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Lactation Stations
Stores and Centers Dedicated to Breastfeeding Success By Teri Brown
Imagine a place where breastfeeding is not only supported, it is nurtured. Imagine a place filled with breastfeeding supplies and clothes made especially for the nursing mother. You don't have to imagine such places any more; they actually exist. Lactation centers, both those affiliated with hospitals and those outside the health care system, are springing up all over the country, and many mothers think it is about time.
"I think lactation centers are an idea whose time has come," says Tamra Orr, mother of four from Portland, Ore. "I wish I'd had that kind of support when I was breastfeeding my own children."
The Lactation Resource Store in Chatham, N.J., is one such place, offering clients a place to get support and supplies. Maria Parlapiano, RN, IBCLC, director of the store and its online counterpart, EverythingMom.com, believes that clients feel more empowered when it comes to their own health care than they used to, and the center addresses that reality.
"Often clients do their own research and seek out specialists and alternatives to mainstream medicine," Parlapiano says. "Lactation consultants are experts in the field of infant feeding. Experts are needed due to the vast array of conflicting and misleading breastfeeding information given to clients every day. New mothers are comfortable and confident in their breastfeeding when they receive information that is accurate, research-based and consistent."
Lactation centers can provide that type of information and so much more. Parlapiano says that centers can meet the needs of mothers and infants by focusing on their individual needs. "Every client leaves our center with a customized plan of care, as well as a follow-up phone call within 24 hours," she says. "Due to our open-door policy, most clients maintain a level of communication with us throughout their breastfeeding experience and seek out our expertise as needed."
