The McLeod Lactation Team is composed of six caring and wonderful women who help moms everyday have a positive and healthy breastfeeding experience.

The only one of its kind in the region, the Lactation Team receives referrals from physicians and professionals throughout the Pee Dee. Numerous studies have shown that breastfeeding protects babies and mothers from illness, and promotes life-long health benefits for the newborn. In addition, breastfeeding also creates a special bond between the mother and baby.

McLeod Lactation Services began in the mid-1980s, with the vision to support mothers in their efforts toward breastfeeding and to help them achieve the breast breastfeeding experience possible. All six members of the McLeod Lactation Team are Registered Nurses who are highly skilled and certified, specifically trained to meet the needs of breastfeeding mothers and their families. The team consists of one Lactation Educator and five International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC). The IBCLC certification is the gold standard in Lactation Consultant certification, and is acquired by achieving extensive experience with breastfeeding women, participating in continuous ongoing breastfeeding education, and passing the rigorous IBCLC exam. The consultants complete on-going training and renew their status every five years. These McLeod specialists provide the most up-to-date and medically sound advice to breastfeeding mothers.

The Lactation Consultants are available to patients during their stay with McLeod. Using the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations, as well as the International Lactation Consultant Association's Evidenced-Based Guidelines for Breastfeeding Management, new mothers are assisted with breastfeeding and taught what to expect during the first few weeks. The consultants meet every new mother on the day of her discharge to discuss breastfeeding techniques and care of the newborn. These women also encourage moms to call with any questions or concerns after discharge, and make a call back to breastfeeding moms within the first 10 days to follow-up with mother and baby and offer assistance if needed.

All moms who deliver at McLeod have six-weeks of outpatient lactation services available at no charge. For non-McLeod deliveries, McLeod outpatient lactation consultations are available for a fee.

The McLeod Mother-Baby Visit Program offers the services of Home Health Registered Nurse Patsy Andrews, who visits the homes of new mothers, provides encouragement to breastfeeding mothers, and conducts well baby check-ups, weighing babies to monitor their growth. Currently, approximately 50% of McLeod's post-partum patients and 27% of McLeod Neontal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) mothers breast feed their infants.

The McLeod Lactation Team provides outpatient services through the McLeod Resource Center. One-on-one lactation support is available by appointment each day at the Resource Center to assist individuals with questions or concerns they may have. Telephone counseling is also offered. The Resource Center is located on the McLeod campus in the Levy House behind the McLeod Pavilion, and is open Monday though Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The McLeod Lactation Team also reaches out to the community through participation in events such as She Saturday and the Early Pregnancy Celebrations. The Early Pregnancy Celebrations are free quarterly events for expecting parents between one and six months of pregnancy. The celebrations offer information about pregnancy, nutrition, exercise, do's and don'ts, and free food and prizes. The Consultants also provide continuing education courses to nurses and other members of the medical community in the Pee Dee region.

To contact McLeod Lactation Services, please call (843) 777-8377 or (843) 777-2890. To contact the McLeod Resource Center, please call (843) 777-2890.