Lincoln Memorial Offers In-Person, Hotline Support for Breastfeeding

 

[July 15, 2022] 

Breastfeeding for two years or more can lower a child’s risk for respiratory tract infections, severe diarrhea and ear infections as well as decrease the breastfeeding mother’s risk for maternal Type 2 diabetes, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

“We already knew breastfeeding through the first year was beneficial to both mother and baby, but we have learned just how very beneficial breastfeeding can be and that has caused experts to revise their previous recommendations,” said Lindsey Burge, a registered nurse in the obstetrics department at Lincoln Memorial Hospital.

The AAP had previously recommended children be exclusively breastfed for about six months, at which point solid foods are introduced in addition to breastfeeding through the child’s first year. A policy statement issued by the AAP in late June recommends breastfeeding for two years or more.

Lincoln Memorial Hospital partners with Springfield Clinic and the Logan County Department of Public Health to offer a free weekly breastfeeding support group from noon to 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays in the Graue Room inside the hospital, 200 Stahlhut Drive, Lincoln.

Certified lactation consultants lead the group. They encourage participants to engage in open discussion as they learn to gauge how much nutrition a child receives during each feeding and how to overcome challenges to breastfeeding.

In addition, the hospital offers a 24/7 breastfeeding hotline staffed by lactation consultants. The number to call is 217-605-5231.

“There are common obstacles to sustained breastfeeding that are beyond our moms’ control that may lead to premature weaning off breastmilk. For instance, employed mothers who return to work may not have access to a safe, clean space to pump breastmilk or do not have access to on-site child care,” said Carly Winkelmann, a registered nurse in the obstetrics department at Lincoln Memorial Hospital. “But other aspects to breastfeeding are within our moms’ control, and they may just need the proper support to achieve their breastfeeding goals.”

The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 84 percent of babies born in Illinois start out being breastfed. Fifty-four percent are still breastfeeding at 6 months, with 25 percent breastfed exclusively. Thirty-two percent of babies are still breastfed at one year.

[Michael Leathers]