Expert breastfeeding and lactation support in Minnesota and western Wisconsin

For those who choose to breastfeed or produce milk for their child, so much about their lactation experience is unique – from baby’s first latch to the final pumping session. But one thing that’s the same for everyone is the need for encouragement and support throughout their lactation journey.

At HealthPartners hospitals and clinics, our breastfeeding and lactation experts can provide a range of education and support services, whether you’re breastfeeding or chest feeding, pumping, supplementing with donor milk or baby formula, or using a combination of feeding methods.

From prenatal lactation education and encouragement during your birth center stay to ongoing support through Lactation Café, we offer a variety of services to help guide you throughout your lactation journey.

Do you have feeding or lactation questions? Do you want to weigh your baby? Do you want to connect with other parents? You can drop into an in-person Lactation Café. They’re free and open to everyone.

You’ll be able to weigh your baby, meet with a lactation consultant along with other parents, and get answers to all your feeding questions. Drop-in locations include:

If you’re hoping to produce your own milk for your child, knowing where to find lactation education resources helps you prepare for baby’s arrival. Here are a few of the ways we help you prepare.

• If you’re receiving prenatal care at HealthPartners or Park Nicollet clinic, you’ll get a preparing for childbirth booklet that includes helpful information on breastfeeding and lactation.
• Our myHealthyPregnancy app offers a range of helpful resources throughout your pregnancy and after baby arrives – including breastfeeding help.
• If you’re planning on delivering at one of our family birth centers locations, all offer resources to find virtual or in-person childbirth classes.
• Our partners at Nest Collaboration , a diverse group of international board-certified lactation consultants, can help you prepare for breastfeeding early in your pregnancy. They offer virtual lactation care, including prenatal education, through one-on-one or group appointments.

Once your little one arrives, our lactation consultants and registered nurses work together to care for you and your baby during your birth center stay. From helping you learn how to latch your baby and comfortably hold baby during nursing sessions, to helping you develop a feeding plan, they’ll give you hands-on care to help you feel confident in how you’re feeding your new baby.

All of our hospitals have baby formula, and most of our birthing centers have donor breast milk for when a baby needs extra supplementation due to a medical reason.

No matter how you’re feeding your baby, if you’re producing your own milk, you may need a range of breastfeeding or lactation services to help keep you and your baby healthy.

If you’re breastfeeding a newborn, you may need help with latching your baby. If you’re pumping at all, you might want tips on finding the right flange size to reduce discomfort. If your baby is gaining weight slowly, you may need advice for increasing your supply while also supplementing your baby with donor breast milk or formula. Our lactation consultants can help with all of these needs and more. You can schedule in-person appointments with our lactation consultants or virtual appointments with Nest Collaborative to get breastfeeding guidance and answers to your questions.

Even if you didn’t carry and give birth to your child, we can provide expert lactation guidance and breastfeeding or chest feeding help. Depending on your needs and goals, we’ll work with you to determine the best approach to help induce lactation and create a feeding plan that works for you and your baby.

Expecting Together: Your Pregnancy from Start to Finish is a virtual class that brings together Black parents at each stage of their prenatal or postpartum journey. Share your experiences, joys and ask questions about breastfeeding while receiving support from our pregnancy consultants.

Our breast milk depot program helps parents with an ample supply of breast milk donate their milk to other babies. Donor milk is often used to help nourish babies until the birthing parent’s milk comes in.

To participate, you need to be a registered milk bank donor. You can register by calling the Minnesota Milk Bank for Babies at info@mnmilkbank.org or 763-546-8051.

Breast milk depots are located at Hudson Hospital & Clinic in Hudson, WI and Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, MN.

For Methodist donations, please call 952-993-5124 to arrange a time for a drop-off.

In the first few days after the birth of your baby, you may need to supplement their feedings with either formula or donor breast milk until your own milk supply begins to increase. If you want to use donor milk, you can purchase a limited amount at the Methodist Hospital Health and Care Store.

No appointment is needed – you can just walk in between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. But your doctor or clinician will need to write you a prescription for the purchase. If you have questions, you can leave a voicemail at 952-993-3121. The store is located at 3931 Louisiana S. Ave. in St. Louis Park.

If you have questions or concerns about your baby’s health, our registered nurses are here to guide you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The BabyLine is open to all HealthPartners and Park Nicollet patients and members.

• Local: 612-333-2229
• Toll free: 800-845-9297
• TTY/TDD: 711