Charting a new path in maternal and child health in Richmond
When Richmond Hospital staff investigated a rise in bottle and formula feeding among healthy term babies and a decline in chest/breastfeeding, they learned it was due to insufficient lactation support and education, along with a lack of prenatal infant feeding education.
In response, staff and medical staff specializing in perinatal care initiated the Lactation Consultant Program and worked on a plan to enhance infant feeding support and provide families with the resources they needed.
"We found that most patients rely on hospital stays for their primary infant feeding education and support. We therefore needed to close the gap with patient expectations and improve our lactation support services," said Jillian Simon, the Program Lead and Registered Midwife, VCH.
The program, the first of its kind in B.C., introduced a team of seven highly qualified registered midwives, also credentialed as International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants, to offer comprehensive lactation support.
This is the first time a hospital lactation consultant program role has been staffed by Midwife International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants and is a creative way to both maximize human resources and take advantage of the experience midwives have both as maternity care providers and in supporting infant feeding.
The lactation consultant program is available to all MSP-insured patients at the hospital's birth centre, offering services from routine education to complex care planning.