When Maria Rosalia Piceno brought her newborn to the Diamond Hill clinic this summer, it became clear shortly after she arrived that her son needed critical medical treatment, and fast.
She didn’t have an appointment to see a pediatrician that day. She was at the clinic in north Fort Worth to receive help nursing her one-month-old baby, Eddie Montanez.
It was JPS Lactation Consultant Janet Grentz who realized that something was wrong that needed attention immediately. The baby’s tummy was bloated and a little hard, he was fussy and was having trouble keeping down milk.
Grentz immediately alerted a pediatrician, who arranged for the family to go to a nearby hospital. There, the baby underwent a battery of tests before having successful surgery to correct a small bowel obstruction, Piceno said in Spanish using a JPS language translator.
Piceno said she is grateful to Grentz, and the team at Diamond Hill for swinging into action so rapidly.
“They did a great job by acting quick,” Piceno said. “They went the extra mile.”
Outpatient lactation consultants at JPS focus on supporting successful breastfeeding efforts for nursing mothers, and can answer questions on topics such as latching, positioning, milk supply, returning to work, and breast pump use.
“We are a point of contact that can catch things and bring the doctor in,” Grentz said. “We don’t just do education. We also have clinical skills to know what babies look like and this baby didn’t look right to me. This catch prevented a baby from becoming very, very sick.”
JPS Health Network has 16 International Board Certified Lactation Consultants, and a breastfeeding educator, who provide support at various JPS community clinics. Services are open to anyone in the community; mothers need not have delivered at John Peter Smith Hospital to receive outpatient lactation services. While a physician referral is preferred, it is not required. All new mothers can request an appointment by calling 817-702-7515. Current JPS patients can use the MyChart online portal to request information, get details on classes and request an appointment. Same day appointments are available.