Day in the life of
Lactation Consultant – Andrea Tran RN, BSN, MA, IBCLC
I am an RN and lactation consultant (IBCLC). I have been a lactation consultant for over 26 years.
I see moms and babies at the hospital after the birth. I also see them as outpatients in our office. I facilitate a breastfeeding support group once a week. I talk to the nurses about which moms to see and how they need help and then I go see the mom and provide the help she needs.
I work with babies to help them and their mothers breastfeed. I assess babies physically, check how they use their tongue and how they suck. I weigh them and help moms position them and assist with latching them onto the breast. Sometimes I just get to hold them while their mom is using a breast pump.
My typical day
When I arrive at work I check phone messages and return any calls that sound urgent. I then get reports from the nurses on the moms and babies who are having breastfeeding problems or have requested to see me or their doctors have requested they be seen. I prioritize who should be seen first.
When I go in to see the mom and baby I have a conversation with the mom to determine if a feeding needs to be observed. Often I will have to come back when the baby is ready to eat. Sometimes the mom just has questions. I do a lot of teaching with the mom.
When appropriate I give her a plan to address any problems and talk about follow up. After I finish with the mom and baby I report back to the nurse and then chart on what happened during the consult.
How many patients I see varies from day to day. Anywhere from one to as many as 14. I do phone calls when I have the time.
On days that I’m scheduled to see outpatients, I only see two because we schedule their appointments for two hours and then I finish charting after they leave.
Pros
For me, the pros are that I am really passionate about the importance of breastfeeding. It’s fun to get to work with new families. Another pro is when there are problems I have to be a detective to figure out what’s going on. I enjoy the challenge and the research I am led to. I feel very lucky to have a job that I love so much after so many years.
Cons
Cons are dealing with doctors who don’t follow evidence-based practice and nurses who are resistant. I also have to work weekends and holidays sometimes. It’s also physically demanding. Sometimes I am standing and leaning over a mom for 45 minutes. Another con is it makes me sad when a mom decides to give up because it often makes her sad.
