Lactation consultancy
At the Vita Nova Breastfeeding Centre, parents can find specialist advice about breastfeeding. The lactation practice gives advice and guidance when there are difficulties with breastfeeding and in special situations such as premature births, when a mother or baby are ill and when the baby has difficulty latching.
When the mother needs to use a breast pump, the parents can also contact Vita Nova Breastfeeding Centre. In the first six weeks, unless there are breastfeeding problems, a hand pump is not recommended because it does not increase the mother’s milk production sufficiently. We therefore recommend the rental of one of the electronic breast pumps that we provide. Naturally, we also give advice and guidance on how to use the breast pumps.
The lactation consultant can be contacted via telephone at 06-54268933 between 8:00am and 10:00pm. In the unlikely event that you are unable to contact us, you can always contact the Dutch Association of Lactation Consultants (Nederlandse Vereniging van Lactatiekundigen – NVL).
To rent a breast pump you can contact us 24 hours a day.
Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding in line with UNICEF and the WHO
Every facility providing maternity services and care for newborn infants should:
- Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff.
- Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement this policy.
- Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
- Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within half an hour of birth.
- Show mothers how to breastfeed, and how to maintain lactation even if they should be separated from their infants.
- Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk, unless medically indicated.
- Practise rooming-in – that is, allow mothers and infants to remain together – 24 hours a day.
- Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
- Give no artificial teats or pacifiers (also called dummies or soothers) to breastfeeding infants.
- Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or clinic.
Source: Protecting, Promoting and Supporting Breastfeeding: The Special Role of Maternity Services, a joint WHO/UNICEF statement published by the World Health Organization.