A newborn baby from his first time on this earth needs some extra care in a proper way to become healthy. Special treatment and care from his parents are also needed to remain germ-free and secure after coming out from mother’s womb. But a mother who is experiencing for the first time with the baby doesn’t know many things and have the problem during maintaining the nibbling one. Thus, specialists needed to help them to do everything properly. One of these specialists is lactation consultant in Mumbai

Who are lactation consultants?

Those who are specialized in breastfeeding techniques and pros and cons of the procedure are called as the lactation consultant. They give the training to teach mothers how to feed their baby. Sometimes women face difficulties to breastfeed their child. Many complaints about sore nipples, infant sucking problems, excessive infant weight loss, delayed onset of mother’s milk supply and etc. To troubleshoot all these problems, doctors advise appointing one lactation consultant. They offer a range of services, like how to position a baby on the breast, give tips on how to increase milk supply and how to handle breast infections. They also advise special tips to the mothers those have children with some serious medical conditions such as heart disorders or cleft palate, etc. Thus, a professional should be hired to get some benefits and nursing techniques for the babies. They also provide emotional support to the mothers struggling with some mental issues.

Breastfeeding is important for both the mother and the baby and this is what a consultant aims to incorporate first and foremost. Sometimes it may be a bit frustrating for the mother and they feel frustrated and abandon the process. This is where the consultant takes over and they do go on to guiding the mothers on how to get over this phase. For them, it is nothing new and they would have come across numerous situations in this regard. Once the issue is settled as a mother you would find on how simple the process was and there was no need to panic.

How to become a lactation consultant?

To become a successful lactation consultant, one requires thousands of hours of experience and training in 14 subjects like anatomy, physiology, sociology, psychology or counseling, child development, nutrition and medical terminology. And they should do certification course from International Board of Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC). Some other courses, like, CPR, medical documentation, medical terminology, occupational safety, professional ethics and safety precautions for infectious diseases are also be done by them which serves as an added advantage. The doctors, nurses, midwives and physician assistants are not trained about all these things. The lactation consultant doesn’t need to become licensed or registered but to attract more clients and jobs they should become an IBCLC.

Finding a lactation consultant:

Lactation consultants are generally self-employed and recommended by doctors and nurses. In the US lactation consultant is in demand as American women need the best nursing for their children. Lactation consultants are also available in India. Many best lactation consultants are found in Mumbai’s hospital, clinic or doctor’s office or chambers.  And some do private practice. Some lactation consultants are also teaching classes on breastfeeding to pregnant women. They are familiar with the breastfeeding equipment, like breast bumps, etc. A lactation consultant can also be found online from International Lactation Consultant Association website.