Lactation Support Center

If you're planning to breastfeed your baby, our certified lactation consultants are available to make your breastfeeding experience a successful one. The staff at the Lactation Support Center will listen carefully to your concerns, answer questions, provide education and recommend techniques to make breastfeeding easier for you and your baby. Breastfeeding is natural, but it is a learned skill for a new mother and baby.

Breastfeeding can be one of the most enjoyable experiences for a new mother, providing the best nutrition for your baby, protection from illness and the chance to spend special moments with your baby. We will work with you to help you breastfeed comfortably and to help ensure your baby is feeding well. Our Birth Center offers classes on infant nutrition, which teaches breastfeeding basics and education.

After you return home, our staff is available by phone to answer your questions. Please call (651) 254-2380

Tips for breastfeeding

• Nurse your baby as early after delivery as you can.
• Nurse your baby as often and as long as the baby wants to do so. Let the baby finish one breast, then burp him or her and offer the second breast if he or she wants it.
• It's normal for newborns to nurse eight to 12 times in 24 hours.
• Remember to eat healthy, as a nursing mother you are your baby's only nutrition source.
• Drink lots of fluids, water and milk are good choices. You can drink caffeinated beverages in moderation.
• Things to look for to show your baby is responding to breastfeeding include:
• at least six wet diapers a day, after you have gone home
• at least one soiled diaper a day (more is fine)
• you can hear the baby swallow when nursing
• breast are full before feeding and soft afterwards