Need help with breastfeeding?
As a lactation consultant I can help identify your breastfeeding issue and develop a plan to address it so that you and your baby can enjoy breastfeeding for as long as you desire.
Consultations are held in my clinic room at Hawthorne, Brisbane. Home visits are available for an additional fee.
What is a lactation consultant?
A lactation consultant (IBCLC) is a skilled professional who specialises in breastfeeding and has passed the International Board Certified Lactation Consultants exam. To be eligible to sit the exam you need several thousand hours of breastfeeding counselling experience and have completed education in health science and breastfeeding.
What can a lactation consultant help with?
Although breastfeeding usually is an enjoyable experience, it is a learned skilled and there can be some challenges that a lactation consultant can help with by giving you the tools to help overcome them.
As a lactation consultant I can help you with any of the following situations:
- Concerns about breastfeeding during pregnancy. Recent research has shown that breastfeeding support during pregnancy increases the likelihood of breastfeeding success
- Any nipple pain. Breastfeeding is not supposed to hurt and this is usually a sign that something is not right and most likely there is an attachment issue.
- Bleeding, cracked or bruised nipples that are not getting better.
- Inadequate weight gain or inadequate wet/dirty nappies any time. For the first 5 days a baby should have at least 1 wet nappy for every day he/she is old. For example: day 1 = 1 wet nappy, day 2 = 2 wet nappies etc. After day 5 a baby should have around 6-8 very wet cloth nappies or 4-5 heavy disposable nappies each day.
- Baby cannot attach on the breast or seems to attach well but falls off after a short time.
- After day 2, baby is at the breast for long periods of time (over 45 minutes of continuous feeding) wants to go to the breast very frequently (every hour or less) or stays on the breast for a very short period of time (less than 5 minutes) or is unwilling to go to the breast at least every 3 hours. Sometimes these feeding patterns can be normal and other times they can indicate an underlying issue.
- If you have had breast reduction or augmentation surgery.
- If you have any hormonal conditions such as thyroid disease, PCOS etc which can affect breastmilk supply.
- Multiples (twins, triplets, quadruplets)
- Plans to be away from your baby on a regular basis for work, study or travel
- Previous breastfeeding experience that was unsatisfactory. Upsetting events with a first baby may affect your confidence and decision-making ability with subsequent babies.
- Couples wanting a private, customised breastfeeding education session before the birth of their baby.
For general questions about breastfeeding the Breastfeeding Helpline is available 24 days, 7 days a week on 1800 686 2 686. If more specialised assistance is required please contact me to make an appointment. If you are outside the Brisbane area you can find an IBCLC at
www.alca.asn.au