Lactation Services
Nutrition Referrals
Contact Us
For more information about receiving inpatient lactation services at CHOC, please call us at 714-509-8455.
For outpatient lactation assistance, CHOC partners with St. Joseph Hospital. Please call the St. Joseph Hospital Mother Baby Assessment Center at 714-744-8764.
CHOC’s expert team of physicians, certified lactation consultants, nurses and dietitians are committed to giving your family the education and support to help you meet your breastfeeding and milk production goals while your baby is in the hospital. Support is available in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at CHOC and at the CHOC NICU at St. Joseph Hospital, as well as other CHOC hospital units where babies may receive treatment.
Learn more about the benefits and basics of breastfeeding.
We proudly offer comprehensive lactation services for moms and babies during your stay at CHOC.
Lactation Consultations
Our IBCLCs provide bedside breastfeeding assistance; education on milk production, breastfeeding and pumping plans of care; and collaboration with your medical team.
The Nutrition Lab at CHOC is responsible for preparing human milk and specialized formulas for our patients with unique feeding needs and is staffed by registered dietetic technicians.
Breast Pumps
We offer private pumping rooms throughout the hospital, hospital-grade pumps for bedside use and pump sanitation supplies. We also offer temporary loaner pumps for those whose babies are admitted to CHOC.
Meal Assistance
If you breastfeed or pump milk for your baby during their inpatient stay at CHOC, you might qualify for complimentary meals when you are here. Ask your bedside nurse for more information.
We also proudly provide:
- Supplies to collect and transport milk to the hospital. We will provide all of the supplies you need to pump, collect and transport your milk to the hospital while your baby is staying with us. Supplies include bottles, labels, a human milk pump kit and a cleaning basin.
- Text messages when a baby’s human milk supply is getting low. CHOC closely tracks the human milk you have brought in for your baby. In an effort to reach you when the supply is running low, we offer automated text messaging to let you know when it is time to bring in more milk. This service is optional.
- Educational materials and classes. Upon your baby’s admission to the hospital, we will provide you with educational materials and a pumping kit that will help you breastfeed or pump while at CHOC.
A Specially-Trained Team
Babies in the hospital often require a special team for feeding. Our highly specialized nurses, dietitians and medical team all work together with the lactation team to help support mom’s lactation goal, whether it is to breastfeed, pump to provide milk or a combination of both.
Lactation Medical Director. Dr. Christine Bixby is CHOC’s medical director of lactation services. Dr. Bixby specializes in caring for premature infants and is involved in research studies focusing on issues related to human milk, establishing a milk supply and using human milk for premature babies.
International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs). An IBCLC is a healthcare professional specializing in the clinical management of breastfeeding and lactation. Our lactation consultants have specialized training above and beyond their other distinctions as either a registered nurse (RN) or registered dietitian (RD). CHOC lactation consultants are available for hands-on education and assistance with breastfeeding and pumping needs and provide one-on-one support and guidance during pumping and breastfeeding. Our IBCLCs also work very closely with CHOC’s developmental team, which has training and experience in feeding babies who have development challenges.
Diet Technician Registered (DTR). CHOC has a team of DTRs who expertly handle all human milk and formula preparation at the Nutrition Lab. DTRs have completed a minimum of an associate degree and have successfully completed the registration examination for dietetic technician.
Outpatient Lactation Resources
St. Joseph Hospital – Mother Baby Assessment Center
1140 W. La Veta Ave. Suite 805 Orange, CA 92868
714-744-8764
Breast Pumps for rent, purchase & assorted breastfeeding supplies. Lactation consults available.
Mission Hospital- Mission Viejo – Breastfeeding Support Clinic
27700 Medical Center Rd. Mission Viejo, CA 92691
949-365-2425
Private lactation consults available.
Hoag Hospital – Baby Line
One Hoag Drive Newport Beach, CA 92663
949-764-2229
Breast Pumps for rent & assorted breastfeeding supplies. Private lactation consults available.
MOMS Orange County
1128 W. Santa Ana Blvd. Santa Ana, CA 92703
714-352-3400
Breastfeeding classes and private lactation consults available in both Spanish and English.
Orange County WIC
WIC Orange County
888-968-7942
Contact your local WIC office for lactation support and breast pumps. WIC offers a variety of support for breastfeeding moms.
Your Delivery Hospital
Call the hospital at which you delivered your baby for outpatient breastfeeding services and supplies. Many hospitals will provide you with nursing supplies to get started, tips or the contact information for recommended lactation services.
Human Milk Donations
Human milk provides optimal nutrition for premature infants and can lower the risk of complications related to prematurity. When a mother’s own milk is unavailable to be fed to her premature infant, pasteurized human milk is the next best source of nutrition. Human milk banks depend on milk donation to supply hospitals with pasteurized human milk for the tiniest of patients. Please contact the following milk banks if you are interested in donating:
University of California Health Milk Bank
San Diego, CA
858-249-MILK (6455)
[email protected]
Mother’s Milk Bank
San Jose, CA
1-877-375-6645 Ext. 3
[email protected]
Upon your baby’s admission to the hospital, we will provide educational materials to help you breastfeed or pump while at CHOC. We have provided a selection of these materials online for your convenience.
- Human Milk and COVID-19 (PDF)
- Human Milk Storage Guide (English) (PDF) | Human Milk Storage Guide (Spanish) (PDF)
- Pumping Log (PDF)
- WIC Positioning and Latch Information (PDF)
Human Milk Storage Guidelines
Human Milk Storage for Home
| Room Temperature | Fresh: 6 hours All other milk: 4 hours (refrigerated, thawed, fortified) Warmed milk: 2 hours (1 hour if touched by mouth) |
| Refrigerator | Fresh: 5 days Thawed &/ or Fortified: 24 hours |
| Freezer | Freezer attached to refrigerator: 6 months Deep Freezer: 12 months |
| Do NOT refreeze milk that has been thawed unless it is still at least 50% frozen. NEVER freeze milk that has been fortified and/ or warmed. |
*Clean/ sanitize your pump parts per pump instructions.
Almacenamiento de leche materna en casa
| Temperatura Ambiente | Leche fresca: 6 horas Otras leches: 4 horas (refrigerada, descongelada, fortificada) Leche recalentada: 2 horas (1 hora si tuvo contacto con la boca) |
| Refrigerador | Leche Fresca: 5 días Descongelada y/o fortificada: 24 horas |
| Congelador | Congelador y refrigerador integrados: 6 meses Congelador independiente: 12 meses NO vuelva a congelar la leche que se ha descongelado a menos que aún esté congelada al menos en un 50%. NUNCA vuelva a congelar la leche que ha sido fortificada y/o calentad. |
*Limpie/ desinfecte las piezas de su tiraleches de acuerdo a las instrucciones de fábrica
Lactation Education
Health
Tips for successful breastfeeding: Getting started in the early days
A CHOC lactation consultant offers key breastfeeding tips to help parents in the early days with a newborn.
CHOC Health
Lactation / Breastfeeding
Can I take medications while breastfeeding?
Knowing what medications are safe to take while breastfeeding doesn’t have to be hard. A CHOC expert has advice and resources to get answers.
CHOC Health
Lactation / Breastfeeding
Step up for breastfeeding: World Breastfeeding Week
A CHOC lactation consultant shares the benefits of breastfeeding and how to support parents in honor of World Breastfeeding Week.
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