Hello Blooma families!

I am so thrilled to share one of our newest offerings with you: IBCLC visits! I have been supporting families with their lactation and infant feeding goals for years, and the newest service I offer is that of an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, or IBCLC. I’m here to answer some frequently asked questions about these visits.

What is an IBCLC?

“International Board Certified Lactation Consultants function and contribute as members of the maternal-child health team. They provide care in a variety of settings, while making appropriate referrals to other health professionals and community support resources. Working together with mothers, families, policymakers and society, IBCLC certificants provide expert breastfeeding and lactation care, promote changes that support breastfeeding and help reduce the risks of not breastfeeding.” (https://iblce.org/about-iblce/)

Simply put, an IBCLC is a member of the healthcare team with advanced training in lactation. IBCLCs are well-versed in both typical lactation and infant feeding journeys, and those that come with a few twists and turns along the way. 

What is the difference between an IBCLC and another lactation counselor?

IBCLCs are considered the “gold standard” in lactation support. We have received advanced training in both typical and atypical lactation and infant feeding. An IBCLC is an internationally recognized certification that includes a rigorous training program and standardized examination. IBCLCs have a background in a number of healthcare sciences, 90+ hours of lactation specific education, and 300-1000+ hours of clinical practice supporting families.

There are a number of other lactation supporters, from peer counselors (La Leche League, Breastfeeding USA, WIC, etc.) to the alphabet soup of lactation credentials (CLEC, CLC, CBS, CLE etc.). Each of these credentials requires some level of standardized education, usually 20-45 hours of lactation specific education, typically obtained in a week long training course. These lactation providers are essential to the landscape of infant feeding support, and are hugely helpful for working through the typical challenges families face in lactation. As challenges become more complex, the advanced training and experience of an IBCLC may become helpful or necessary.

What can an IBCLC help with?

Truly anything related to lactation and infant feeding! Some reasons people seek lactation support include:

• Prenatal consults, either to prepare for initial breast/chestfeeding or to work to avoid challenges experienced with previous children.

• Plugged ducts and/or mastitis

• Lactation after breast surgery (augmentation, reduction, biopsy)

• Low milk supply

• Oversupply

• Tongue/lip tie

• Infant feeding challenges (spitting up, refusing one side, agitation when feeding, falling asleep at the breast/chest)

• Infant medical conditions (heart disease, cleft lip/palate, prematurity, etc.)

• Parental medical conditions (PCOS, hyper/hypothyroid, Lupus, MS, etc.)

• Low weight gain

• Back to work consults 

• Flange fitting and pumping support

• Alternative feeding method support (bottle, cup, syringe, SNS, etc.)

• Weighted feeds

• Nursing strikes

• Challenges feeding an older child

• Support after pregnancy or infant loss

• Induced lactation and relactation

• Weaning

• And so much more!

What happens in an IBCLC visit?

Prior to the visit, I send you an intake form to gather some more information and a health history of you and your nursling(s). When the visit begins, we spend some time talking over the health history and getting a good understanding of the current challenges and our goals for the visit. I will observe a feeding/milk expression, whether that is baby nursing, taking a bottle, pumping, etc. If baby is breast/chestfeeding, we can do a weighted feed to see how much milk baby takes in over the course of a feeding. I will typically do an infant oral exam – I wear gloves and explore your baby’s mouth. I assess tongue mobility, suck patterns, palate shape, and more. I may also do a breast/chest exam, looking at nipple eversion, palpable breast tissue, size, and shape. We work together to make a Care Plan for you to have once our visit is complete. I will often send a Pediatrician Report as well, so the full healthcare team is involved with the assessment and plan. If any referrals are needed, I will provide you with those in writing. Finally, I stay available to you for 2 weeks after the visit for any questions or support related to the Care Plan. I am available to you by email and secure messaging support during that time. If another visit is needed, we’ll get that scheduled as well.

Where do the visits take place?

I offer home, office, and virtual visits. Home visits are available throughout the week. I travel to you, bringing all my supplies with me. If you live beyond a 20 minute radius of Blooma, there may be a surcharge for travel. Office visits are available at Blooma in South Minneapolis. These visits are available on Thursdays from 8:00am-2:00pm. Virtual visits are available throughout the week and take place on a secure, HIPAA-compliant video messaging platform.

Can I use insurance for these visits?

I am not currently in-network with any insurance providers, so do not directly bill insurance. After our visit, I give you a Superbill which can be submitted to your insurance for reimbursement. Under the Affordable Care Act, lactation visits with an IBCLC should be covered by insurance. Unfortunately, there are sometimes loopholes or push-back. I recommend contacting your insurance company prior to the visit for pre-authorization – this seems to make it more likely to see reimbursement come through. If you have any difficulty understanding or accessing your benefits, please consult this Toolkit created by the National Women’s Law Center:  https://nwlc.org/resources/new-benefits-breastfeeding-moms-facts-and-tools-understand-your-coverage-under-health-care-law/

I am so excited to be offering this service at Blooma! Please feel free to contact me with any questions, or to schedule a visit. As a new offering, I can offer 10% off your initial visit if you mention this blog post when you contact me. 

You can reach me by filling out the inquiry form on our lactation website at www.blooma.com/lactation, emailing me at lactation@blooma.com, or calling/texting me at 612-564-0879.

Looking forward to supporting you and your wonderful kiddos! With love,

Jessica Underwood, IBCLC