By calling (315) 464-MILK, parents with questions or infant feeding issues can get answers as can local doctors who need guidance, for example, on medications that are appropriate for breastfeeding women.

“It is one stop, one phone number for everything lactation,” said Jayne Charlamb, MD, associate professor in Internal Medicine and OBGYN.

Charlamb said people can call and leave a message for non-emergency questions and then she or another practitioner in her office will return the call.

It is just one of the new perks and expanded services offered by Upstate’s Breast Health and Breastfeeding Medicine division, which Charlamb directs. With two additional practitioners in the office, Charlamb now has colleagues who can see patients and answer calls on the line. Charlamb said the phone number has been in use previously for local doctors to call, but with limited staff and publicity, it hasn’t gotten much use.

She is hopeful that it will take off and points out that any parent can call the line, whether or not they are a patient at Upstate.

“I would hope every pediatrician in town could give this number out to their families,” Charlamb said. “We have a lot of opportunities in Central New York to do a better job supporting our families to meet their breastfeeding goals.”

Charlamb is one of a handful of physicians in New York state to also be an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), and in her practice sees women at high risk for breast cancer and also patients who are lactating and need support.

Michele Dwyer, a registered nurse and also an IBCLC, joined the practice in 2018 and this past year, Nurse Practitioner Kathleen Tindall joined. Tindall is a certified lactation counselor and is working toward her international certification as well.

The three now operate out of Suite 1D in the Physician’s Office Building South at Upstate Community Hospital.

The expanded staff and space will allow the practice to serve many more families, Charlamb said. Unlike private lactations consultants, visits to Upstate’s specialty office are covered by insurance. She adds that many problems can be solved with a simple phone call.

While the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend exclusive breastfeeding for about the first six months with continued breastfeeding along with nutritious foods after that for two years or beyond, Charlamb said she and her practitioners focus more on supporting a family’s own breastfeeding goal.

“We absolutely never pressure anybody to breastfeed; we are here to help families meet their own goals,” she said. “We know 60 percent of families don’t meet their own goals. Instead of just promoting breastfeeding as a ‘good thing,’ we need—as a medical community, to support the families who want to breastfeed. It’s what you want to do, not about what the American Academy of Pediatrics says you should do.”

August marks National Breastfeeding Month in the United States, with Aug 1 to 7 World Breast Feeding Week.

 

Caption: Offering lactation expertise and other services are, from left, Kathleen Tindall, NP; Jayne Charlamb, MD, director of Upstate’s Breast Health and Breastfeeding Medicine division; and Michele Dwyer, RN.