Position Summary:

This position will provide information, support, encouragement and assistance in overcoming the barriers related to mothers of extremely preterm infants who struggle with breast milk expression.

Plays a key role in ensuring that research participants have input into all aspects of a program. Encourages preventive health and health maintenance behavior skills. Engages clients and assists in implementing the further involvement of patients and their families in decision and policy making within the program. Assists in the education of all program consumers and the community. Empowers a client to become an effective self-advocate and an effective contributor to the development, implementation and evaluation of the program. Assists in the development of client need assessments and administration of these assessments; provides feedback regarding the program. Provides proper documentation, in both patient files and clinical data systems, of all services provided.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Recruit mothers who have successfully breastfed extremely preterm infants and are passionate about helping others.
• Provide comprehensive training, including lactation education, counseling techniques, and emotional support strategies, in collaboration with certified lactation consultants and NICU staff
• Establish contact with mothers of extremely preterm infants within 24 hours of delivery.
• Offer one-on-one counseling sessions to assist with breast milk initiation, including hands-on assistance with breast pumps and milk storage.
• Provide ongoing support through regular visits, phone calls, and virtual meetings throughout the NICU stay.
• Conduct workshops on the benefits of breast milk for preterm infants, techniques for effective milk expression, and managing challenges.
• Develop and distribute educational materials, including brochures, videos, and online resources, to reinforce learning and provide reference information.
• Facilitate support groups for mothers to share experiences and offer mutual support.
• Pair mothers with peer counselors who have had similar experiences to foster empathy and understanding.
• Track the percentage of mothers who begin expressing breast milk within 24 hours of delivery.
• Monitor the duration of breast milk expression and the volume of milk produced over time.
• Assess the consistency and frequency of expression sessions.
• Conduct surveys and interviews to evaluate maternal confidence in breast milk expression and satisfaction with peer counseling services.
• Analyze health outcomes of infants, including rates of infection, growth metrics, and length of NICU stay, to assess the impact of breast milk on their development.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Salary Range: $15.00 - $18.00

High School diploma or GED and three (3) years of related experience required.