Milk+Honey Lactation Services

I met with a benefits director for BlueCare today, along with an OBGYN, and my insurance biller to learn more about the Governor's new proposed budget that is up for approval in the coming months... If it's approved, lactation coverage will begin for TennCare recipients as soon as June 2023!!!!

My biller and I are working diligently to dot all the I's and cross all the T's to make sure we have the smoothest transition when *hopefully* this budget passes and coverage begins.

That's really all the info we have right now but this is HUGE!!!!

STAY TUNED....

First- what is a "Lactivist?" Collins Dictionary defines a Lactivist as: "a person who stronglly advocates for breastfeeding, and is strongly opposed to bottlefeeding and/or formula supplementation or formula feeding."

I used to be one. I remember being an active part on the mommy wars of social media- claiming that "when you know better, you do better." I remember arguing with a NICU (before I became one myself) nurse that breastmilk alone would meet a 26 week preterm baby's nutritional needs 🤦🏼‍♀️

Here's what changed... As I worked my way through my intensive lactation education and began supporting families in a more clinical capacity, I started having exposure to extremely complicated lactation conditions. What's interesting, is that there's not a whole lot of research on the effects of subclinical conditions in relation to milk production and breast development in puberty. For many, adjusting a shallow latch, repositioning the baby, or even addressing oral restrictions can quickly and dramatically improve a breastfeeding relationship. For others, it requires lab work, advocating for treatment, arguing with physicians, and still continuing to balance a milk supply that will never be exclusive for the nutritional needs of the baby. Sometimes, both primary and secondary low milk supply exist in the same person- that compounds the complications these parents face. If you have never had an honest and open conversation with a newly postpartum parent, whose baby has rapidly been losing weight, and you have to tell them that their breasts never fully developed and they will never be able to provide exclusive breast milk from their body- to sit with them as they grieve, counsel them through their disappointment, and provide resources for their healing- in both body and mind ... You have no idea the heaviness that has on a parent's soul.

With all that being said, careful balance of formula or donor milk supplementation can help us optimize the precious milk they DO have. We can create a plan (that may even change month to month) and provide a structure that gives them joy and lasts well through the first year and beyond.

More on the comments ⬇️

Today is HISTORICAL.

"The first Black midwives on American soil were African people who brought with them traditional knowledge, beliefs, ideas, rituals, tools, approaches, and methods that existed in Africa for thousands of years. Ancient birth practices and rituals were passed down from generation to generation through a calling to midwifery. A nationally recognized Black Midwives Day venerates the work and contributions of the past and present birth attendants that have served in the birthing of a nation, an important part of the American story." -

Lifting up the Black Midwives today, and everyday! Looking at you 😍

To sign the petition and donate to the cause, check out the link in my story!

 

 

 

Gear up for Thursday, y'all!!!

I'm SO EXCITED to have my friend come to share her gift of energy work with us this week!

Reiki is an energy healing technique that promotes relaxation, reduces stress, and anxiety through gentle touch. Reiki practitioners use their hands to deliver energy to your body, improving the flow and balance of your energy to support healing.

I look forward to seeing all your lovely faces! As always, any and all feeding methods are welcome!

There are still a few spots left for this weekend's Breastfeeding 101 Class!!!!

Link in my bio or on my story!!!

Breastfeeding 101: Prenatal Class (3/19/2023) 10am-12:00pm — Milk+Honey Lactation Services, LLC

There are still a few spots left for this weekend's Breastfeeding 101 class!!!

Ask your doula, midwife, or chiropractor for their referral discount code!!!

Register here:

Breastfeeding 101: Prenatal Class (3/19/2023) 10am-12:00pm — Milk+Honey Lactation Services, LLC This in-person class gives a great foundation for expecting parents interested in breastfeeding. Topics include breastfeeding basics like anatomy, how milk is made, hormones involved in milk production, how to latch your baby, how to make sure your baby is getting enough milk, troubleshooting proble

I LOVE to see blooming lactation professionals taking action and educating the community!!!

Today, my mentee Natasha at Tree of Life Lactation Services held an amazing breastfeeding class in Alcoa! Porche and Natasha are both members of the Knoxville Black Doula Collective and are DOING THE WORK to support other People of Color and improve birth and postpartum outcomes!

Wanna know something CRAZY?! When Natasha passes her boards, she will be the FIRST AND ONLY Black IBCLC in the state of Tennessee. There are a ton of social and systemic reasons that POC have the lowest breastfeeding rates - but one of the biggest is lack of representation. Natasha will be the first to change that in our state. I couldn't be more proud of her 🥹❤️ I feel so fortunate to be a part of her journey.

