Lactationlady.com

Greetings to all the exclusive breastfeeding families out there! Did you know that a baby's suck reflex tends to diminish around 8 weeks of age? That means introducing a bottle or pacifier after this stage may be met with resistance, as your baby might perceive it as a foreign object and instinctively push it away. This can pose a challenge for bottle feeding and may lead to bottle refusal.
If you're an exclusive breastfeeding family planning to go back to work or anticipating the need for bottle feeding in the future, teaching your baby this skill may become essential. I specialize in providing the tools and exercises necessary to guide both you and your baby in acquiring the skills for effective bottle feeding.
Feel free to reach out to me for more information or to schedule an appointment. Let's work together to make the bottle feeding transition a smooth and successful experience for you and your little one!

Home Unlocking the Power of Breastfeeding

Lactation Lady is now open for business!

I am excited to announce the launch of my private practice lactation consultation business. I am a board-certified
lactation consultant (IBCLC) with over 10 years of experience helping moms and babies breastfeed. I now offer home and virtual visits, so you can get the support you need, wherever you are.

I am still working as a lactation consultant at the hospital, but I am
now available to see clients in my private practice setting as well.
This allows me to provide more individualized care and attention to
each of my clients.

I love what I do and I am passionate about helping moms and babies succeed at breastfeeding. I believe that every mom should have the opportunity to breastfeed her baby, and I am here to help make that happen. I am also available for prenatal and pumping consults as well. Wherever you are in your breastfeeding journey, I'm here to help.

Please visit my website for more information about my services and to schedule a consultation. www.lactationlady.com

Feeding Evaluation Have you done a weighted feed? What is a weighted feed? A feeding evaluation is where a Lactation Consultant does a weighted feed, where you...

Things I wish every mom knew BEFORE coming to the hospital:

1. Learn Hand Expression. Watch videos on hand expression and practice it a few times. Make sure you don't do this too much for fear of sending yourself into preterm labor. Remember breast stimulation causes your body to release oxytocin which causes uterine contractions. But know how to do this!

2. Get your pump early. You don't need to bring it to the hospital, but it's nice to have at home if you need it right away. Start with calling your insurance company, most all insurances provide a free breast pump for each pregnancy.

3. Understand that on the baby's first day, he/she may be pretty sleepy. Many babies don't nurse very well on their "birth" day- we call this the "birthday nap day." This is where hand expression comes in handy!! Not all babies follow this behavior, but many do, especially those babies who's mom got an epidural. So if they don't feel like breastfeeding, do some hand expression to provide the necessary breast stimulation and you can give the drops of colostrum to your sleepy baby.

4. Baby's second day will be filled with frequent feedings! Most babies perk up on the second day and start cluster feeding, which means that they may want to eat frequently, especially at night. Be aware, this can get exhausting, but don't worry it's completely normal and won't last forever!! All the cluster feeding helps bring your milk in sooner. The cluster feeding is not a sign that your baby is overly hungry and not getting enough, just the opposite actually. Your colostrum comes in just the right amounts for baby and they absolutely love to breastfeed, so let them!

5. Skin to skin. Do it often! Usually baby goes to mom's chest right delivery, let the baby stay there for as long as possible. Many of the routine newborn checks, vital signs, etc. can be done while snuggling with mom. Skin to skin has so many health benefits like regulating baby's vital signs and blood sugar, helps stimulate milk production, promotes early bonding, and let's face it, it's about the most cozy position ever! I still try to get my kids in skin to skin!! They don't think it's as fun anymore now that they're 8 and 12 years old! Dads should do skin to skin too!!

6. Keep it simple. Babies are just little humans, so treat them like it. I know your first baby or a preemie can be a bit scary at first, but keep working at it. Each time you do a diaper change or move your baby from here to there you will feel awkward in the beginning, but everything gets better with practice. So keep practicing. Feed your baby often (about 8-12 times per day in the very beginning) and love your baby! Keep them warm, fed and change their diapers.