Feeding & Lactation Care
Postpartum Feeding and Lactation Care
Structured visits with an IBCLC, for the early days and for what comes up months in.
Our IBCLCs assess both you and your baby, work out what is contributing to the problem, and give you a written care plan you can follow between visits. That is the core of what a visit does.
Once your baby is here, the questions tend to be immediate: is my baby feeding well, is my supply enough, why does feeding hurt, why is my baby not gaining as expected. Our IBCLCs are infant feeding specialists and support breastfeeding, chestfeeding, exclusive pumping, bottle feeding, formula feeding, and combination feeding.
You do not need to wait for things to get worse, and you do not need to work out the cause first. We do that during the visit.
Common feeding concerns we help with
If any of these apply, a lactation visit is appropriate
The list below covers the situations families most often bring in. You do not need to identify the cause before you book.
- Latch is painful, shallow, or inconsistent
- You are concerned about your milk supply, low or oversupply
- Your baby is not gaining as expected, or lost more than typical
- Your baby is fussy, gassy, or showing reflux-like symptoms during or after feeds
- You hear clicking, gulping, or coughing during feeds
- Your nipples are cracked, bleeding, or vasospasming
- You are using a nipple shield and unsure how to wean from it
- You are making more milk on one side than the other
- Your baby was premature or spent time in the NICU and feeding is still getting established
- You want another perspective on guidance you have received
We also support more complex situations: inducing lactation, co-nursing and chestfeeding, relactation, a history of low supply, feeding after breast surgery, and feeding a baby born premature or coming home from the NICU. If any of these is your situation, the initial visit is still the right starting point.
Seeing signs of an oral restriction? Clicking during feeds, milk leaking from the corners of your baby’s mouth, persistent latch pain, or your baby’s tongue not lifting well, see Tongue & Lip Tie.
Where to start
The Initial Postpartum Visit is the right starting point
The Initial Postpartum Visit
If you are new to us or not sure what to book, this is the visit. It is a full clinical visit: we assess you and your baby, including a feeding observation, an oral function evaluation for your baby, and weight tracking when appropriate.
We review your medical and feeding history, identify what is contributing to the concerns that brought you in, and write a care plan you can follow between visits. Most initial visits include a feeding plan, pumping recommendations, and follow-up scheduling.
It is the right visit whether you are in the first week, working through something that has persisted for weeks or months, or transferring to us after seeing other providers. From there, we help you figure out what kind of support you need next.
In your home, in our offices, or by video.
Follow-up lactation visits
More focused than the initial visit. We check the care plan, take on new questions, monitor weight gain, and adjust as needed.
Many families follow up within a week or two, then space visits out as feeding stabilizes.
In your home, in our offices, or by video.
Common reasons families come in
Reasons families book, all covered by the initial visit
These are not separate first choices to pick between. They are reasons families book, and the initial visit covers them. If you already know your concern is specific, we offer focused visits for:
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Bottle feeding
Coughing or choking, leaking, gulping or clicking, very slow feeds, or reflux-like signs, whether or not your baby also nurses. Covers nipple selection, flow rate, paced feeding, and oral function during bottle feeding.
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Bottle refusal
Usually one of a few specific factors: nipple shape or flow, oral function, who is offering it, timing and hunger, age-related preference shifts, or feeding context. We observe a feeding attempt when possible and build a step-by-step plan.
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Pumping
Pump selection, flange sizing, output troubleshooting, exclusive pumping plans, and pumping for the return to work. If you are returning to work, also see Return to Work & Transitions.
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Reflux-like symptoms and suspected sensitivities
We look at feeding patterns, oral function, milk transfer, and parent diet factors that may be contributing. When symptoms suggest a true allergy or another medical concern, we refer back to your pediatrician or an appropriate specialist with our findings.
How visits work
Intake first, then your IBCLC sees you in whichever format fits
Most families begin by completing our intake form, which gathers the clinical and logistical information we need before the first visit. After you submit, our scheduling team reaches out to book, and our billing team verifies your insurance benefits and emails you the verification before your visit.
In your home
An IBCLC comes to you, often easiest in the early days. Home visits are limited by availability and location, and include a travel fee that is not billed to insurance.
See where we visit →In our office
See your IBCLC at one of our offices, where we have everything we need for your visit. Our offices are set up more like a living room than a typical doctor’s office. Office visits also let us care for more families and often have earlier availability, so we encourage them whenever they work for you.
See our offices →By video
HIPAA-compliant video works well for latch troubleshooting, supply questions, pumping issues, and reflux assessment. You will need a stable internet connection, our video platform installed, your intake and any photos or videos done in advance, good lighting, and ideally a second person to hold the camera so the IBCLC can see the latch.
About video visits →Most care plans use a mix of formats over time.
Locations
Where we offer lactation visits
We offer lactation visits at all of our offices, in your home, and by video. Our IBCLC services are the same across all locations.
See all locations →Insurance & self-pay
We bill several plans directly, and self-pay is available for every visit
We verify your benefits during intake, before your visit, and send you the verification ahead of time so you know where you stand.
Related pages
Get started
Begin with our intake form
If any of this matches what you are working through, the next step is the intake form. Our scheduling team reaches out within one business day to book your first visit, and our billing team verifies your insurance, both before your appointment.
Start your intakeOpens our intake form in a separate, HIPAA-secure system (new tab).