Breastfeeding Support: Before and After Birth
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During pregnancy and after birth, we love to help support breastfeeding when possible – because it comes with so many benefits for both parent and baby. In many ways, breast milk is more than just food – it’s medicine.
At the same time, we understand that breastfeeding comes with many unexpected challenges. That's why we prepare and support families who wish to breastfeed as much as possible and help you troubleshoot along the way. We’re here to make sure every baby gets the best nutrition available, which sometimes means providing donor breast milk for premature or medically fragile babies.
Our breastfeeding support begins with early education about breastfeeding – at prenatal visits with your pregnancy provider, breastfeeding classes and prenatal lactation appointments. This ongoing education helps you learn little by little, rather than all at once.
After your baby is born, we provide bedside lactation support in our Birth Center to help you get off to a good start. We also provide as much additional support as you need over the months or years to come at our Parent & Baby Center and will encourage you to attend our breastfeeding support groups.
Helping You Prepare to Breastfeed
When it comes to breastfeeding, preparation is key. Why? Because breastfeeding is a learned skill. And it’s often best to start learning about it before you feel overwhelmed and exhausted from birth and caring for a newborn.
We’ll help you understand the many reasons to consider breastfeeding and help prepare you to do it.
Understanding the Benefits of Breastfeeding
Our goal is to provide you with as much information as possible to help you make the best decision for your family.
Breastfeeding benefits for mom include:
- Cost. Breastfeeding is less expensive than formula feeding.
- Convenience. You always have milk with you, at just the right temperature.
- Less postpartum bleeding. Breastfeeding helps your uterus contract and go back to its normal size more quickly. And that means less risk of blood clots – and fewer days wearing bulky pads and underwear.
- Improved mental health. If you breastfeed, you’re less likely to experience postpartum depression. Breastfeeding causes a release of the “love hormone” – oxytocin. Oxytocin reduces stress and helps you feel calm and connected to your baby.
- Lower risk of future health problems. Breastfeeding reduces the risk of many health problems, including breast and ovarian cancer, high blood pressure and osteoporosis.
Breastfeeding benefits for baby include:
- Gentle nutrition. The nutrients in breastmilk are better absorbed than those in formula – and gentler on their digestive system. Exclusive breastfeeding during the first few weeks of life is crucial to establishing a healthy gut microbiome.
- Brain growth and nervous system development. Studies of breastfed babies show a positive long-term effect on brain and behavioral development.
- A stronger immune system. Research shows that breastfed babies get sick less often – saving you time, money and stress.
- Lower risk of many health conditions. Breastfed babies are less likely to develop diabetes, obesity, digestive and heart problems, ear infections, asthma and allergies.
- A reduced risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).
- View resource: A Comparison of Human Milk and Formula
Teaching You About What to Expect with Breastfeeding
Our Breastfeeding Basics 2-hour class provides essential, practical information to help prepare your family for breastfeeding – and bottle feeding. The class covers important topics like:
- How your breast anatomy and physiology work.
- Breastfeeding positions and skills.
- How to recognize hunger cues and feeding patterns.
- Solving common breastfeeding problems, and when to call a nurse or lactation consultant.
- Storage, pumps, bottles and resources.
- How to help your body make enough milk – because most people can.
- Signs that your baby is getting enough milk.
- Your partner's role (we encourage partners to attend class too!).
Register now for Breastfeeding Basics
Prenatal Colostrum Collection
Any time after 32 weeks of pregnancy, we invite you to register for our Colostrum Collection and Hand Expression 30-minute class. Colostrum is the first type of milk your body produces and is very nutrient-dense. This one-time class is a great way to:
- Prepare for the early hours and days of feeding your baby your milk.
- Store some colostrum, which can be an important resource to support your baby’s feeding needs after birth.
- Gain confidence about your body’s ability to make milk – and your ability to express it.
Hand expression is not recommended until after 36 weeks of pregnancy. Please speak with your provider about colostrum collection.
Register now for Colostrum Collection
- Bringing colostrum to the hospital: You can freeze your colostrum and bring it in a cool bag with ice packs when you go to have your baby. Be sure to let your nurse know if you brought the colostrum to the hospital, so it may be properly stored.
- View resource: Colostrum Collection
Prenatal Lactation Appointments and Breastfeeding Supplies
We also encourage you to make a prenatal appointment (that we can bill to your insurance) with one of our lactation specialists at our Parent & Baby Center.
During a prenatal lactation appointment after 32 weeks of pregnancy, we can:
- Review your health history.
- Discuss anything that could be a hurdle to breastfeeding (like the anatomy of your breasts or having had breast surgery).
- Help you understand what to expect in the first few days.
- Educate you about how milk supply is created.
- Set you up with the supplies you may need for your breast and nipple type.
- Teach you how to use a colostrum collection kit.
Call (425) 688-5389 to schedule your prenatal lactation consultant appointment.
At our parent boutique in the lobby of our Parent & Baby Center, we have nursing bras in every size and offer expert bra fittings to make sure you are comfortable and supported. We also have all the breastfeeding supplies you may need – including pumps for purchase and for rent. Our expert staff can also recommend the best pump for you and show you how to use it.
Learn more about our parent boutique
Lactation Expertise at Our Childbirth Center
After your baby is born, our nurses will be by your side to help you start breastfeeding. All of our nurses have training in breastfeeding and are ready to provide expert tips and tricks to get you off to a good start. They’ll show you how to get a good latch (how a baby’s mouth attaches to the breast), find a comfortable position and talk to you about how often to feed your baby.
If you need additional support, our nurses are ready to collaborate with our specially trained lactation consultants. Our international board-certified lactation consultants are here to address issues like nipple pain, a baby that is struggling to get enough milk or how to feed multiple babies.
These expert certified lactation consultants are available during your stay in our Childbirth Center from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. – seven days a week. They’re also available by appointment after you leave the hospital by calling (425) 688-5389.
Get breastfeeding tips from our experts
Donor Milk for Babies Who Need It
We also have donor breast milk available (at no cost) for babies who need it. This donor milk has been pasteurized and screened for diseases – and is the next best thing to mom’s milk for a baby’s health and development.
Donor milk is also available (at cost) for families who don’t have a medically fragile or premature baby, but they will need a prescription from their doctor. Using donor milk during the first few days or weeks can be a “bridge” that helps some people better establish their own milk supply. Donor milk
The gentle nature of breast milk and its immune-building benefits are especially important for premature or medically fragile babies. Our lactation consultants will do everything possible to help you keep up your milk supply, even if your baby is in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
At our Parent & Baby Center, we’re also happy to accept breast milk donations from people who make more milk than they need. Human milk is a limited resource and is distributed based on availability.
- View resource: Donor Milk
Ongoing Breastfeeding Support After Your Baby is Born
A few days after your baby is born, we’ll see you and your baby at our Parent & Baby Center. We’ll weigh your baby and see how breastfeeding is going – and offer any tips that may help everything go a little smoother. Our goal is to help you get through the first weeks of breastfeeding, which are usually the hardest.
If you need more support from one of our lactation consultants – or want to make a feeding plan or have your baby evaluated for tongue-tie – we’re happy to help set that up. You can also call (425) 688-5389 to schedule as many lactation appointments as you need.
Because the early days of parenting a newborn can be hard and lonely, we offer all families two ongoing support groups. These groups can make breastfeeding – and life with a newborn – a little easier:
- Pumping Strategies: A FREE group for moms returning to work or moms who plan to provide breast milk by pumping. Register now.
- Balance After Baby: A FREE group for new parents to talk through the challenges of life with a newborn in a safe and supportive environment. Register now.