You might enter motherhood convinced you’ll breastfeed for several months. Next thing you know, you’re holding a hungry newborn and realize the all-natural, beautifully bonding, gold-standard feeding system is hard, maybe unbearably so.
Find a lactation consultant. In the hospital, at home, early on and in later months, professionals who help moms nurse their babies can help you.
Beyond the Latch: What Does a Lactation Consultant Do?
Some moms and babies get a nursing rhythm going right from the start, but many do not. If you’re new to nursing and exhausted from childbirth as your post-delivery hormones wreak havoc, you might be tempted to turn to bottles and formula by Day 2. That’s the right choice plenty of times, but advocate for yourself first: An expert can guide you through the early stages of breastfeeding.
You might be experiencing one or more of these challenges:
- Baby won’t latch on
- Your nipples hurt when baby feeds
- You’re not producing enough milk
- You have a plugged milk duct, and it hurts when baby feeds
- You can’t figure out how to pump
- Your whole body gets a yucky feeling as baby eats
Logically, you’ll know all the obstacles are temporary, yet you may not have the energy to power through on your own. The right lactation consultant will not only help navigate your breastfeeding problems. She (it’s usually a woman) will teach you how to build a support network.
What Is a Lactation Consultant?
Essentially, a lactation consultant is anyone who helps breastfeeding mothers and babies, on staff at a hospital or doctor’s office, on their own or with an agency.
To ensure your consultant is well-educated about lactating moms, ask if that the person is IBCLC-certified. That means she is certified by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners. In order to earn that recognition, a consultant goes through targeted education and supervised clinical experience, plus passes a test. Doctors, nurses and other licensed professionals offer similar services.
9 Ways a Consultant Supports Breastfeeding
In the first week or month, you’ll likely want help with the actual mechanics of breastfeeding — getting your baby to latch on quickly and get enough milk without hurting your nipples. Over time, you might want other kinds of assistance, including:
- Guiding you through surprises, such as a baby in NICU or the aftermath of an unexpected C-section
- Walking you through pumping, both with a tabletop machine and a portable one
- Listening without judgment, with a strong emphasis on supporting the mother’s mental health
- Aligning recommendations with each family’s individual priorities and preferences
- Celebrating progress, recognizing that success looks different for every family
- Identifying when collaboration with other specialties may be beneficial and connecting families with appropriate resources
- Providing practical, realistic guidance for everyday breastfeeding
To get the most from your visit, begin with clothing that’s easy to open. Have a 24-hour history of baby’s meals, pumping amounts and diaper diary entries. And write down your questions. Have the baby willing to eat but not super hungry and set up the breast pump if you plan to use one.
Prepare Before Baby Is Born
It’s best to have a lactation consultant’s contact info ready to go before you ever go into labor. Get all these affairs in order:
- Identify two support people who live nearby and agree to come help you as needed
- Figure out which, if any, lactation consultant sources are covered by your insurance, Medicaid, WIC, Healthy Start or other organizations
- Find out what your job allows in terms of wearable pumps, breastfeeding breaks and other necessities
After childbirth, a lactation consultant is there to listen and help, process the birth experience, assist with breastfeeding, advocate for moms and babies in the hospital and from home, and be a liaison to the healthcare team. In the end, you’ll be more knowledgeable and you’ll feel both supported and empowered.
This content is not AI generated.
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