Frequently asked questions

Thank you for booking a lactation consult with me! Let’s get started, shall we? Check your email! You will need to electronically complete my paperwork in your MilkNotes Parent Portal (consent forms, health histories). MilkNotes allows us to communicate securely before and after our visit. If we are meeting virtually, our video consult happens in MilkNotes, as well. If we are meeting in person, please have available any gear you normally use to feed your baby. If you are pumping and we need to check your flange fit or do some pump instruction, have your pump available, as well as your flanges/tubing/bottles. Be sure your pump is fully charged, if portable or wearable! If we will be working on latching or bottle feeding during our visit, your baby doesn’t need to be super hungry, but they DO need to be willing to eat! So, please don’t give your baby a full feeding within an hour before we meet…snacks are preferred! If we are working to help your baby with feedings, please remember to have your baby home with you for the consult! You’d be surprised;) If we are meeting virtually, you will need to be in a room with good lighting so I can see you and your baby. You may need another adult to be your “cameraman” so I can get a good look at what’s happening from different angles. Have everything nearby and ready that you’ll need or want to discuss/use during our consult (bottles, pumps, nipple shield, etc.) If your baby is napping when our visit starts, this is perfectly fine as it gives us time to chat before we dive in. Your baby doesn’t need to be present for the consult if we’re only working on pumping, weaning, or other things that don’t require me to see a feeding As with all virtual video services, please make sure you have other programs and windows closed on your computer/tablet/phone that we are using in order to have the best connection. I look forward to meeting you soon!

Before our Visit, please: Fill out my health history and consent forms for both you and your baby. Try not to feed your baby within an hour of our visit so they’ll eat while we are meeting (if your baby is hangry, give them a quick snack- a quick breastfeeding session or an ounce or two of breast milk). Make a list of all your questions for me, remembering that you can securely message me through your MilkNotes Parent Portal for 2 weeks after our visit if you forget anything. Have within reach, any gear you use to feed your baby (nipple shield, bottles, pumped milk or formula, a nursing pillow, etc). If you have questions about the breast pump you’re using, or the bottles you’ve chosen, or any other gear you’re using, try to have them available so we can look at them together. But Please Do NOT: Worry about what you’re wearing or how messy your home is! Don’t change what you’ve been doing unless I told you to before the visit. I need to be able to see the whole picture so I can get a better idea of what little tweaks may make a difference in your breastfeeding relationship. Don’t hesitate to tell me if something doesn’t feel right. I will ask you repeatedly during the consult how things are feeling, both physically (pain and comfort wise) and emotionally. A lot of us have it ingrained to not admit we are hurting or that something sounds like it won’t work for us. I really DO need to know what’s working for you so we can come up with a plan that best allows you to meet YOUR nursing goals! What Will Happen During Our Visit: I will wash my hands before we begin. I will wear gloves if I am touching you or your baby’s mouth. We will sit and talk first, unless your baby is hungry and ready to nurse/bottle feed as soon as I walk in the door! I’ll go over both your health histories, and any challenges or concerns. Then I will ask to observe you breastfeeding, in whatever position and manner you use most. I try to be as physically hands-off as possible. I will ALWAYS ask before touching you, your breasts, or your baby. Usually before your baby has eaten, I will put on latex-free gloves and do a manual exam of your baby’s mouth. I will not do this unless I see a need to assess baby’s oral anatomy and function closely. If there are any concerns about how much milk your baby is getting while nursing, I will weigh your baby before and after breastfeeding to assess breast milk intake/transfer. I may look at your nipples before and after your baby nurses. This helps me not only to assess whether you are experiencing nipple damage, but it also gives me a lot of insight into exactly how your nipples are placed in baby’s mouth while he/she is breastfeeding. What Happens After Our Lactation Consult: Before the end of the day, you will receive your Care Plan via your MilkNotes Parent Portal. Within 24 hours, I will place in your MilkNotes Parent Portal, your Superbill (itemized receipt) to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement (though I can’t promise that they will reimburse you). I will fax a written report to your child’s Pediatrician (and any other relevant medical providers) and place a copy of that report in your MilkNotes parent portal. You will have unlimited follow-up with me via secure messaging for the next 14 days as you work through your care plan. If a follow-up visit is needed, they are available at a reduced rate, and this extends your secure messaging support for the following 14 days. To be honest, I am contacted to help solve pumping/breastfeeding/feeding problems. Pumping, breastfeeding, and bottle feeding problems tend to be complicated with a number of moving parts and variables; fixing them, therefore, takes time and effort. I probably won’t be able to make everything work perfectly before we finish our consult, but I’ll do everything within my knowledge to get you going in the right direction! I expect to hear from you to tweak the care plan ~ if I don’t hear from you, I will assume everything is going well! Fixing pumping, breast feeding, and bottle feeding problems is a process. The good news is, you will have me with you through it all, cheering you on, reassuring you, providing you with evidence-based support, and helping you to meet you and your baby’s breast milk goals, whatever they may be. Breast milk solutions are a team sport!