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Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️

@bridgetmcgann.medsky.social

4.7K followers 5.4K following 3.4K posts

Bioanthropologist & curator of #LactFacts Doing: #LactSci & #SciComm @ #THRiVELab 🤱🏾 CU Denver grad student • Did: #MarchforScience crappy violinist • drochghaeilgeoir ☘️ Neurospicy 🌈🦋 • nuance, kindness, hope THRiVEdiscovery.ca

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Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · Nov 15

1. Hi new friends! Linked in this first tweet is my “About me/what kind of content I post” thread. It has been temporarily unpinned to make room for Item 2.

2. Hi old friends! I promised you BlueSky primers and pro tips. I will drop those in the rest of THIS thread.

bsky.app/profile/brid...

Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · Jul 4

👋🏼 About me!

I'm an anthropologist who studies babies, and how their behavior and physiology is shaped by the unique way that we feed our babies as mammals: lactation.

🧪

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Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 6h

Did you know there is a #DOHaD list?

You can follow people, or pin it to your feed!

🔗 → bsky.app/profile/did...

🧪🛟🩺 #ChildHealth #MCH #MaternalChildHealth #Pediatrician #Breastfeeding #Lactation #LactSci #IBCLC #NABBLM #ACEs #Pregnancy #OBGYN #pedsky #obskyb #familymed #NICU

Screenshot.

A silhouette image of a mother and infant.

DOHAD
List
Multidisciplinary researchers in pregnancy, birth, human milk, lactation, breastfeeding, and #DOHaD. From a range of disciplines— microbiology, epidemiology, anthropology, nutrition, OB/GYN, peds, medicine, global health, and more. LMK if I've missed anyone. Unkindness will get you removed.

Reposted by Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️

Berghahn Books @berghahnbooks.bsky.social · 2d

Last chance on our 35% #SALE on selected #HealthStudies, #FertilityStudies & ALL #MedicalAnthropology titles. Sale ends WEDNESDAY!: bit.ly/4nzR2aZ

incl
@drrobinhadley1.bsky.social
@almiddlemiss.bsky.social
@evafiks.bsky.social
@drtomori.bsky.social
@jamie-saris.bsky.social
@drsarahp.bsky.social

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Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 13h

More info here:

infantmilkinfo.org/wp-content/u...

#ChildHealth #ChildHunger #SDGs #Breastfeeding #IYCFE

infantmilkinfo.org

Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 13h

The maternal body prioritizes the nursling. If she runs out of energy from food, she will literally liquify her fat and muscle tissue to feed the nursling.

I know it’s hard to believe, but evolution provides insight: the system is very resilient, because it HAD to be.

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Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 16h

Very important re: child hunger in Gaza and elsewhere.

You should never donate formula without the guidance of a board-certified lactation expert. Introducing formula without an evaluation is way more likely to end lactation than hunger, forcing the baby to become dependent on an unstable chain.

CAN FOOD INSECURE
WOMEN BREASTFEED?

Food insecure women can breastfeed successfully. Hunger, malnutrition, poor diets and stress can all have negative effects on breastfeeding, but women experiencing these situations can and should be supported to breastfeed if they want to.
"Only under exceptional
circumstances can a mother's milk be considered
unsuitable for her infant" WHO &
UNICEF BARRIERS TO BREASTFEEDING
Optimal feeding practices are exclusive breastfeeding up until around 6
months and nutritionally adequate and safe complementary feeding from 6 months, alongside continued breastfeeding for two years and beyond.

EVEN WHEN MOTHERS ARE EXPERIENCING EMERGENCIES, FOOD INSECURITY, HUNGER, MALNUTRITION AND POOR-QUALITY DIETS, IT IS STILL POSSIBLE, AND ALMOST ALWAYS PREFERABLE FOR THE MOTHER AND BABY TO BREASTFEED
• Women with poor diets are likely to breastfeed for a shorter duration.
• Mothers who are least likely to breastfeed are also least likely to be able to afford infant formula
• It is common for women who are eating poor diets and feeling stressed to worry that this negatively affects their breastmilk supply and/or quality. These worries are compounded by a lack of breastfeeding support and misinformation.
• The reality is that breastfeeding is physiologically robust and very resilient to changes in a mother's diet. Milk production is sustained regardless of diet in almost all scenarios.
• Breastmilk production works on a supply and demand system: the more babies suckle, the more hormones are sent to stimulate milk production.
• Although stress can slow down the let down of milk, breastfeeding can reduce stress.
• Breastfeeding can be protective against infant food insecurity as it provides a reliable and safe source of food that meets all of an infant's nutritional needs whilst protecting both mother and baby from infections and diseases.
ADEQUATE BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT IS NECESSARY TO HELP MOTHERS SUSTAIN BREASTFEEDING WHEN
DIET OR STRESS IS A CONCERN

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Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 18h

I know that feel.

CBD, an Eisenhower matrix, and a set time limit on every task. That’s all I’ve got. Godspeed.

Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 18h

Mockery and satire are actually some of the most effective forms of protest because they:
1. Highlight hypocrisy and make the oppressor appear weak
2. Inspire courage and creativity in the resistance movement which helps it be sustainable
3. Are memorable events which helps large groups of people retain important info about the regime's crimes-and retain it LONGER, (eg until a far-off election day), and
4. Are non-violent, which means the offenders live to fight another day (perhaps spending only one night in jail if that) and the tension is diffused, de-escalating the situation and preventing retaliation.

Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 21h

“Mock the devil and he will flee from thee.”

