Specialist Infant Feeding Service

The Specialist Infant Feeding Service works with families whose babies are experiencing feeding problems requiring more intensive or specialist support following universal support from their midwife or health visitor, who can support with getting feeding established and off to a good start including positioning and attachment for breastfeeding parents. If problems persist following universal support, the specialist team are able to assess the following types of issues and implement a plan:

• sore nipples or other breast problems
• slow weight gain or faltering growth
• breast refusal or persistent latch difficulties
• illnesses or condition, for example cleft palate or Down's syndrome
• restricted frenulum (tongue-tie)
• induced lactation or re-lactation
• advice and guidance in the use of a supplementary nursing system (SNS).

The Specialist Infant Feeding Team includes lactation consultants and breastfeeding assistant practitioners.

• Lactation consultants are accredited specialists who can support with complex feeding issues including assessing babies with a suspected tongue-tie.
• Breastfeeding assistant practitioners are trained and experienced in providing breastfeeding support. Our team also supports individuals to complete clinical placements and training which are part of the requirements to become an accredited lactation consultant.

Support is available to all families whether they are bottle or breastfeeding.

The team has a Kent-wide Tongue-Tie Co-ordination Service providing a centralised referral and appointment booking route as well as support pre and post tongue-tie procedure. This service works in partnership with East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust and Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust who provide tongue-tie procedures in Kent.

The team supported the wider Health Visiting Service and staff from children’s centres across Kent to reach full UNICEF accreditation as baby friendly services. The team are preparing for re-accreditation in October 2024.

How do I refer?

Parents should be referred and attended a local breastfeeding drop-in or child health clinic before a referral is made. All breastfeeding drop-ins are listed on the Beside You website and child health clinics on Kent Baby.

Referrals to the service can be made using the Specialist Infant Feeding Service referral form by a health professional. Referrals should only be made once an infant feeding assessment and plan have been put in place and reassessed at least 48 hours with the parent/carer. The existing feeding plan must be evidenced in the referral.

For those babies who have already seen a lactation consultant, infant feeding advisor or breastfeeding counsellor who has identified a tongue-tie, a referral can be made directly to the Tongue-Tie Co-ordination Service using the Kent Frenulotomy (tongue-tie) referral form.

What happens next?

Referrals are triaged daily. An initial telephone consultation is made and if appropriate a face-to-face appointment will be offered within five working days. A holistic care plan will be developed in partnership with the family, and may include follow up appointments or referring to local breastfeeding drop-ins.

Breast pump scheme

Eligible families can get either a free handpump or loan an electric pump for a set period.

Families need to be in receipt of Healthy Start. Other families will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Infant Feeding Team.

Families can be referred by a professional such as a breastfeeding champion, health visitor or other health professional via the referral form.

Parents will be asked to complete an evaluation form to help us monitor and improve the scheme.

Useful contacts

• Parents and carers can get in touch with their Health Visiting Team for general support.
• Beside You offers help and support with breastfeeding including details of local breastfeeding drop-in sessions and virtual groups.
• For support out of hours, you can contact the National Breastfeeding Helpline 0300 100 0212 (open 9.30am to 9.30pm every day of the year)

Practitioners

We work hard to make sure client information is safe. Most practitioner email accounts are not encrypted. We will therefore send information by a secure method called Egress, you will need to register for an account in order to open any correspondence we send you that contains sensitive or identifiable information. When we correspond with you in relation to a referral you will receive an email that looks like this, just click on the blue bar and it will take you to Egress in order to register for an account so you can read and respond to emails securely.