The Modern Breastfeeding Care Team

With the first week of August marking World Breastfeeding Week, HCPLive sought to highlight the unique care teams dedicated to the clinically pivotal process of healthy breastfeeding following childbirth.

In an interview with HCPLive, Anna Marie Murray, RN, IBCLC, lactation consultant at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, described the health system’s evolution of breastfeeding care team makeup and practices in the last decade. She also touched on the roles of their “breastfeeding committees,” which include obstetricians, pediatricians, lactation consultants, staff nurses, and leadership comprised of both physicians and nurses.

“Even in the NICU, you’ll see occupational therapists, speech therapists are involved in breastfeeding issues,” Murray said. “It’s the nurses at the bedside who are doing a lot of the breastfeeding education and support.”

Murray also discussed the prenatal education on breastfeeding instilled to expecting mothers, and what’s sought to be assured prior to labor and delivery.

Following delivery, the breastfeeding care team educates new mothers on infant feeding strategies, which have evolved from ensuring baby is fed every 3-4 hours to understanding baby “hunger queues.” Murray also touched on the importance of teaching “baby transfer indicators” and the early trends of baby feeding and transfer.

“We also want to explain to them how to know their baby is getting enough, because that’s a no. 1 indicator of why people will start to supplement with formula, this worry of ‘I’m not making enough milk’ or ‘How do I know my baby is getting enough?’” Murray said.