What Should I Look for in a Lactation Consultant? | Indianapolis newborns
Bringing a new baby into the world is one of the most rewarding things, but it also brings with it a host of questions and unknowns that can quickly lead to overwhelm and discouragement. As a newborn photographer in the Indianapolis area, when a mom brings her sweet baby to me for her newborn photo shoot, I chat with her throughout the session, and regularly, conversation will turn to the challenges of feeding her baby.
I not only want to provide beautiful heirloom photos to celebrate this precious new life, but I also want to provide helpful resources for moms that can help her experience in those early days with a new baby be more comfortable and less stressful.
I recently had the privilege of meeting Stephanie Ramsey, an IBCLC certified lactation consultant. We sat down for an interview. Please join in and listen to our conversation!
Shauna: What are the most common reasons that moms come to see you?
Stephanie: The most common reasons moms come to me are a painful latch, nipple pain, low supply, and the baby refusing a bottle.
Shauna: How do you help them with those things?
Stephanie: We strive to identify why they have pain. It could be positioning. The baby may have a tongue tie. There could be other tensions that mimic tongue tie resulting from a difficult delivery or other elements during delivery that caused tension such as a cesarean section, forceps or a vacuum. Anything that is out of the norm can cause body tension. Once those potential causes of tension are addressed, we can identify what's causing the nipple pain and provide guidance. We do not necessarily treat the nipple pain, but we give mom things that she can do to help heal. We work on identifying the cause of the pain and pair that with correcting the baby’s mouth.
Shauna: Do you have special creams and salves that you suggest?
Stephanie: Depending on the severity of the pain, I keep some things on hand. Rather than telling mom to order it, I provide help. I recognize mom is in her postpartum phase, and she could easily forget to order it. If she does remember to order it, it could be a week before she gets it, and I want her to start receiving the benefits right away. My recommendations for this are individualized and different from one mom to another, because the source of the pain can differ.
Shauna: What are some considerations when there is low supply?
Stephanie: Low supply could be the result of a terrible latch. This is often because mom’s breast has not been stimulated well, and the baby has not removed milk to then signal mom’s hormones to produce more milk.
There could be an underlying medical issue that needs to be addressed. We identify issues such as PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), gestational diabetes, infertility, and thyroid issues. We take time to figure out these underlying issues and then provide a solution.
Often, lactation consultants will focus on supply and demand, instructing the mom to pump more or feed more. But that is often not the solution for a lot of women. Mom can be following these instructions but have something underlying going on. We shift our focus to supporting mom and getting her to maximize her supply. For some moms, this means a full supply or just a partial supply. We take whatever supply she has and help her find a plan that works for her.
Sometimes, mom takes a hit to her mental health, and regardless of her efforts, she cannot get her supply up. In this case, we reframe her feeding plan. We take away a lot of her pumping. We still help her with breastfeeding, but we also give guidance to supplement with bottles.
This is a big part of what we do. We help mom figure out what's going to work for her and for her family based on baby, mom’s supply, and what mom’s goals are. Goals and priorities are so different from one mom to another. We make sure that mom is supported with what she wants to do. We want baby to be gaining weight and thriving.
We want this to be a positive experience. Mental health is so important. We strive to avoid creating overwhelm or mom feeling like a failure because she can't do things a certain way. I will often ask mom, “What would an ideal situation look like for you?” I then take her answer and give her specific, small things that she can master.
Shauna: Explain a bit more about your avoidance of pushing breast feeding if you sense that bottle feeding is going to be better for mom.
Stephanie: I discuss mom’s priorities, and we talk about her baby. I listen to mom first, and then I share my top priorities in helping her.
The first priority is to feed the baby, whatever that looks like for mom. This could be breastfeeding, bottle feeding, formula, or donor milk.
We are going to promote and protect what mom wants. If she would like to see an increase in her supply, we will do our best to identify why she has a low supply and come up with a plan to maximize her supply.
