Vaca Leche

It really grinds my gears when people are given bandaid solutions and not told when or how to stop. Or when pain is gas lit as it looks fine to me and your baby is growing great! Or when low supply is “pump and bottle feed.” If we really want to support breastfeeding mamas, we need to spend the time educating… and if you don’t know how to do that, refer out!
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. Or should I say Tata Talk?

Bottle companies can claim whatever they damn well please and there is nobody regulating these claims. Alll the bottles are the best for breastfeeding and anti colic. What does that mean? Absolutely nothing. It’s marketing and not even great marketing! If these bottles work for your baby, awesome! Keep it up! If your baby is struggling with these bottles, they aren’t alone and there are better options let me help!

Do you have bottles that showed up after registering? Be cautious in choosing these! Some are good for some babies, but none of these would my first choice for most babies!

What has been mailed to you for free lately? Tell me in comments!

OKAY. YOUR TURN.

CMS is taking public comments on the new lactation CPT codes until September 14. You do NOT have to be an IBCLC to comment.

How to do it:

1. Go to Regulations.gov
2. Search CMS-2026-2377
3. Click Comment- it’s a blue box at the top.
4. Say you are commenting on Section (46), Lactation Care Services, CPT 978XX & 978X1
5. Tell them YOUR experience.

IBCLCs: Tell them what your credential required, what your visits actually involve, how long they take, and whether you are an RN or non-RN IBCLC.

Healthcare providers: Tell them why you refer to IBCLCs and why your patients need access to this care.

Parents: Tell them why you needed an IBCLC, what happened during your visit, what your IBCLC identified, and what that care meant for your family.

It does not need to be long. Please don’t copy mine. Your story is more powerful in your own words.

We have a chance to get dedicated lactation CPT codes. I want them. I want insurance coverage. I just want us to get this right.

Deadline: September 14. Go comment. Then send this to someone else who should, too.

I could make this easier on myself by simply not accepting insurance.

But I don’t want to.

I believe lactation care is healthcare, and I believe families deserve to use the insurance benefits they pay for.

I also refuse to let an insurance company determine how much time a family deserves with me.

Those two things should not be incompatible.

Right now, lactation is finally getting dedicated CPT codes. That could be a HUGE step forward. But we have an opportunity, right now, to make sure the people making these decisions understand what comprehensive lactation care actually looks like and what happens when reimbursement doesn’t support it.

Because when independent lactation practices can’t afford to accept insurance, the problem doesn’t disappear.

The cost just gets shifted to families.

And eventually, specialized lactation care becomes something only families who can afford to pay out of pocket can access.

I don’t want that future.

Honestly, continuing to fight for insurance-covered lactation care is one of the biggest reasons I went back to graduate school.

So now I need your help.

CMS is accepting public comments through September 14.

If an IBCLC has made a difference for your family, you don’t need to understand CPT codes or RVUs to comment.

Tell them your story.

What brought you to lactation care?
What happened during your visit?
How much time did your IBCLC spend with you?
What did they notice that hadn’t been identified before?
Did they refer you somewhere else?
What changed for your family?
What would losing access to that kind of care mean?

Your story is the evidence of why this care matters.

I’ll put exactly where and how to comment in the next post.

I don’t usually talk about my résumé.

But before I ask you to help me fight for lactation care, I need you to understand what that care can actually look like.

Sometimes lactation care is helping a baby latch.

Sometimes it’s realizing a baby isn’t getting enough milk and needs immediate medical care.

Sometimes it’s recognizing that feeding is only one piece of a much bigger picture involving maternal health, infant health, mental health, development, safety, finances, and access to care.

And sometimes my job is knowing that I’m not the person a family needs next, and getting them to the right person quickly.

That’s why I believe so strongly that lactation care exists on a spectrum, and that comprehensive lactation care deserves to be recognized as skilled healthcare.

Right now, decisions are being made about how that care will be defined and valued.

And I’m going to need your help.

If you’ve worked with me, you’ve probably learned I love when babies get body work and I love myofascial release therapy for them. I know it makes big changes in kiddos quickly. What I didn’t know… was how much I needed it. RoOTed•Shauna Fox-Hamilton•Myofascial Release•OT•Sioux Falls is a magician and I can’t wait to do some more work with her! Ask me any questions you have about this type of body work and why I love it for babies!

Rapid fire paci review…. But not pretend I’m David Rose from Schitt’s creek. Gosh I miss that show😂. Pacifiers are a tool and if what you have is working for you keep on keeping on. But some are better than others. Also, I really should have worn black for this😂. David would never call this color purple either, it would be Dusty Lavender or something ridiculous.