But what if she cannot help?

You are considering a Lactation Consultant because you want to enjoy all that breastfeeding offers. Your desire for breastfeeding to work makes you want to believe in that fact that someone that can tell you about what is happening and how to make it better if it is not going as desired. However, you have some skepticism making you reluctant to commit to calling, making an appointment or spending the money.  

I can appreciate that. Perhaps you have had many families unsuccessfully attempt to breastfeed. Perhaps a friend had a bad experience. Maybe you have sought the help of others already and did not find the support that you needed and you think another person will have no more to offer. I want to help eliminate the fear of seeking out yet another resource and tell you I am confident we can overcome almost all obstacles that might be standing in your way. 

You have a fear of loss when considering spending money on Lactation services. Not only can be there be a loss of money, there can also be a loss of breastfeeding. I want to help reduce those fears. I can not guarantee 100% success depending on your situation and each mom and baby is unique, but I can guarantee that I will continue to work with you until you are at a place that you are content. I guarantee to continue performing services until you are satisfied with where you are at. 

As you can see when you look at my website, I have lactation packages and they give time frames. These are just rough time frames to give you an idea about how much time consults take. With all of these packages you get email/phone support, phone check ins and if needed return visits will be scheduled. Often breastfeeding concerns can be resolved quickly but sometimes they take a bit longer. You may not know what you are facing, which is why I offer these packages, so that there is no fear about the clock ticking away while we work on the issues and concerns you are having. 

I am always willing to listen to your history and give you an idea of what a lactation care plan might look like to help you decide on moving forward. 

What can you expect from a consult?

Ever wonder why a breastfeeding consult take so long? Often times people expect it to just be 15 or 20 minutes. Check a latch and make some corrections, right? Maybe get a weight?  Wrong. The more I learnt the lengthier my visits needed to become.

So what can you expect in the two or so hours we might spend together?

First, I do an overall physical assessment of mom and baby(ies). This is an exam of mothers breasts, positions, posture, birth injuries, physical restrictions, etc. Anything that might affect mothers comfort or ability to produce milk I will note and take in to consideration. 

I do a physical exam of baby looking for things like torticollis, structure alignment, tone, and an oral assessment. Baby is an equal participant in breastfeeding and so we need to ensure s/he can be her/his best self when feeding.

We will do a collective assessment of mom & baby were we look at history from birth to where we are today. Babies birth and early days can have a big impact on breastfeeding, from birth position to hospital treatments. "Small" things can have "big" impact. 

I observe positioning and latch & baby feeding without interference as to observe what is currently

happening. Then I give feedback about what I observe and give pointers and help make changes that may improve the situation.

I provide a written Immediate Lactation Care Plan after this. I provide a Comprehensive Lactation Care plan which follows via email. Mother receives a couple follow up phone calls/e-mails if needed. Any referrals and reports that need to be made/sent are made and sent.

I can provide much the same care via distance. Pictures, videos and written history or a skype/phone conversation works also. It might add a few more "hurdles" but overall it can work very well...better than no support, right? 

Lessons and Blessings and the Journey of Learning What I Did Not Know I Did Not Know

I am often found reflecting at wee hours of the day about the families I am working with or have worked with. You see, we do not know what we do not know. I do not know what I do not know and what I will learn next. I only know that I will continue to learn. I am committed to learn from each family I meet, from each class I can take, from each professional I collaborate with.

 

Often in my journey of learning, especially this year, I have found myself holding an emotional space with the thoughts of past families in this space with me, with the intention of sending an apology. These apologies are for not knowing "something" when they needed me to know it and I discovered one of those things I did not know that I did not know.  

 

Book learning only affords one so much. Clinical training with 99% "normal" does a really good job of teaching normal. It does not prep one really well for "abnormal". So, as I work with families that have fallen off normal sometimes I am sent turning over stones I have never turned over before, and sometimes that means families did not make it to where we all would have liked and we are left wondering why what I did know to be "true' did not work. After those moments I still continue to turn stones so that i can find that piece of information we needed. Sometimes I find it and know I found it and other times it comes to me unknowing in another class or article and a moment of reflection on a past scenario comes into light.  I hold that piece with the memory of the previous family as I move forward to another family. That might mean it is "too late" for someone and that someone previously felt let down but it also means because that someone taught me something it is not "too late" for the next family.

 

Encounters are lessons or blessings and sometimes we need lessons before we can give the blessings. To all the families *I* have been blessed to work with who have taught *me* my lessons, I will carry forth blessings to other families as I continue my work. I apologize to you for not knowing what I did not know and not having what I needed for you when you reached out to me but I can assure you that the experiences we shared are not wasted experiences.

 

I want my families to be aware that I hold on to you, your stories, your experiences, much much longer that you probably would have ever imagined.