Our Philosophy
Skilled Lactation Solutions was founded with the commitment to provide accessible, affordable services with the gold standard of lactation care. Our goal is to give parents the tools to be confident and successful in their feeding choices. We commit to providing them with the information necessary to make informed choices for their family. Whether you need guidance prenatally, latch tweaking, or there’s a more complicated medical history, we will listen to you and work with you to come up with a plan that fits your family.
Our Specialty:
Oral Rehabilitation
At Skilled Lactation Solutions, we take a holistic approach to optimize feeding and address challenges. We have advanced training and clinical expertise in infant feeding, oral anatomy and airway development, reflexes and motor development, food intolerances, reflux, infant stooling, and feeding skills. We empower families with effective tools to meet their feeding goals. We also assess concerns on the parent side, including pain, feeding positions, mental health, nutrition, overwhelm, supporting milk supply, and addressing clogs, blebs, or wound healing. We understand the need for both halves of the feeding team to be healthy, fully functional, and supported in order to thrive.
A CLC or Certified Lactation Counselor typically receives 52 hours of classroom education in “human lactation support, including assessing the latching and feeding process, providing corrective interventions, counseling mothers, understanding and applying knowledge of milk production including in special circumstances and other commonly encountered situations”. No supervised clinical hours are required, since according to the Lactation Counselor Course description, “It trains participants in how to gain insight into clients’ problems with a strong focus on counseling skills.” (https://centerforbreastfeeding.org)
An IBCLC or International Board Certified Lactation Consultant is required to have up to 1000 hours of supervised care with lactating families, BLS for infants, 8 college-level medical courses, as well as 95 hours of classroom education specific to lactation including infant feeding, development, and pathologies, reflexes and muscle tone assessment, preterm infants, breast growth and development, maternal anatomy challenges, infertility and health disorders, relactation, pharmacology and toxicology, mental health, a variety of techniques and tools, clinical skills, cultural competency, ethics, research, and advocacy. (https://iblce.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/IBCLC-Detailed-Content-Outline.pdf)
However, the IBCLC exam prepares the Lactation Consultant for a wide variety of career settings. IBCLCs have to seek out additional education and mentorship to enhance skills and establish a deeper understanding of conditions that they specialize in. The additional training that we have invested in sets our skills apart to assess and care for families with complex feeding problems. It’s more than just taking a class for us, or using a one-size-fits-all assessment tool on every family we work with. Oral rehabilitation is our passion and we’ve invested in years of mentorship and education to have the most up to date clinical skills to offer the families we work with.
Our families experience the difference and see results. With our model of care, you won’t just walk away from an appointment with some tips and tricks. After your first appointment, you’ll have:​
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A comprehensive and easy to understand care plan shared with you and your partner
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Customized exercises with interactive, fun, easy to implement activities to practice at home to jump-start your baby’s improvement
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Any necessary referrals from our list of trusted and highly skilled providers to address any additional needs that are outside our Scope of Practice. We have relationships with ENTs, dentists, physical and occupational therapists, orofacial myofunctional therapists, craniosacral therapists, pediatric and adult chiropractors, pelvic floor therapists, postpartum doulas, sleep coaches, and mental health professionals to insure you have any resources you may need. We’ve personally vetted their skillset and areas of expertise so you can be confident you’re in the best hands without needing to crowdsource over Facebook groups or call around town
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Detailed notes communicated with your medical providers with evidence-based research to back our recommendations, so everyone is on the same page and working toward the same goals
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Ongoing communication in our patient portal to clarify your care plan, and follow ups with us as you and your baby make progress. We modify your lactation therapy goals and make changes to your plan as needed based on our observations and assessments, and your valuable feedback as the expert on your baby’s unique needs
Optimal oral function involves more than just adequate weight gain. Whether you’re feeding directly at the breast or chest, giving expressed milk in bottles, combination feeding, or feeding formula exclusively, you deserve the care, compassion, and expertise you’ll find at Skilled Lactation Solutions. We can help get your family on the path to wellness, no matter what your goals are or how you’re feeding your baby.
