With her baby due soon, Gladys Tampus of Sacramento had a lot of questions about being a new mom — especially about breastfeeding.

“Honestly, I was feeling anxious about breastfeeding, because I’m a first-time mom, and I didn’t have the exact knowledge about it,” said Tampus. “I was worried about milk production.”

Tampus’ ob-gyn referred her to Thrive Baby, a Kaiser Permanente online class led by a pediatrician and a lactation consultant at the South Sacramento Medical Center.

The class calmed her nerves. And when her baby came in late July, she was ready.

“I found the class so helpful and informative,” said Tampus. “I learned about how to prepare my body for milk production with exercise, hydration, and nutrition. And I learned not to be scared, just prepared.”

Addressing common concerns

Two of the most common concerns among new moms are: Breastfeeding is painful, and there won’t be enough milk for the baby.

“These concerns arise in every hospital every day,” said pediatrician Julia Gabhart, MD, who leads Thrive Baby in South Sacramento. “It’s really scary for parents when baby is hungry, and mom only has a couple drops of milk in the first couple days. This totally normal situation is where you lose 50% of breastfeeders, but we try to educate them that a small supply is absolutely sufficient for the baby at that time.”

The Thrive Baby class, whose tagline is “Your baby, your questions, let’s find your answers,” has a focus on breastfeeding. But the class also covers other topics, such as finding a partner or helper for when the baby comes, and what to expect at the hospital and at home.

Find an online class

Kaiser Permanente has online new parent classes for members in the Northern California Region and several that are similar to the Thrive Baby class that are specific to local areas.

“Parents want to take great care of their babies,” said Kristin Steuerle, MD, Kaiser Permanente co-regional newborn medical director and chief of Hospital Pediatrics at the Santa Rosa Medical Center. “Getting educated and bringing a partner to a class can really help parents know more about what to expect and to feel more confident in caring for their baby and having breastfeeding success.”

As part of the South Sacramento class Tampus attended online, Dr. Gabhart, Lina Wasio, MD, and Lactation Consultant Gerrit Mulholland encourage parents to breastfeed because of its numerous health benefits for both baby and mom. However, they also make it clear that moms will be supported in whatever feeding method they choose.

Breastfeeding babies have reduced risk for sudden infant death syndrome, lung infections, ear infections, diarrhea, asthma, obesity, diabetes, and leukemia.

The benefits to mom are decreased risk of cancer, diabetes, heart attacks, and high blood pressure. One interesting fact presented in the class is that parents who breastfeed can save between $7,000 and $10,000 a year on formula, said Mulholland.

“Our data show that moms who take our class are twice as likely to exclusively breastfeed at discharge, compared to moms who don’t take the class,” said Dr. Gabhart. “Our approach is we are here to answer your questions. We have information, but we also pause a lot to answer questions, and that’s our primary goal.”

Mulholland said the classes also emphasize how important it is to educate partners in addition to the expectant parent.

“There’s a lot of anxiety around having a newborn,” said Mulholland. “We talk a lot about what to expect in the hospital, when you go home, and when you come back to see your newborn care specialist.”

For Tampus, getting educated at the beginning of her third trimester of pregnancy made all the difference in her comfort level.

“Not everyone in this world has the privilege of taking a class and getting educated on how to be successful as a new parent,” said Tampus. “I am much more confident going into this now.”

For broader information that veers into public policy and training for providers, check out the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee, which has proclaimed August National Breastfeeding Month.