Infant Feeding

Book into our online breastfeeding classes by sending an email to classbookings@coombe.ie and contact our department if follow up is required

Call our office and leave a voicemail from 34 weeks - we will need to have a telephone consultation to ensure it is safe for you to do so, and then we will leave a colostrum harvesting pack for collection. This is free of charge, so you dont need to buy one privately. Please note we do need at least 3 days notice in order to prepare your pack for you.

Make sure your partner or family are aware of your choice so they can look after you once you are home. Practice plenty of unrestricted skin to skin with your baby as research shows this helps to increase your supply and may make the baby more interested in feeding at the breast. It takes patience and hard work to establish breastfeeding so accept all offers of help. Don't expect to get into a routine quickly, babies feed frequently in the early days and weeks until breastfeeding becomes established.

Your midwife is your primary caregiver on the ward and all our midwives are trained to support breastfeeding. If she feels there is an ongoing issue, she can send a referral to the lactation team and you will be seen the next day on the ward. Breastfeeding takes time to establish so do ask for help while you are here.

You will go home to the support of either the community midwives from the Coombe if you are in the catchment area, or to the care of your public health nurse, who will usually see you within 72 hours of home. You should receive our information sheet prior to home and can contact us with any issues that need follow up. We have a weekly postnatal clinic, by appointment only, and will assist you to breastfeed your baby.

The hospital grade pump is useful to increase your milk supply if required, but we would like you to call us to make a follow up appointment in the first 2 weeks so we can try and help you to transition to breastfeeding.

The evidence suggests that 70% of babies can successfully breastfeed with a tongue restriction. There are some babies who may require a frenotomy in our tongue tie assessment clinic. If it is identified on the postnatal ward, one of our lactation team will come and assess a feed and can refer you on to our clinic. If you have gone home and it is affecting your breastfeeding, e.g. painful nipples, baby not able to feed, we need to assess your feeding first in our postnatal clinic, prior to referring you on. In many cases adjusting your position and latch can improve your breastfeeding.

We have lactation consultants in the NICU who will guide and support you and prepare you both for the transition home.

Please see a health professional if you are concerned about your baby - your GP, or out of hours your nearest children's hospital (Crumlin, Tallaght, Temple Street). There is no baby A & E in the Coombe.