Lactation Services
Dedicated to Your Breastfeeding Success
Aspen Valley Health's team of experienced Certified Lactation Consultants (CLC) offers support during all stages of the childbirth experience to ensure our new mothers gain information, confidence, and the skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies. Not only will a CLC be available to assist with breastfeeding upon delivery, but there are also several support groups available in both Aspen and the midvalley to provide continued assistance once you've returned home with your newborn. For more information, please read through the details below.
Lactation Services & Support Resources
Lactation Support
Inpatient Lactation Services: All mothers who deliver at the Aspen Birth Center are provided lactation consultations and are offered return outpatient visits to support breastfeeding.
“Bosom Buddies” Breastfeeding Support Group: Meets weekly at the Birth Center, Thursdays at 2:00 pm. This is a social group that also provides professional support and peer counseling for breastfeeding. This group is led by a lactation counselor. Complimentary for breastfeeding patients. No appointment necessary. For more information, please call 970.544.1130.
Baby Café:Breastfeeding support offered on Thursdays from 11:30 am–1:00 pm at the El Jebel Community Center (2nd floor WIC office). Complimentary for breastfeeding patients. No appointment necessary. English and Spanish services provided. Find out more by visiting: Baby Café Facebook page
Birth Center Warmline: This phone line is dedicated to the support of breastfeeding mothers. If you experience difficulties after you go home, you may call to speak to a certified lactation counselor about your specific concerns. Your concerns may be resolved over the phone or by appointment. For assistance, please call 970.544.1251.
Certified Lactation Consultants and Counselors: We encourage you to meet with our consultants and counselors for any issues or concerns, to help you prepare for breastfeeding success prior to and after returning to work, as well as for continued support.
Breastfeeding Retail Supplies:We’re happy to offer assistance and personal guidance when you are purchasing breastfeeding supplies from Aspen Valley Health.
“Baby Friendly” Hospital Initiative
Aspen Valley Health and our Birth Center are designated as “Baby Friendly,” which is the gold standard for supporting new mothers in their breastfeeding success. We earn this status by adhering to the Ten Steps to Success:
- A written breastfeeding policy is routinely communicated to all healthcare staff.
- Train all healthcare staff in the skills necessary to implement this policy.
- Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding.
- Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within one hour of birth.
- Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation even if they are separated from their infants.
- Give infants no food or drink, other than breast milk, unless medically indicated.
- Practice rooming-in which allows mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day.
- Encourage breastfeeding on demand.
- Give no pacifiers or artificial nipples to breastfeeding infants.
- Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them on discharge from the hospital or birth center.
The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding form the basis of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, a worldwide breastfeeding quality improvement project created by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers also uphold the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes by offering parents support, education and educational materials that promote the use of human milk rather than other infant food or drinks, and by refusing to accept or distribute free or subsidized supplies of breastmilk substitutes, nipples and other feeding devices.