Intermountain Cedar City Hospital Opens Inpatient and Telehealth Lactation Clinic for New Moms
For many new mothers, a lactation consultation can become a lifeline. That's why Intermountain Cedar City Hospital is expanding its services for new moms with a new lactation clinic.
The new Intermountain lactation clinic includes onsite consulting, as well as telehealth opportunities from Intermountain Health board-certified lactation consultants.
The Intermountain Cedar City clinic is now one of ten Intermountain hospitals offering this in-person support.
The much-needed service allows a lactation team to provide the help many moms seek as they navigate breastfeeding. Since most mothers go home within 24 hours of delivering many of them will find that once they start caring for their baby at home, they have questions, or issues with breastfeeding that didn’t exist while in the hospital. The consultants help moms and babies at any stage of breastfeeding.
Intermountain Cedar City Hospital will have available appointments Monday through Friday between 10 am - 2 pm, MT, with one of its four lactation consultants to help address concerns, including issues such as latching, positioning, mastitis, pain, infection, milk supply, pumping issues, weaning, and more.
Kim Heaton, lacation lead for Intermountain Cedar City Hospital, chose to become a lactation consultant when she was looking for direction after she having her first baby and did not find the help she needed.
“No one really came in and talked to you about lactation or how to watch your baby. They just gave you the baby.," said Heaton about when she delivered her first child.
"They would have a nurse come see you but there wasn't a lot of training on breastfeeding. You just had to figure it out for yourself. It's a great bonding thing with my kids. I want to make it nicer for other moms.”
More tha n sixty percent of mothers do not breastfeed for as long as they intend, according to the Centers for Disease Control, .
The Intermountain Cedar City Hospital Lactation Clinic hopes to reduce that statistic as breastfeeding provides health benefits for both mother and baby.
For the newborn, breastfeeding provides optimal nutrition, immune system support, reduces the risk of allergies, and improves digestive health. For moms, breastfeeding helps with emotional bonding and postpartum recovery.
Now, Heaton is leading a team of consultants who can create a better experience and provide that training and lactation support whenever a patient needs it.
Their goal is to create a positive and healthy experience for mother and baby. In addition, Heaton says that lactation consultation can help moms from abandoning breastfeeding sooner than they planned.
For more information about virtual or in-person lactation consultations, visit the Connect Care lactation support webpage. Intermountain Health also has a virtual breastfeeding class available for expectant parents. It’s a one session, two-hour class and offered regularly. The cost is $15.
In-person and virtual appointments can be made at the Intermountain Cedar City Hospital Lactation Clinic by visiting connect.intermountainhealth.org/utah-lactation-clinics.
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