-C.S. Lewis

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Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 1d

Award prizes for:

- Intellectual courage
- Mentorship
- Professional service
- Team achievements

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Reposted by Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️

David Grinspoon @drfunkyspoon.bsky.social · 1d

A sorry record. This is one reason I don’t care for the Nobel prizes. Three others being:

1) promotes a “great man” view of scientific progress, whereas science is best understood and celebrated as a collective, community activity.
🧪

Graph showing the low and declining percentage of physics Nobel prizes awarded to women. 2.18% as of 2025, despite the fact that 15% of physics phds have been awarded to women over the last 50 years.

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Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 1d

Oh, smart!

Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 1d

Nice thinking outside the box, but no they could not. Wraps need to be made of strong woven material. Can’t just use any fabric. These are different than the stretchy jersey crap that gets pushed on Western parents, which only lasts a few months before the baby is too heavy for it.

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Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 1d

People *really* say that stuff to us! Much of it they get from a small amount of…extremely online people.

Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 1d

Early bird registration for the 2026 @humanmilkinstitute.bsky.social Symposium ends November 15th! 📆

🔗 tinyurl.com/hmi26r

#HMI26 🤱🏽🧑🏻‍🔬

🧪🩺🛟 #MedSky #PedSky #Breastfeeding #HumanMilk #NABBLM #IBCLC #PublicHealth #MaternalHealth #MCH #DOHaD #ChildHealth #InfantNutrition #PublicHealth #MedEd

A chart showing the registration prices.

General Admission: $495 before November 15th, $595 after. Deep Dive Satellites $250
Academia/NPOs: $175 before November 15th, $225 after. Deep Dive Satellites $100
Trainees $75 before November 15th, $100 after. Deep Dive Satellites $50
Community Members: $25. Deep Dive Satellites $50

Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 1d

We teamed up with #SciComm pro @lizneeley.bsky.social to help us build tools to:

💬 Navigate tricky conversations with ✨nuance✨
🧐 Address #misinfo with accuracy ➕ empathy
🗺️ Make a personal plan for advancing #HealthEquity through #SciComm

Register 🔗 tinyurl.com/hmi26r

QR code on the flyer! 🤳🏼👆🏼

🧪

Registration

tinyurl.com

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Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 1d

☝🏼 "But what about moms who CAN'T breastfeed?"
🤔 “This economist says #breastfeeding doesn’t matter.”
📱 "I read that BFHI starves babies..."

Talking about #LactSci🤱🏽🔬 ain't easy! Our #HMI26 workshop will teach you to share #lactation research with empathy AND accuracy.

📍UC San Diego

Info & link👇🏼

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Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 2d

Oh oh oh oh

Mama Mia mama Mia mama Mia let me go

Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 2d

LOLOL NOICE

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Reposted by Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️

Sinboo [Spooky He/ Spooky His] @sinboy.bsky.social · 15d

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) A half-length portrait, in old age, of the Italian mathematician, philosopher and astronomer, who was appointed court mathematician to the Medici dukes of Tuscany at Florence in 1610. He is dressed in black, wears a white beard and is seated in a chair holding a telescope in his right hand. His left hand rests on the arm of the chair and he wears a ring with a clear stone on his fourth finger. He faces forward towards the viewer.

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Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 2d

I think this is often true, yeah.

I think some folks also just don’t know how to cope with the anxiety the news gives them.

Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 2d

Former March for Science organizer, here. This.

Many scientists “avoid politics” not because they don’t care but because they just don’t know how to talk about it. But there is, in fact, research on how to communicate effectively. Also, many of the common fears are based on false assumotions.

Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 2d

I don’t think there is any real way to measure that. But if I encounter someone every once in a while who goes “wow, I didn’t know that!” I take it as an indicator that I’m doing somethin right 👍🏻

Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 2d

I also use social media to spread awareness of our field. Most people don’t know that lactation science or lactation medicine is something you can study, which means we are a small field that struggles with diversity. So I curate #LactFacts, Bluesky lists, and feeds during conferences.

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Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 2d

Example of wacky things to try: we announced a workshop on the same day as the Taylor Swift album drop, so I used her song lyrics in the post. Not sure how many sign-ups it got us, but I hope it made some people giggle!

bsky.app/profile/brid...

Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 4d

𝑂𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑠𝑜 𝑔𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑠 to be a 🤱🏽 scientist. When you science in the lab 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑎 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑜𝑢𝑡, but when you science in a tweet you get 𝐶𝐴𝑁𝐶𝐸𝐿𝐿𝐸𝐷!

At #HMI26 we’ll 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑂𝑁𝐷𝐸𝑅𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 of #SciComm!

Flyer for the Lactation SciComm Workshop at the Human Milk Institute Symposium 2026 in San Diego, California. The color theme is teal and gold. The heading reads “Lactation SciComm Workshop” in large bold text with gold star accents. Below: “Human Milk Institute Symposium 2026 | San Diego, California.” Hosted by Liz Neely, founder of Liminal Creations, and the Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Centre. An illustration shows a parent with brown skin and curly hair holding an infant, next to the date: Friday, March 13th. The flyer text reads: “Explore the fraught media landscape and social complexities of lactation science communication.”
Section titled Together We Will:
• Share the challenges you face in your SciComm
• Engage reflexively in your SciComm
• Develop tools for engaging with the public
• Clarify your SciComm goals
• Develop a personal plan for next steps

At the bottom: a QR code with the words Register Now! and website links hmi.ucsd.edu and liminalcreations.com.

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Bríd Nic Annaidh ☘️ @bridgetmcgann.medsky.social · 2d

On follow count, I am more interested in quality than quantity.

On content, I like @hankgreen.bsky.social’s “throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks” advice. Everyone’s audience is different and algorithms change so experimentation is key. But mostly? I just make what *I* like.

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