Southwest Minnesota Lactation & Beyond

11/01/2025

Hello! I just wanted to take a minute to update the page and give some life updates as well 😊

For those of you who have followed along, you may know that Southwest Minnesota Lactation & Beyond started out in 2020 as a business offering primarily in-home lactation consultations. From there, it grew to include my friend and colleague Jess Dressen. Together, her and I opened The Nurturey - Parenting Studio in 2021. We continued to offer lactation visits in our office space in Marshall and expanded to provide doula services and a variety of education and support groups. Somewhere along the line, I got the itch to return to midwifery school and I became a Certified Nurse-Midwife in 2023. I've been practicing as a midwife at CCM Health since then and really love it! For awhile, I was happy and able to work as a midwife and also continue a part time role at The Nurturey. Over this past summer, I made the difficult decision to step away from The Nurturey. Just as I often talk with my clients about seasons of life, I am currently in one where my plate is full enough! I welcomed my third son in December 2025 and I've been doing everything I can to soak up the sweet baby moments and spend time with my family ❤️

I was so grateful to be able to leave the lactation business in good hands with Jess who continues to provide these services through The Nurturey. I'm also at peace with this transition because I get to continue providing lactation support in my role at CCM Health where I get to work alongside other super passionate staff as part of the lactation team! If you'd like to see me for lactation consultation, you can feel free to schedule a visit by calling CCM Health at 320-269-8877. I see patients in both Montevideo and at our outreach clinic in Marshall. In addition to lactation, I provide full-scope midwifery care including prenatal, birth, postpartum, well-woman, and gynecologic care. I love to provide holistic care with a focus on overall wellness and I'm part of an incredible team of midwives.

I think that wraps it up for now, I hope to continue using this page to connect and to share resources when I'm able. And as always, thank you for all your support throughout this journey!

Here's a fun picture of me breastfeeding my youngest in a cave this fall 😝. We took the older boys on a cave tour and little buddy was getting tired and fussy. Super convenient that I can use a carrier and a little breastfeeding to keep him happy! It's been fun (and interesting at times) to have a baby when your older children are to an age where life can be quite active - our baby just gets to come along for the ride and he's (mostly) happy to do it!

04/03/2023

We haven't been very active on social media, it's hard to keep up with everything! We've chosen to focus more on our business The Nurturey-Parenting Studio in this regard which is our business in Marshall, MN where we have office space to provide our lactation services along with doula services, childbirth and breastfeeding classes, and retail.

So, we just wanted to make a quick post to let everyone know we're very much alive and well and invite you to follow The Nurturey-Parenting Studio if you haven't already done so! You can continue to contact us through either route - most of our things are linked up. Thanks again for all your support!!

08/03/2022

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!!

In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, we'd love to answer ANY questions you have about breastfeeding, pumping, or anything related! Ask us in the comments or send us a message if you'd rather stay anonymous and we will jump on live on Thursday to answer them!

05/15/2022

This about sums it up. We support families in all types of infant feeding and what’s going on is sad and wrong. Reach out if you need help figuring out what the best option for your family is ❤️

Our society has no plan for emergency infant feeding. We have limited protections for breastfeeding. We have limited access to IBCLCs. We subsidize the dairy industry. We have no guarantees of family medical leave when a new baby comes into the family. Many health insurance companies deny lactation care coverage due to loopholes. Our formula manufacturing is an oligopoly. Our infant food supply chain is not protected or regulated to prevent shortages. Formula import tariffs further reduce free market options for infant food. Childcare is next to impossible to access, pushing parents out of the workforce. The culmination of thousands of policies and laws is this crisis: the richest country in history of the world can’t feed babies.

04/25/2022

Next class coming up this Sunday! Still time to sign up 😉

03/23/2022

Yes, this 🙌🏻
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had somebody come to me saying they were sure their baby either did or didn’t have a tie based on another provider visually looking at their mouth only.
This is not a thorough assessment, but most providers are not trained in HOW to do a proper assessment.
As IBCLCs we understand what the oral anatomy is supposed to function like to make breastfeeding work and we are concerned when we see that not happening. We also look at the whole picture - all the other parts about you and your baby’s situation that might be helping or harming your feeding experience.
Bottom line is, whether you think your baby has a tie or not, you really need a skilled IBCLC on your team to help you look at the whole picture ❤️

You've got to get a finger in the mouth to find out what the tongue can do during sucking!

