Transcription:
Breastfeeding Resources in Merced County

Bill Klaproth (Host): The baby-friendly hospital initiative was launched to encourage and recognize hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for infant feeding and mother-baby bonding. So, what does it mean to be baby-friendly? And what are the breastfeeding resources in Merced County? Let’s find out with Dawn Arnsberg, a Lactation Consultant with Dignity Health. Dawn, thanks for your time.

Dawn Arnsberg, RN, BSN, IBCLC (Guest): Heh Bill. Pleasure to be here.

Host: So, Dawn, Mercy Medical Center is currently working towards baby-friendly certification. Can you tell us about that?

Dawn: Well, we’d like to part of the World Health Organization’s encouragement for exclusive breast feeding. Baby-friendly for the hospitals; there’s four different phases. There’s the discovery phase, developmental, dissemination and designation. We’re currently almost at the dissemination phase. The reason this is so important is because breastmilk is what’s desirable for babies. What that means is the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies are fed nothing but exclusive breastmilk. This means there’s no formula or water. Because breastmilk is what is desired and achievable for our babies.

Host: So, you’re putting a lot of work into this Dawn. So, let’s continue on with breastmilk and why that is so desirable for babies. Why is breastfeeding so important? Can you give us some of the benefits?

Dawn: It is made for the baby. Perfectly digestible. There’s a lot of research out there that shows that it decreases a baby’s incidence of ear infections, intestinal infections. There’s even some evidence that shows there’s a decreased chance of diabetes, of leukemia and actually, there’s also some new research that shows that it may even increase the baby’s IQ. But what I think we forget to mention is that there are benefits to the mother as well.

There is some new research at UC Davis that actually shows that the longer a mother exclusively breastfeeds; it decreases her chance for cardiovascular disease. It can also help decrease her chance for diabetes and breast cancer. So, there’s also some really great benefits for the mother as well as the infant.

Host: Yeah, that’s really good information. So, for the baby; perfectly digestible, decreases infections and may decrease certain conditions and as you said, benefits for the mother as well. So, this is all good. So, why isn’t this known? Why is early breastfeeding education needed in our community?

Dawn: Well I think what happens is there’s a lot of misunderstanding. Even one drop of formula in the early weeks for a mother who is exclusively breastfeeding changes the intestinal flora and you can’t get that back. So, we really highly recommend only breastmilk for those babies. Part of that exclusive breastfeeding is also just even the bonding the mother has with the infant. Here at Mercy and most of our Dignity facilities; we really encourage skin to skin. Skin to skin immediately after the baby is delivered, the baby is place right on the skin of the mother. What’s important about skin to skin is that actually, the baby is thermal regulated by the mother’s own temperature. It does a much better job than even the warmers that the hospitals have.

So, the mother’s own body regulates that temperature. It also can help with the baby’s glucose and most importantly, it helps with bonding.

Host: So, Dawn, skin to skin bonding after birth, really important. Then do you also delay bathing and weighing to allow the baby to breastfeed and then tell us about rooming in, so the baby stays with the mom.

Dawn: Oh, that’s a great question. We actually very highly encourage the golden hour we call it. it is that time immediately after birth when the baby remains on the mom’s chest and all nursing requirements are done after the golden hour has happened. So, we weigh the babies after at least an hour, we give the medications at that time. This is all extremely important that we do not disturb the mother and baby during that time.

The other thing that we do is that babies remain in their rooms 24/7. We do what’s called rooming in. There’s lots of literature out there that encourages babies to remain in the rooms with their mothers. It helps with bonding as well as encourages exclusive breastfeeding.

Host: Yeah, that’s really interesting information and again, good to know and all of this education is needed in the community so, can you tell us about the labor and delivery and breastfeeding educational classes that are offered?

Dawn: Yes. Here at Mercy Medical Center, we have childbirth classes that are four weeks long and they emphasize the importance of the communication between the partner and the laboring mom. And in one of those classes, I think it’s the third week, we do nothing but breastfeeding education. What we’re finding is that the earlier the mothers learn about breastfeeding and its benefits; the more likely they are going to exclusively breastfeed. What we are even doing currently is we are going into many of the clinics and the doctor’s offices and we are working with their medical assistants. We want to make sure that they understand why exclusive breastfeeding is so important and they are the first person that sees those new pregnant moms. So, it’s important that they know why exclusive breastfeeding is so important.

Host: Really good information Dawn. So, can you also explain more about your community partnerships with WIC and the Merced Breastfeeding Coalition?

Dawn: Yes. We are incredibly fortunate in that our WIC; they send several lactation consultants into the hospital and they help in interacting with our mothers and helping them with breastfeeding. Out of a week, they come and help us about three days a week and we also send many of our patients to them for breastfeeding assistance.

Host: Well those are really good partnerships Dawn and I want to ask you too, what is the Breastfeeding Café?

Dawn: Oh, it’s an exciting new project that we started in November and again, in collaboration with WIC. What WIC has done is they’ve done some training with some peer counselors and these are mothers who have breastfed. Because oftentimes, mothers will listen to other mothers. Our particular Breastfeeding Café as again, we’ve been open since November and currently we are only open one day a week and we hope to expand that. But we are open on Wednesdays for about two hours and our breastfeeding counselors come. But there’s always a lactation consultant in the background in case there’s a question or there’s an issue.

During that Café, mothers bring up lots of questions. They are able to actually breastfeed in the room and have other mothers help them as well as the consultants. We can even do weighted feeds which is really helpful for a mom who may believe that she doesn’t have enough milk. That way we can weigh the baby before a feed and then weigh the baby after and the mother can actually see that the baby is ingesting enough milk.

Host: Dawn, that is a dynamite program. The breastfeeding café. So, educational. So, if you could wrap this up for us. What else should a pregnant woman or a new mom know about breastfeeding?

Dawn: That you can do it. I will be honest; it won’t be easy in the beginning for some moms. But you need to recognize the fact that you’ll need support. It’s very important that you have support. There’s people to reach out to. Here in Merced, we have the breastfeeding café, you have WIC, you have Le Leche League. And we have many independent resources in our community that can help. We want you to be successful.

Host: Well thanks Dawn. Really good to talk with you and for more information about breastfeeding please visit www.dignityhealth.org, that’s www.dignityhealth.org. And be sure to subscribe to Hello Healthy in Apple podcasts, Google Play or wherever you listen to your podcasts. This is Hello Healthy. A Dignity Health podcast. I’m Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.