Since May, new mothers whose babies are patients of Dr Richard Auerbach or Dr Marina Arena at Auerbach Pediatrics, 25 Church Hill Road, have had the opportunity to meet with pediatric nurse practitioner and board licensed lactation consultant Gina Reitmeyer.

Ms Reitmeyer, a pediatric nurse practitioner for 18 years, and a lactation consultant since 2003, offers education and assistance to mothers wishing to breastfeed their babies. While she believes that breastfeeding is the first line of nutrition, she wanted to lay to rest rumors that a lactation consultant is there only for those mothers dedicated to breastfeeding. Ms Reitmeyer also counsels new mothers who cannot or prefer not to breastfeed, so that both baby and mother can enjoy optimum health.

“As a lactation consultant, I don’t judge. People think that a lactation consultant would look down on women who prefer not to nurse, but I try to support the mother in what is best for her and the baby. Meeting with me is about lactation, but it is also about newborn care,” she stressed.

“Moms today are really savvy,” Ms Reitmeyer said. “They know the benefits [of breastfeeding], for the most part, so I am there to reinforce what they know,” she said. “I want to empower women to facilitate the process,” she added.

A lot of nursing is “in the head,” said Ms Reitmeyer. How confident and how relaxed a new mother is contributes to how successful she and her baby are with breastfeeding.

The female body has been preparing to feed a baby for the nine months of pregnancy. That does not mean, though, that breastfeeding is automatic for mother or baby. Breastfeeding, said this expert, is a learned behavior on the baby’s part.

“Sometimes, it takes a little effort and practice,” Ms Reitmeyer said.

Breastfeeding is on the rise since the 1980s, she said, due mainly to increased support from hospitals, family, and improved social attitudes. At Auerbach Pediatrics, approximately 85 percent of new mothers breastfeed their babies at the time of birth. By the time the baby is six months old, 75 percent are still breastfeeding, and at 12 months, half of the patients are still receiving breast milk.

Statewide, those numbers are less, and when resources and support are minimal, mothers are not apt to continue breastfeeding. Less than a quarter of babies in Connecticut that are breast fed at birth are still breast fed at 12 months, according to Ms Reitmeyer, but more education could increase those numbers.

Emily Nezvesky, the mother of 7-year-old Jayden, came to Dr Auerbach’s practice when pregnant with her second son, Brody, now five months old. She was excited to hear that a lactation consultant was on staff there.

“I had a hard time [breastfeeding] with my first baby. He was ten pounds at birth and he just ate all the time. I was so sore. It wasn’t the bonding experience you’re supposed to have,” said Ms Nezvesky. “I had hoped to breastfeed longer, but I put him on formula when he was a month old,” she said.

In June, just a few days after Brody was born, Ms Nezvesky visited Ms Reitmeyer for the first time.

“She gave me a lot of tips,” she said. Along with preventative information for issues that had troubled her with Jayden, Ms Reitmeyer assisted in other ways that have made breastfeeding Brody a more pleasant experience, said the new mother.

“I’ve had someone to call and reach out to anytime — she gave me her phone numbers for after hours. I am so thrilled to have someone readily available when I have questions,” Ms Nezvesky said. “She has taught me things I could have used [with Jayden], that I wish I’d known. She’s phenomenal.”

Brody continues to happily breastfeed, she said, except for the one to two daytime bottles of formula he has received the past six weeks, now that she is back at work.

“I think the most helpful thing Gina told me is to not get discouraged, and that if it didn’t work out, that’s okay. It doesn’t make you a ‘bad’ mother if you can’t. She was there to make sure I could breastfeed as long as I wanted. This time,” Ms Nezvesky said, “things went better.”

Ms Reitmeyer is enthusiastic about the knowledge she brings to the practice. There are many benefits of breastfeeding, she said, including bonding between mother and child. Mothers who breastfeed tend to have less postpartum depression, and get back to prepregnancy weight more easily. Down the road, research has shown, she said, that women who have breastfed babies are less likely to get breast or ovarian cancer, or develop diabetes.

