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HomeNewsBlanchfield Army Community Hospital resumes Mom & Me breastfeeding support group

Blanchfield Army Community Hospital resumes Mom & Me breastfeeding support group

Blanchfield Army Community Hospital (BACH)Fort Campbell, KY – The Blanchfield Army Community Hospital (BACH) breastfeeding support group, Mom & Me, has resumed in-person meetings, Mondays from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at the Women’s Health Clinic.

Mom and Me provides TRICARE-enrolled, breastfeeding mothers of infants age newborn to 12 months access to BACH’s lactation consultants without an appointment.

“It is also an opportunity for moms to meet other lactating or breastfeeding moms, which enables them to develop peer-to-peer relationships for mutual support,” said Ms. Lesli Eiland, a registered nurse and certified lactation consultant on BACH’s Mother-Baby Unit, and Mom & Me co-facilitator.

“During the group, we help moms with breastfeeding concerns, weigh the baby, and allow moms to talk with other moms who have a mutual connection through breastfeeding,”
 
The group had been on hiatus since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but was recently given the go-ahead to resume with specific COVID-19 mitigation measures in place.
 
The group’s attendance is currently limited to moms and their infants, age 12 months and under. Participants should be free from COVID-19 infection, recent COVID exposure or COVID-like symptoms when attending a group meeting. Due to social distancing requirements the group is unable to accommodate siblings and guests, at this time, in order to allow maximum participation for breastfeeding moms seeking assistance.
 
Fort Campbell Child and Youth Services provides fee-based, short term hourly care for up to three hours at a time for parents who may need childcare for siblings. Parents need to pre-enroll their child at Fort Campbell’s CYS before they may sign-up for hourly care. To register visit https://campbell.armymwr.com/programs/parent-central-services.
 
Upon arrival at Mom & Me, each week, participants may check their infant’s weight pre-feeding and again post-feeding to get an idea of how much milk their infant is taking.
 
“They can see that their baby has gained weight, which is reassuring. They can also see how much milk the baby took during that particular feeding, which can boost their confidence in their choice to breastfeed their baby,” said Eiland.
 
“Breastfeeding is good for moms. It reduces their chances of ovarian cancer, reduces the chances of breast cancer and it also helps them recover quicker after they deliver. For babies, they have decreased allergies, decreased childhood obesity later on, and decreased infections and decreased chances of asthma later on in life,” Eiland explained.


 
“We’re here to help. Our job is to give the tools to empower moms to be as successful as they can be on their breastfeeding journey.”
 
The next meeting is Monday, June 27th. The group does not meet on Mondays that coincide with federal holidays, like the upcoming Independence Day holiday, Monday, July 4th.

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