What are the opening hours?

Monday 8am - 6pm Tuesday 8am - 6pm Wednesday 8am - 6pm Thursday 8am - 6pm Friday 8am - 6pm Saturday 8am - 6pm

LALactation

When nature needs nurtured. Just as every birth story is unique, so is every breastfeeding journey. Select insurance accepted

07/21/2025

Class 1? Class 4? Let’s clear it up 👅

When we talk about tongue-tie classification, we’re talking about location — not severity.

👉 The classification system (like Coryllos or Kotlow) tells us where the frenulum inserts on the underside of the tongue.
• Class 1 inserts near the tip of the tongue
• Class 2 inserts just behind the tip
• Class 3–4 are farther back toward the base

📍 But this doesn’t tell us how tight, restrictive, or impactful the tie is.

💡 So how is severity actually determined?

✔️ Function.
✔️ Mobility.
✔️ Symptoms in the infant (and often the lactating parent).
✔️ Ability to lift, extend, cup, and lateralize the tongue.
✔️ How the baby feeds, swallows, and handles milk flow.

You can have a Class 2 tie that causes no feeding issues… and a Class 4 tie that severely restricts movement.

🔍 That’s why a full functional assessment is key — not just a visual glance.

Classification = location
Severity = function + impact

If you’re not sure what your baby’s tongue-tie means for feeding, speech, or oral development — connect with a skilled IBCLC, pediatric dentist, or bodyworker who understands both structure and function.

07/20/2025

Babies born between 35 and 37 weeks gestation—often called late preterm infants—may look like full-term babies, but their feeding systems are still catching up. They’re still developing the strength, coordination, and endurance needed for effective sucking, swallowing, and breathing during feeds. These babies may seem sleepy, disorganized at the breast or bottle, or tire quickly—making it harder for them to take in enough milk.

Some common feeding challenges in this group include:
•Sleepy feeding behavior (falling asleep within a few minutes)
•Shallow latch or weak suck at the breast or bottle
•Inconsistent hunger cues or needing to be woken for feeds
•Long feeding times, followed by fatigue or fussiness
•Jaundice, which can further suppress feeding cues

Strategies to support feeding:
•Use breast compressions or gentle stimulation (undress baby, skin-to-skin) to keep them alert and active at the breast
•Offer frequent feeds, even if baby doesn’t cue (every 2–3 hours around the clock)
•Consider pumping after feeds to protect milk supply and provide expressed milk as needed to ensure baby is transferring enough
•Try paced bottle feeding if supplementing, to support oral motor coordination
•Work with an IBCLC to monitor latch, milk transfer, and offer support with supplemental nursing systems (SNS) if needed

Most babies born at 35–37 weeks begin to feed more efficiently around 38–42 weeks corrected age—essentially their due date. That’s when they often “wake up,” become stronger feeders, and start cueing more reliably. Until then, feeding may need to be more parent-led and closely monitored. With the right support and a little patience, most late preterm babies go on to feed beautifully once their systems are ready.

07/19/2025

Once a tongue tie has been identified (often by the lactation consultant you’re working it) it’s often recommended that the tissue forming the frenulum be clipped, revised, or released. This it’s not always a magic wand to fixing all of the breast-feeding or bottlefeeding issues that a baby is experiencing. There are three components that need to happen for a baby to be able to effectively feed: strength, range of motion, and coordination of the muscles of the lips, tongue, and cheeks. For a baby that has good strength and range of motion of the tongue but the tie is restricting the ability for the tongue to move in all directions, having the tongue immediately released often is an overnight miracle cure to many of the issues seen with feeding. However, for those babies that also have a head turn preferences, low tone or high tension in the body, reduced strength and difficulties coordinating their mouth muscles, just having the ties released alone is not an instant fix. Some may even find that feeding gets worse before it gets better. Other therapies and specialists may need to be seen in order to be able to get feeding back on track and optimal. This may include chiropractors, cranial sacral therapist, physical and occupational or speech therapist as well suck training or oral motor exercises. Make sure whoever you are seeing who feels like you baby is tied is making the appropriate referrals and setting up realistic expectations based on what your baby can and cannot do.

07/12/2025

Breastfeeding parents with ADHD have distinct nutritional needs that are often overlooked in both lactation support and ADHD care. The postpartum period requires increased calories and micronutrients to sustain both the body’s recovery and breast milk production, but individuals with ADHD may struggle to meet these needs due to executive functioning challenges, sensory sensitivities, and emotional regulation difficulties. ADHD is associated with dysfunction in key neurotransmitter systems—particularly dopamine and norepinephrine—which are influenced by diet and nutrient intake. Common nutrient deficiencies that can exacerbate ADHD symptoms include iron, magnesium, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids (especially DHA), B vitamins (particularly B6, B9/folate, and B12), vitamin D, and choline. These nutrients are essential for cognitive function, emotional balance, energy regulation, and nervous system health. For example, iron is critical for dopamine production, and its deficiency can worsen focus and fatigue. Magnesium supports relaxation and sleep; low levels are linked to increased hyperactivity and anxiety. DHA, a form of omega-3, supports brain structure and is transferred into breast milk to benefit the baby—but can leave the parent depleted

In practice, breastfeeding parents with ADHD may skip meals, forget to drink water, rely heavily on caffeine, or eat in repetitive, nutrient-poor patterns due to difficulty with planning, initiation, and follow-through. Sensory aversions can further limit food variety, and overstimulation may make mealtimes feel chaotic or unpleasant. These habits can lead to blood sugar crashes, mood swings, and worsening ADHD symptoms, creating a feedback loop of undernourishment and executive dysfunction. Support strategies should be realistic and neurodiversity-affirming—focusing on visual cues (like visible snack stations), simple and repeatable meals, pairing carbohydrates with protein to stabilize blood sugar, and utilizing reminders for hydration and eating

07/09/2025

Some babies prefer to eat from one side only. Reasons include:
🌟How the milk flows (fast or slow) or volume of milk differences from side to side
🌟Difference in size and/or shape of the ni**le
🌟Tension in baby’s head, neck or shoulders from intrauterine positioning or birth trauma
🌟Baby discomfort from ear infection, illness of teething
🌟How you’re holding based on your hand dominance or your holding preferences

It is very, very normal for women to have one side that produces more milk or that is more comfortable to feed on. If the side presence is from birth and baby appears uncomfortable on the tricky side, have baby seen by a infant trained osteopath, chiropractor, or craniosacral therapist to bring symmetry back to baby’s body.

Other strategies to help with side preference include:
🌈Try the opposite hold on the opposite side. If baby prefers cross cradle to the right, try football to the left as this keeps baby’s body in the preferred position.
🌈Laid back or side lying nursing can take pressure off baby’s body and your hands
🌈Watch where your hands are and tension in your body in anticipation of a bad latch. You’d be surprised how much your energy can impact baby’s latch
🌈Breast compression and massage on the slower flow breast can help increase flow
🌈Offer the least preferred side first to help stimulate increased milk. Or if baby won’t take it at all, consider pumping that side to help increase supply
🌈In extreme cases it is possible for baby to maintain full nutrition from one breast only

Address

Hermosa Beach, CA

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 6pm
Tuesday	8am - 6pm
Wednesday	8am - 6pm
Thursday	8am - 6pm
Friday	8am - 6pm
Saturday	8am - 6pm

Telephone

+14243862539

Website

http://www.Lalactation.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when LALactation posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to LALactation: