We’re proud to offer all new parents access to a range of lactation resources before they leave the hospital, as well as a scheduled in-person home visit by one of our nurses within the first week they are back home with their new baby. These programs help so many of our patients and families feel supported as they adjust to a new routine.
Feeding a newborn can be extremely challenging at first, and we are able to provide gentle interventions at the hospital to help with a range of issues including latching, soreness, and milk supply issues. During daily rounds, our lactation consultants visit each family to offer help, answer questions, and solve any problems occurring with feedings. The Family Center has six lactation consultants on staff, all Board-certified internationally.
We offer donor milk when needed, such as for pre-term and surrogate babies, and when a mom’s supply is low or she is not able to breastfeed because of medication or other reasons. We also have a free loaner pump program available, ideal for when a patient is waiting on insurance approval for one or needs an upgraded device to address certain lactation challenges.
New parents’ need for support continues after they leave the hospital, and so do our services. We offer every family a free home visit, where one of our nurses comes during the first week to check in on both mom and baby. During the visit, our nurses can check vital signs and the baby’s weight, do lab work to check for jaundice, further assist with feedings, and provide advice about home safety. They also check in on mom to see how she’s doing both physically and emotionally, and can help connect families with additional resources as needed.
We always leave our families with a list of resources available to them – from information about our breastfeeding support groups to helpful websites, mobile apps, and phone numbers to have on hand. New parents can also call an open, staffed phone line during The Family Center’s office hours to get any questions answered.
For more information about our prenatal, birth, and postnatal services, please
visit our website.
Shauna McMenimen is the Clinical Nurse Leader at The Family Center at Exeter Hospital for both the Jolene Short-Porter Lactation Program and the Newborn Home Visit Program.