Talking about lactation – the importance of shared decision making in antenatal anticipatory care planning
When discussing lactation management as part of an anticipatory care plan, healthcare professionals should impartially discuss the choices available to families without personal judgement or bias to support families to come to their own informed decisions. This article outlines how the Milk Bank at Chester has been working collaboratively with the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice and loss families to co-develop a leaflet to educate and support families on their lactation choices following an antenatal diagnosis of a life-limiting condition with a shortened life expectancy.
Rowen Emmett-O’Toole
Milo’s Mummy and Advanced Clinical Practitioner
Laura Atherton
Bereavement Lead – Memory Milk Gift Initiative, Milk Bank at Chester,
Countess of Chester Hospital
laura.atherton4@nhs.net
Sara Balmforth
Perinatal Midwife, Forget Me Not
Children’s Hospice
Emmett-O’Toole R., Atherton L., Balmforth S. Talking about lactation – the importance of shared decision making in antenatal anticipatory care planning. Infant 2023; 19(4): 134-38.

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- Loss families are being failed by not having all lactation choices offered to them, or not honoured.
- Some lactation choices can support families with memory making, which can assist in their grieving process and the mother’s perinatal mental health.
- There is a need for healthcare professionals to embody and embed the culture of shared decision making into their everyday practice.
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