Repeatedly in our baby blogs about breastfeeding, we have suggested that you pursue hiring a lactation consultant if you are having problems or if you anticipate that you might. Yet I don’t think any of us have ever blogged about lactation consultants before. So I wanted to take a few minutes and write about why you might want to consider hiring one, who they are, and what types of things they can help you with.
Why You Need One
Well, you don’t necessarily need one. My first two children were the latch on queen and king of the world. There were no problems. It was a piece of cake. However, I have since discovered through my own nursing nightmare, as well as talking to several women that this is not the case for numerous women. One friend of mine described breastfeeding as a “necessary evil.” She could’ve used a lactation consultant! You should hire a lactation consultant during pregnancy if:
1) You are expecting multiples.
2) You anticipate having a c-section.
3) You anticipate or at high risk for delivering prematurely.
4) You are otherwise a high risk pregnancy.
5) You are a surrogate or are giving the baby up for adoption.
6) You know in advance that the baby will have some type of medical problem.
However, generally speaking it is impossible to anticipate what will or will not happen in your labor and delivery. If none of the above situations applied to you, you should still hire a lactation consultant if:
1) You feel pain while breastfeeding that does not go away.
2) Your nipples are sore and/or cracked.
3) You can’t get your baby to latch on properly.
4) You want to breastfeed your adopted baby.
5) You were not able to nurse the baby at the very beginning. (Baby was in the NICU, etc.)
6) Your baby is not gaining weight properly.
What Lactation Consultants Can Do For You
The key to remember is that you should see a lactation consultant BEFORE the problem becomes serious. Many women do not seek one out because they don’t realize how helpful they can really be. Any lactation consultant can offer you the following:
1) They should be able to get the baby latched on without any pain and sucking effectively.
2) They should be able to tell if there’s something wrong with the baby such that he cannot nurse well.
3) They can help teach you proper position so your back does not become sore.
4) They can help you manage a variety of breastfeeding problems such as too much milk, too little milk, thrush, etc.
5) They can rent you equipment like hospital grade pumps as well as supplemental nutritional systems and other specialized equipment for nursing.
6) They can also teach you how to increase milk production as well as decrease it if needed.
Who Should I Hire?
This is an important question. Many hospitals offer a short training course and then call a handful of nurses “lactation consultants.” These nurses are trained to help new moms get the basics of breastfeeding. However, they are not helpful for long term problems and frequently aren’t helpful for any out of the ordinary problems. The question you need to ask is, “Are you an IBCLE board certified lactation consultant?”
If a lactation is not IBCLE certified, then they are not really trained to handle a variety of problems. You may be thinking, “what’s the difference?” The difference is that in order to even sit for the exam, a person seeking certification from the IBCLE has to begin by logging at least 900 hours helping breastfeeding mothers. That’s a lot of hours!!!!
In my personal experience, a nurse calling themselves a lactation consultant can be helpful. But when my 3rd baby wouldn’t nurse well, it took the expertise of someone who really knew the ins and outs of how breastfeeding works to get her to latch on properly and suck effectively. While the ‘lactation consultant’ in the hospital told me that I was doing fine (when I knew we weren’t), the IBCLE certified lactation consultant got my baby to latch on correctly and start nursing well immediately. Believe me, when you are having nursing problems, immediately is not soon enough!
Lots of insurance companies will cover the services of a lactation consultant. Check with your company to see if they will. If not, it is possible that they will cover the services if your pediatrician will agree that it was a necessary service. Our insurance company did not cover the cost of our visit with the lactation consultant. It was $135 for a 2 hour session that fixed the problem completely. I’m quite sure we would’ve spent more on formula if we hadn’t have gone to see her.
Related Articles:
Breastfeeding Early Promotes Health
Why Breast is Best