Starting Care In Pregnancy
I prefer to meet all clients in pregnancy, with two visits to answer questions, help you prepare, and screen for risk factors. These prenatal sessions are crucial to avoiding the most common pitfalls of new breastfeeders (like knowing when the baby’s eating enough, for example). Moreover, becoming a client at 32 weeks makes it easy to get that first appointment when baby is here–when you most need to be seen and have the hardest time reaching out.
Bring your partner! How to feed your baby is a co-parenting decision, and yes, breastfeeding will take both of you (and then some).
Standardizing Preventive Care
This means planning to be seen soon after the baby is born, rather than waiting until problems arise to seek help. Prenatal clients are asked to return for a visit in the first week postpartum, when breastfeeding is the most confusing and overwhelming.
This early visit gives us a chance to assess your milk supply, your breast health, your baby’s weight gain, oral anatomy, and ability to transfer milk--before any of these become severe and cause other issues. Once we have a picture of what’s going on, we make a plan around whatever is most important to you. This may be latching, or healing damaged nipples, or even weaning. The choice is always yours.
Providing Continuity Of Care
In a world of Instagram experts and information overload, regular and frequent follow up with a trusted provider is a godsend. You’ll have a personal relationship and a consistent approach to care, as well as someone who knows your story and can make suggestions based on your individual circumstances.
This is particularly valuable in breastfeeding support, as lactation consultants are watching both moms and babies, and can do so over the long term.
There are many stages to breastfeeding, and families deserve access to assistance for the duration of it. Weekly visits are ideal until parents feel confident to go longer. After breastfeeding is established, good times to check back in are before returning to work, at three and five months between pediatrician visits, and to celebrate milestones. Assistance with weaning is available at any time.
Making Space for Mental Health
The most common complication of pregnancy of pregnancy and birth in the U.S. involves maternal mental health, and currently most cases go untreated. Breastfeeding and mental health share a complex relationship, with one affecting the other. I’m certified in perinatal mental health (PMH-C) by Postpartum Support International to recognize and screen for emotional wellness, so I'll be checking in during our time together. As a provider who can offer regular follow up as a norm, I'm well positioned to monitor you through the ups and downs of life postpartum, and refer for support as needed.
Including Your Village
Your support at home is critical, and we encourage you to bring your people to visits so they can learn with you, and help you incorporate techniques and strategies we discuss after you are home. (You’ve probably noticed it’s a little harder to remember things these days.) Breastfeeding was never done in a vacuum, and it rests on the shoulders of your community--not just you. Help may look like another nursing mom showing you a new hold, but more often it takes the form of a cousin bringing by dinner or a meal for the freezer, or your neighbor walking your dog so you can rest.
We’ll go through a plan to assemble your team at a prenatal visit. But start thinking now about who can take what off your plate after your baby arrives, because successful breastfeeding depends on everyone gathering to nurture you so you can sleep, learn to breastfeed, and fall in love with your baby.
Being Open Minded
Your breastfeeding is whatever you want it to be, and this can change over the course of your experience. No desire to latch? No problem. We can talk about pumping and supply. Love to latch but need more milk and hate to pump? We’ll discuss how to incorporate supplementing so you’re not taking on more than feels manageable.
Sometimes these choices are very difficult to make. While I can’t make them for you, you won’t be alone. You’ll have my presence and perspective to draw from as you weigh what is best for you, and to remind you what a great mom you are.