Maternal Connections ™ Perinatal Lactation Center Breast Feeding Supplies and Support Education and Support for a Better Beginning El Camino Hospital 2485 Hospital Drive Orchard Pavilion Ste. 361 Mtn. View, CA 94039-7025 tel: (650) 988-8287

Maternal Connections™ Articles and Information

• How and Why To Wake A Sleepy Baby First Few Days Of Life
  
  
• Breast Engorgement
  
  
• Breastfeeding: The Best Investment...
  
  
• The Cost of Feeding Your Baby
  
  
• Breastmilk Collection and Storage
  
  

What is Maternal Connections™

Benefits of Breast Feeding

Breast feeding makes a difference to the health and welfare of mothers and babies.

• Breast feeding helps protect a baby against common illnesses such as diarrhea, ear infections, and pneumonia as well as against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), juvenile diabetes and childhood cancers.
  
  
• Employees who breast feed take fewer sick days for themselves or their children and are often more productive on the job.
  
  
• Breast feeding helps to protect women against breast and ovarian cancer, anemia and osteoporosis.
  
  
• Breast feeding reduces health care costs, since breast fed babies make fewer sick visits to the doctor or emergency room.
  
  
• Babies who are not breast fed are 10 times more likely to be hospitalized for an infection than babies who are breast fed.
  
  
• The art of breast feeding is nurtured by the support of families, friends and the whole community.
  
  

What services does Maternal Connections™ offer?

With a low annual member ship fee, you can borrow books and videos from our library. Topics include pregnancy, child Care, parenting and first aid, nutrition and exercise behavior and infant development, special needs and breast feeding.

BabyWeigh™ Scale

Available free-of-charge for you to use at any time we are open. Just drop by and weigh your baby.

Every Tuesday and Thursday noon to 1:30 p.m. Drop in during these hours; there is no registration or fee.

A Class offered twice monthly to support moms in returning to work and breastfeeding.

Daily Rounds

Visiting new mothers on the Maternity unit.

Lactation Support Services

Maternal Connections™ is staffed by RNs, Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultants and Lactation Educators.

Lactation Consulting
Please make an appointment for a comprehensive evaluation and the development of a plan to help you with your lactation needs. Your physician will be informed of your assessment and the recommended plan. There is a fee for this service.

Maternity Unit
Rounds on El Camino Hospital's maternity unit are made Monday thru Saturday. If you have concerns about how breastfeeding is going, please ask your nurse. If your nurse feels our expertise is needed they will contact us.

NICU
We make rounds twice a week with the team that reviews the needs of the baby. We offer support and encouragement to moms wishing to breast feed their NICU baby.

Drop In Support Group
Offered Tuesdays and Thursdays, Noon to 1:30 p.m. Just drop in during these hours to join other mothers and a lactation consultant. This program is free.

Phone Follow Up After Delivery
All mothers, whether they choose to breast feed or not, are called by a lactation consultant three to five days after delivery to provide support during those first days at home.

Mother/Baby Store

Breast pumps Iron, Medela® and Ameda® are available for sale. We carry hand-held. battery-operated and electric double breast as well as extra parts for pumps.

Other products for sale:

• Nursing Stools
• Breast Milk Freezer Bags
• Nursing Bras (Medela®, Bravado, Leading Lady®, Grenier)
• Pumping Free Attachments Kits
• Purified Lanolin
• Disposable and Washable Bra Pads
• Breast Feeding and Baby Care Books
• Slings
• Breast Feeding Pillows
• Avent and Munchkin Feeding System
• Breast Shells
• Maternity Support Belt

Rentals

(Rentals available by the day. week, month, and beyond.)

Breast pumps
We rent breast pumps from Medela® and Ameda®. Both are quality. fully-automatic cycling electric breast pumps. Trained staff will help You evaluate your needs. All pumps have the capability for single or double applications.

Classic™,
by Medela® and the Lact-E™ by Ameda® are excellent for those who are separated from their baby or have a concern for their milk supply. These pumps are recommended in the first three weeks, a critical time for establishing your breast milk supply.

Lactina®Select,
by Medela® and the Elite®, by Ameda® are excellent light-weight pumps and easy to carry - well suited for those returning to work. Both are available with rechargeable battery options.

Scales
The Medela® Baby Weigh™ scale allows you to weigh an infants before and after feeding to calculate the infant's breast milk intake. Accurate to two grams (0.1 oz.). this scale is used for infants under 12 lbs.

PowerPak™
This rechargeable power supply can be used with the Lactina™ or Pump In Style™ breast pumps. A cigarette lighter adapter is included.

Baby Beeper™
Pagers are available so that the mom's support person is only a beep away.