment, frequent milk removal, skin to skin contact, and an individualized feeding plan can make a significant difference.

If you are experiencing difficulty feeding after a postpartum hemorrhage, please reach out for support. You do not have to navigate this alone. An IBCLC can help assess what is happening, support your recovery, and create a feeding plan that works for you and your baby.

🤍 You survived the hemorrhage. You deserve support for everything that comes after.

07/23/2026

It honestly sucks waking up early especially if you have a long commute to access care.

But if you have the choice, I’d still recommend taking the earliest appointment available.

I’ve seen this from both sides as a patient and as a nurse.

For routine outpatient appointments like medical imaging, blood work, specialist clinics, or day procedures—starting earlier often means there’s been less time for delays to build up. As the day goes on, appointments can start running behind, and those delays can affect everything that follows.

This doesn’t apply to areas like the Emergency Department or Labour & Delivery where patients are seen based on the urgency of their condition. In those settings, triage and acuity always come first not who arrived first or what time of day it is.

An early appointment doesn’t guarantee you’ll be home sooner, but in my experience, it often gives you the best chance.

It’s a small tip that can make your day just a little smoother.

07/22/2026

There are so many things to prepare for before your baby arrives...

The nursery.
The car seat.
The tiny clothes.

But one thing that often gets overlooked is feeding..

Breastfeeding is natural, but it isn’t always intuitive. A little preparation can make those early days feel so much less overwhelming.

Join me for my Live Virtual Breastfeeding Basics class where we’ll cover:
🤍 What to expect in the first few days
🤍 How to know your baby is getting enough milk
🤍 Latch and positioning
🤍 Pumping, bottles, and common challenges
🤍 Plenty of time for your questions

đź“… Thursday, July 30
đź•– 7:00 PM
đź’» Live from the comfort of your home.

Whether this is your first baby or you just want a refresher, I’d love to help you start your feeding journey with confidence.

Comment WORKSHOP and I’ll send you the registration link, or register through the link in my bio. ✨

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Saint Catharines, ON

Telephone

+12899693110

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