Lactation Support
After delivery, our Certified Lactation Counselor, Zully Santana, CLC provides support and encouragement to feel confident in breastfeeding your newborn baby. Zully guides new mothers on understanding how babies communicate their hunger, the essentials of a good latch, and how to know if baby is receiving enough milk.
Prenatal Support Available
Prenatal Lactation Support helps mothers to feel more comfortable after delivery. Prenatal Breastfeeding education may look different to different people, so here at Saint Mary’s Hospital we provide education in person in a classroom setting or online. Whichever option you choose (you can choose to do both too), being an informed mother will help you to reach your breastfeeding goals.
- Prenatal Breastfeeding Class
- Returning to Work and Breastfeeding Class
- Post-partum telephone support as needed
Zully Santana, our certified lactation consultant, is available for phone support both prenatally and post-partum. Give her a call at (203) 709-3105 to schedule a consultation.
Nest Collaborative
Trinity Health Of New England and Nest Collaborative have partnered to provide families access to virtual, board-certified lactation experts.
Nest Collaborative is here to help families prepare for breastfeeding, and with any questions they may have after baby is born.
What the World Health Organization Says
If breastfeeding is the best choice for you and your baby, we are committed to helping you get off to a great start. We follow the recommendations of the World Health Organization as listed below.
The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding are:
- Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.
- Train all health care staff in the skills necessary to implement this policy.
- Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
- Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth.
- Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation, even if they are separated from their infants.
- Give infants no food or drink other than breast-milk, unless medically indicated.
- Practice rooming in - allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day.
- Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
- Give no pacifiers or artificial nipples to breastfeeding infants.
- Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or birth center.
*La Leche League Support Groups Monthly are available to the public. Call ( 860) 222-0990 for more information.
La Leche League of Connecticut