What Do You Need so you can Choose to breastfeed?
Breastfeeding Support From The Start
Breastfeeding Support
Find your person before you need her
As a Certified Lactation Counselor, I serve local families who desire a breastfeeding relationship with their baby. As a professional lactation support person, I am here to support your goals in breastfeeding, without judgement. Success happens by reaching your breastfeeding goals, without discomfort, disappointment, or struggle.
A visit takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, during which time we will talk about your birth, your breastfeeding journey thus far, and your goals, It is important to do a flange fitting so you can maximize the effectiveness of your pump. We can even put the pump together, and teach you how to use it before you deliver.
During our visit, we will go over a the steps to achieving a proper latch, create a plan for continued breastfeeding, and make referrals to other professionals if that is necessary. As a CLC, I can recommend trusted professionals who are qualified to diagnose and treat torticollis, tongue-tie release, and other common newborn complications with breastfeeding.
At the end of our session, I will leave you with a plan designed to meet your particular goals, a flange ruler and flange insert kit to adjust your flange size as you journey progresses. A receipt with my NPI number will be sent reflecting your payment which may be reimbursable with FSA or HSA dollars.
Make an educated choice for feeding
There is a difference between making a choice and making a concession
If you envisioned yourself breastfeeding your baby, but stop or cannot continue due to circumstances surrounding your birth or postpartum experience, it is important that you do not sit in judgement of yourself. As a doula, I tell every client that if they want to breastfeed, but we do not support your education, support, and practice, the fault lies with us. Similarly, if you decide you want to feed your baby with formula, regardless of the reason, but you are not educated about where it is made, and what is contains then you are not fully educated about your options. Choosing what’s easiest is not the same as choosing what is best.
The only priority we all care about is a healthy, well-fed baby.
A healthy baby cannot continue to thrive without nutritionally complete food, free of contaminants including alcohol, drugs, chemicals, bacteria, or any other ingredient not specifically meant for newborns and babies. It is a concession to feed a baby formula that you are given in the hospital just because it’s there. Should you anticipate using formula, call to find out what they provide, then research how it is made, how accessible it is in your area, and the cost. Breastfeeding a baby means sacrificing recreational behaviors that cross into your milk.
In the same ways you chose your provider, your birth space, and even your doula, put the same energy into deciding how your baby will be fed. The implications are life-long.
Breast is Best explained
Extreme Views Have No Place in Feeding Babies
The CDC recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months and has put initiatives in place to help families meet that goal, increasing the percentage of exclusively breastfed babies (EBF) in the US. If you want to breastfeed, you deserve support towards that goal. The facts and mechanics of a subject do not trump personal history, trauma, surgery, or family lifestyle.
In NJ, there have been some positive changes in laws surrounding breastfeeding, including insurance coverage, the right to pump at work, and the right to feed a baby in a private, clean location that is not a bathroom. There are options for chest-feeding, re-lactating, donor milk, and bottle feeding pumped milk. Families deserve support to reach their goals for their families, you should not quit because we do not offer you what you need, that is not equity and it’s not getting you to your best possible outcome.
Many insurance companies offer 4-6 visits with a CLC or an IBCLC and the opportunity to receive a free breast pump. If you want to EBF, your hospital must offer support of that within 24 hours of birth, ideally sooner.
As soon as you have found a CLC that you feel comfortable adding to your team, coordinate a first visit prenatally so you are prepared to have a normal breastfeeding relationship, and are prepared with common troubleshooting techniques, should you need them.
Here are a few links for products that I have found helpful. I have no loyalty to brands, so use these recommendations to spark your research, but choose what you find affordable, available, and appealing:
Collection Vessel for Hand Expressed Colostrum