Is there a need to see lactation consultant prior to birth?

StarBright01

Just wondering if its worth seeing a lactation consultant prior to birth or not or if anyone has similar experiences.

I had issues breastfeeding first time round so hoping to get off to a better start with it this time round. I emailed someone to check how much notice I would need to give appointment wise and she's keen to see me prior to birth as well. Is there a need prior??

Cash_Q

If you meet certain criteria you might be able to see a lactation consultant at your hospital in advance of the birth, I'm availing of the service in the Coombe as I have an underactive thyroid.

Groups like Ciudiu and La Leche League organise free meetups and can also offer support. Personally I am reluctant to pay for a service that I might not need, so I would give breastfeeding a try First and if it's not working out then I'd seek a lactation consultant privately. Personal choice I suppose.

Cameoette

StarBright01 wrote: »

Just wondering if its worth seeing a lactation consultant prior to birth or not or if anyone has similar experiences.

I had issues breastfeeding first time round so hoping to get off to a better start with it this time round. I emailed someone to check how much notice I would need to give appointment wise and she's keen to see me prior to birth as well. Is there a need prior??

It really is personal choice. A good first step would be contact cuidiu as they have trained bf counsellors who will be able to give you a lot of advice over the phone or you can meet up with them at a bf group. It’s free advice and you might find it very helpful.

Depending on the issues you had with your first baby, you may benefit from seeing a Lactation consultant before birth. You can also always wait and see how you get on before investing in a LC visit. You may not experience the same issues, or maybe a different issue will come up. So you could wait and see.

Also depends where you live- some LCs are very busy especially those in urban areas.

StarBright01

Cash_Q wrote: »

If you meet certain criteria you might be able to see a lactation consultant at your hospital in advance of the birth, I'm availing of the service in the Coombe as I have an underactive thyroid.

Groups like Ciudiu and La Leche League organise free meetups and can also offer support. Personally I am reluctant to pay for a service that I might not need, so I would give breastfeeding a try First and if it's not working out then I'd seek a lactation consultant privately. Personal choice I suppose.

I'm inclined to agree and wait until I actually see if or will there be an issue first! thanks for your reply

Anne_cordelia

StarBright01 wrote: »

Just wondering if its worth seeing a lactation consultant prior to birth or not or if anyone has similar experiences.

I had issues breastfeeding first time round so hoping to get off to a better start with it this time round. I emailed someone to check how much notice I would need to give appointment wise and she's keen to see me prior to birth as well. Is there a need prior??

It’s 100% worth it. There are usually group classes by private LC’s for breastfeeding preparation. Cost about €40 and absolutely worth it. I was in your exact same position.

Loveinapril

I was tempted to get a private consultant first but went to a Ciudiu meeting and it made sense when they advised me to wait til my baby got here as you need to see/ feel the latch etc.

shesty

My caveat to that OP is that I found it very hard to get a lactation consultant. My little boy was born early May, by early June I needed one. It took me a fortnight and running down a list of at least 6 consultants (no exaggeration) before I got someone to come see me. That was 2 weeks of struggling to feed and eventually giving in and introducing more and more bottles.By the time she came, while she was excellent, I had kind of just given up mentally. And she was one who I contacted in a morning and randomly could come and see me that afternoon - she is from Cork originally and was covering for someone in Dublin, therefore did not have a full client list up here and so, was free - all the rest were not available for 4/5 days. It was extremely frustrating to be honest. I asked to see the consultant in the hospital, but never did, even though I was there three days (admittedly I didn't push it).


In hindsight, yes, I'd get the person prior to it if you are prepared to spend the money anyway. Even just to talk through what went wrong last time and how you could approach it differently this time.

Gatica

As the last poster said, it's worth making contacts before you have the baby as it could be difficult to get a hold of someone when you're house-bound and in need of help. Friend from work went to some La Leche League meetings, met the members and support group, and got names/phone numbers for those who could support her. She then sent me some of the numbers when we were having problems with latching and feeding. I couldn't even leave the house because I was feeding, pumping, sterilising every 2-3 hours. It's worth thinking about it ahead of time, whether it's a consultant or just a support group.