SG IBCLC

03/01/2023

Putting up my ! Loved doing this last year too. My first full year in private practice. I often get - is it possible to have private practice be full-time? Full-time salary in a large city WITH taking insurance, in my experience, yes! But no I don’t work 9-5 and never wanted to - we , went to all too often, and just enjoyed life that -employment flexibility allows.

This was an interesting year. I went from exclusively being with Lactation Network, to using a biller, to billing myself, to leaving TLN completely as taking plans directly provided more income and flexibility, to forming a group practice that spans SoCal and Oregon with a partner and having our model work for other LCs as well.

Very thankful for the growth this year and excited to see what the next year will bring!

22/05/2022

Articles like this are part of the problem !!

Come on - if this was a high profile businessman, he wouldn’t be a “dad” in the news headline. is an Emmy award winning TV show host and scientist that wasn’t able to pump on a business trip for her 10 week old baby. Fix these headlines!! Treat with the respect we deserve

17/05/2022

New Series of Posts

And what if you’re already exclusively breastfeeding?

Continuing to do so (and getting support when needed!) helps to lessen the impact of the formula shortage for you personally.

Also consider donating to a Human Milk Bank -

Check that it’s associated with HMBANA - not all milk banks are non-profit!

Informal donor sharing should still be ideally screened and pasteurized at home. Organizations such as and facilitate Facebook groups for informal donation

formulashortage

17/05/2022

New Series of Posts

Per Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine - what if you’re partially breastfeeding?

Once again - use formula safely! Buy from reputable sources, never water down formula, never make homemade formula.

Also consider if you want to increase your supply. This is where IBCLCs come in. Most women can increase their supply (even if you aren’t ebfing) and thus rely less on formula. Remember lactation is preventative care - check with your insurance company or to find support with low to minimal out of pocket cost.

17/05/2022

New Series of Posts!

Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine just came out with a statement on what to with given the formula shortage.

Expect a series of posts over the day to see what fits your situation!

Remember your pediatrician and local lactation consultants are here to help you through this ❤️

02/05/2022

Excited to be doing a Podcast tomorrow! Join me to learn more about how to find your fl**ge size! Hint: It’s very likely NOT 24!

**gesizematters **gesize

08/04/2022

This is normal...and it’s not

Let’s talk about IG pumping pics

#1 - Most pump 2-3oz COMBINED each session. That means most EPing parents need to pump 8-12x in 24h or 3-4x in an 8h work day. Those IG pics of pumping 6-12oz a pump session are the exception, not the rule!

#2 - Yes there’s a “slackerboob” for almost everyone. Totally normal. BUT you might also see a difference because LO nursed on one side and not the other - case in point here

#3 - Pumping 5+ oz per nursing session is a blessing and a curse. It means you have a “high milk storage capacity,” but it also means you’re more prone to mastitis, leaking, clogged ducts, and other fun side effects. I’m a chronic oversupplier due to subclinical hyperthyroidism - aka my thyroid functions a little too great and a side effect of that is too much milk. I’ve had mastitis over 10x while nursing in 6 years - so yep a blessing and a curse

So again is this normal? Well yes because I’m a human and making milk is normal.

But is making 6oz in a pumping session good? Or common? No to both. You should ideally make just as much as your baby/toddler/little person needs. Oversupply is something to be managed, but it’s absolutely not something to use as a reference point and it’s certainly not something to strive for

18/01/2022

Yea this!! So commonly we hear that “I couldn’t breastfeed.” Almost all women can breastfeed and most can exclusively if they want to. But society is failing us. It’s failing us with lack to accessible support and lack of maternity leave. Let’s change that! I’m thrilled to see how much change has happened in the past 10 years and looking forward to how much we’ll change in the next 10!

Many women do not breastfeed🤱 for as long as they would like.

This is how we can ALL support breastfeeding mothers anytime, everywhere ⬇️

07/01/2022

Do I need a breast pump?

Short answer - probably. And yes definitely if it’s already covered!

Long answer - thanks to the ACA, if you’re pregnant and haven’t used the benefit this year then your insurance needs to cover a breast pump.

So yes - getting one is super helpful! Why?

👉 Returning to work
👉 Latching doesn’t go as planned in the early days, so you can protect your supply until you get more lactation support
👉Nursing sensation is not for you 👉Nipple trauma and pumping feels temporarily better
👉Wanting another family member/partner to give a bottle
👉Pumping during the day so someone else can give a bottle at night to get a longer stretch of sleep
👉Passing it on to a friend if you never use it!

For my personal breastfeeding journeys, I hate pumping and avoid it at all costs! It just feels weird to me! You may never use it and that’s perfectly fine! But having it is great back-up just in case things don’t go as planned or you just want more options!

Next post we’ll talk about which pump is best for you!

05/01/2022

Love seeing the from other ! So here’s mine!

So often in the field, many ask if private practice is viable as a full-time salary. Without having savings, I’d needed to take out loans to support my family. So yes, the start-up factor is real!

But the start-up costs are low compared to other fields. And business has picked up faster than expected! Hopeful that with more with other and getting in-network with 3 more insurance companies that I’ll meet my salary goal by Spring!

Nearly all were home visits. Many found me on Facebook, some through listings, and some through insurance.

All the moms I worked with went through insurance - Anthem, Blue Shield, or Cigna! This next year looking forward to getting in-network with United Healthcare, Aetna, and Tricare!

And going to put it out there for getting to wake up every morning and make a living empowering moms through breastfeeding while raising 5 little girls 🤱💪

07/12/2021

Breastfeeding Win!

“You should never have to decide ‘do I want to maintain my income and keep food on the table for my family? Or do I want to feed my baby?,'” said Coleman, a first-term senator from Chanhassen with three sons under the age of three. “We’re better than that in Minnesota.”

https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2021/11/10/minnesota-becomes-3rd-state-to-require-paid-breaks-for-nursing-moms-to-pump-breast-milk/

07/12/2021

Definitely my personal favorite nursing position!

It’s perfect for middle of the night feeds when you just don’t want to get up. It’s also amazing postpartum when your body is so tired because You 👏Just 👏 Gave 👏 Birth 👏

Plus overall it’s the snuggliest of all the snuggly nursing positions.

Let us know what’s your favorite nursing position in the comments 👇