Feeding your baby—via breast, chest, or bottle—is made easier with support from a board-certified lactation consultant.

To be a professional lactation consultant, you must be certified by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) through the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA). This entails 90 hours of lactation coursework, 1,000 hours of supervised clinical hours with moms and babies, an exam, and keeping up with continuing education requirements. Our lactation consultants are all International Board of Lactation Consultants® (IBCLC), which is the highest degree of certification to ensure that you’re getting the most comprehensive care. Many also have degrees in very unique feeding challenges such as…

You may interact with a lactation counselor at the hospital during your stay. They too are trained in breastfeeding support, but they have less coursework, fewer hours of training, and have not sat for the extensive exams that IBCLCs have gone through.

We recommend contacting a lactation consultant as soon as you experience any difficulties. You can meet with one at any point in your breastfeeding journey, as frequently as you need. Some women meet with a lactation consultant just once while others need a few visits. Remember, you are learning to breastfeed and baby is learning to eat so it can take a few visits for both to figure out the relationship.

We also recommend that a few types of mothers contact one even before problems arise, shortly after birth. These include those who had:

• Pre-eclampsia
• A c-section
• A NICU stay

It varies. Some women meet with a lactation consultant just once while others need a few follow-up visits. It’s also common to see a lactation consultant, even if breastfeeding is going well, when you go through a transition such as pumping, weaning or introducing solid food.

Absolutely! A lactation consultant is trained to help you with those decisions. She will talk through your options with you, whether it’s stopping breastfeeding, supplementing with formula, exclusively pumping, or a blend of all three. Together you’ll come up with a plan that supports your physical and emotional health as well as your baby’s.

Yes! Lactation consultants can assist with pumping as you transition back to work and weaning. Clogged ducts and mastitis are problems that can emerge at any time on your nursing journey.

There are many benefits of virtual visits – ease, convenience, and cost – making this type of care so much more accessible to every mom. That said, there are differences between a virtual visit and an in-person visit.

Luckily, with good lighting, a strong internet connection, clear communication, and patience, virtual lactation consultants are very successful in setting mom and baby on a healthy feeding path.

When you book an appointment with a lactation consultant, you’ll complete a questionnaire related to your little one’s current feeding habits and your feeding goals.

If you have a newborn consultation, the lactation consultant will want to observe a feeding to check your baby’s latch and swallow. If you can, it’s helpful to keep an additional feeding log of when and how long they feed for and any other notes that would be helpful to give context to your lactation consultant.

For consultations in which a feeding may be observed, good lighting and an extra set of hands to hold your phone, tablet, or computer is always a plus!