What We Offer
Prenatal
Consultation
We’ll go over your history, your pregnancy, your birth plan if you have one, and answer any questions you have in order to identify any risk factors in advance so you feel fully prepared to feed your baby.
Return to Work
Consultation
Feel confident in meeting your feeding goals after you go back to work. We’ll go over your milk supply, pumping schedule, and childcare plans so you can build a stash of milk and pump at work with confidence that you’ll be able to continue to feed your baby for as long as you want to continue. We’ll give you resources to share with your caregivers so everyone is working together and on the same page.
Professional Pump Fitting
Even though your pump probably came with a measurement guide, the only way to make sure it fits and works well is to have it fitted by a professional AFTER your baby is born and WHILE the pump is actually in use. Holding a card up to yourself in the mirror is not an accurate way to fit a pump flange. Knowing how your pump works, making sure it fits well, and getting professional tips and hacks can make all the difference in preventing tissue and nerve damage and protecting your milk supply long term.
Hand Expression Teaching Session
This is a game-changing skill that has the ability to solve SO many lactation challenges. So many parents are not familiar with hand expression and how to make it work for you. From pregnancy to low supply to clogged milk ducts to oversupply to weaning, hand expression is a tool that will come to your rescue again and again. Learning how and when to use it will be a secret weapon against so many feeding challenges.
Comprehensive Feeding Evaluation
In this visit, we’ll go over a detailed history, hear your concerns, and work with you to overcome any challenges you’re having. This can cover low milk supply, slow weight gain/failure to thrive, painful latch and nipple damage, a “sleepy” baby who just won’t nurse, oversupply, green/watery/slimy/ bloody/ explosive/stringy poops, reflux/spitting up/GERD, colic, choking/coughing at the breast/overactive letdown, starting solids, weaning, feeding through suspected food allergies, weaning, exclusive pumping, suspected oral restrictions (tongue/lip ties), “biting” or “chewing” while feeding, feeding through illness or procedures, mastitis/abscess/clogged ducts/blebs/milk blisters.
Relactation Consultation
If you stopped making milk for your baby and have regrets, it isn’t too late! It’s possible to reestablish your milk supply and get your feeding relationship back on track. We’ll go over your goals, what challenges got in the way, and together we’ll create a plan to overcome those challenges and help you meet those goals you thought you had to give up on.
Adoption/Inducing
Lactation Consultation
Providing milk for a baby you didn’t carry can be an amazing way to bond, and it is possible! We’ll work with you to come up with a plan that works for your family using established protocols.
Lactation
Check Up
To address one concern like latch questions, pump questions, introducing bottles, or just have the chance to ask any questions you may have. Billed to insurance or $49 for cash pay.
Lactation
After Loss
Although heartbreaking, lactation after 2nd and 3rd-trimester pregnancy loss or stillbirth is something that many parents experience and very few people talk about. We will work with you with compassion and gently help you work through your milk coming in and options for how to heal during lactation after a loss.
How It Works
1. Book an Appointment
We can bill many insurance plans for your appointment. If you don’t have commercial health insurance or we can’t bill your plan, you’ll receive an invoice to pre-pay with a credit, debit, HSA, or FSA card. Your visits can be used prenatally and at any point after delivery, including starting solids, sleep challenges during lactation, back to work planning, and weaning.
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We have a cancellation list if you are interested in being
seen sooner. After your appointment is confirmed,
text CANCELLATION to 248-688-0334 to be added.
If you don't see an appointment time that works for you,
or you need to book a Prenatal Appointment or Home Visit,
please contact us at 248-688-0334.
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*Please do not fill out this form if you are looking for information on becoming an
IBCLC or anything business related. Refer to our business offerings here.
2. Schedule Your Virtual or In-Home Consultation
Same day appointments are offered when available, otherwise we will work with your schedule and ours to find the next best time.
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During your appointment, we may assess a feeding or a pump session, ask questions, and most importantly, listen to your concerns and what your feeding goals are.
3. Creating Your Care Plan
Our team will work together to create a comprehensive Care Plan personalized especially for your family.
4. How To Communicate With Our Team
Communication after your appointment will take place in our secure, HIPAA compliant patient portal. You can send pictures, ask follow up questions, and share your victories!