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What is a lactation consultant?
Lactation consultants
health care professionals who are specially trained in lactation management, working with mothers who may have trouble establishing
or maintaining breastfeeding with their infants.
If breastfeeding is natural, why does anyone need help?
In
today’s world, most women have never seen a mother-baby nursing pair, so they often don’t know what is normal and expected.
They’re unsure how to get started and what to do if any little glitches appear. Mothers whose babies are ill or who may be
sick themselves might encounter problems not covered in the breastfeeding lectures supplied by most hospitals. This is where
a lactation consultant comes in.
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What is IBCLC?
All of the lactation consultants who work for Home Care of Newborns & Families, Inc. are experienced registered nurses who
also are International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC). They possess the necessary skills, knowledge and attitudes
to provide breastfeeding assistance and are expert in the management of lactation-related problems. To receive this certification
they must pass a rigorous exam, update their knowledge and skills through continuing education, and recertify every five years
to maintain their credentials. Every 10 years they must sit for the exam again and operate within a strict code of ethics
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Does every nursing mother need help from a lactation consultant?
No.
Most breastfeeding mothers need no help, but some do for many reasons. Often a new mother just needs reassurance that all
is going as it should. Sometimes hospital practices interfere with a good start. The illness of either the mother or the baby
may get in the way of efforts to establish a good milk supply or nursing relationship. Whatever the problem, the IBCLC can
help.
My ethnic background calls for me to take certain steps in order to maintain a good milk supply.
Home
Care of Newborns & Families, Inc., is sensitive to the religious and ethnic beliefs and traditions of all of our families.
Every family has different needs. We will work with you to insure that you and your baby get off to a happy, healthy start.
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