Why an IBCLC (lactation consultant) should be part of your birth team

Canton Home Birth with the whole team

At Atlanta Birth Collective, we believe every person on your birth team brings their own strengths and gifts, and that together, we create a stronger circle of care. That’s why we invited Shea Collier of Joyful Lactation to write about how your birth team is so much more than “just doulas and photographers” in Atlanta. Your village is made up of many voices of wisdom and many kinds of support.

Shea is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and Registered Nurse (RN). She’s walked through three very different breastfeeding journeys herself, each with its own challenges, so she brings that blend of clinical expertise and lived experience into every visit. Shea serves families with in-home lactation care within roughly a 45-minute radius of Canton, GA, and also sees clients in her Woodstock/Canton office.

Surrounding yourself with the right Atlanta birth team matters.

If you haven’t considered a lactation consultant as part of your birth team, then this post is for you! To be honest, with my first baby, I didn’t really know what a lactation consultant was even though I was a pediatric ICU nurse! I didn’t know what I didn’t know. While I was pregnant with my second baby, I called my IBCLC to get support before the baby was born and I truly believe that support completely changed our breastfeeding journey.

IBCLC Support During Pregnancy and Beyond

So, what can an IBCLC do as part of your birth team? Here is a list of ways and reasons why you need a lactation consultant while you are pregnant and then beyond!

Before birth:

1. You start building that relationship before the baby is born so that you already know who to call if things aren’t going well.

2. Your IBCLC learns your feeding goals and can help to create a feeding plan in advance.

3. You gather the tools and knowledge you need so you feel confident to feed your baby from the start.

4. Your IBCLC can collaborate with other providers on your birth team including midwife, doula, OB, etc.

5. In my prenatal breastfeeding class, we go over the importance and benefits of hand expression so that you can start practicing before your baby is born. Learning a new thing like that in the beginning can feel impossible when you’re tired and baby is crying.

6. You’ll know which gadgets are actually useful (and which ones are just marketing)!

7. If breastfeeding did not go well for a previous baby, we can have a discussion as to possible reasons why and create a plan while you’re still pregnant to have the tools necessary to get breastfeeding off to a great start (I know this from personal experience!!)

After birth:

1. We can get “right to work” with what the issues may be. You will already have the foundation of breastfeeding basics so that when your baby is born, we can start troubleshooting right away.

2. You have support at your fingertips! You don’t have to rely on “Dr Google” at 3am. Make a list and send over your questions right away.

3. Confidence…from the beginning!

4. You get to feed your baby how you want to feed your baby!

Practical Benefits of Prenatal Lactation Support

Many families have told me how helpful my prenatal breastfeeding class was in guiding them toward the information they actually needed, without feeling overwhelmed by all the polished marketing from big baby brands. They left feeling confident about what they truly needed to purchase, and what they could skip.

An example of that is breastfeeding pillows. I have pillows at my office that you can try on, touch and feel during our prenatal breastfeeding class and you get to decide which one you like better. I can also give you pros and cons of each to help you make an informed decision.

We go over pumping and bottle feeding. In the pumping section, you have the option to measure your flange size at the end of class so you can purchase a smaller flange size prior to your baby being born (most likely your nipples are not the standard size 24mm flange that comes with your pump!!)

I generally recommend taking a prenatal breastfeeding class between 32-38 weeks so that the information is fresh on your mind and to give you time to practice hand expression (an important tool to help with colostrum removal during those first couple of days!)

Real Life Example of a Prenatal Breastfeeding Client

One of the families I worked with reached out just a few hours after their baby was born because they were having latching issues. During pregnancy, this mom had practiced hand expression and stored a little colostrum, so even while we were sorting through the latch, her baby was still getting her breastmilk. Because we had already covered the basics in our prenatal visit, I was able to see them when baby was under two days old and spend that time fully focused on positioning, latch, and small adjustments. Without that prenatal foundation, much of that first postpartum visit would have been spent just introducing the basics instead of tailoring support to their specific challenges.

Even as an IBCLC, I appreciated IBCLC Binah Birth assisting me with latch.

Topics of a Prenatal Breastfeeding Class

Some of the breastfeeding basics we cover in class include practicing positions, learning what a deep latch looks like and why it is important, practicing hand expression and ways it can be incredibly helpful, going over pumps, flange size and bottle feeding, and of course discussing tools and gadgets that you may need.

Tongue ties generally come up at each class. We briefly discuss these and my general approach if your baby is diagnosed with a tongue tie.

Why I’m so Passionate About This

I will always believe that my IBCLC is what helped our second breastfeeding journey go much smoother and that is the reason for my passion about teaching breastfeeding in the prenatal period.  Yes, we still had challenges with tongue and lip ties but we were able to work through them much easier than the first time. Our IBCLC made me feel more comfortable and confident that I could work through these issues and her support is what has shaped me as a parent and lactation professional today!

Register for a Breastfeeding Class

If you’re still unsure about getting breastfeeding help while still pregnant, you can talk to your doula or visit my website at www.joyfullactation.com to read more about my classes or check out my Google reviews from moms who have taken my class before.

Happy breastfeeding!!