Authors: Petra Becker, IBCLC, Sarah Berger, IBCLC
Author Information and Disclosure of Conflicts of InterestAbstract
The outpatient breastfeeding clinic at the Leoben site of LKH Hochsteiermark has been offering individual, holistic support for breastfeeding mothers and their families for over 25 years. An interprofessional team of doctors and specialised nurses with IBCLC certification supports families in all matters relating to breastfeeding – from the first consultation during pregnancy to follow-up care after discharge. In particular, premature babies and newborns with special challenges benefit from the close collaboration between different specialist disciplines. The focus is on providing empathetic, personalised support while ensuring continuous quality assurance and team reflection. Despite limited resources and an increasing nursing shortage, the work of the outpatient breastfeeding clinic is still indispensable for many families and is an important means of promoting health and strengthening parent-child attachment.
Key Words: Outpatient Breastfeeding Clinic, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, IBCLC
How to cite: Becker P, Berger S: Individual Breastfeeding Promotion at High Styria State Hospital (LKH Hochsteiermark): Description of a small, high-quality outpatient breastfeeding clinic. Lactation & Breastfeeding 2025;3:06.
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Paediatric nurse since 2007, IBCLC since 2021. Petra is an academically certified expert in paediatric intensive care and has many years’ experience in neonatal intensive care. She has been part of the paediatric outpatient clinic team at LKH Hochsteiermark since 2023, where she devotes all her time to the outpatient clinic for breastfeeding and nutrition. In May 2025, she successfully completed further training in resource- and body-orientated crisis support for pregnancy, babies and toddlers (German: ressourcen- und körperorientierten Krisenbegleitung für Schwangerschaft, Baby- und Kleinkindzeit.) She is married and is the mother of two sons.The author declares that she has no conflicts of interest or financial relationships with commercial products.
Doctorate in medicine 2008, IBCLC since 2022. Sarah is a doctor at the Leoben site of LKH Hochsteiermark and has been working in the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine since 2018. She looks after the neonatal intermediate care department, works in the outpatient development clinic and is the Clinical Lead of the outpatient breastfeeding clinic. She is married and the mother of 2 daughters.
The author declares that she has no conflicts of interest or financial relationships with commercial products.