I am an American IBCLC (a board-certified lactation consultant) who lives in Copenhagen, and I help travelers and residents in English with many feeding-related issues, including these:
As a foreigner visiting Copenhagen, you may use the regular reservation system to book either an office consultation at Lergravsvej 44, 2300 København S or a ‘home’ visit at your vacation rental, hotel, or office. You can pay in cash (Danish kroner: ‘pengeautomat’ is Danish for an ATM, and they are in many metro stations, among other places) or by credit card. Any cancellations must take place at least 24 hours before the appointment, or the full consult fee is due.
In addition to providing you feeding and/or pumping support, I will direct you to any other local resources that you need to get past your breastfeeding issues so that you can focus on the purpose of your trip. For travelers who need long-term care, I am often able to connect you to a knowledgeable IBCLC in your home location for additional support when you return home.
Book an Appointment
If you’re in Denmark but outside Copenhagen, we are often able to have an online consultation at the office appointment price. If you’re in Denmark and you need urgent breastfeeding help where cost is not a concern, I am sometimes able to reserve a day to travel to your location and provide support. Email sally@copenhagenlactation.com or call +45 53 53 85 73 in either of these circumstances.
If you’re in a business or organization that wants to offer my service to breastfeeding employees (visiting or local), learn about corporate lactation services by emailing sally@copenhagenlactation.com.
Most people under the age of, say, 65 in Copenhagen speak amazing English, and they’ll certainly know English words like bottle and nipple. That said, understandably, some breastfeeding-specific English words may not always be in their vocabularies.
Danes generally have tremendous trouble understanding heavily accented Danish; unless you know how to pronounce these words in at least one of the Scandinavian languages, you are likely to need to use writing to communicate these words in Danish.
The most common places to buy these are the ‘apotek,’ the Danish word for the pharmacy. Not all pharmacies carry extensive breastfeeding supplies, but larger ones often do. BabySam is a non-pharmacy chain with several locations, and they offer some of these items. If you’re in a rural area, your options are likely quite limited.
Most pharmacies and stores keep limited hours in Denmark. For Copenhagen, here is information about pharmacies that are open late.
‘Amme’ and ‘amning’ are two words that refer to breastfeeding in Danish, and they are often used on products of this nature.
Though (surprisingly) the legal protections for public breastfeeding that exist in some countries do not exist in Denmark, it’s very unlikely anyone will disturb you when you breastfeed in public. Technically, owners of private property do have the right to ask you to stop breastfeeding or leave the premises in Denmark. But again, it’s very unlikely you’ll experience this, especially in the Capital Region.
Some people here use some sort of cover while breastfeeding, but many do not.
Because pumping upon returning to work is outside the cultural norm here, as far as I have been able to ascertain, there are no laws protecting the right to express milk in the workplace in Denmark. That said, if you are direct and firm in explaining your specific needs (e.g., private room with a plug and a lock that’s not a bathroom, every three hours for 20 minutes) to someone in Human Resources at your company or to your supervisor, chances are good they will accommodate you. Danes are generally big on supporting family life as part of work life. Occasionally, Danish humor around gendered topics like breastfeeding may come across as inappropriate to someone from another culture (that would take a PhD thesis to get into), but hopefully you won’t experience that in your work environment.
Because of its long maternity leave and a culture that doesn’t often include pumping upon returning to work, Denmark does not have widespread great options for buying a high-functioning breast pump (‘bryste pumpe’). The non-electric hand pumps and battery-powered electric pumps generally available in Denmark are okay for pumping in one three-hour period away from a baby, but they are usually inadequate for supporting supply in a long-term way. In many cases, you should consider your purchase here a temporary fix until you are able to purchase a better pump on return to your home country. Alternately, for someone who is heavily reliant on a pump while here, you may be better off renting a hospital-grade pump for your stay here.
Medela has a location finder here: https://www.medela.dk/amning/locationfinder
You will need to purchase the pump kit to have the connectors and flanges that go with the Symphony. Other connectors from other kinds of pumps will not work.
Denmark’s electrical system is designed with 230-volt AC, 50Hz current. Most plugs are two-pin continental plugs, though there are multiple styles in use: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/denmark/electricity
The brand, style, age, and purchase location of the pump you own determines whether you have a dual-voltage pump that only needs a plug adaptor (which simply changes the style of your plug to go into a Danish socket) or a pump that requires a transformer to convert voltage for you. So Google for the type of pump you use to see what you find.
As a few travelers I have heard from can attest, using a breast pump without a converter when it isn’t made for it can result in the pump not performing well or even being destroyed.
If you only open your mini fridge quickly to put milk in, your milk is likely to stay good in the back of the mini fridge for up to a week. If you open the fridge frequently, it may be as short as three days. If you are planning to travel home with the milk, I would recommend asking if you may freeze it in a refrigerator at your worksite.
Doctors in Denmark are not usually well-versed in breastfeeding issues, though fortunately they are often verbally supportive of it. As you most likely do not have a Danish CPR number (personal registration number) and are thus outside the Danish public health system which handles most health issues, your options are to see a private physician or to dial 112 for emergency care. You may also try dialing 1813, the non-emergency healthcare number, to seek advice on whom to see. Most of the nurses who take calls at 1813 speak good English, and if not, they’ll pass your call to one who does.
Here are private doctors in Copenhagen who speak English and do house calls:
Some large companies and organizations may have access to additional doctors for you to use, so be sure to ask there.
Health-oriented stores such as the chain Helsemin carry a few of the herbs that are galactagogues. However, Denmark has very restrictive laws about the kinds of herbs that may be sold here, so you may be unable to obtain the herb within Denmark. If you’re here for a while, you may want to order online from somewhere else within the EU, or travel to Sweden if they carry the kind of herb you’re seeking.
If your nipples are visibly damaged or causing you great pain, you need professional support to deal with the underlying cause. If they’re a bit sore from one bad latch or a little tender from you getting used to suction, then one of the best things to put on them is virgin coconut oil. The antiseptic properties of coconut oil are impressive, and it is easy to find in grocery stores. Coconut oil outperforms a lot of more expensive, breastfeeding-specific products in studies.
I’d recommend these shops, which have actual storefronts:
I am not available to schedule new clients.