What happens at a prenatal lactation appointment?

As an IBCLC I am constantly recommending that new parents have a prenatal lactation appointment. Yesterday a new parent asked me what would be the point? What do we do before a baby comes? Can it really help?

The short answer is YES!! Yes a prenatal lactation visit helpful, yes there is a lot we can do even before baby arrives. We start by going into detail about your medical history. Especially any labs, diet, sleep, support, mental health, and more. We will examine your breasts/chest/body for feeding if that’s your plan. We might size you for pump flanges- but that can wait or change slightly after delivery.

We go into detail about how your body makes milk, and how your history and life can help make that easier, or make it harder. Your goals are what we focus on.

Then we go over what to expect the first few hours of life, into days, and up until 2 weeks old. The golden hour (or two!) and breast crawl are fantastic to learn about how biology has a whole system in place. Feeding reflexes help by guiding your baby to eat- and we help review what helps and what blocks those reflexes.

A prenatal visit is also a great time to have your support person learn about infant feeding and the 4th trimester. Going over ways of helping the birthing parent to rest and recover is really helpful too.

Knowing what to expect, and when to call for help are super helpful! Reach out today to schedule your prenatal visit. Knowing what to do and what signs to watch for can help prevent problems!!