Lactation consultants with Norton Women’s Care support families who choose to breastfeed. Both mother and baby benefit from breastfeeding. And although nursing is natural, challenges sometimes arise for first-time and experienced moms alike. Norton Healthcare provides tools and support to help.

Lactation Consultants at Norton Healthcare

We offer comprehensive resources to help you build a good breastfeeding relationship with your baby. This begins immediately after birth, when your baby is placed “skin to skin” on your bare chest. This bonding experience can lead to more successful breastfeeding.

Outside the delivery room, lactation-certified nurses and clinical staff, and board-certified lactation consultants are available to provide education and support during your hospital stay.

Breastfeeding questions, concerns and challenges may arise during pregnancy and once you go home. That’s why we provide a host of outpatient services, including:

• Baby Bistro & Boutique for pumping and breastfeeding supplies
• 24/7 lactation support available free through your NortonMyChart account and Norton eCare
• Free breastfeeding classes

Benefits of Breastfeeding

The first milk, colostrum, is the perfect food for your baby in the first days of life. It is full of antibodies to strengthen the immune system. Beyond the first few days, breastfeeding gives your baby a healthy start that will last a lifetime.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies breastfeed exclusively for six months, then mix in complementary foods for at least one year. Breastfeeding helps your baby in many ways, including:

• Fewer infections
• Lower rate of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other forms of infant death
• Lower rates of childhood cancer, diabetes and asthma
• Better brain development and higher IQ
• Lower risk of childhood obesity

Moms also benefit with:

• Quicker recovery from childbirth
• Quicker return to pre-pregnancy weight
• Lower risk of breast and ovarian cancers
• Lower risk of diabetes and high blood pressure
• Better bonding, comfort and closeness with baby

How We Help

Here are some of the ways our lactation team can assist you on your breastfeeding journey:

• Assistance with infant latching and positioning
• Assistance in increasing milk supply
• Assistance with special devices, including breast pump selection and use
• Creamatocrit analysis to determine fat and calories in breast milk
• Evaluation and assistance in interpreting baby’s behaviors related to nursing
• Follow-up for poor weight gain in infant
• Help determining the amount of milk that baby needs and recognizing baby’s cues
• Individual breastfeeding counseling
• Measurements of amount of milk transfer (pre- and post-nursing weights)
• Planning for mother’s return to work

What to Expect from Norton Women’s Care

More mothers in Louisville and Southern Indiana choose to deliver their babies at Norton Hospital or Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital than with any other hospital system in the area.

We deliver more than 8,000 babies a year. We’re close to you with more than 90 providers at more than 25 locations around Louisville and Southern Indiana. Choosing Norton Women’s Care gives you many options for how delivery day could go — all with the confidence of knowing that our obstetrics and pediatric specialists are there to help. With Norton Women’s Care you’ll find:

• The birth experience you want. You can choose natural childbirth, a midwife, labor tub, nitrous oxide and other birthing options. We’ll recommend a C-section (cesarean section) or induced labor only if it’s medically necessary.
• Preparation. Our specialists offer the support you need, including free Lamaze and other childbirth classes, new parent classes, breastfeeding support, child safety classes and more.
• Confidence and quality in care. Norton Women’s Care has been recognized as High Performing — the highest rating available — for maternity care with fewer complications and C-sections, plus breastfeeding support and other benefits.
• The highest level (Level IV) neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Louisville and Southern Indiana at Norton Children’s Hospital, and a sophisticated Level III NICU at Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital.
• Around-the-clock OB/GYN care at Norton Hospital and Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital emergency departments.
• Board-certified maternal-fetal medicine specialists who can help guide you through a high-risk pregnancy, from preexisting diabetes to a fetal echocardiogram to diagnose a congenital heart defect before a baby is born.
• Convenient access to your medical record. Communicate with your health care provider, get lab results, renew prescriptions and more through your free MyNortonChart account.