Venita Currie (Host): This is Health Matters. I'm Venita Currie. And with me is Anna Moore, a courageous mother, and Celia Robertson, a registered nurse who is an international board-certified lactation consultant from Southeast Georgia Health System. Today, we dive into a panel discussion on maternity and breastfeeding, exploring the realities and rewards of early motherhood. Welcome to the show, Anna and Celia.

Celia Robertson, RN, IBCLC: Thank you.

Anna Moore: Thank you for having us.

Host: Celia, I want to start with you. Can you tell me a little bit more about yourself and why you wanted to be a lactation consultant? What does that mean?

Celia Robertson, RN, IBCLC: Well, a lactation consultant is a professional that has extra training in breastfeeding lactation support. But I am a registered nurse as well. I worked in the NICU for 20 plus years. And I had multiple roles there as an educator and a bedside nurse. And I saw feeding as a real challenge, especially in the neonatal population, but in full-term population as well. And I love working with moms and families and, of course, babies. So, I went and got my additional training. And now, I'm lucky enough to work at Southeast Georgia Health System as a lactation consultant.

Host: Anna, I'd love to learn a little bit more about you too. You are not originally from here, so what brought you to this area?

Anna Moore: Yeah. So, my sister and I about six years ago had been planning on moving in together for a while. And the both of us wanted to live on the coast near the beach, so we got an apartment together in Brunswick.

Host: Excellent. And I'm sure you're enjoying every moment of that ocean life.

Anna Moore: Yes, I love it.

Host: Excellent. So Anna, talk to us about the first 24 hours after delivery. What was that like for you?

Anna Moore: Where do I start? It truly was one of the best days of my whole life. I just felt so in love with my baby and my connection with my partner grew even deeper as well. Yeah, it was just so exciting to finally meet her and hold her, and I was just immediately so in awe.

Host: Was this your first delivery?

Anna Moore: It was, yes. My first baby.

Host: So, going into the hospital and having that delivery, what did that feel like for you? Did you feel supported? Were you feeling nervous? A little both?

Anna Moore: Definitely a little bit of both. I didn't know fully what to expect, but I was very supported, not only from my partner and my family, but I loved my night nurse as well. She was really kind and easygoing and it really helped ease my nerves a lot, leading up to delivery. And she even grabbed my phone and took pictures for me because it was only my man and I in the room while I gave birth. So, I'll always appreciate her for that and cherish those memories.

Host: Wow, that does feel supported. Cecilia, what kind of support can new moms expect from your team in those first few hours?

Celia Robertson, RN, IBCLC: So, the bedside nurse is right there with mom and baby when baby's born, and that immediate help is right there. Southeast Georgia Health System supports skin to skin immediately after birth, and that has got just wonderful benefits for both mom and baby. It also sets up that whole breastfeeding relationship.

So, babies oftentimes will make their way to the breast and latch themselves. Sometimes they need a little bit longer in skin to skin so that they can transition. And then, of course, Jessica and I are the lactation consultants here, and so then we can go in and help. So throughout the hospital stay, we try to see all breastfeeding moms at least once before discharge. If for some reason we can't, because we're not here 24/7, 7 days a week, we also have lactation outpatient. So, when mom and baby are discharged, they can come back in and see us and we can provide ongoing care assistance with latching, pumping, whatever they need to ensure that they have the most positive experience ongoing.

Host: So Anna, what was it like for you? Let's talk about breastfeeding. How was the experience for you and your daughter?

Anna Moore: Unfortunately, I didn't get the initial skin to skin that I had hoped for because she did come out with the cord around her neck. So, the nurses had to tend to her for about 10 minutes. But as soon as they were done, I got her and she latched within about 20 minutes. So, she was a pro.

Host: Cecilia, Anna experienced something called cluster feeding. Can you break down what that is and why that happens?

Celia Robertson, RN, IBCLC: Yeah. So, cluster feeding is very normal. So, we always say exclusive breastfeeding babies, they eat eight to 12 times a day, and that's very normal. But cluster feeding can even be more than that. And oftentimes you see it sometimes day one, generally at night in the hospital, oftentimes day two. And babies just want to eat often, like frequently. They might want three breasts, two isn't enough. So, they will eat frequently. This happens again around three to six weeks as well and with growth spurts, and it is very normal. But for moms, they feel like they don't have enough milk. That's their biggest concern. And we like to normalize cluster feeding. We like to do it in prenatal education and ongoing because it is a concern, but it's actually a normal process that babies do to get more milk and increase mom's milk supply, but it can be exhausting. So, we always encourage parents to rest, moms staying hydrated, and enjoying the process as much as possible. It helps when parents understand that it is a very normal process.

Host: So, how did you connect with the lactation team, Anna, at Health System?

Anna Moore: So, a few weeks before my due date, I called my OB office and spoke with the nurses station because I wanted to ask them if I could start collecting antenatal colostrum. And that's when they gave me Celia and Jessica's number. And I was able to ask them more about it and attend their prenatal class and even tour the maternity center with them. So, it was nice.

Host: So when you came into the hospital, you already had a relationship established with that team, so it helped you feel a little more comfortable.

Anna Moore: Yes, it definitely did help. I looked forward to seeing them. And Jessica actually was the one that visited me in the delivery room and helped make sure that Zola was latching properly and all that. So, it was nice to have them.

Host: Celia, what are some of the common concerns moms bring to you in those early days?

