As a Certified Breastfeeding Counselor (CBC), your primary goal is to provide empathetic, evidence-based support to new and expecting parents. With the rise in telehealth and virtual consultations, many people, including lactation experts, have been able to increase access to their services. Virtual lactation support is a great way to reach and support more families.
Wondering how and why you can provide virtual lactation support? Our comprehensive online Certified Breastfeeding Counselor program provides you with the counseling techniques and breastfeeding information you need to help families. This article explains how you can help more families through virtual lactation support.
Why Virtual Lactation Support?
The COVID-19 pandemic created a need for virtual services, including lactation support. It also helped normalize virtual support and forced providers to learn how to provide efficient support virtually.
Even as we’ve shifted back to in-person support, virtual support still has significant benefits. Virtual support allows for more flexibility and convenience for parents who might struggle with transportation, time, health concerns, etc.
For those in rural areas, virtual consultations can be a lifeline. Virtual lactation support also offers a way to provide timely support to families during the critical early days and weeks of breastfeeding when waiting could cause more challenges.
Preparing For a Virtual Consultation
As a CBC, you want to be sure your virtual lactation support is as professional as the support you would provide in-person. You also want it to be warm and inviting, despite the virtual nature.
Be sure you are in a private space. Families should feel comfortable asking questions. And perhaps most importantly, they should feel safe breastfeeding during the virtual visit without concern others can see your screen.
Before the call, be sure to test your virtual consult software so that you are less likely to have glitches or be late to the consult. Many parents schedule visits as close to feeding times as possible.
While you might not be legally bound by HIPAA depending on where and how you provide lactation support, it is important to always be HIPAA compliant as it covers every base for being confidential and private. This builds trust and ensures that families feel safe sharing details with you.
Best Practices for Virtual Lactation Consultations
Providing virtual lactation support can feel a bit different than in-person support. However, if you use your knowledge from training and your counseling techniques, you can provide quality virtual lactation support.
Take time to truly listen and understand what concerns the parents have. From there, you are likely to want to observe a feed in a way which isn’t uncomfortable for the parents. Often, you will want to see what position the lactating parent is in as well as the positioning of the baby. Depending on the concern the parents have, you might ask them to show you the latch.
As you are not there in-person, it can be helpful to have a doll and model breast to show different positions, proper latching, etc. You can also utilize diagrams, pictures, and videos to help parents understand positions, latching, and more.
It can be difficult to be warm, encouraging, and personable on a computer screen. However, it is important that you provide an empathetic and safe space where parents feel comfortable. If you struggle in front of the camera, take time to practice before you provide sessions.
Virtual sessions can feel less personal, so actively listen and provide reassurance. Parents may feel more nervous when showing intimate moments like breastfeeding on camera. Create a safe, judgment-free environment where they feel comfortable asking questions.
Follow-up and Continued Support
Depending on the concerns parents have, more than one visit or follow-up is needed. Sometimes, virtual support will need a little more assistance than in-person.
After a session, it’s important to follow up with a visit note, often via email, with everything discussed and the ongoing plan. While this is often done with in-person visits, virtual might need it even more as it can be easy to lose attention during a virtual consult.
It is also helpful to share digital resources such as breastfeeding guides, videos, or articles to reinforce the advice you’ve provided. These can be especially helpful as families navigate breastfeeding outside of your sessions.
Virtual lactation support allows you to expand your reach and help more families. With the right tools, techniques, and mindset, you can offer valuable, personalized support remotely, making a significant impact on a family’s breastfeeding experience.