Breastfeeding Consultation

Why Have a Breastfeeding Consultation?

Breastfeeding involves 2 people and is a new skill for both people to learn.  Most of us have some early day challenges, just as we have with any new skill, and need some support to get past those obstacles. 

Common issues can be getting baby to latch on comfortably, pain during feeds or low weight gain.  After the first couple of weeks new issues can emerge, for example colic, reflux or allergy symptoms. Families may have questions about sleep, feeding rhythms, or later about starting solids, returning to work, weaning, or getting pregnant while breastfeeding.  Sometimes those early day issues will have caused a family to stop breastfeeding but a few weeks later will need some support to restart (relactate), or others may have questions about combining breastfeeding and bottle feeding.  Some families may have medical needs and want to discuss how breastfeeding will work for them.

What Happens at a Consultation?

A consultation can take place in your home or in my clinic or via Zoom/Skype, and lasts around 1-1.5 hrs.  As it is based on you and your baby each consultation is unique but generally a consultation involves:

• Review of breastfeeding so far, and review of pregnancy and birth.  Different birth interventions can affect breastfeeding in the early days.
• Positioning, Attaching & Latching Help – this is more than a latch check and involves observing a full feed, working on different latching techniques, observing subtle shifts in baby's positioning.  I discuss how this differs from checking a latch in this blog
• Infant Suck assessment (inc. Tongue Tie Assessment)
• Overall Structure & Function evaluation - this is looking at subtle body function which may affect breastfeeding e.g. head moulding, effect of assisted birth etc.  
• Where allergy is a question we may discuss family history of allergy, signs and symptoms and diet and supplements
• Problem Solving and working together on a care plan to move forward
• Discussing any other concerns or questions that you have

After the consultation you will receive follow up care while working through the care plan, by phone / text / email. One visit is usually enough to resolve out most problems with follow up by phone /text/email afterwards.  

My approach is holistic and client centred.  I believe in listening to you and working to what you want to achieve. Where working on a problem I am focused on resolving the root cause rather than fixing symptoms and in supporting you and your baby as a breastfeeding dyad rather than seeing a problem with "the latch".  Overall my aim is to help you reach your breastfeeding goals and to know how wonderful breastfeeding can really be.  My special interests are Reflux, Colic, Tongue-Tie and how normal baby physiology can differ so much from our cultural norms.