How A Lactation Consultant Can Help When Nursing

Nursing Your Child Can Have Challenges

Just because breastfeeding is natural doesn’t mean it’s easy for everyone. Walking is natural; have you ever stumbled before? It doesn’t matter how well-prepared you may be, when you’ve actually got to contend with weight gain, weight loss, caloric depletion, sore nipples, latching issues, and other associated factors, it can be difficult.

However, there is a balance that can be achieved, and you can prepare in advance in a few ways. To learn those best practices in breastfeeding, you may well want to consult with professionals who have provided maternity solutions for a long while. Here are a few things such a consultant can ultimately help you with.

1. Lactation Consultants Help You Identify Hidden Issues

Sometimes you’re having a blockage in your ducts, sometimes there’s some other physical issue. Sometimes you’re not producing milk, sometimes you’re overproducing milk and it’s painful. The way you sleep, the way you eat, how the baby feeds, and your own emotional state may contribute.

Since everyone is difficult, it makes a lot of sense to ask a consultant about anything and everything related to breastfeeding when some mystery develops. Maybe you produced milk fine one day, and though you did everything the same, the next day you were dry. Why? There could be an easy answer only a professional would know.

2. Certified Professionals Can Provide Tips And Tricks

Beyond providing insight into mysteries affecting how you lactate, professionals can give you strategies that help you retain health. If you’ve got sore nipples, use petroleum jelly. If that doesn’t work, and you’re still too tender to nurse, then get a breast pump and use that to feed your newborn until you’re able to naturally nurse again.

Your nipples will toughen up in time. However, it can take longer than you might expect. Accordingly, getting help is smart. Attaining lactation consultant certification requires having a certain level of skill and background.

Consultants available through the link will know what they’re talking about. Beyond that, as you learn, you might find it worth your while to seek your own lactation certification.

3. Consultants Help You Prepare In Advance

Through consultation you can determine what you’re going to need in advance, before the baby is delivered. You’ll likely need breast pumps, salve for sore nipples, bottles, maternity wear, and more.

Consultants can help you take stock of what you have, what you don’t have, and what you should have regardless of local availability. Then they can help you get those things. Advance preparation helps you be prepared for when difficulties arise as you feed the newborn. The more you know before you start nursing, the easier it will ultimately be.

Keep in mind, one of the most important components will be your personal will to succeed in terms of naturally nourishing your child. Even without any sort of consultation whatsoever, you’ll likely have natural motherhood instincts kick in to some degree. But why not make it easier by getting counsel from trusted authorities in advance?

Finding Your Rhythm With Natural Feeding

Consultation provides you with ample preparatory information to help you prepare. They can also give you tips and tricks concerning best practices in breastfeeding, and help you identify what hidden factors may be influencing your ability to nurse.

Between these three things, you’re a lot more likely to reach your balanced natural rhythm in terms of nursing expediently. If you’ve never nursed before, it’s smart to prepare. If you have, it’s good to have a resource should something unexpected happen.

Read our other health related articles to improve your knowledge.