Ridgeview Medical Center - Lactation Program

What is it?

Ridgeview Medical Center’s 15-year-old lactation program has measurably increased participants’ breastfeeding rates, thereby improving babies’ health. The hospital’s three part-time, certified lactation consultants counsel mothers on everything from when to introduce a bottle to how to use a breast pump. Acting as a nurse, cheerleader, and friend, the consultants encounter issues ranging from post-partum depression to nutrition questions.

Who is it for?

Any mother who breastfeeds her baby and lives in the west-metro area has access to complimentary lactation advice and instruction by phone after her baby’s birth. Mothers who deliver at Ridgeview are seen by a lactation consultant during their hospital stay and, when needed, have access to outpatient lactation consultations for up to three weeks following discharge. Ongoing free telephone support is available for them as well.

Our Neonatal Care Unit, in partnership with Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, also feels strongly about the importance of breast milk for these special babies. If a mother is unable to provide breast milk or has chosen not to breastfeed, heat-processed donor human milk is available for these premature babies by doctor order. Our hospital purchases this milk from an authorized Human Milk Bank of North America provider. There are currently 9 human milk banks in the United States, with several more in the development stage. Donors are carefully screened; the milk is collected, pasteurized, bottled and then shipped to where it is needed.

Why do they do it?

Promoting breastfeeding promotes good health for mothers and babies. A mother’s milk contains the right proportion of nutrients for growing babies. No synthetic product can match the benefits of natural breast milk, which provides antibodies to protect babies from many infections and diseases; promotes optimal brain development, improves IQ scores and child development; reduces the risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and childhood cancers; improves vaccine effectiveness; improves chances for good oral health; and provides protection from allergies. Breastfeeding offers many health benefits for the mother. Several studies have found the risk of certain cancers, mainly breast and ovarian cancer, to be higher in women who have never breastfed. There are many psychosocial benefits as well.

Impact

Of the 100 to 120 babies the hospital helps bring into the world per month, about 90 percent start out being breastfed, up from 64 percent before the program began. The national breastfeeding initiation rate averages around 77 percent. Per year, the complimentary program aids more than 600 mothers at an unreimbursed cost to the hospital of about $30,000.

Contact: Laurina Tofteland, RN, CLE, IBCLC
Lactation Services Coordinator
Telephone: 952-442-2191, ext. 5262
E-mail: laurina.tofteland@ridgeviewmedical.org