Did you work with a lactation consultant when you baby was born? I love working with families at all ages and stages in their feeding journey. But what actually happens in an appointment?
📖We start with a full medical history, both for you and the baby. I want to know about any medications you’re taking, any surgeries or procedures you’ve had done on your breasts, any thyroid or hormone disorders you have. I want to know how the baby has been feeding and what their sleep is like. I want to know what symptoms both of you are experiencing. And most importantly I want to hear what your personal goals are. Because they will be different than every other patient I work with because your family and lifestyle are unique to you
⚖️Next we weigh the baby in a dry diaper before feeding. This is so after the baby feeds we weigh them again and can know exactly how much milk they transferred during that feeding. This is a snapshot in time but gives us lots of information about how baby is feeding
👩🏽‍⚕️I do a full head to toe assessment on the baby. Their feet, hips, neck, shoulders, head, and everything in between tells a story. Some times a baby will need routines like tummy time and some times they will need interventions like craniosacral therapy or occupational therapy. What they need will be unique and individual to them
đź‘…Every baby gets a full oral motor assessment to make sure there are no tongue or lip ties
🤱🏾Time to latch. We may try different positions and latching techniques. Nipple shield may or may not be used
👩🏻‍🍼Depending on the baby we also look at bottle feeding
🍼I always want to see people’s pump and make sure they know how to use it and have the correct size flange. Usually we have enough time to do this at the first appointment but sometimes we do that in a follow up
đź“ťWe create a care plan based on your personal goals. I send resources, videos, and give handouts so you know the next steps and have a specific plan that will work for you. We may also schedule a follow up to make sure the plan is going as intended and we can tweak or pivot as needed
If you’re having difficulty breastfeeding, find a local IBCLC lactation consultant to help
