DeBoer Becomes Certified Lactation Counselor
- July 17, 2017
Brookings Health System Obstetrics Nurse Nancy Deboer, RN, recently became a certified lactation counselor (CLC) from the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice. CLC is the premier national certification for lactation management in the United States.
A CLC is a professional in lactation counseling who provides clinical management and support to breastfeeding families. A CLC is dedicated to the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding and human lactation to prevent and solve breastfeeding problems. As a member of the health care team, a CLC also ensures appropriate referrals and recommendations for breastfeeding mothers.
As a CLC, Deboer will work within a counseling model, understanding that breastfeeding decisions are made by the mother, who may have values and goals different from the counselor. She will provide knowledge and counseling about optimal and sub-optimal breastfeeding to help improve breastfeeding exclusivity and duration.
To earn CLC certification, Deboer passed a comprehensive examination and demonstrated competence in lactation skills, including assessing the latching and feeding process; providing corrective interventions; counseling mothers; understanding and applying knowledge of milk production and other commonly encountered situations.
Deboer’s recent certification aligns with Brookings Health System’s objectives as a Baby-Friendly® Designated hospital. Brookings Health System has implemented the policies and practices to promote and support breastfeeding as outlined by WHO and UNICEF’s Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding for Hospitals and Birth Centers.
Brookings Health System’s OB unit, New Beginnings Birth Center, has eight beds with five labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum (LDRP) suites. The unit provides full OB services to expectant parents and enables area residents to deliver their baby close to home with a local physician. To learn more about New Beginnings Birth Center, please visit www.brookingshealth.org/OB.
About Brookings Health System
Brookings Health System, located in Brookings, South Dakota, includes the 49-bed Brookings Hospital, the 79-bed The Neighborhoods at Brookview nursing home, Brookhaven Estates senior living apartments, Yorkshire Eye Clinic, and medical clinics in Arlington, White and Volga, South Dakota. It is a non-profit, city-owned facility that offers the community a full range of inpatient, outpatient, surgical and extended care services. The emergency room is staffed 24 hours a day and provides around the clock patient needs ranging from minor injuries to life threatening crises. For more information about the services offered at Brookings Health System, please call (605) 696-9000 or visit us on the Web at brookingshealth.org.