Full time lactation service a Wimmera ‘first’
Wimmera mothers have been buoyed with the news that for the first time in the region, Grampians Health Horsham is offering a full-time lactation service.
Three International Board Certified lactation consultants are providing breastfeeding support to families in the region five days a week at Horsham’s new Maternity Outpatient Clinic.
The service is staffed by a lactation consultant who undergoes specialised training and certification to provide specialist breastfeeding and infant feeding advice, support and counselling.
The consultants – Jenny Bull, Steph Wallis and Jennifer Wilcox – offer a wide variety of experience and knowledge.
Maternity Outpatients Clinic manager Jane Rentsch said the consultants supported women who were experiencing breastfeeding difficulties as well as those who just wanted reassurance and advice about breastfeeding or infant feeding.
“Lactation consultants are trained to help with painful nipples, milk supply, breast pumps and bottle choice, previous breast surgery, medications and breastfeeding, multiple pregnancy, cleft lip/palate and diabetes in pregnancy,” she said.
International Board Certified lactation consultant Ms Wallis said the full-time service was a fantastic opportunity for families in the region to have access to in-home or in-clinic breastfeeding support from birth through to weaning your toddler or child.
“We are now pleased to offer home visits, in-clinic visits as well as a newly developed series of breastfeeding classes,” she said.
The first lactation class is offered at 16 weeks of pregnancy in conjunction with antenatal classes. Useful topics covered include informed choice, benefits of breastmilk/breastfeeding, nutrition and preparation for breastfeeding.
The second class offered is approximately at 34-36 weeks of pregnancy. This includes how breastfeeding works, skin to skin, establishing milk supply, positioning and attachment and how to tell if baby is getting enough milk.
An exciting opportunity will now be also offered for parents to attend a postnatal breastfeeding class with their baby.
This third class is for families approximately four weeks postpartum and provides an opportunity to get together at the Maternity Outpatients Clinic with other parents and discuss normalities and issues post birth including frequency of feeding, baby sleep patterns, milk supply, top-ups, engorgement, mastitis and tongue ties.
The breastfeeding service offers hospital grade Medela breast pumps to hire as inpatients and/or outpatients. The clinic has six breast pumps available.
To enquire about hiring a breast pump, please call the Maternity Outpatient Clinic during working hours on 5381 9010, or Yandilla after hours 5381 9261.