Have you ever met , owner of ???

She's a force for women and entrepreneurship. When I first met her, the Aught downtown office was still under construction. I was still a bedside nurse, desperate to get away from the hospital system. I loved my patients, but hospitals treat nurses like numbers- not people. After working at the bedside through the worst of COVID, I had to change something. I was tired of being limited in the care I provide and the time I could put into families because of hospital policies and staffing shortages. I wanted to do more.

Not only did she see and believe in my vision for Milk+Honey, she and Aught have been a backbone for the growth of my business. She connected me with so many resources like and and through the connections I've made there and at Aught, my business grew from my dining room table, to a desk in a shared co-working space, to a private office, and by the end of last year- my business outgrew my space there and now am looking to expand even more 🥹

It's been under 18 months since I first met her and signed a lease with Aught. That's what Erika and Aught does for female entrepreneurs. If you have a vision, surrounding yourself with people who believe in it JUST AS MUCH as you do can make all the difference in the world. Woman-owned businesses are hard to get off the ground because there are so many barriers for us to overcome- but the POWERFUL thing about women like Erika and everyone at WiE, is that they lift other women up- they show up for each other. It's really a beautiful thing.

If you're looking for a life changing environment, Aught is the place. I'll never be able to express what that community has done for me, my family, and my business ❤️

Need a Friday group? My friend Melanie Kondrat Ibclc with Dragonfly Lactation is having another meet-up in a few weeks!!!

🌟 Full Belly Friday 🌟

I'm back at it again!

March 31st!!

Free Postpartum and feeding support 👩🏻‍🍼🤱🏼
Pregnant Mama's welcome!
Kiddos welcome!
All feeding types welcome!

My girl Natasha Carr, CLS at is having a FREE class for the community this weekend!!!

If you're in Blount Co., check it out!!!

Happy International Women's Day!!!

In my state, people's identities are being banned. People can be arrested now for *simply* existing as the person they are and how they identify.

As a cis-gender woman, I have the privilege of being accepted by society as the person I am, because I was fortunate to be born in the body I belong in. Some women don't have that privilege. They were born and assigned to a gender that they don't identify with.

So, on this International Women's Day, I want to celebrate the women in my state who are brave enough to be who they are even when it's against the law.

*Waiting for the flood of unfollows 😂* BYEEEE 👋👋👋

I often hear birthing parents tell me the details of their very traumatic delivery and then utter, "but at least the baby is healthy..."

Here's the thing, there can be two truths... That you're glad your baby is healthy AND that your delivery was traumatic for you. You CAN feel both ways.

There's no checklist for what counts as traumatic to an individual person. Clients have shared stories of planned/unmedicated home births, unplanned cesareans, inductions, unplanned unmedicated deliveries, exceedingly long labors, or very precipitous deliveries. Sometimes the deliveries were medically uneventful, some required extensive medical intervention to save the life of parent or baby.

So often, a traumatic delivery leads to increased pressure for breastfeeding to "work" because the parent wants to feel control over some aspect to their journey into parenthood. It's not uncommon for me to see, and my heart aches for them when feeding is difficult.

If your delivery was traumatic, it's important to unpack it and work through it with a skilled therapist (here in Knoxville, we have and you can also find providers all over the world with perinatal mood disorder training through ) because you deserve to not relive that trauma over and over. You deserve to heal.

If you'd like to share your story below, this is a safe space for you ❤️

Photos from Milk+Honey Lactation Services's post

Sometimes hospital IBCLCs get a bad wrap... They often don't identify things that we see in the community, but there are A LOT of reasons for that.

When I was a hospital IBCLC (both at a delivering hospital and then at a children's hospital), I often had multiple units to cover and sometimes I was the only one in the whole hospital! I saw patients in the ICU, PICU, NICU, ER, Med-surg units, step-down units, postpartum, and L&D. It was IMPOSSIBLE to spend the time with families that I'm able to now, in private practice. That's probably the BIGGEST reason- but there are others!

Your hospital IBCLCs are skilled and so, so necessary! It's okay if we all have different specialties ❤️

Breastfeeding 101: Prenatal Class (3/19/2023) 10am-12:00pm — Milk+Honey Lactation Services, LLC

Huge thanks to a person who reached out about some of my classes not showing up on my website! I have fixed it!

I hope to see many of you in a few weeks for Breastfeeding 101!

