What to expect during a lactation consultation with The MILC Group

Your baby has arrived and you are having problems breastfeeding. What should you do? Some of your knowledgeable friends suggest that you should see an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant). That sounds okay, but you want to know what to expect during a meeting with one. Here is what to expect if you choose to meet with an IBCLC from The MILC Group.

• The Lactation Consult  lasts about 1.5 - 2 hours whether in our office or in your home. 
• ​We make every effort to arrive on time and call or text you if we are running behind.
• We bring a high quality baby scale which we use to weigh your little one. 
• If we make a housecall,  we set up our scale on a flat surface (kitchen counter tops work great), otherwise we always have a scale in our office.
• We wash our hands thoroughly before we touch you or your baby and we also use non-latex gloves during our exam.
• We  ask you to fill in a brief intake sheet which can be found ahead of time on our website, but we always have them available to fill out in person.
• If baby is hungry, we skip ahead and weigh the baby so you can start to feed them. If baby is sleeping, we complete the paperwork before waking the baby to feed.
• We take a health history, talk about your birth and your breastfeeding experience so far and we ask some possibly odd seeming questions (we will always explain their purpose). We get a lot of insight into issues during this part of the meeting.
• We weigh your baby in a diaper only. We always ask you to put a clean diaper on your baby before the weight which stays the entire time for the most exact pre and post feed weight possible.
• The MILC Group IBCLC performs an examination of the baby including an oral assessment. We explain what we are doing as we do it so that you feel completely comfortable as well as to point out what we observe along the way.
• Getting you comfortable before nursing is important so we in your home we set up in whichever space you feel most at ease and in our office, you choose your spot and which pillows you want to use (or not use).
• We assist your baby in latching as needed and watch and listen as your baby feeds at the breast. We correct positioning as needed during the nursing session and make any other adjustments. 
• After the nursing session, we again weigh the baby to get an idea of how much baby has transferred at the breast. 
• All of this information will go into our assessment of what issues you may be having and we will write up a care plan for you to refer back to and to share with your care providers. 
• The MILC Group provides you with a Superbill for your insurance company to be reimbursed for our services.
• We take payment at the time that services are rendered. We accept cash, checks or credit cards. 
• It is extremely important to The MILC Group IBCLCs that all of your questions and concerns are addressed so we do not rush you through the appointment and we make sure along the way that you have time to ask questions. Feel free to have a list ready for our appointment :) 

We hope that this answered your questions about what to expect if you schedule a Lactation Consultation with The MILC Group. We look forward to meeting with you and your family!

​We can be reached by phone at 210-960-MILC/210-960-6452.