08/06/2025
August is World Breastfeeding Month, with August 1-7 specifically designated as World Breastfeeding Week!
Please join us in celebrating the many ways we embrace the breastfeeding journey and support breastfeeding infants and their families.
At the Reedsburg Area Medical Center (RAMC) Birth Center, all our nurses go through extensive education through EMPower Breastfeeding Training. Many of our nurses are Certified Lactation Counselors, and we have four nurses on staff who are International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) to answer breastfeeding questions and address concerns. In addition to receiving education and support during the hospital stay, families are encouraged to return to the Birth Center within a few days of discharge to ensure breastfeeding is still on the right track!
Earlier this year, RAMC Birth Center partnered with Breast Pump Depot (BPD). BPD works with many (though not all) insurance companies to be able to provide a breast pump of choice right to you during your hospital stay or delivered to your home within a few days. This decreases the hassle of trying to get a breast pump so that you can focus more on what matters most - you and your baby. Our staff can answer questions about the type of pump that might be most helpful to you.
RAMC Birth Center continues to be able to provide Pasteurized Donor Human Milk (PDHM) to babies who need it during their hospital stay due to feeding issues. PDHM is donated breastmilk that goes through a rigorous testing and pasteurizing process through the Mothers' Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes and is then distributed to hospitals. PDHM is an alternative to formula if supplementation is medically necessary.
The RAMC Birth Center is also drop off depot for the Mothers' Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes! Mothers can bring their milk here to be picked up by the milk bank for testing and distribution. Moms have dropped off milk donations here in amounts big and small. Recently, mom Kiley Nicholson brought in an incredible 1000 ounces of donated breastmilk! Her abundant milk supply allowed for a surplus more than what her daughter, Maisie, needed. Thank you to Kiley and Maisie and ALL the donors for sharing this life saving gift! Visit https://www.milkbankwgl.org/ for more information on human donor milk or becoming a donor!
The 2025 theme for World Breastfeeding Week is "Prioritize Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems!" Breastfeeding promotes environmental sustainability by reducing the carbon footprint associated with the production, packaging, and waste of formula. Moreover, breastfeeding families need support from other humans! Providers answer questions during scheduled prenatal visits, but expecting parents can also schedule an appointment with an IBCLC before delivery to talk more in depth about concerns and get questions answered if needed. After delivery, families are invited to attend our 4th Trimester Group for added support. This group meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 1030 to noon in our Birth Center - free, no appointment needed! We encourage all expecting mothers to reflect on who their human support system, or "village," will be after birth...who could help with meals, attend to your baby while you take a shower or a nap, or do some cleaning or laundry for you once you are home? Who will encourage you, lift you up, and cheer you on in your journey and assist you in reaching out for help if you need it?
As always, for any questions, call the RAMC Birth Center at 608-768-6251 or leave a non-urgent message in our lactation office at 608-768-6135! We wish our families a heartwarming, fulfilling breastfeeding and parenting journey!
