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Home › Articles › Breastfeeding Advocacy › Your Breastfeeding Support Team

Your Breastfeeding Support Team

Who's on Your Roster?

By Krissi Danielsson

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Nursing your baby is the most natural thing in the world – at least it ought to be! While some mothers can just pop their babies right onto the breast immediately after delivery, many more of us need help getting started. We may have difficulty getting the baby to latch, worry about our supplies, feel awkward about nursing in public or wonder about any of a truckload of other concerns. And to borrow the old John Donne quote: "No mom is an island." We may need assistance, advice or even just a word of support.

"I received a great deal of encouragement about nursing my child from my doctor, family and friends," says Katherine Bull of Indianapolis, Ill., who is currently breastfeeding her 6-month-old daughter. "This was a very important aspect of my nursing relationship."

Indeed, a good support network (or lack thereof) can make or break a new mom's breastfeeding relationship. But just who are the people you should call on when you need help?

Your OB/GYN
Since you see your OB/GYN throughout your pregnancy, he or she plays an important role in helping you prepare for breastfeeding. According to Gina Ciagne, director of breastfeeding relations and outreach for Lansinoh Laboratories in Alexandria, Va., you should not be afraid to ask your doctor for advice as a part of your prenatal care. "Discussing breastfeeding – how to make it work with a mother's particular circumstances and the myriad of benefits for her and the baby – and giving resources to help after the birth should be a part of the prenatal education," she says.

Your Pediatrician or Family Doctor
Pediatricians regularly advise new moms on the baby's weight gain and expected food intake, so breastfeeding moms should be sure to pick a pediatrician who follows the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) philosophy, which recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued nursing throughout the first year. An unsupportive doctor who is too quick to push formula can doom a new breastfeeding relationship from the start. "Ask prospective doctors if they abide by the AAP recommendations, and if they do not, ask why," Ciagne says. "Ask them if they have a list of resources that can help with breastfeeding should the mother have breastfeeding questions that they cannot assist with."

The nursing staff at the pediatrician's office and in the hospital can also assist new moms. "The greatest help was from my pediatrician's nurse, who showed me the different positions to hold my baby," Bull says.

A Lactation Consultant
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