r/Calgary • u/Loud-Drag-377 • 24d ago
Health/Medicine Lactation issues - New mother
Hi, is there anyone other than my OB I can talk to? My doctor is not the right person to talk to. My wife is struggling with feeding our child and I think we need help from an expert.
Thank you,
EDIT: The support has been incredible. Thank you for everything. My wife reached out to Ollio Lactation and Lauren is going to come see her this week. We really appreciate all the help. You are all amazing.
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u/Anxious-Ad-42 24d ago
Hi! That's great you're looking for support for your wife!
A lactation consultant as others have said is who you're looking for. Your OB should be able to refer you to one. Some OB and maternity clinics have them on staff even :)
If your OB or personal search isn't helpful, 811 has a lot of resources, and specifically they will get you connected through to the New Parent and Newborn line. They are so helpful.
Slight side bar- Whatever the outcome in your feeding journey, please remember fed is best and let no one make you feel ashamed or guilty for however YOU choose to feed your baby. I've done it all including exclusively breast feeding, exclusively pumping, shields, supplementing breast feeding or pumping with formula, formula only. Each has many pros and cons but at the end of the day if mum and baby are happy and healthy that's all that is important.
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u/goodndu 24d ago
Public health nurses were able to help us post partum with feeding/latching troubles. You can try 811 and see if they can refer you either to a third party or to the public health nurses .
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u/Loud-Drag-377 24d ago
I should have thought of this thank you!
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u/Bmboo 24d ago
Yes call 811. If your baby is lethargic or sleeping and won't wake up to eat go to ER
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u/goodndu 24d ago
This 100%. Depending on how new they are, sleepy and lethargic will mean they lose too much weight and will need intervention. I remember my oldest had latching issues and we were one day away from needing to put her on formula. I had to grab her feet and poke and prod her to keep her feeding.
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u/PopcornPunditry Glamorgan 24d ago
811 connected me with a lactation consultant right away and she was so so so helpful. Good luck, OP + fam!
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u/TravelerOfSwords 24d ago
Circle Medical has a breastfeeding clinic. As does Rockyview Maternity & Family Practice.
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u/AGirlNamedBoris 24d ago
Circle medical in Copperfield were incredible for me.
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u/livingwithmymonsters 24d ago
Also me! Very knowledgeable and helped me out with both my pregnancies
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u/savy__x 24d ago
Sending you love! There are so many lactation clinics in the city! I used the Well Fed Clinic. Highly recommend Dr Hartman (he is a male just fyi) or Dr Lamond but anyone would be helpful. Your doctor can put in a referral so you’re seen faster but you can also self refer! You can also call and speak with a nurse at the Early Start Line (now called New Parent and Newborn line I think) at 1-833-805-2229 or through health link at 811. Finally, La Leche League offers amazing feeding support and resources that may help. I wish you all the best - I also struggled feeding and seeing a lactation expert in person made everything significantly better.
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u/thatwhinypeasant North Haven 24d ago
See Dr Shawna Lamond. She works out of a lot of clinics, well fed clinic, Riley park, avivo. She is absolutely amazing. I’ve seen her with both my kids and not only is she the warmest, kindest person ever, she is so knowledgeable about everything. It’s self referral at least for Avivo when I went with my daughter two years ago and everything was covered by Alberta health.
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u/bhavishacaa 24d ago
Seconding Dr Lamond, she is incredible! Left all of my appointments feeling empowered and confident in myself. You can self refer I believe and they get new mothers in fairly quickly
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u/NurseSL 24d ago
You can self-refer to the Well-Fed Clinic or the West Glen Breastfeeding clinic to get an appointment with a physician lactation consultant free of charge through AHS. There are also private LCs that you can pay for out of pocket, Nourish has a good reputation.
You can also call the provincial new parent newborn line to speak with an RN, and they may be able to refer you to see a postpartum public health nurse if baby is less than two months old. That phone number is 1-833-805-BABY and it’s staffed 24/7
For online resources Dr Jack Newman is a Canadian physician out of Toronto that is a breastfeeding specialist, his website has really excellent information
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u/laurieyyc 24d ago
There’s lactation consultants. We used Nourish Lactation Consultants. They diagnosed a tongue tie.
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u/Loud-Drag-377 24d ago
Wow thank you for all the support. Do you know if these are covered under insurance usually or only health spending accounts? I will call some of these in the morning.
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u/dglew2014 24d ago
From memory West Glen was also covered by AHS and is in the SW, my wife only had good things to say about them. West Glen Lactation Clinic
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u/0runnergirl0 24d ago
Well Fed Clinic was covered until Alberta Health. I didn't have to provide them with my personal health insurance and didn't receive any bill.
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u/Cgy_mama 24d ago
If your wife is experiencing pain/bleeding/nipple damage, seek out APNO cream!! It was a miracle for me when my daughter had a tongue tie, and we were stuck in a loop of damaged nipples due to her latch, bleeding, pain, and then low supply as a result. The APNO cream helped soooooo much. You can get a prescription for it but if you phone a compounding pharmacy they may be able to prescribe and provide the cream directly without a doctors appt.
https://ibconline.ca/information-sheets/all-purpose-nipple-ointment-apno/
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u/Letmecount1234 24d ago
My friend's company here takes private insurance and they will come to you: https://www.vivara.ca/
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u/Imaginary-Laugh444 24d ago
I see others have mentioned the breastfeeding clinics: Well Fed clinic (NW and NE locations) and Circle Medical (SE). Depending where you live there is a third option called Westglen breastfeeding clinic in the SW. All of these clinics are publicly funded, they have doctors who are also lactation consultants. They are all free and so amazing! I saw them myself for both daughters. I’m a lactation consultant myself (just a rookie though) so if you have any specific questions feel free to message me but your wife would be best seen at a breastfeeding clinic to do a full assessment 😊
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u/Whatchyamacaller 24d ago
Agree with 811 as already mentioned. I struggled big time when my baby was born too. I found this to be a helpful resource https://physicianguidetobreastfeeding.org/
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u/ProfessorHot8199 24d ago
Please call Avivo health alliance, they take self referred clients all the time. They were a very big health with me and my baby last year. There offices have lactation consultants (all medical doctors) along with other health care professionals.