Celia Robertson, RN, IBCLC: Common concerns, painful latch. So, that generally is something that is quite easy to fix with changing and positioning. And so, we'll assess full feeds in the hospital as much as we can. Sometimes it's just a tiny little tweak, it's just a slight move of a hand or we always say shove with love, getting that baby on very deeply, and moms, you see that immediate relief going, "Oh, okay, this is what it's supposed to feel like." So, that's a common concern.

Concerns about milk supply. So, colostrum is in very small amounts. So baby's tummies, if we have this little tool, baby's tummies are the size of a marble in day one, okay? So, they get very small amounts of colostrum at each feed. So, by day three, their tummies start to get bigger around the size of a cherry tomato, and that's where you see mom's milk supply increasing. So, it's kind of this beautiful synchronicity between baby and mom. So, concerns about milk supply, and we can talk about that, sometimes there's reasons for lower milk supply and we can also help moms in that situation as well.

And engorgement, that happens around day three to five. Very normal again, but we see oftentimes those are the callbacks that we get as well. But we do teaching in hospital with regards to strategies to manage that and frequent feeding and feeding on demand as your best bet. And other concerns... What do you think, Anna? What other concerns did you have?

Anna Moore: I would say I got used to cluster feeding quickly. So once she stopped, I was concerned and I remember calling you all and saying, "She's only eating for like five minutes at a time now." And you were like, "Oh no, that's normal. Your milk supply is regulating. She's becoming more efficient." So yeah, I was worried that I wasn't giving her enough at that point.

Host: That can be concerning, especially as a new mom and maybe even a first time mom. So, some of our listeners might be wondering, "I wish there was a support group for that." And it sounds like you've got one called the Milky Way Group.

Celia Robertson, RN, IBCLC: Yes, we do. So, the Milky Way Breastfeeding Support Group. Jessica and I run that here at Southeast Georgia Health System, Brunswick Campus. And there's also one in Camden, our other campus. That support is ongoing. So at Brunswick, it's the first and third Wednesday of every month. It's 11:00 to 12:30. We provide food for mom. Moms and babies come. We have employees that come on their break so that they can participate too and get support for mom. And we have started to have moms that are still pregnant come because they've heard about our support group, and that is beautiful because this wonderful group of ladies. We're so supportive of a mom that hasn't even delivered yet and are able to answer questions.

So, we have speakers come. Oftentimes, we do fun crafts on special days. We do baby footprints and things like that. And we really encourage supportive dialogue throughout, and sometimes it honestly starts to run itself. Anna's been coming from the very beginning and she can tell you a little bit about her experience with it. But it's a beautiful group. We welcome everybody to come to it.

Host: Anna, anything you'd like to add to that? What was your experience like?

Anna Moore: Oh, my experience has been so great with them. You know, in the beginning, it was just nice to have an excuse to get dressed and leave the house with the baby. But overall, the time there, it's just been nice to have other women to bounce advice off with and share stories. And it's a confidence boost and it's been really nice.

Host: Well, having a baby, as we all know, is a family affair. And so, you've got aunties and uncles and grandparents who all want to be helpful. So Anna, in that first month at home, what worked well as far as supporting you and what didn't work so well so that we can educate other people in how to assist new mom?

Anna Moore: One thing I'm really glad that we did is for the first week, we didn't have any visitors. That gave us the room to just bond with her deeper without the pressure of other people's opinions or advice or whatever it may be. But beyond that, I spent majority of that month in bed breastfeeding on demand. So, I did have family come help and I would say the best help for me was just helping, if you see the dishes need to be done or chores. I think a lot of people want to offer to help by holding the baby. But as a mom, you know, we don't need help with that part. We want the baby, we don't want the chores.

Host: Anna, if you could go back before delivery, what's the one thing you wish you knew?

Anna Moore: Oh, that's a good one. I guess I wish I would've known it's okay to wait a little longer before inviting people in the room. You know, looking back, I wish I would've given myself more time to just let it be intimate, let it be the three of us. And obviously, I appreciate all the support that my family offered and I'm grateful. But yeah, I wish I would've given myself a little more time, and that's okay.

Host: The last question, Cecilia, how can new moms or expectant moms reach out for support from Health System?

Celia Robertson, RN, IBCLC: Yeah. So, we have a lactation warm line, and you can call it seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Dads call us two. We're not here 24/7 like I said, but just leave a message. We do get back to everyone who calls us. So, that number is 912-466-3184. You can also access information on Southeast Georgia website as well and sign up. We offer a breastfeeding tour like Anna mentioned, and we also offer a breastfeeding class as well. So, that happens once a month. And then, through that lactation warm line, when you talk to us, a lot of times we can help families with whatever questions they have, and also even when babies are getting older and moms are starting to want to wean or if they want help with a schedule for going back to work, because that can be a struggle as well. So, we can provide that as well. And if we need to see you in outpatient Southeast Georgia Health System, we have a beautiful lactation space. And we can book lactation appointments for you outpatient and we can do weighted feeds and help with anything that you need with that. And of course, we have the Milky Way Breastfeeding Support Group Facebook page as well, which you can sign up for and we'll accept you.

So, there's a lot of ongoing support. We are very, very passionate about our families and our babies. And, yeah, so you're not alone. Just remember that you're not alone.

Host: Well, I'm sure your words of wisdom and encouragement just brighten the day for new moms who are beginning their breastfeeding journeys. Thank you both for a great conversation. That was Anna Moore and Celia Robertson. For more insights and support resources, head over to sghs.org/breastfeeding. That's sghs.org/breastfeeding. If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it on your social media channels and explore our library for topics of interest to you. I'm Venita Currie. And this is Health Matters, a Southeast Georgia Health System podcast. Thanks for tuning in.