Breastfeeding is one of the most beautiful and natural things in the world. While it comes easily to some mums and babies, many other mums and babies find it challenging. The truth is breastfeeding is not always easy and may take time, patience, and practice.
Fortunately, if you find breastfeeding challenging, you can make this easy and get breastfeeding off to a good start with the help of breastfeeding support. Breastfeeding support can help you a lot in the learning stages of breastfeeding your newborn.
Let’s talk about how to get breastfeeding support, how they can help, and where you can get breastfeeding support in Trinity, Westchase, and Palm Harbor, Florida.
Finding a Breastfeeding Support
Finding breastfeeding support is not as difficult a task as you may think of as a new mother. You can get help from different types of healthcare professionals, organizations, and members of your family.
Many healthcare professionals, such as doctors, nurses, and midwives, often receive special training in breastfeeding support. Most commonly, new moms get help from professionals that can help with breastfeeding. These include:
Certified Lactation Consultants
These are healthcare professionals with the highest level of knowledge and skills in providing breastfeeding support. Since certified lactation consultants have breastfeeding-specific education and experience, they can address a wide range of breastfeeding concerns of both mum and baby.
Lactation consultants can help you with your concerns like:
- Breast engorgement
- Milk supply issues
- Painful, sore, or cracked nipples
- The baby is having an issue with sucking or latching
- The baby is refusing breast milk
- Struggling with the nursing position
- Pumping and bottle-feeding breastmilk
You can ask your OB/GYN, pediatrician, or midwife about a certified lactation consultant who can help you breastfeed your newborn.
Peer Support
Peer means a mother who is breastfeeding her child and is offering support to others. Other breastfeeding mothers can be great breastfeeding support as they can share their tips with you and encourage you. There are many ways to find peer support, including:
- Asking your OB/GYN, pediatrician, or other doctors to suggest a support group
- Searching the internet to find a breastfeeding support center near you
Other Sources of Breastfeeding Support
Doulas are professionals who receive special training to provide social and emotional support to the family during pregnancy, labor, and birth. Doulas who receive training in breastfeeding can also help you learn to breastfeed your baby.
Not only this, but you can also get your questions related to breastfeeding answered by the Office on Women’s Health (OWH) Helpline.
Breastfeeding Support in Palm Harbor, Trinity, and Westchase, Florida
Lactation consultants can address your simple to complex breastfeeding problems, such as helping mums with premature babies and diagnosing low milk supply.
At Children’s Medical Center, we have a team of dedicated and experienced breastfeeding specialists who can help newborns and their mothers. Our certified lactation specialist Tina Portalatin has over 30 years of experience in providing care and addressing the issues of mums and newborns.
If you would like to learn more about our lactation consulting services, call our location closest to you in Trinity, Westchase, or Palm Harbor.
