Lactation support
Breastfeeding | Pumping | Combo-feeding
it all deserves support.
Feeding your baby is a skill- for both of you.
As long as humans have been around, we have been (breast)feeding our babies. It’s natural. But natural does not equal easy. Or effortless! There can be many things that come up for which you might want to seek out support. Working with a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) can be a great way to tackle your issues in the comfort of your own home.
A little support goes a long way.
I offer prenatal lactation education, in-home lactation support after your baby’s arrival and virtual services for those outside my service area.
Let’s work together to reach your goals and get you feeling settled in your feeding journey.
Breastfeeding shouldn’t hurt
What kinds of topics can you seek my support for? Concerns about milk supply/ baby ‘getting enough’, weight loss/gain issues or concerns for baby, pain with nursing or pumping (it shouldn’t hurt!), nipple and breast issues, and more. Find the full list below.
Support options
what to expect
01. Evaluation
We start with an initial evaluation that takes 90-120 minutes. We explore your goals/concerns and get a clear picture of what’s going on. Often times, our concerns are multifactorial, so I take a thorough history and observe a feeding/ pumping session.
02. care plan
I work with you to come up with a game plan. This requires teamwork, as we need a plan that feels supportive and acceptable to you. It’s not about what I want. Typically we will work through some of the concerns during our first evaluation visit and practice/ try out the recommendations.
03. check-in
I will check in with you via text or email the 24-48 hours after our visit, to see how things are going. You are welcome to reach out to me with your questions during this time. A check-in phone call is also an option if you would prefer to talk through your question(s).
04. follow-up
Most lactation goals/concerns will require 2 or 3 follow-up visits. There is never one single answer/ solution that will fit every family, so we try things, evaluate and adjust as necessary. Follow-up visits can be 30 minutes (office only) or 60 minutes in length.
Home visits are available for families living in the lower half of the Rogue Valley. Locations north of Medford may incur a travel fee.
Still got questions?
find the answers here
what can we work on together?
•Weight gain/weight loss questions
•Milk supply questions
•Nipple and breast issues, including pain with nursing
•Troubleshooting your breastfeeding problem
•Returning to work/pumping
•Hand expression (teaching you how to do it)
•Monitoring baby’s weight
•Helping you correct baby’s latch
•Increasing your milk supply
•Weaning: combining breastfeeding and complimentary foods
•Weaning: working towards ending breastfeeding
•Suppressing your milk supply after pregnancy/infant loss*
•Full feeding assessment
•Weighted feeds (“how much is baby getting?”)
•Quick weight check (at my Ashland office)
•Learning your baby’s feeding cues
•Learning to feed on demand
•Phasing out a nipple shield
•Calculating baby’s intake needs
•Guidance on how to know if “baby is getting enough”
•Safely tamping down oversupply
•Storage and preparation for expressed milk
•Prenatal breastfeeding education
•Twin feeding
can i use my ohp benefits for lactation care?
Unfortunately not if you want to work with me. Your OHP benefits do provide you with lactation care, but that care is hospital-based or will be from a lactation care provider who is connected your pediatrician’s office.
Lactation care from me is out-of-pocket.
can i get a home visit?
If you are in my service area, yes. Ashland, Talent, Phoenix and Medford are all in my service area. Outside of this range I may be able to offer home visits, but a travel fee will apply.
i lost my pregnancy or my baby and my milk is coming in- can you help?
Yes, I can. I’m so sorry you’re having to go through this. When you have lost your pregnancy/baby and are dealing with lactation questions or issues as a result of your loss, I offer my services on donation basis: pay what you can, or not at all. I don’t want financial factors to keep you from receiving the support you need at this horrifically difficult time.
I can help with ending your milk supply, educate on pumping to donate- only if you want to explore the option, and help you navigate lactation after loss. Call me to get started.
More info on lactation consults
Want to know more about how it works? Keep reading.
Your first lactation consult is a longer visit than your follow-up visits will be. Typically the first visit is about 1.5-2 hours long. Before we get into the details we take care of paperwork and payment. Payment is always due at time of service.
In our initial evaluation we will go over your history, baby’s history and briefly talk about the birth. We discuss the main question or concern that caused you to reach out. Depending on your goals, we may go through a questionnaire designed to detect any areas that may need exploring. We weigh baby and then move to observing a feeding, start to finish. We may have to pause our conversation as baby tells us they’re ready to nurse, which is totally fine. If there are questions or concerns about baby’s weight and/or your supply, we will weigh baby again after the feeding is done.
It is important to realize that lactation support is a collaborative endeavor. I bring all my knowledge and experience to the table, but you are the expert on your baby, your family and what could work for you. We will work together to identify recommendations based on our discussion, my observations and your goals. These recommendations will be tailored to your unique circumstances and meant to fit your family specifically. Some might be immediate suggestions on how to improve something that’s been challenging, and we will practice implementing those before I leave. I want you to feel as though the recommendations are doable for you, and for you to feel confident in implementing them once I leave.
After our consult, you will receive an email summarizing our visit, reiterating the recommendations we worked on and the follow-up plan we have come up with. Every in-person consult comes with a 15 minute follow-up phone call, if desired.
Once we have had the initial consult, we can schedule shorter visits to continue to work on your goals. Most breastfeeding goals and concerns will require follow-up appointments. Follow-up visits may range from 30 minutes (office only) to an hour, depending on your needs and wishes. Getting a quick weight check done on baby at my Ashland office may be part of our follow-up plan if we are working on weight gain and/or supply issues.
Please note fees are due at time of service. I can accept cash, check or Venmo. Find the complete price list here.
