Resource Guide: Breastfeeding Support and Services

Massachusetts<br>Breastfeeding Coalition

Breastfeeding Support and Services

There are many sources of help for breastfeeding mothers in Massachusetts.

Breastfeeding Counselors

Many women who have breastfed their own children have both enjoyed it and realized how helpful it was to have an experienced mother provide support for common questions and concerns. These women attend training courses and learn about the experiences of many mothers, so they understand breastfeeding beyond their own personal experience. These women belong to breastfeeding support groups such as La Leche League International and Nursing Mothers Council. Breastfeeding counselors are knowledgeable about breastfeeding and the normal situations that arise during the course of breastfeeding. They are available by I telephone to answer questions and most participate in one of the local breastfeeding support groups that meet regularly in many communities. The meetings provide a place for mothers to come together with their babies to discuss breastfeeding and parenting. When a breastfeeding counselor encounters a breastfeeding problem that is beyond her skills, she will refer to the primary health provider and a lactation consultant. Breastfeeding counselors are usually community volunteers and their help is free of charge.

Nursing Mothers Council of the Boston Association for Childbirth Education
BACE
P.O Box 29
Newtonville, MA 02460
(617) 244-5102
La Leche League of Massachusetts

Peer Counselors

Some breastfeeding counselors are hired to teach women about breastfeeding and provide prenatal and postpartum support, such as the peer counselors employed by WIC (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children). Peer counselors generally live in the same neighborhood and al1 readily accessible to the new mother. They may be paired or buddied with a new mother to provide more intensive breastfeeding help. WIC provides training for their peer counselors, which builds on the peer's own breastfeeding experiences.

Massachussetts WIC Program
http://www.state.ma.us/dph/bfch/wic/wic.htm
1-800-942-1007

Lactation Consultants

Lactation consultants are specialists who offer assistance for more complicated situations requiring hands-on help such as low milk supply, babies who will not or cannot latch to the breast, inefficient feeders, sore nipples, babies with Down Syndrome, cardiac anomalies, cleft lip j palate, etc. There is a fee for the service that may be covered by insurance. Some practitioners have a sliding scale of fees. Most lactation consultants r have qualified as International Board Certified Lactation Consultants by passing a certifying examination given by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners. They must recertify every five years. Lactation consultants who successfully pass the exam use the initials IBCLC after their name. Lactation consultants may be employed by hospitals, health maintenance organizations, clinics, pediatricians, family practice physicians, or may offer their services through a private practice in the community .Private practice lactation consultants often make home visits and may also rent breast pumps and supply other breastfeeding equipment. Some lactation consultants teach breastfeeding classes or professional lactation management programs. Most in Massachusetts belong to the Massachusetts Lactation Consultant Association.

International Lactation Consultant Association
http://www.ilca.org

Find a lactation consultant in your area

The ILCA web site includes a directory of lactation consultants:


State:

Other Breastfeeding Credentials

Some breastfeeding specialists carry other credentials such as CLC (certified lactation counselor), CBE (certified breastfeeding educator), etc. These letters mean that the person has taken additional training in lactation management but is not nationally certified.

Postpartum Doulas

Postpartum doulas provide in-home support to new parents, usually including breastfeeding support, newborn care, meal preparation, and other household tasks. Some doulas are also nurses, midwives, and mothers themselves. They specialize in postpartum maternalj child health issues and can help identify when professional assistance is necessary, referring mothers to their physician or community resources such as lactation consultants, breastfeeding counselors, and support groups.

The listings which follow will provide you with the names, telephone numbers, and services offered by those providing breastfeeding support and services in Massachusetts as breastfeeding specialists, peer counselors, or lactation consultants. We recommend that you get to know those in your area who provide these services so you are confident in referring your breastfeeding mothers to them.

Doulas of North America
DONA's web site describes the training process for doulas and provides email referrals for postpartum doulas.

For More Information

The printed resource guide includes listings for La Leche League Leaders, Nursing Mothers Council members, Lactation consultants and WIC offices in Massachusetts. Please Order a Copy for your office for an up-to-date directory of providers in Massachusetts.

Excerpted from the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Resource Guide, 4th edition (2002) Compiled and edited by Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC. Cover artwork courtesy of Peter Kuper. Funding for the printing and distribution of the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Resource Guide is provided by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health-WIC Program Division. Permission is granted to photocopy this guide. Adapted from the Philadelphia Breastfeeding Resource Handbook. Email resource-guide@massbfc.org to request a copy.

Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition
http://www.massbfc.org/
254 Conant Road
Weston, MA 02493
email: massbfc@massbfc.org
webmaster: webmaster@massbfc.org