Amid a widespread “breast is best” campaign, why is it that the first and often only lactation support stop for many women is an array of free websites? We learn from the web about breastfeeding drug interactions (I can take Sudafed, right?), answer milk storage questions (how long can I leave fresh breastmilk out before refrigerating?) and read about feeding problems (why does my baby make a clicking sound when he eats?) and more. These sites shouldn’t have to fill the gap left by traditional healthcare providers who are either too expensive or unhelpful. But they do.
I was reminded of this when I woke one recent morning to a painful, red lump on my breast. I was still breastfeeding my five-month-old, so my first stop was his pediatrician, where the practice had recently added an insurance-covered lactation consultant.
But it was a no-go. “Unless your issue is related to your baby’s ability to feed, we can’t help you”, the staff nurse told me. “But this is incredibly painful. I can’t nurse my 4-month-old”, I replied. “I’m sorry. Maybe try your doctor”.
I panicked. Nursing that day had already become nearly impossible and my son was exclusively breastfed. The pain was unbearable but I knew that if I didn’t keep nursing, my supply could plummet. I was worried that a recent bout of strep throat meant I had an infection in my breast known as mastitis. I started taking Ibuprofen for the pain.
I didn’t want to call my obstetrician. The last time I visited my OB for breastfeeding help was two years earlier for nipple cracking and bleeding with my first son. My OB knew how to treat my injury (ointment, perhaps using a pump instead of nursing) but she had no advice related to how to make sure this didn’t end my ability to breastfeed. “If it hurts when you nurse, you can stop”, was the gist.
As I’m sure any nursing mother would say, it was disheartening to hear a doctor suggest quitting breastfeeding altogether as a first option. Instead of calling my OB, I turned to my trusty breastfeeding support friend: Google.
After trawling through many helpful posts on free breastfeeding sites and mothering forums, I came to the conclusion that my problem could be a plugged duct or an infection.
Again, insurance-covered medical support was not what I believed to be my first, best option. Instead, I relied on a private lactation consultant who I had used in my first week home from the hospital with whom I still had one year of free contact. I emailed her with my symptoms and sent a photo of the lump. She said it appeared to be a blocked or infected Montgomery gland, which warranted specific time-intensive treatment. Thanks to her support, the issue was slowly resolved and I avoided having to stop breastfeeding and/or potentially spreading an infection.
But most women don’t have a personal lactation consultant, let alone one with an open “help you for a year” policy. Health insurance either doesn’t cover this support or cover just a portion. Additionally, the work, time and money usually required to find lactation support usually leaves lower income women with few or no options.
That’s why we need lactation support that is available to all women. A stronger and more educated breastfeeding support network needs to be created for mothers. To achieve this, we must support the profession of lactation consultants and licensing for new consultants, education on breastfeeding for existing health care professionals, health care coverage and reimbursement for lactation support and increased access to these services.
Walgreens recently tested the issue of access by offering a free breastfeeding support program at two of their locations in Indiana, according to Reuters’ Lisa Rapaport. “It’s like a minute-clinic for my boobs?” one of my friends, who is a nursing mom here in Washington DC, exclaimed when I told her about the pilot. “I would use that in a heartbeat.”
When 24 hours could mean the difference between being able to continue breastfeeding or not, the internet may be a woman’s best friend. But, it shouldn’t be a woman’s only friend.