02/27/2022

Some great insight from one of the leading experts on treating oral ties. We see this A-LOT and have a lot of experience helping families through tongue and lip ties. There’s a lot more to it than just getting a release done. You need to have a provider that knows how to get a complete release and a support team (like us!, along with bodyworkers such as skilled chiropractors and craniosacral therapists) to get the best results. An incomplete release and not following through with exercises to promote optimal oral and body function can seriously impact your baby’s ability to feed optimally.

We are here and ready to help 🤓

The Eiffel Tower

Many providers (and savvy parents) will refer to this kind of a tongue tie as an "Eiffel tower" tie (for good reason). Why does this happen? Well, while it isn't a universal finding, I have only found it to be present when the tongue is tied. So not every tongue tie has an Eiffel component, but every Eiffel component comes from a tongue tie. The tongue tie is #1 in the picture, and the Eiffel part is #2.

I frequently get asked how and where and when I cut the Eiffel part of the tie. My answer is simple: I don't. I'll admit that I used to periodically do it, but as I've done more procedures, I've come to realize that the Eiffel tower isn't the cause of a problem, but rather a visible end result of persistent tongue tie. Treating just the Eiffel part doesn't actually do anything to improve tongue mobility.

The Eiffel is there because the tongue is still pulling on the inside of the jawline. If someone does a procedure correctly, that Eiffel part should disappear. If your child has that Eiffel right after a procedure, then I'd argue they've had an incomplete release. If the Eiffel forms after a procedure has been done, then the tongue has reattached. So what's important is that you retreat the CAUSE of the Eiffel rather than the visual symptom of the persistent tension.

02/26/2022

Many of you may be following the recent formula recalls from Similac. Here is some clarifying information on how to verify if your formula is impacted. There’s also I formation on the Similac site on how to get reimbursed for any formula you need to throw out.

This is also a good time to talk about safe formula preparation 🍼

ALL powdered formula is non-sterile and the safest way to prepare it (given the fact that it may be contaminated with potentially harmful bacteria as we see here) is to boil your water and then add the powdered formula while the water is cooling to no less than 158 degrees Fahrenheit. This helps to kill any potential pathogens. You can use any water that’s safe to drink - many people think they need to boil the water to sterilize that, but it’s really the powder we’re concerned with.
It’s best to prepare each feed as you need it, but if you need to prepare multiple feeds in advance, then making it this way and then placing in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours is an option!

Here’s a handy printout from the WHO:https://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/micro/PIF_Bottle_en.pdf

We always try to educate our families about safe formula preparation should they need it, as our favorite saying goes… knowledge is power!

INFANT FORMULA INVESTIGATION: At least 3 babies got sick from Cronobacter infection and sadly one has died.

Do not feed your baby any recalled powdered infant formula. Check the code on the package and compare it to the recall information.
• Return recalled formula for refund at store or online at Abbott.
• If you get infant formula from WIC, contact your local WIC agency for more guidance.
• Do not feed your baby diluted formula or homemade formula.
• Do not buy formula online that comes from outside the U.S. This formula could be counterfeit.
https://go.usa.gov/xzaD8

02/16/2022

We're a few weeks behind, but we have a new intern!

A little bit about Kat:
I was born in St. Charles, MO and have lived all over the country. Most recently, my family and I moved to the Windom area from outside of Caldwell, Idaho. My husband (Justin) and I have 2 little ones, one of whom is still breastfeeding at 18 months!

I have a background in non-profit organizations including working with single moms, kids, immigrants, and refugees. Working with families from different backgrounds and with different access to lactation services motivated me to start working on becoming an IBCLC myself. I felt that lactation specific education would allow me to combine my personal breastfeeding experiences (and struggles!) with evidence-based practices to work with those who might not otherwise have the opportunity to receive lactation help.

Currently, I am finishing up my clinical hours through the lactation program at Portland State University and am grateful to Jenna and Jess for welcoming me to Southwest Minnesota Lactation and Beyond! I look forward to meeting you and working with you wherever you are at on your breastfeeding journey!

Kat will be with us for a next several months, you may see her at consultations, at drop-in clinic, and at support groups! Please join us in welcoming her ❤