Česky
Breast milk is the most natural and suitable nutrition for newborns and infants. Thus, breastfeeding support is one of the most important processes that take place in the delivery room. That is why the Hořovice Maternity Hospital has a three-member team of lactation consultants led by Lucie Daňková. "We try to make sure that at least one of them is present in the ward almost every day," says head nurse Dokoupilová. This is the fourth year the maternity hospital has been building this concept and the results are visible. "Last year, 86% of fully breastfed babies left the maternity ward and we believe that the number will continue to increase," Dokoupilova says.
The lactation consultants are among the mothers during their working hours and support them in breastfeeding. "They work with moms individually. They look for a suitable position for breastfeeding, check the correct suckling of the baby and correct any difficulties. At the same time, they provide psychological support if everything does not go as it should," says the chief nurse, adding that the lactation consultants work very closely with nurses and doctors. Together, they discuss possible reasons for the failure of full breastfeeding and share information about the health of mothers and babies or their psychological state.
Working with doulas
A new feature of the department is the collaboration with six doulas. They have expanded the nursing team of the ward. "We realised that the biggest weakness in our care is time. For mothers, childbirth is a unique moment that they usually experience once or twice in their lifetime. The doulas provide individual care to women from pregnancy to the end of the six-week period. They offer them kindness, patience, they listen to them during this psychologically very tense period and of course they are trained in breastfeeding support," explains the head nurse.
"The doulas provide individual care from pregnancy to the end of the six months."
The presence of lactation consultants and doulas should allow for improved and individualised care. "We hope that these efforts will also translate into the number of fully breastfed babies after discharge from the hospital," says the chief nurse, and in the context of the pilot project to monitor breastfeeding up to 6 months of age, she hopes that the percentage will be around 50-60%.
The hotline helps
If you need advice on breastfeeding at any time after discharge from the hospital, book an appointment with a lactation consultant or call the 24-hour Breastfeeding Hotline +420 311 554 542.
