Heather Armenoff, BS, IBCLC is a Lactation Consultant in the Houston Area who has been helping mommas for over a dozen years. She has nursed six of her own littles, including a set of twins, and has faced her own challenges. Part of her inspiration for becoming an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) was her experience with her first little one. She experienced many breastfeeding challenges, and her mother, who breastfed her and her two siblings with no issues, was not equipped to help her through these challenges. However, her mother did seek out someone who could help, and out of this experience Heather's passion grew.
Heather was kind enough to sit down with us and answer some questions about lactation consulting, and we have curated those here for you. Her expertise and passion is clear in every response, and we hope you learn something from her today.
What is lactation consulting and its purpose?
Lactation consultants are a group of healthcare professionals who specialize in infant feeding and lactation support. I (Heather) entered this field with a strong passion to help families navigate through some very challenging situations that often lead to further complications or prematurely ending the breastfeeding relationship. This can be either directly with latching a baby to the breast or indirectly with pumping and bottle feeding.
The profession of a lactation consultant is a very unique healthcare career as it does not only address the needs of only one patient, but rather the entire family. Our focus is to help families achieve their infant feeding goals with evidence based care, compassion and the upmost support along the way.
Why is lactation consulting important?
Many families set breastfeeding and bottle-feeding goals when pregnant but are often unable to achieve them due to various challenges and/or lack of support. A lactation consultant can help provide unparalleled guidance throughout many situations to help redirect families back along the path they chose, building confidence in their parenting abilities.
Whether a family is experiencing infant feeding challenges prior to our first visit or feels everything is going great, we can usually offer some piece of advice to help improve the overall new parent experience.
How does it work?
Many families deliver their new babies and have limited to no direction with what to expect, how to care for or feed their newborn. As with many topics out there, lactation and breastfeeding information is available in abundance, but parents often struggle with what is accurate or pertains to them. Lactation consultations help provide direction with infant care and feeding. Our society does not provide the exposure needed for many mothers to see what breastfeeding looks like. Lactation consultants help bridge that gap.Â
What kinds of situations do you assist with?
I wear many hats as a lactation consultant. Some of those include that of an investigator, a cheerleader, a counselor and a friend.
Common situations that I help families through are infant weight gain issues, latch and/or breast pain, milk production (low and high!), tongue tie concerns, breast pump use, bottle feeding techniques, return to work and concerns with fussy babies.
What does a normal session with you look like?Â
During a typical consultation, I will review a clients history and discuss any concerns that we need to address during our visit.
I will then weigh the baby and provide an oral and structural assessment of the baby to determine any areas that appear to be leading to feeding or behavioral challenges.
Jumping into a feeding session is usually the next step, whether it be at the breast or with a bottle. If at the breast, a nipple and breast exam will be provided during this time. I'll then observe a typical feeding session to get an idea of what that has looked like prior to our visit and often offer suggestions to help improve a mother's comfort with latch, a baby's feeding efficiency or latch to a bottle.
If breastfeeding, we'll follow this with an additional baby weight to get an idea of how much milk a baby is drinking from the breast.
Shortly after a feeding session, parents and I will discuss a care plan that we feel is most manageable to reach their goals and schedule a follow up visit for continued support.
What is a common misconception around lactation consulting?Â
I feel the most common misconception is that we only work with breastfeeding issues and condemn families who chose otherwise. My professional focus is to support families with infant feeding and lactation, by whatever means that is. Sometimes that focus is on weaning and "drying up" a mothers milk supply, while other times it's a focus on bottle feeding.
How do lactation consultants help with weaning?
At some point or another, a mother will need to wean from breastfeeding or pumping. Though this process appears cut and dry...no pun intended!...it can be a complicated process. Some women, more so than others, are prone to plugged milk ducts and breast infection, that abrupt weaning can lead to. Others may struggle with how to gently encourage their baby to transition to a bottle. Whatever the reason, a lactation consultant can make the experience much smoother.Â
What advice would you give to mommas as it relates to breastfeeding?
A couple of things come to mind that I often talk about. One is that the first month is usually the most challenging, then things often get easier after that. The other is to seek help as soon as you feel things aren't going well. The sooner the better!
What do you think is most important for new mommas to know about what you do?Â
My goal in providing care is to help moms reach THEIR infant feeding and lactation goals. Empowering families to feel confident with their parenting abilities is my ultimate focus.
How does positioning impact breastfeeding and tie-in to what you do?
When working with families, a lot of my focus is ensuring the best possible positioning and support, which leads to the most success. Positioning of mom and baby can both greatly impact latch comfort, feeding efficiency and overall comfort when breastfeeding. The first step when helping a mom breastfeed during a visit will always be to have mom in a comfortable, often reclined, position. Once mom is comfortable and relaxed, we then work on baby’s positioning. I’ll often have mom’s partner help with any additional support needed. This focus will usually allow a more natural connection with mom and baby that enables baby to latch more comfortably and feed more efficiently, all while improving mothers neck and shoulder comfort.
PT note: please watch this video to learn how to sit when not actively breastfeeding to protect the pelvic floor.
Additional note: if you breastfeed in bed, side-lying is the best way to protect your pelvic floor while breastfeeding.
How can people find you?
I'm available for office visits in League City, in-home visits, virtual consultations and can be reached via phone or text at 832-688-6583 or through my website at www.theflowconsultations.com.