Going the extra mile for breastfeeding mums “We can’t encourage women to breastfeed and not be there for them when they need help. And that is even more true during such a difficult period as the COVID-19 pandemic,” insists lactation consultant Claire Fitzpatrick.
T
he theme of the upcoming National Breastfeeding Week (October 1st to 7th) is ‘Feeding the future: Supporting breastfeeding through a pandemic and beyond’. Claire and her colleagues in the lactation department of Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise (MRHP) have had to innovate and evolve over the last 18 months as COVID-19 restrictions made their traditional way of delivering education and support to breastfeeding mums all but impossible. “We needed to reflect, refocus and renew our approach to providing safe antenatal education on breastfeeding to women. It was incredibly important to find new ways to engage in order to impart knowledge and support women,” she explains. Traditionally women attend face-toface breastfeeding education classes at
MRHP, which are held fortnightly. Due to COVID-19, breastfeeding and antenatal classes were cancelled. “The lactation department at MRHP adapted and changed the education pathway to meet the needs of women in a different way. Education needed to be delivered remotely in an efficient, accessible and convenient format,” says Claire. Despite COVID-19 restrictions, if a mum has an urgent problem, they continue to have access to a face-to-face consultation. Technology has played a massive role in fixing the lines of communication that were broken by the restrictions on faceto-face classes. A laptop and smartphone were secured to allow ease of access to email in order to promptly reply to women. The lactation. mrhp@hse.ie email was generated to allow women to email the service directly. “The lactation department is
contactable and available for phone consultations should a woman need individual support in the antenatal period when preparing to breastfeed. And our mums can send me an email or WhatsApp message whenever they have a problem or a question,” says Claire. “In one way, the pandemic has made us more accessible to the mums when they need us. Previously a mum might have a query but she only got to see the lactation team at one of our breastfeeding groups. Now they have a direct line to us and can get an answer to their question almost straight away.” Women who contacted the service were automatically sent an information email with links to useful breastfeeding sites and videos to read and watch in the antenatal period. A weekly Preparing to Breastfeed class was commenced via Webex in early May 2020. A survey was sent to all women who attended the virtual class and the feedback was extremely positive. One hundred percent of woman surveyed said they would recommend the workshop to a friend and found the technology easy to use. “It was a fantastic session and really helpful. Obviously would have prepared to have a face-to-face sessions but given the current restrictions, it was really good,” said one mum-to-be. Another said, “I learned loads. I now feel much more comfortable leading up to the start of my breastfeeding journey.” Claire highlights the importance of the role of the lactation team – it was confirmed in May that there would be a doubling of hospital lactation consultant posts - but says that it is also vital to continue to train staff on the wards. “The lactation consultants can’t be around 24 hours a day so it is important that the breastfeeding advice is consistent and that everyone is on the same page. We have a quick turnaround in doctors in obstetrics and paediatrics
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