Breastfeeding is the number one way to insure a healthy start to your baby’s life. And there are health benefits for Mother, too! At the Eliot Hospital Maternity Center, there are specially trained nurses to assist you to successfully breastfeed. In addition there are lactation consultants that are certified though through the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners. They provide special support to insure that you and your baby have a healthy start. By helping you in these first days after birth, we support you. If you would like to know more about breastfeeding, Click Here.
For a health start for your newborn baby, you will be encouraged to place her or him skin-to-skin for warmth and bonding immediately after birth. This special time, 1-2 hours after birth, is a time for the baby to begin to build important immunities to stay healthy, and this starts with skin-to-skin with Mom. This is also an important step in breastfeeding success.
Sleeping in the same room with your baby, “rooming-in” is another way to help you get a good start with breastfeeding. Skin-to-skin- while awake is important, When you fall asleep, it is important for your baby to be in his or her own bassinette. You will sleep in short, deep periods, and this will help you to adjust to your new life with your baby and helps you to know early cues to your baby’s hunger. If you would like to know more about rooming-in and why, at the Elliot, we provide mother-newborn care together, click here.
All maternity care at the Elliot Hospital is centered on recommendations from experts: Nurses, doctors, and lactation consultants, all helping you recover from your birth and feeling confident about you self care and the care of your baby.
When the Elliot Hospital lactation consultants work with you for the support and benefit of your breastfeeding success, they and the maternity nurses will be asking you to complete a breastfeeding log. This log states the goals for each day and helps you to keep track of feedings and diaper changes. The nurses will review this to help you gain confidence each day with your’s and your baby’s progress. Click here for a link to this log and for additional helpful information about the Lactation Program at the Elliot Hospital.
This breastfeeding log is very important if your baby is born a little bit early. You will hear the nurses and doctors say “Your Late Preterm Infant.” These are babies born between 34 and 37 weeks gestation, so they are 3 to 6 weeks early. There is important information we want every parent to know about a baby born late preterm (also called premature or “premie”). Click here to read about Your Late Preterm Infant: What Every Parent Should Know.
Should you need additional breastfeeding support after you go home, we offer lactation consultant outpatient visits as needed.
For additional breastfeeding support and to reach the Certified Lactation Consultants, you can call “The Warm Line”, phone number: 603-663-4464