People often as me what how they should prepare for their at-home lactation consultation. And “Should I wait to feed my baby?” is the first question many parents ask.
The ideal situation when I arrive in your home would be a settled, awake, slightly hungry baby. It will give us some time to work through some questions you have. And it will allow me me to get a picture of how your baby has been feeding in the last 24hrs. We will then know what the main breastfeeding issues are.
If I arrive and your baby has needed to feed, don’t worry. A stressed and hungry baby won’t be the most cooperative so feed your baby but try to give a short feed. That’s the beauty of booking a home visit. We have up to two hours and most babies will feed again within that time frame.
Should baby be hungry?
A calm, awake and alert baby will be more open to trying out new positions and approaches to breastfeeding. If they are crying when I arrive from hunger, they won’t be willing or capable to try out new things. So, ideally your baby will be settled, awake and a little hungry. But I’ve had enough of my own babies to know that those golden moments are rare at best!
When I arrive, we can work on position and attachments issues while you’re feeding your baby by making some straightforward and gentle tweaks. If your baby is too hungry to try and latch differently, we can try on the other breast. After a feed, your baby will be much more relaxed and open to trying to latch in a different position that is comfortable for you both. As IBCLCS, we have seen many different situations. I’m used to working with the unpredictability that is the human baby! So we go with the flow and trust the process during a home visit.
Following your appointment, I will upload a written care plan for you to view anytime in the parent portal. I will also follow up with a phone call at your convenience two days later.
I will also stay in touch by text or email for 2 wks support.
If you have anymore questions about how to prepare for your first at-home lactation consultation, feel free to contact me directly.