We also prioritize her mental health. This includes discussion of what mom enjoys about breastfeeding, and then we maximize that element. We focus on enjoying breastfeeding. If there is just no enjoyment, I help moms to know it is okay. Choosing to give formula is sometimes the best choice.
If we move forward to transitioning to formula, I help mom start the weaning process. This can look however mom wants it to. Some moms just want to give baby a little bit once a day, and others are ready to fully transition to formula.
We take away the negative stress and pressure. I am here to provide support. I will help with bottle feeding or breastfeeding.
Shauna: Can you tell me a little bit about your education and your certifications?
Stephanie: I started in 2002 as an RN and served in the NICU and postpartum. I was a school nurse for a little bit, helping out at my kids' schools. I started the lactation process in 2016. In 2018, I passed my boards to be certified as an IBCLC (international board certified lactation consultant). Every five years I have to take additional training to keep up with the certification, so I am constantly learning!
During covid, moms were very limited with help. I began to see a need, and so I started taking courses to help with issues such as low supply, tongue tie, body work, and gut brain. I also took herbal classes. And then I started doing home visits.
Stephanie:
“I started this fun project representing every visit that I've done, and it is so encouraging to know I am helping moms so much! This jar currently has over 1,100 beads! These beads are so special to me because each one represents another mom and baby that I've helped! “
Shauna: Is there anything else you would like to share?
Stephanie: I love to provide my moms with a lot of resources. Here are several professionals I will refer my moms to!
Chiropractic care:
North side of Indianapolis in Carmel: Sacred Spined Chiropractic | https://sacredspines.com
Cooper Chiropractic | https://www.kids-chiropractor.com
South side of Indianapolis in Greenwood: New Wave Chiropractic | https://newwavegreenwood.com
Dr. Brookley M. Pavnica at Billingsley Chiropractic | https://billingsleychiro.com/meet-the-doctors
West side of Indianapolis in Brownsburg: Dr. Breanna Herink at Growing Family Chiropractic
https://growingfamchiro.janeapp.com/#/staff_member/1
Clinical herbalist:
Karen Burr at Materia Medica Apothecary | https://www.mm-restorativeherbalismcenter.com
Occupational Therapist:
Amanda Watson | https://www.instagram.com/mindful.milestones.bodywork
Dentists for oral evaluations:
Dr. Newman at Newman Family Dentistry | https://www.newmanfamilydentistry.com/frenectomy.html
Hendricks pediatric dentistry | https://hendrickspd.com
I had the privilege of also talking with Amanda Buckel. She is a contractor who works alongside Stephanie at times. She shared her story of her experience that led her to working with Stephanie.
“My RN background is in the NICU. I work at Riley Hospital downtown Indianapolis. I started doing lactation training in 2020, which is the same time I was pregnant with my first baby. She had oral dysfunction, but I had no idea what to do about it. So I went to social media and followed a lot of IBCLCs and learned a lot from them. In 2021, I obtained my ICLC. I have been a nurse for 10 years, and have been working with babies and breastfeeding for 10 years. I knew my baby had a tongue tie, and through breastfeeding support groups on Facebook, I got connected to Stephanie. I felt like I was at a place with my career and motherhood that I could jump in a little bit more. I started mentoring with Stephanie. A lot of the babies I would see at Riley were admitted for failure to thrive. I felt that my hands were tied to offer help to them in the hospital. and so I started referring people to Stephanie. I've learned a lot from Stephanie this year. Honestly, sometimes that's better than all the classes you can take. It's just talking to somebody who knows, you know? I am really passionate about helping these moms and helping these families!”
If you are an expecting or new mom in the Indianapolis area and are looking for a lactation consultant that will provide support and help with feeding your baby while prioritizing what is best for both you and your baby, I highly recommend contacting Stephanie! You can find her online HERE.
https://stephanieramseylactation.com
Follow her on Instagram HERE and on Facebook HERE!
Stephanie’s office is located at 6745 GRAY RD INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46237
