My journey towards becoming a lactation consultant was born out of my own struggles as a mother.
As a former breastfeeding mother myself, I know how difficult this task can be. My early breastfeeding days were filled with a jaundiced baby, poor weight gain, mastitis and lots of tears (both mine and my baby). Thankfully as a hospital pediatrician, I had all of my favorite hospital lactation consultants on speed dial.
With their guidance and my persistence, I was able to nurse my daughter until she turned 18 months old.
What is a lactation consultant?
A lactation consultant is a person with extra training in the expectations and problems that can occur with breastfeeding and lactation. An internationally board certified lactation consultant is a medical professional who has met a specific set of criteria in order to increase their knowledge of breastfeeding. An IBCLC has passed an exam and has spent many hours learning from breastfeeding patients and those in their field.
Often lactation consultants are medically trained in some way. Nurses, speech therapists, nurse midwives and other allied health professionals can all become lactation consultants.
These specially trained professionals help with:
- Breastfeeding positions
- Effective latch
- Evidence of breast milk transfer
Why might a family need a lactation consultant?
Breastfeeding is very challenging for most women. This process does not come as naturally as it seems like it should. Lactating parents who seek out the help of an IBCLC often want to increase their knowledge in breastfeeding, but more specifically have a problem that needs to be solved.
Often, women will need expert advice and close breastfeeding support after their infant is born. A lactation consultant is a trusted professional who can help with these struggles.
What is a breastfeeding medicine specialist?
A breastfeeding medicine specialist is a physician who has extra training in the care of the lactating woman and her infant. Physician breastfeeding specialists have an increased depth of knowledge of anatomy and physiology. We are able to differentiate between more subtle problems. One of of my other talents is that I can diagnose a problem and also treat it. That is not something that a non-physician lactation consultant is able to do.
I often treat mothers for mastitis, order labs to differentiate the causes of low milk supply and prescribe treatments for nipple vasospasms. Seeking out care from a lactation trained physician not only stream lines your care experience, but offers a comprehensive and more efficient way to obtain care for these specialized problems.
These are just some of the diagnoses that we can evaluate and treat:
- Low milk supply
- Nipple pain
- Infant weight loss
What can you expect during your visit?
When I am seeing a mom and baby pair for the first time, the very first thing that I do is talk through what is occurring between the mother and her infant. Obtaining a pre-feeding weight is also very important. Often, mom and I talk while she is feeding her infant at the breast. I observe an entire breastfeeding if possible. Throughout the feeding, I am able to help with positioning, latch and observe the infant at the breast. After the feeding, the infant is weighed again. This provides a good estimate of how much milk the baby is extracting from the mother’s breast.
I also examine both the infant and the mother. Physical exam is a cornerstone for evaluating and treating any medical problem.
Often, my breastfeeding medicine appointments take an hour to an hour and a half.
What follow up should I expect?
As a part of the lactation consult package with 127 Pediatrics, mothers have two weeks of text access to Dr. Wadley. You also have the ability to follow up over a video visit in order to assess the success of the plan that we have made.
Don’t struggle any longer. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Wadley today.
© 127 Pediatrics, February 2022