Breastfeeding 101: Prenatal Class (3/19/2023) 10am-12:00pm — Milk+Honey Lactation Services, LLC This in-person class gives a great foundation for expecting parents interested in breastfeeding. Topics include breastfeeding basics like anatomy, how milk is made, hormones involved in milk production, how to latch your baby, how to make sure your baby is getting enough milk, troubleshooting proble

"So I'm NOT crazy for thinking something was off?!"

This is a phrase I hear SO OFTEN in my office...

I will continue shouting it from my soapbox... YOU👏KNOW👏YOUR👏BABY👏BETTER👏THAN👏ANYONE👏

Better than the pediatrician, better than the lactation consultant, better than the specialist, better than the dentist, better than the chiropractor, better than your mother-in-law, better than the Facebook groups, better than EVERYONE.

If YOU think something is off and you are being dismissed by a provider- no matter how they think feeding is going (good or bad)- if your gut tells you there's more to it.... You are most likely correct.

Find a provider who will listen to you and dig deeper. You are their best advocate because they can't speak for themselves. I don't care how much education or what credentials someone has, YOU are the one who spends 24hrs a day with your baby- you know every face and sound they make. You know their mannerisms and what their different cries mean. Always follow your instinct, because you know them best.

See you tomorrow!

HAPPY IBCLC DAY!!!

I feel so honored to be one of the ONLY 28,892 Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultants world-wide!

Has an IBCLC made a huge impact in your life? Tag them below 👇 and let them know how much you appreciate them ❤️

PPR® with Emily Wannenburg, March 14 - April 18, Tuesdays, 5:30pm - 6:45pm EST, Knoxville, TN — 4th Trimester Fitness

PPR® with Emily Wannenburg, March 14 - April 18, Tuesdays, 5:30pm - 6:45pm EST, Knoxville, TN — 4th Trimester Fitness Six-week series beginning on March 14 - April 18, 2023 5:30pm - 6:45am EST East TN Spine and Sport, West Knoxville Office 7240 Kingston Pike, #160 Suite D - 402 Knoxville, TN 37919 This 4th Trimester Fitness® Method class is a gentle recovery-focused fitness class designed for new mothers. Ha

✨Shared with permission✨

Today was a milestone!!! is my FIRST repeat client to come back for feeding support with a second baby 🥹❤️

I got a call from parents of a 3 month old a few years ago. They had gone through several months of very traumatic feeding issues. We came up with a long-term plan, but we definitely knew that we needed to start planning early with their next baby.

When they got pregnant again, we started planning DURING the pregnancy 😍 because mom had collected so much colostrum the last few weeks of pregnancy, they were able to avoid formula supplementation! I saw them virtually right after delivery to work on latch, positioning, and address functional feeding issues. My mentee gave them additional support last week, as well. They followed up today and this little one has already surpassed his birth weight at 8 days old! Mom's milk supply is ROCKING, baby is moving milk well, and although we are still working on the *perfect* latch, this experience has been completely different from the first time.

I feel so, so, so honored to be part of their new feeding journey and so humbled that they put their trust in me to support them with another sweet baby!

Let's talk about why I decided to carry these *very specific* supplements from in my office!

Contrary to what SO MANY people think about lactation supplements, they are usually NOT a "fix it" solution for milk supply issues... However, when we pick the correct herbs for an individual situation and use them TOGETHER with a feeding plan that promotes frequent and efficient milk removal, they can enhance the effects that our own bodies are doing. Typically, herbs don't directly impact milk supply just on their own, but when we use them *in addition to* increased demand on your body to make milk.

Let's talk about the other aspect that many of us ignore (because it requires us to take care of ourselves 🫠)... Milk production is BEST when our own nutrient needs are met and our bodies are healthy. Why don't I think herbs alone will "fix" a milk supply when they've been used for thousands of years in other cultures? Because other things are at play- in the western world, we do not typically have a "village" that comes to take care of the postpartum person- prioritizing rest, healing, bonding with baby, and nutrition. In many of the cultures where these herbs are commonly used, they are cooked into foods that are brought to nourish the person, they have traditional healing periods and ancestral healing practices are never ignored. These herbs provide nutritional components that aid in healing, overall health, and in turn, support milk supply... And they are combined with prioritizing overall health and wellness, down to the cellular level- which directly impacts milk supply.

I carefully chose these supplements based on how they can benefit my clients nutritionally, hormonally, and support their body's own mechanisms that control milk flow, letdown, and milk supply. In addition to this supportive measure, REST, nutrition, and adequate milk removal will give us the BEST outcomes ❤️