PENRITH LACTATION CONSULTANT – WHAT IS AN IBCLC?
Hi! I’m Aimee, a lactation consultant (IBCLC) based in the Blue Mountains, providing support to women and families in the Penrith area and surrounds. So, what is an IBCLC, and what exactly do they do? In my own practice, my IBCLC support is pretty much whatever you need it to be! More specifically:
- You guide me through your desires for your feeding journey. Together, we find options that ensure you feel supported in making informed decisions and working through all possible avenues to continue feeding your baby in the most positive way possible.
- I provide a comprehensive feeding plan catered for your needs and your family, based on your own situation.
- I offer oral function assessments (including assessing for tongue tie).
- I provide a body assessment and positioning assessment to pinpoint where feeding difficulties may be coming from.
- I offer a pump flange fitting service whenever that might be needed.
- Ask any questions you want answered; I’ll guide you to where you can find unbiased, current information and resources in the Penrith area and surrounds.
- I offer 2 weeks of follow up message and email support, and a 30 minute follow up phone call.
- Provision of physical tools where necessary including breast pumps, nipple shields, supply lines and more.
- I provide continuous, non-judgemental support. I’ll never coerce you into certain decisions! Rather, I provide information and support so that you can make your own, informed decisions.
What tools can an IBCLC offer you?
What tools IBCLCs provide depend on the IBCLC and your situation. However, with continuity of support throughout your feeding journey, I can provide the following tools and techniques:
- Education and preparation – I can provide you with resources to read, activities to do and referrals to care providers in the Penrith area as necessary.
- Breastfeeding planning – I can sit with you to create a customised breastfeeding plan, ensuring that you have the opportunity to make fully informed, educated decisions ahead of time.
- Debriefing – I can help you debrief past feeding experiences, and current ones as necessary.
- Hands on techniques – I offer suggestions around techniques to help you relieve discomfort/pain, addressing mastitis and other issues.
- Oral assessment – Identifying underlying tension or oral restrictions that might be causing difficulties with your baby’s feeding.
- Body assessment – Recognising tension patterns in the body and offering exercises to relieve these and referrals where necessary.
- Positioning – However you feed your baby, positioning is important, and I can guide you into different positions to help improve latch and comfort for you and your baby.
- Reassure and encourage – I reassure and encourage you throughout your journey, encouraging you to tune in with and listen to your body and baby, and providing resources where necessary to help with this.
More tools…
Gosh, this is a lot! Are you regretting asking what IBCLCs do? I hope not!
- Talking – I can talk through blockages with you to keep you in tune with your emotions and facilitate a calm and peaceful headspace while you navigate feeding and mothering baby.
- Maintain your environment – I can support you in creating a positive, peaceful environment for you when breastfeeding, and strategies to help maintain this.
- Communication – I can help you communicate your needs with other care providers and provide referrals as needed.
- Empathetic feeding support – I have provided feeding support to hundreds of women, totalling over 2000 hours, breastfed my own children – I understand how difficult this journey can be.
- Up to date, evidence based information – I continue to adapt and update my own knowledge through continuing professional development, ask for feedback/evaluation from those I support and adjust as necessary.
Even more tools from a Penrith IBCLC!
- Baby wearing assistance – I can support you with baby-wearing, helping you try different carriers and use baby-wearing in your everyday life. Baby wearing is a fantastic tool for settling babies, and a useful technique to know and use.
- Practicing alternative latch strategies – Have you heard of side-lying feeds!? I can help you work through this and understand options to make it happen so you might be able to grab some sleep!
- Infant massage – I can guide you on how to massage your baby to provide a calm, relaxed baby.
- Settling and sleep support – I can provide ideas and tools to settle baby and can reassure you of normal newborn behaviours.
- Group meets – I can connect you with your local community and mothers groups, so you can feel supported and held long-term.
- Social connections – I can connect you with groups on social media, so that you can feel connected, supported and held throughout your journey by other women and their families, even if you can’t or don’t want to leave the house.
- Referral – If I feel that my own knowledge, experience and techniques aren’t what you need, I can refer you to supportive practitioners, including providers local to the Penrith, Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and Lithgow areas.
Get in touch if this sounds like something that you could use or come and have a look at my Facebook or Instagram pages!