How to Prepare for an Appointment with a Lactation Consultant?
Breastfeeding can be challenging and in modern society in the UK we are often unfamiliar with seeing babies breastfeed until we have our own.
International board-certified lactation consultant are highly specialist, with this internationally recognised professional breastfeeding qualification.
Therefore many families seek out professional help to ensure they are I the right track, or to resolve breastfeeding difficulties.
A lactation consultant can teach you helpful techniques for breastfeeding, offer emotional support, and help you find causes for more complex breastfeeding issues.
What to prepare for a home visit appointment with a lactation consultant?
1, Please don’t tidy up, or even offer me a cuppa! It's important to have a lactation consultant appointment that is convenient for you. Please don’t feel you have to het dressed, or even get out of bed. I have done so many appointments perched on the bed or on the floor beside mammas favourite nursing chair.
2, I ask families to show me their child’s Red book where I can look at centiles & weights. Weight gainnand loss is such an important part of the picture when assessing how breastfeeding is going.
3, I’ll take off my shoes and wash my hands when I arrive, please have paper towels or a new, clean towel for me. I also ask for a clean blanket or muslin to lie across my lap when I examine my baby. There are features of my communicable diseases policy (which is based on the covid guidelines which are in place during the pandemic).
4, Have any breastfeeding equipment handy. If you are using a pump, nursing pillow or even a herbal supplement, have them available so we can look at them together. I can offer practical support with breastfeeding equipment, getting to know the settings and trying different techniques.
5, Information-many families have tracking apps, these are quite helpful (especially if there are several adults in the house). It's important to keep a record in the early days of your baby’s nappy output and feeding habits. I will be asking you how often your baby feeds for how long and how many poos and wet nappies each 24 hours your baby produces. It’s often very challenging to remember these things and parents perception (of frequency of night feeds for instance) is often not accurate.
Would you would like me to visit you at help you build confidence breastfeeding your baby? Please see the home visits info (here).