There will be lactation consultants at the hospital who will be able to assist you throughout your stay. We offer midwife-supported home visits for the first 4 weeks. If you need more support to overcome your breastfeeding challenges, then we will arrange for our lactation specialist to visit you at your place. Our team typically schedules a visit within 24 hours of inquiry and we will do our best to see you in the first 7 days upon discharge.

In the UK and Australia, midwives will typically visit you at home during the first few days with a newborn and help you resolve common breastfeeding issues. If they cannot provide the support needed, they will likely refer you to a few different lactation specialists:

• International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) – This is the most comprehensive lactation certification. An IBCLC works independently to help families meet their breastfeeding goals and is an expert in the clinical management of breastfeeding. To become an IBCLC, you must have extensive education and have completed thousands of hands-on clinical hours. IBCLCs are certified by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners.
• Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) or Certified Breastfeeding Specialist (CBS) – Often seen as a stepping-stone to the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant certification, these individuals have completed a specialty training program and certification that helps an individual support breastfeeding parents.

In addition to discussing the common problems most mums experience with breastfeeding, she will also help you with:

• New breastfeeding positions to help with colic, nipple damage and other issues
• Early skin to skin contact for milk supply
• Medications which may impact breastfeeding
• Understanding appropriate weight gain
• Techniques to manually express, and how to use an electric pump correctly
• When nipple shields are appropriate, and how to use them correctly
• Bottle or pacifier use
• Appropriate age and time to introduce solids
• Returning to work while continuing to breastfeed
• Cracked or sore nipples

Breast milk contains immunity-boosting antibodies and healthy enzymes to help support your baby’s rapid development!

Benefits for your baby:

• Protects against allergies and eczema
• Is easier to digest causing less upset stomach, diarrhoea, and constipation
• Lessens the risk of viruses, inflammatory bowel disease, gastroenteritis, ear infections, respiratory infections and urinary tract infections
• Lessens the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
• Makes vaccines for your baby more effective
• Protects against diseases; meningitis, type 1 diabetes, and Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Research is inconclusive, but studies have shown that it may improve intelligence quotient (IQ) scores later in life
• Some research has shown that breastfed infants are less likely to be obese later in life
• Provides more skin-to-skin contact with baby and mum

Benefits for you:

• Lowers your risk of breast and ovarian cancer
• Can help you lose pregnancy weight
• Helps your uterus to shrink back to pre-pregnancy size
• May lower your risk of osteoporosis
• Helps heal your body after delivery
• Usually delays menstruation
• Provides more skin-to-skin contact with your baby
• Saves you money! Formula can be expensive

Sources: La Leche League and American Academy of Pediatrics