International board-certified lactation consultants (IBCLCs) play a critical role in improving health outcomes for mothers and babies. The members of our CCH Lactation team go above and beyond daily, caring for patients and families with passion, dedication, professionalism, and kindness. The breastfeeding care, support, guidance, and knowledge that they share with both patients and staff members in the maternal-child department is invaluable. As their manager, I remind them frequently to be proud of the work they do and the positive, long-lasting benefits it has for our patients and families.

There are so many examples of patient/family interactions that demonstrate how valuable our IBCLCs are and how much they are appreciated by families for their compassion. We receive positive feedback on a regular basis about how the lactation consultant made a difference. They routinely exceed expectations in order to meet the families’ needs and provide individualized, respectful, compassionate support. Recently, several mothers on our New Parents Facebook group shared the following comments:

“Not only was she knowledgeable in lactation and assisting me with my lactation needs, but as we conversed with her, we found so much in common. It was so kind of her to take the time to genuinely care for me and share in some of her personal stories as well. Thank you for your friendly connection and assistance to us! My newborn surely appreciates it as well!”

“I had the pleasure of speaking with and getting support from several of these women as a second and third-time mom in July 2022 and this past April. I would have 10 more children if it meant being under their care.”

“The lactation consultant was a lifesaver. I learned so much from [her] and went home so much more prepared.”

“I called the CCH lactation consultants for over a year after my little ones were born. They're always so helpful and a free resource!

In addition to these patient comments, I’d like to share the story of the past year in the lactation department which entailed dedication, persistence, and hard work by the lactation consultant team to prepare for our Baby-Friendly re-designation site visit. This prestigious distinction recognizes high quality care for infant feeding and maternity care practices. 

First and foremost, the IBCLCs make sure to deliver excellent care to our families 7 days/week. The lactation consultant covers all the maternal child units, plus any patients in other areas of the hospital who may need assistance with pumping or breastfeeding. This past year, they graciously agreed to add holiday coverage because they felt it was important to provide lactation support on those days as well. Their daily work routine includes attending staff huddles, doing consults on patients, which include breastfeeding assessment and education, communication with nurses and providers, documentation, and answering messages left on the lactation warm line. They coordinate care with the staff via secure chat messages, catering to the patients’ needs when they are requesting lactation or when the baby is due to feed. Some days there is only one IBCLC, which makes for an incredibly busy day, but they do it with grace and still give compassionate, quality care.

In addition to the above-mentioned responsibilities, the lactation team went above and beyond this past year to assist both patients and staff in improving our Baby-Friendly Ten steps practices and preparing for our redesignation site visit. They planned, staffed and executed all staff skills days (2-3 times per week in April, May and June) specific to breastfeeding and baby-friendly education. It was very successful, and many nurses commented positively about their experience at the skills day. 

Next, the lactation team was tasked with conducting in-person patient and staff audit interviews to assess where we were with baby-friendly practices and documentation following the skills days. These interviews were in addition to their daily consults with patients, and they all pitched in and got them done so we could have the data we needed to know to prepare for our redesignation. This process was challenging because it would have been easy to get discouraged when finding what areas still needed work, but they maintained their positive attitudes and continued to provide exceptional patient care and support the nursing staff as well. 

If that wasn’t enough, they agreed to trial changing our model of care for NICU coverage by rotating lactation consultants through the NICU. Previously, only one IBCLC primarily cared for NICU families. Although it pushed them outside their comfort zone, it ended up being successful and has improved satisfaction for both the lactation staff and the unit staff. 

This past fall, the IBCLCs also dedicated their time and expertise to teaching part of the Annual RN competency days for the Maternal Child department. Since it was in October, they created a Halloween theme with the acronym “BONES” to highlight the important points that the nurses needed to know. It was well-received by the staff, and I was so proud of this team once again.

As the holidays passed, the team once again collaborated to move forward with preparations for the Baby-Friendly site visit in March. This consisted of repeated education and feedback for staff and providers on the Ten Steps, education in huddles on the topic of the week, creation of a site visit interview review booklet, and revising the breastfeeding education packet that is given to patients postpartum. It was not always easy, but they did not falter in their dedication to the cause.

I continue to be in awe of the compassionate care these amazing women provide in addition to all the other “work” that is encompassed in their job as a lactation consultant. We are fortunate to have such a wonderful team, and I’d like to recognize them for everything they’ve done this past year for our department, our staff, and our families.