We're celebrating World Breastfeeding Week at Children's Hospital New Orleans

World Breastfeeding Week August 1-7

What is WBW?

World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is a global campaign to raise awareness related to breastfeeding.

Why is breastfeeding so important?

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), states exclusively breastfeeding during the first 6 months provides all the nutrition an infant needs. The AAP also recommends that mothers breastfeed exclusively for about the first 6 months, followed by breastfeeding in combination with gradually introducing other foods until at least 12 months of age, and continuing as long as mother and baby wish to breastfeed.

Benefits

Most health professionals are familiar with the benefits of breastfeeding. The AAP continues to support the unequivocal evidence that breastfeeding protects against a variety of diseases and conditions in the infant such as:

• bacteremia
• diarrhea
• respiratory tract infection
• necrotizing enterocolitis
• otitis media
• urinary tract infection
• late-onset sepsis in preterm infants
• type 1 and type 2 diabetes
• lymphoma, leukemia, and Hodgkins disease
• childhood overweight and obesity

There are also maternal health benefits to breastfeeding such as:

• decreased postpartum bleeding and more rapid uterine involution
• decreased menstrual blood loss and increased child spacing (lactational amenorrhea)
• earlier return to prepregnancy weight
• decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancers

​Breastfeeding is also a great benefit to the environment and society. Breastfeeding families are sick less often and the parents miss less work. It does not require the use of energy for manufacturing or create waste or air pollution. There is no risk of contamination and it is always at the right temperature and ready to feed.

What we Offer at Children’s Hospital New Orleans

Anytime a breastfeeding infant/child is hospitalized, a lactation consultant will visit mom and baby to assess needs and assist with breastfeeding or with the use of a breast pump in order to help reach mom’s breastfeeding goals. Mom may face some barriers once her baby is hospitalized and the lactation staff will help through the entire hospital stay. Mom will receive all the education and supplies she needs to be successful with her breastfeeding experience. We have hospital grade pumps for mom to use at her baby’s bedside along with all the pumping supplies.

At CHNOLA we also provide education to the staff related to the most current standard of care related to breastfeeding, and the establishment and maintenance of mom’s milk supply as well as the storage of expressed breastmilk.

Our lactation consultant also visits with mom during her prenatal cardiology visits to help her prepare and educate her on basic breastfeeding/breast pumping education.

CHNOLA is also part of the Kellog “Express Yourself” grant which is community quality improvement effort where our aim is to get hospital grade pumps to mothers faster and in a unique way by utilizing our transport service in an effort to minimize health disparities around the provision of maternal milk to very low birth weight infants.

CHNOLA has a number of staff members and physicians who are qualified to help with all breastfeeding needs.

More lactation information can be found on: https://www.chnola.org/our-services/lactation/

Corrie Moran RN, BSN, IBCLC

Full list of our international board lactation consultants (IBCLC) and certified lactation counselors (CLC):

Julie Gallois, MD, CLC

Rashmi Rao, MD, CLC

Ashley Farge, MD, CLC

Katie Procarione, MD, CLC

Lisl Antee, RN, RNC-NIC, CLC (NICU)

Jamie Posseno, BSN, RN, CLC (NICU)

Emily Delatte, RN, BSN, CLC (NICU)

Robin Jones Felts RN, BSN, CLC (NICU)

Darian Buquet RN, BSN, CLC (NICU)

Taylor Doucet RN, BSN, CLC (CICU)

Jeanie Jones, MS, RN, CCRN, CLC (CICU)

Rana Mohammad, RN BSN CLC (CICU)

Kimberly B. Arceneaux BSN, RN, RN-BC, CLC (5 Center Clinical Leader)

Emily Eskew, BSN, RN, CPEN, CLC

Meghan Fletcher, MCD, CCC-SLP, CLC

Kimberly Gambel, MOT, LOTR, CPST, CBIS, CLC

Ellie Streiffer, LOTR, CLC, NTMTC 

Debbie Chepolis, LOTR, CLC

Amber Constant, RN, BSN, CLC (NICU)

Christie Witherell RN, BSN, IBCLC (NICU)

Charlotte Werhan RD, LDN, CLC (NICU Clinical Dietician)