Office Visits
During a lactation consultation, my top priority is to understand your family’s unique circumstances and help you define your infant feeding goals. Whether you are breastfeeding or chestfeeding, providing expressed human milk for your baby, incorporating formula, or are ready to wean, I will listen to your goals and make them my own. My practice is founded on the philosophy that every parent is the expert on their own baby, their own body, and their individual circumstances. I strive for parents to feel empowered and informed in their decision making, free from judgement.
A lactation consultation will most likely be different from any other health related visit you have previously experienced.
A lactation visit requires a significant investment of time, is multifactorial, requires intuition while also being experiential, and employs sleuthing and investigative skills.
As an IBCLC, I have the expertise, training, and years of clinical experience to undertake such specialized evaluations.
Breastfeeding is a team sport that requires two people working together to achieve the same goal. This means that there are two patients, both the lactating parent and baby, often referred to as a dyad. Ensuring an enjoyable breastfeeding experience for both clients is the focus of my treatment and recommendations as an IBCLC.
Visit my office
in Gümligen 3073
My office is conveniently located just outside of Bern, centrally located in the heart of Switzerland. It is easily accessible by public transport and free parking is available.
What we will review during an office visit:
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Lactation consultations begin with a thorough review of your and your baby’s health and birth histories. This information is essential to understanding factors that may be contributing to your breastfeeding challenges. Questions that may seem irrelevant may actually hold the key to improving breastfeeding for you and your baby.
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An unclothed weight of your baby will be taken, often followed by a weight in a clean dry diaper as a baseline, pre-feed weight. I will then observe you feed your baby either at the breast or the bottle, in the position you do when at home. We will make adjustments to positioning and latch as necessary and I will describe what I am seeing and hearing and what these clues may mean. Breastfeeding tools and devices may be discussed and trialed during feedings if warranted. Your baby will then be weighed again after a feed at the breast to determine how much milk was obtained, with a discussion of what this information may mean.
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Feeding is a full body experience for babies so seeing and understanding how your baby’s body moves is of great importance to me. Any examination of your baby will be gentle, respectful, and I always follow your baby’s cues and describe to you what I would like to examine and why. Your baby’s general movement patterns will be observed and your baby may be invited to participate in some purposeful play looking at factors like tension and range of motion.
A functional and comprehensive oral assessment will also be performed, examining vital tongue motions, oral anatomy, strength, and coordination. I will describe to you what I am feeling and seeing and how your baby’s oral function and anatomy may be impacting their ability to feed functionally. As an IBCLC I have undertaken hundreds of hours of specialized training focused on oral function, restrictions, and habilitation and possess the clinical expertise to determine if your baby’s oral function is contributing to your feeding challenges.
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Primary reflexes are unconditioned motor responses of the nervous system that aid in protection and survival and support development. Many of these reflexes develop in utero, assist in the birthing process, and play an important role in your baby’s ability to feed effectively. Using a gentle touch, I will assess some of your baby’s primitive reflexes, watching for their reaction, and discussing with you what roles these reflexes play and what your baby’s movements mean. I have completed additional coursework in reflex assessment across the lifespan and how to incorporate movements that work with reflex patterns to help baby’s relax, be more comfortable, feed better, and work towards optimal development.
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Throughout our consultation we will discuss strategies and solutions that will help you overcome your feeding challenges. We will work together as a team to determine which recommendations will work best for your family.
Together, we will devise a plan of care that includes actionable steps your family can immediately implement as you work towards your individual feeding goals.
You will leave your consultation with a deeper understanding of your baby and your breastfeeding relationship, along with easy to implement and actionable steps that you can undertake immediately to begin working towards your infant feeding goals.
After your consultation, you will receive your detailed and individualized care plan and other resources in your secure client portal, and I will be here to continue to support you.