The baby reaps huge benefits from breastfeeding, as well, said Ms Reitmeyer, from the nutrient rich colostrum produced in the first days after birth, to the immunity protection provided as the baby grows.

“Full-term babies are at less risk for colds, ear infections, pneumonia, and other respiratory infections,” Ms Reitmeyer said. Babies who nurse on mother’s milk are also less prone to eczema, inflammatory bowel disease or celiac disease, asthma, diabetes, obesity, and allergies. Breastfed babies tend to have less incidence of SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome, she said, although that may be aided by the current “Back To Sleep” program that promotes baby sleeping on his or her back, not the tummy.

Ms Reitmeyer is happy to help mothers of premature infants who want to breastfeed. Premature infants are often not strong enough to nurse at the breast, or may have other health issues that prevent nursing. Breast milk can be pumped, however, using any number of modern electric pumps. Professional support in these instances can lead to the premature baby receiving vital breast milk and successful breastfeeding once the baby is home.

Premature infants that receive breast milk are at less risk for infections, and tend to have shorter hospital stays, said Ms Reitmeyer.

The Initial Visit

An initial 45-minute to one hour visit in the first days after birth can help her learn about the mother’s health and prior experience with breastfeeding and birth, determine if there are any problems she can address, offer information on the physical and psychological changes being experienced, and observe the interaction between infant and mother. This kind of early support can enhance the nursing experience and preserve the duration. She recommends that mothers nurse their babies for at least the first six months, whenever possible.

“Women are often exhausted and emotional at this time, and sometimes frustrated,” Ms Reitmeyer has learned. Common difficulties she hears are that the baby is not latching on properly in order to draw milk; breasts are uncomfortably engorged; and the fear that milk supply is poor.

No Two Babies Are The Same

“Nothing really prepares you for motherhood,” said Ms Reitmeyer, no matter how much education a woman has or how much reading a woman has done. Having nursed three babies of her own gives her the experience to relate, on top of her professional training.

“No two babies are ever alike, either,” she pointed out, so even women who have previously nursed can run into difficulties that a lactation consultant can help work out.

Going back to work is another concern new mothers have, and while many of her patients now do not go back earlier than 12 to 16 weeks, they still need support if they plan to continue providing breast milk. She recommends dual electric breast pumps to her patients, which come in a big range of prices. Many insurance companies will now cover the cost of a breast pump, she said, and she can provide help in learning how to use one.

“It is state law now that employers have to have a room available for women who want to pump, and it cannot be a bathroom,” Ms Reitmeyer said. Employers must also make time available for the women to pump. “That kind of support has been beneficial to more mom’s continuing to nurse,” she said. When babies continue to receive breast milk, they tend to be healthier. The plus for the employer is that the mother is not calling out so often.

“It’s a beautiful life event to have a baby, but it’s a transition for the family. I stress with the mothers that they cannot forget about themselves. Are they eating well? Are they drinking ample amounts of water? Are they resting?” she said. She also recommends that nursing mothers continue taking prenatal vitamins.

To Dr Arena, adding a pediatric nurse practitioner to the staff who is also a lactation consultant was “like hitting the jackpot.”

As part of a practice earlier in his career, Dr Auerbach had seen the benefits of an in-house lactation consultant. When he received a resume from Ms Reitmeyer, “I realized this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I recognized the value she would bring to our practice,” said Dr Auerbach. “She has already helped over ten families successfully continue nursing,” he said.

“Families that I’ve seen so far have been really happy. I’ve seen a lot of babies and have seen a lot of different situations. I always try to treat the patients individually,” Ms Reitmeyer said. Mothers find the visit reassuring, she has found, even if things are going smoothly.

“It’s about the education, and knowing what to expect,” she said, adding that her goal is happy babies and happy mothers.

Women who are not patients of Auerbach Pediatrics can find names of lactation consultants in the state at International Lactation Consultants Association (ilca.org), or by consulting their own pediatricians. Information on breastfeeding and support can also be found at 211ct.org.