Breastfeeding & Lactation Support

How you feed your baby is a personal choice, and we will support you whether you choose to breastfeed, bottle feed or do a combination of both. We’ll answer your questions and help you make a well-informed decision.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding as the ideal method for infant feeding. While breastfeeding has many benefits for both babies and nursing parents, it can also be challenging. If you would like to pursue breastfeeding, we’ll help you master the basics, gain confidence and support your long-term success.

MultiCare’s international board-certified lactation consultants provide a wide range of support throughout every stage of breastfeeding. They also help address lactation (milk production) issues and troubleshoot feeding concerns.

Lactation consultant services include:

• Teaching optimal newborn feeding positions and tips for an effective latch
• Offering guidance about milk expression and storage
• Sharing strategies for feeding your baby when you are away or if you plan to return to work
• Offering guidance about supplemental nutrition and dispelling food myths
• Helping you prevent or manage common problems such as sore nipples, low milk supply, plugged milk ducts or mastitis
• Providing education about devices such as breast pumps, breast shells or nipple shields
• Helping you navigate challenging situations such as breastfeeding multiple children, premature or sick infants, or babies who have difficulty nursing
• Treating slow or poor infant weight gain
• Facilitating weaning or re-lactation (helping the body to produce milk again after a gap in breastfeeding)

MultiCare’s lactation consultant services are available free of charge for patients in our birth centers. After discharge from the hospital, we offer outpatient consultations on a fee-for-service basis at select MultiCare locations. Outpatient consultations are also available for nursing parents who delivered their babies outside of MultiCare but need assistance with lactation or breastfeeding.

Many health insurance plans cover fees for these consultations. We recommend checking with your insurance company to verify coverage.

Choosing how to feed your baby is an important decision with many factors to consider. As you make this decision, it can help to learn all you can about breastfeeding, which offers lifelong benefits for both babies and mothers.

Human milk is a comprehensive source of nutrition. The composition (or makeup) of human milk automatically changes as babies grow to meet their evolving nutritional needs.

It boosts immunity. Human milk contains substances called antibodies that help protect babies from infections.

Breastfeeding reduces the risk for some conditions. Babies who are exclusively breastfed — who receive only human milk — have a lower risk of experiencing sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), asthma and other conditions.

Breastfeeding reduces the risk of cancer. Breastfeeding reduces the risk of ovarian cancer and breast cancer for nursing parents.

Did you know that nursing parents can also support fragile newborns who may not have access to a parent’s milk? Learn more about our breast milk donation program.