Home visits: strategies to protect the breastfeeding newborn at risk.

The breastfeeding mother whose infant is at risk for lactation failure that may lead to dehydration, weight loss, and hyperbilirubinemia can be assisted and supported in the home by maternal-child nurses, certified as lactation consultants, working collaboratively with the attending physician, midwife, or nurse practitioner. In this article, case reports illustrate interventions carried out in the home. Risk factors and clinical indicators of breastfeeding problems usually are present before hospital discharge. Health care providers should be on the alert for them so that management strategies can be started immediately after hospital discharge to ensure good patient outcomes.