Lactation consultant for prem baby?

[bridget]

Thanks for advice

[simonethebeaver]

I don't know if she specialises but Anna Cannon is amazing. Hopefully her number can be found on here through a search. But I am surprised that Kings is offering no help. Clare Kedves gets lots of praise on here but I've not seen her personally. I know St George's has a specialist lactation consultant working in the NICU who would have specialist knowledge. Her name is Lyndsey and her site is: http://www.dreamfeeds.co.uk/about

[buggie]

Would recommend your SIL asks to see Claire or her colleague Joanne Joseph - think a private lactation consultant might be unwilling to go into hospital to see them as it could be seen as stepping on the toes of the Kings team plus their unlikely to know what procedures/possibilities there are on the unit.

Don't underestimate how much the NICU team might be trying to do for your SIL - it obv is a hugely important thing, but the staff are juggling all of your new niece/nephew's needs - if bubs is being fed through a tube, it might be too young to physically latch on yet.

[Jacbuc]

I used to work in a scbu many years ago we had a fantastic paediatric ot who would help mothers re feeding, positioning babies etc Perhaps kings may have an OT attached that could visit yr sister in law

[espelli]

I would echo what buggie said, my baby was prem and while I was desperate to get breastfeeding going as I was having trouble expressing, my son was just not strong enough or old enough to latch properly until he was around 34 weeks. I did go on to breastfeed even though he was tube fed for the first few weeks. The best support for breastfeeding I got was from one of the scbu nurses, but she didn't intervene to begin with until my son was showing definite rooting actions when put to the breast. It seemed to take an age to all kick in though!

[Saffron]

Surely the point of a private lac consultants is that they help you whenever, wherever you need it because you're paying them to support you. It's not stepping on toes, if the hospital isn't providing the help that an individual needs. Don't be put off having a private lac consultant just because you're in a hospital bed. Many women in hospital have private doulas for extra support. Why not a private lac consultant? xx

[buggie]

But if a private lactation consultant (PLC) isn't needed at that point then it's not worth splashing out on things that weren't going to be as useful/helpful at the time - prem babies differ so much, am sure the PLC would need to know the full history/what else was going on for the baby at that time which could be difficult for the parents to give/unlike Claire or Joanne they wouldn't have access to the babies/mum's notes.

I would be curious to know if anyone has had private lactation consultant visit them on NICU/SCBU & how useful it was/how easy it was to instigate the advice they were given.

Plus, it wasn't the mum posting - it was an appropriately concerned (but likely not aware of everything going on) relative, thus mine & other posters advice to ensure all avenues @ Kings had been investigated first was I feel fully appropriate.

I have nothing against PLC's & wouldn't hesitate to use one if I needed extra help (nearly did with Bugglet & the probs I had establishing br/ feeding, which having had +++ theory/ how to advise on br/feeding training I'd had as part of my job was fairly galling). I just didn't feel it was the immediate top option in this case.

[dildals]

I know this thread is old now but I just wanted to say that NICU/SCBU at King's have 2 fabulous LCs ('the Judes') who are extremely dedicated to get your baby breastfeeding! My experience is that they always had time to come and see you if you had any questions. I have no doubt they will have been on the case. Some of the SCBU nurses are also v good at helping you along. I was personally manhandled on a daily basis by one of them! ;-)