Breastfeeding Support

When looking for or setting up a breastfeeding / lactation consult, there are a couple of things everyone should always look for, ask about, and be sure of before going through with the consult and especially paying any kind of fee for.  

First and foremost, are they certified as a lactation consultant?  This is so important.  Anyone can give their "opinion" according to information they have accumulated through discussions or experience and most often call themselves a "Breastfeeding Counselor".  

But, have they actually been through a training AND certification course that:

 1.  Educates them about the physiology of breastfeeding.  It is essential to understand how milk supply is produced, problems that can occur in the physiology, and myths in milk production.

2.  Trains them to catch problems and issues with breastfeeding.  Knowing what symptoms are for different issues and how to treat them is key to providing solutions to breastfeeding problems.

3.  Teaches them breastfeeding positions.  There are several breastfeeding positions mom's can use to feed their babies.  Simple position changes can often be the solution to breastfeeding complications.

4.  Latch issues.  Latching is the most common form of breastfeeding complications.  Knowing the difference between a good latch and bad latch can save a lot of time, pain, and cracked, bleeding nipples.   A good example of this is recognizing "Tongue Tie".  Babies that have Tongue-Tie often go unrecognized because doctors are not trained to look for this.  Someone with only an "opinion" or "experience with breastfeeding" would also miss this.

5.  How to solve breastfeeding problems such as mastitis, plugged milk ducts, and thrush.  A great lactation consultant not only can recognize problems right away, they know how to fix them, and not by implementing "Old Wives Tale" therapies.   

6.  Teaches the importance of breastfeeding and the need sometimes to supplement.  

A professional, certified lactation consultant keeps their own opinions about breastfeeding to themselves and always puts the needs of the baby and mom first.  The particular issue of supplementation brings about lots of passion and opinions in breastfeeding circles.  If a baby is not getting enough nutrition because of the breastfeeding issues mom may be experiencing, it is more important that the baby get nutrition than the debate about whether the nutrition is by breast milk or formula.  This certainly does not ever mean that your lactation consultant is giving bad information.  A really good example of this is from an actual client that visited Birthing In Korea for breastfeeding help.  Mom called us about her two week old baby that was weak and fussy.  She was having breastfeeding issues and didn't know what to do.  It was discovered that she had latch problems which led to a low milk supply which contributed to an underfed, dehydrated baby that was in pretty bad shape.  Through a qualified, trained eye, ascertaining the severity of the situation, adjustments were made to fix the issues.  However, mom had to supplement with formula in the beginning to get the baby healthy again.  There is nothing at all wrong with this.  With in two weeks, mom was able to go back to breastfeeding exclusively. 

A certified, professional lactation consultant should spend a lengthy amount of time with mom, asking questions, listening to the issues and figuring out the best solution for both the mom and baby.  When charging the fee, the general rate is between $100 and $200 (100,000 krw and 200,000 krw) for the full consult (2 - 3 hours).  If the "Breastfeeding Counselor" says, "Everything is fine.  Everything looks good.", they shouldn't charge you.  There is no reason to.  They didn't do anything.  But, most importantly, mom's know their bodies.  Pain and issues are clues that there is something amiss.  If the person you are seeking help from says, "Everything is fine.  Everything looks good." and you are in pain and are having issues, don't believe them.  Find someone else.  Keep looking for answers.  There is help out there.