New lactation consultant working to educate

TOM PINNEY/DAILY FORUM
SSM Health St. Francis Hospital lactation consultant Emily Gockel and OB-GYN Kristyn Menendez pose next to a Breastfeeding Awareness Month display. According to Gockel, breastfeeding provides numerous benefits to the baby, the mother, and even the mother’s employer.

The month of August is dedicated to breastfeeding moms.

Each year, the month of August is designated National Breastfeeding Awareness Month and Aug. 1-7 is known as World Breastfeeding Week. This year, the state of Missouri jumped on the bandwagon, declaring the month as Missouri Breastfeeding Month.

The positive effects of breastfeeding, according to SSM Health St. Francis Hospital’s new lactation consultant Emily Gockel, extend not only to the mother and the baby, but to employers as well.

“In studying for and earning my lactation certification, I learned that every mammal makes milk specifically for its babies,” Gockel said. “For instance, cow milk has more protein because cows grow at a quick pace. So every mammal’s milk has nutrients its baby needs, and humans are no different.

“Studies have shown that babies who breastfeed don’t get sick as much, and mothers who breastfeed experience the same health benefit. The less time mothers have to spend at home with their children or recuperating themselves, the fewer sick days they’re taking.”

Gockel started at SSM Health St. Francis Hospital as a technician in 2007, working in obstetrics and surgery before accepting a home health position at Northwest Medical Center in Albany in 2013. Her opportunity to return to SSM Health St. Francis was rather serendipitous.

“I had finished my lactation certificate five years ago, but there weren’t many positions in northwestern Missouri to be a lactation consultant, and SSM Health already had Katie (Skaggs),” Gockel explained. “But then this year, Katie left, and everything fell right into place for me to take over.

“This was a good opportunity for me, and I think God placed me in this path specifically so that I could take over for Katie when she left.”

Gockel’s duties as the lactation consultant include prenatal care and presence in the delivery room to begin skin-to-skin contact between mothers and newborns as soon as they’re born. After that, Gockel said mothers tend to come in on their own schedules.

“We like to do a checkup one week post-partum for any questions or problems new mothers might have,” Gockel said. “After that, mothers set up their own appointments until they’re comfortable or finished breastfeeding their children.

“Some moms have weekly sessions, others have appointments every two weeks, it really all depends on them. We want to be there for them when they need us.”

Being present for the patient is part of Gockel’s long-term goal as lactation consultant. She noted that, in the future, she would love to see SSM Health St. Francis have multiple lactation consultants and the ability to do home visits to help breastfeeding mothers in the comfort of their own home.

Right now, however, her main focus is on education.

“There are a lot of women who are unsure about what they are doing, and they go to their mothers, and sometimes they end up falling prey to myths and misinformation that their mothers were given years ago,” Gockel said. “Some of it is also nervousness, as some moms aren’t sure about whether or not their baby is getting enough milk because they can’t see how much they’re getting.

“We’re fighting battles against the media portraying breasts as devices to sell cars and alcohol, and we’re fighting the government to get longer maternity leave and, for moms who are back at work, special places to pump that aren’t closets or bathrooms and longer breaks during the day to pump if they need to. There are numerous benefits to breastfeeding for just about everyone, and we’re trying to make sure people know those benefits.”