Consult Preparation and COVID-19 Breastfeeding FAQs

In-Person Lactation Care

Lactation Room wants to ensure you are fully prepared for your consult and feel safe during your time with us. We’ve outlined our process so you can better prepare for your time with the IBCLC as well as shared some COVID-19 breastfeeding facts and resources below.

Office:
The Lactation Room office team is busy continually wiping down surfaces, scales, and high touch surfaces with disinfectant wipes during the day, and the individual consult rooms are wiped down in-between each consult.

When you arrive, you and your baby will have your temperature checked and the feeding parent will be asked to wash their hands. You then head to your individual consult room and work with your IBCLC. Your IBCLC will be wearing an N95, or equivalent, mask throughout your time together and we ask that the feeding parent wear a mask throughout the consult as well.

In an effort to prevent crowding and allow social distancing, we encourage partners to join the consult via Facetime, Teams, or whatever digital platform is preferred.

In-home:
The IBCLC will be bringing a clean scale for infant weights which has been wiped down in-between use with a disinfectant wipe. The consultant will have gloves and will be wearing an N95 mask or equivalent in all care scenarios.

We ask that during our time in your home while we are working together that efforts are made to allow social distancing of all people in the home who are not the feeding parent and baby. We also ask that everyone who will be in the same room with the IBCLC wear a mask.

COVID-19 Resources and FAQs

General COVID-19 breastfeeding guidance:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides a comprehensive guideline for COVID-19 and breastfeeding here.

How to safely clean your home after someone is sick:
Make sure to disinfect and safely clean your home after someone got sick by wearing a mask when entering the room where the sick person used to stay, increasing airflow by opening windows and using fans and using disinfectants safely. Read this article by the CDC to learn more.

I have COVID-19 how do I care for my baby safely?
According to the CDC, current evidence suggests that the chance of getting COVID-19 in babies is only low when their birth parent takes preventive steps before and during the care of their newborn. Learn more about caring for your newborn if you have COVID-19.

Will my baby get my COVID-19 antibodies if I breastfeed?
Wondering if is it safe to get COVID-19 vaccine while breastfeeding? According to AAP News, researchers found that women who get vaccinated against COVID-19 while breastfeeding have passed antibodies to their children through their breastmilk, hence offering immunity and infant protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

How often should I clean my breast pump?
Keep your breast pump clean and protect your baby from germs with these safety recommendations.

What should I do if I am sick? Do I need to pump and have someone bottle feed the baby?
Worried about breastfeeding and COVID-19? According to Unicef, there is no evidence that COVID-19 can be transmitted through breastfeeding, rather breastmilk offers antibodies that boost the health of babies and protect them from infections.

Insurance and Telehealth Lactation Coverage

The guidelines for virtual services are changing consistently for coverage of telehealth services. We highly recommend contacting your insurance plan directly to discuss whether your plan is covering services.