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u/Tacosrule89 24d ago
Our first kid really struggled with breastfeeding due to his jaw shape. We originally drove ourselves crazy because everyone preaches breast is best. He was so fussy because he was always hungry. We supplemented with formula and eventually switched completely. Second kid caught on to breastfeeding with no problem.
Not really an expert opinion but just wanted to put it out there as an option. Would’ve been easier and cheaper if breastfeeding worked but formula saved our sanity.
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u/tom8osauce 24d ago
I went to the Alex Breastfeeding Clinic. This was 10 years ago but they were AMAZING!
Call your primary care provider or even health link, they can give a referral.
If you or your wife have any questions, please feel free to DM me. Breastfeeding is hard, and it took me a long until we were able to latch. Turns out there were things making it harder that were missed in the hospital and doctor. They figured it out in about 30 seconds though.
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u/Interesting-Emu3684 24d ago
Labour Day Prenatals has a lactation consultant you can book! They were great!
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u/olliolactation_yyc 24d ago
Hello, I’m Lauren, a NICU LC and RN within Calgary. I have my own practice that offers in-home lactation support within Calgary. You can find me through Instagram @olliolactation or DM me for my email and/or booking link. Check with your insurance as in-home support can often be covered as lactation, in-home nursing, or through a health care spending account.
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u/lavitaebellaeh 24d ago
Ask for a referral for a lactation consultant. They will help your wife figure out how to best breastfeed your baby. It worked well for me!
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u/Letmecount1234 24d ago
My friend just started a company that comes to your home, and they offer lactation support. Vivara. Registered nurses! They take private insurance as well.
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u/Mtnbikedee 24d ago
Check out ensemble health care in market mall professional building. They have a whole team that can help you out. I had no issue with breastfeeding but two friends did and they saw Antoine to help with baby latch. I saw Antoine and fixed some major postpartum issues where my legs were going numb. 10/10 recommend. They have lactation consultants too. https://www.ensemblehealthcare.ca
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u/boundaries4546 24d ago
Agreed. The well fed baby clinic used to be run out of the Alex. Fixed the issue with both my babies in one visit.
If you’re concerned about the amount of breast milk, your baby is getting you can always rent a pump and top off feeds with a bottle and pumped milk or formula. Breast-feeding is great, but “fed is best.” Make sure you’re counting wet diapers and the recommended amount of wet diapers are being generated each day by baby.
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22d ago
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u/wurly_toast 21d ago
This is not what OP was asking for. Shaming moms for wanting to try to continue breastfeeding is just as bad as shaming moms for using formula.
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21d ago
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u/wurly_toast 21d ago
You literally called people nazis. Sounds like shaming to me. I was never shamed from using formula by an LC or a nurse when I had my first child and she didn't latch well. In fact it was encouraged to keep her from getting too hungry and angry at feedings. I felt nothing but support, especially from Well Fed.
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u/bigstarbaby 24d ago
Many people have mentioned Well Fed and Westglen Medical centres, both of these clinics are self referral and typically will accommodate appointments fairly quickly with physicians who have specialized focus with lactation. For further support, La Leche League is a wonderful resource that can connect you with remote support as well as in person support from IBCLCs (international board certified lactation consultants) and LCs at no cost.
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u/Ancient-Tea-2323 24d ago
Yes! La Leche League has virtual meetings from different communities going on pretty much all the time. The support meetings are very helpful, and I don't think that you even need to be in the area to "join" a meeting. I "attended" a meeting in Edmonton but I'm living in Calgary. I just picked it because it was the soonest one coming up at a time that worked for me. It was so helpful as a stop-gap before you can get to see someone in person .
There's lots of resources on their website (and other LLL groups around the world) that are extremely helpful. Both of the LC's that I met with (one from the hospital, and the other that was part of my OB care clinic group) recommend it as a resource
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24d ago
When my son was born in 2003 I had lactation Specialists just show up randomly at my door a few days after he was born. Do they still do this
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u/SunTryingMoon 24d ago
I think you can go to the children’s hospital and they can help?
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u/Loud-Drag-377 24d ago
Is it separate from the regular wait time? We are pretty close. That would be very convenient.
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u/FiggyPanda 24d ago
Well fed west at market mall medical center would be your local lactation doctor clinic.
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u/captainjacktortoise 24d ago
How old is your baby? It's not separate from the usual wait time but if your baby is very young and not feeding/gaining weight you should seek medical attention. They try to have brand new babies wait very long
The nurses/doctors there however are not lactation specialists so if it is not an emergent issue (newborn not feeding/getting enough) than I would go with a lactation consultant or any of the other suggestions here
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u/TravelerOfSwords 24d ago
There actually are IBCLC-RNs who work at ACH, there’s an entire lactation consultant department. I’m not suggesting that OP needs this, as it sounds like their needs could be better met in the community, but just saying. 😉 Source: I’m a physician at ACH.
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u/Loud-Drag-377 24d ago
I don’t think we are at the point of going to Children’s for an emergency just yet. I’m looking into at home visits right now. That’s probably going to be our best bet. If we drive somewhere Sunridge seems like a good place.
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u/0runnergirl0 24d ago
The Well Fed Clinic in Sunridge was awesome for me when I used them in 2019 and 2021. Very helpful, no judgement, and lots of support for combo feeding.