Sometimes, feeding your baby goes differently than expected...

Willow Family Medicine is pleased to offer families lactation & infant feeding support alongside 4th trimester & beyond care. All services are accessible by referral and provided by a physician who is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. This is provided at no cost to patients with Provincial Health Care.

A first visit takes approximately 60-90 minutes and includes a full medical history, feeding observation and assessment, weight and/or transfer checks with hands-on help. All follow-up visits take approximately 30-45 minutes. 

See here to learn how to access these services.

At your visit, multiple aspects of feeding will be addressed such as, but not limited to:

• Parental/family aims and challenges

• Physical, mental, and social factors impacting feeding and child-parent relationship

• Review and management of past and present medical conditions, possible ordering of investigations

If indicated, lingual (tongue) and labial (upper lip) frenectomy (aka frenotomy) will be offered. Our physicians are trained to release both “anterior” and “posterior” restrictions. Provincial health care covers this procedure, and it is completed with scissors. While these issues are often suspected before a visit, a full intake assessment will be completed regardless of suspicion to ensure an appropriate diagnosis, a successful outcome, and a timely workflow. If frenectomy is appropriate, the infant and parent return for a post-procedure visit within 3 to 10 days.

Our clinic recommends post-frenectomy wound care to reduce the risk of reattachment. When done correctly, this care is respectful, gentle, and non-invasive. To support families and reduce worry during this time, comprehensive aftercare instruction in the form of hands-on support, handouts, and videos will be provided and reviewed with each family.