How to prepare for a consult
If your baby is hungry within the 45 minutes before my arrival, please give them a small “snack” to tide them over. I don’t want them hangry, distressed, and uncomfortable.
If they are hungry earlier than that, then go ahead and feed as usual. We’ll just talk more before their next feeding and feed them a bit later.
Please have a clean towel available for me to dry my hands after washing.
Please have your wifi name and password available for me to use so I can send you my notes before I leave.
If you have a dog, please have it outside or in a separate area. Sometimes dogs are protective of new babies and may behave unpredictably around strangers.
What to expect during a consult
Before I leave my house, I do a rapid antigen COVID test.
I come to your house with my mask on and with my consultation bag and laptop.
My bag contains my hospital-grade scale and a variety of feeding supplies and tools.
I leave my shoes at your door, bring in my bag, wash my hands, set up my scale, and open up my laptop to take notes.
If your baby is not yet hungry when I arrive, we begin by talking.
If your baby is hungry right away, we begin with feeding and talk as we go and after feeding.
I will ask many questions:
I will typically summarize or recap back to you to ensure I have understood correctly, and to give you an opportunity to correct me if I have not.
In most cases, I will weigh your baby before feeding and again after feeding.
I will examine your baby’s mouth with a gloved finger, with your permission, to see how well she grasps and sucks and if she has typical muscle strength, coordination, and oral function for effective feeding.
We can try different breastfeeding positions and locations to figure out what works best for you and your baby. With your permission, I can provide hands-on help with positioning adjustments and getting your baby comfortably latched.
If you are pumping, we can look at your pump settings, check your flange fit, and talk about pumping strategies.
If you are making too little milk or too much milk, we will talk about how to shift your supply toward your goals.
I will write a report with my recommendations and email it to you.
I will prepare an invoice that you can pay online by credit card, FSA card, or by PayPal.
I will provide a superbill if you would like to submit it to your insurance to request reimbursement.
With your permission, I will send a report to your baby’s pediatrician.
I will NOT bill insurance directly, impose goals on you, or touch you without your permission.
If your baby is hungry within the 45 minutes before my arrival, please give them a small “snack” to tide them over. I don’t want them hangry, distressed, and uncomfortable.
If they are hungry earlier than that, then go ahead and feed as usual. We’ll just talk more before their next feeding and feed them a bit later.
Please have a clean towel available for me to dry my hands after washing.
Please have your wifi name and password available for me to use so I can send you my notes before I leave.
If you have a dog, please have it outside or in a separate area. Sometimes dogs are protective of new babies and may behave unpredictably around strangers.
What to expect during a consult
Before I leave my house, I do a rapid antigen COVID test.
I come to your house with my mask on and with my consultation bag and laptop.
My bag contains my hospital-grade scale and a variety of feeding supplies and tools.
I leave my shoes at your door, bring in my bag, wash my hands, set up my scale, and open up my laptop to take notes.
If your baby is not yet hungry when I arrive, we begin by talking.
If your baby is hungry right away, we begin with feeding and talk as we go and after feeding.
I will ask many questions:
- What was your pregnancy and birth like?
- What was your baby’s gestational age at birth?
- How is your postpartum recovery going?
- Are you taking any medications or supplements?
- Has your baby required any special medical care?
- How often is your baby breastfeeding and for how long?
- Do you have any pain with breastfeeding?
- What did your baby weigh at birth and how has your baby’s weight gain been?
- If you are pumping, how often and for how long? Is it comfortable? How much milk are you collecting? What is your goal for the pumped milk?
- Is your baby bottle feeding? If so, how is that going? If not, is that a goal?
- How long is your parental leave?
- What are your main concerns today?
- What are your goals around infant feeding?
- What other questions are on your mind about feeding?
I will typically summarize or recap back to you to ensure I have understood correctly, and to give you an opportunity to correct me if I have not.
In most cases, I will weigh your baby before feeding and again after feeding.
I will examine your baby’s mouth with a gloved finger, with your permission, to see how well she grasps and sucks and if she has typical muscle strength, coordination, and oral function for effective feeding.
We can try different breastfeeding positions and locations to figure out what works best for you and your baby. With your permission, I can provide hands-on help with positioning adjustments and getting your baby comfortably latched.
If you are pumping, we can look at your pump settings, check your flange fit, and talk about pumping strategies.
If you are making too little milk or too much milk, we will talk about how to shift your supply toward your goals.
I will write a report with my recommendations and email it to you.
I will prepare an invoice that you can pay online by credit card, FSA card, or by PayPal.
I will provide a superbill if you would like to submit it to your insurance to request reimbursement.
With your permission, I will send a report to your baby’s pediatrician.
I will NOT bill insurance directly, impose goals on you, or touch you without your permission.