Breastfeeding should be easy, but it sometimes isn’t. If you’re breastfeeding and looking for after-hour/weekend/home visit lactation counseling, Bring It On Out provides support counseling for moms who can’t meet with doctors or lactation consultants during normal business hours. The organization offers phone consultation from 5 to 11 p.m. and schedules weekend consultants as well as home visits.
“Bring It On Out stems from the efforts of recognizing and supporting the art of breastfeeding,” notes Donna Holmes-Ross, a certified lactation consultant who has worked for public and private healthcare providers in Shelby County. “It believes in supporting the mom with the decision to breastfeed as a norm and not a task.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends babies be exclusively breast-fed for the first six months of life. Breast milk has all the nutrients your baby needs, unless otherwise recommended by your doctor. The AAP also suggests babies continue breastfeeding until their first birthday or as long as is mutually desired by you and your baby.
Holmes-Ross backs up this, stating all mothers who can should give their babies the best they’ve got for a healthy start in life. For a successful breast-feeding experience, it’s important to find a network of moms who support the decision to feed your baby naturally. Her advice to new moms is simple: Eat a balanced diet and stay stress-free.
The Bring It On Out support group meets at Greater Hope Baptist Church, 2690 Spottswood Ave. every second and fourth Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon. Class discussions cover the initiation of breastfeeding through baby’s first six weeks. They also talk about how to breastfeed once you return to work, products that work while breastfeeding, nutrition, and breastfeeding after six weeks.
For more information, contact Donna Holmes-Ross at 757-2672 or email bringitonout@gmail.com.