Breastfeeding Struggles? What to Expect From a Feeding Support Consult

Feeding difficulties are common, but they rarely feel that way at 3am when nothing you try seems to be working. A Feeding Support Consult offers unhurried, compassionate care for parents navigating feeding challenges, or simply wanting reassurance that things are on track.

Medical and lactation care in one visit

These appointments are run by GPs who are NDC-accredited and/or IBCLC, so you get both medical and lactation-focused care in a single, integrated visit rather than being referred between different providers. It is a model built around the fact that feeding problems are often medical, physical, and practical all at once.

The extended consultation allows time for:

• A full feeding history
• Observation of a breastfeed
• Assessment of your baby's growth and wellbeing
• Consideration of maternal health factors that may be affecting feeding

What we support

• Pain with feeding
• Latch difficulties
• Low or oversupply
• Slow weight gain
• Reflux-like symptoms
• Nipple trauma
• Mastitis
• Complex feeding journeys, including mixed or combination feeding

If you are further along and starting to wonder about sleep as well as feeding, our post on what infant sleep actually looks like covers how the two are often connected.

Why the extra time matters

Feeding problems are rarely one-dimensional. A tongue tie can affect supply. Pain can affect let-down. Anxiety can affect both. A short appointment is not enough time to see those connections, which is why this consult is built to give the full picture room to emerge, rather than treating one symptom in isolation.

For lighter concerns

If your feeding question is more of a quick check-in than a full assessment, the Drop-In Breastfeeding Support Clinic runs weekly and does not require a booking. A Feeding Support Consult is the better fit if you are dealing with significant difficulties, poor weight gain, suspected tongue tie, or a more complex feeding journey.

Feeding Support Consults are available with Dr Marisa Nguyen, Dr Hayley Glasson and Dr Kate McCullough. Fees vary depending on the level of follow-up you require. Current pricing is available when you book, or by contacting the clinic.

You do not have to push through alone

Whether this is your first hurdle or the latest in a long line of them, feeding support is available before things reach breaking point.