We recently had the chance to sit down with International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Jessica Claire, from the Los Angeles Area. Originally she didn’t start in healthcare but when she became a mother she fell in love with the practice of breastfeeding and started working as a volunteer lactation peer supporter. She then continued within a lactation specific education with clinical hours and has now been working in the field professionally for over 8 years. 

There are a lot of new what-if’s and other stresses that come with being a new mom. Having a lactation consultant in your corner would be very helpful in finding the best way to connect with your newborn in this precious act of feeding.

The Lost Art of Breastfeeding - And Working To Bring It Back 

Many places around the world don't need a professional lactation field because their cultures have never seen a huge interruption in how they feed and care for their babies. However, here in the U.S. there was a huge cultural rupture in 1940-1960’s where the vast majority of babies were not breastfed.

This led to a large amount of knowledge (that is usually passed from mothers to daughters or aunts to sisters) being lost. Jessica typically works with families who don’t have much of an extended family, or those that don’t come from a breastfeeding family and shares that almost once lost knowledge of breastfeeding.

She knows that getting started with breastfeeding is a huge investment of time and there are many important factors to consider. So she makes it a point to come in and help fill in the knowledge gaps about how lactation works, how to understand the newborn, and how to best communicate with them.

She is here to try to help families meet their goals, and educate when necessary. As a  very patient-centered practitioner, Jessica goes into working with a family without an agenda, believing that it's the parents who know what's best for their family.

In addition to her private practice, Jessica teaches prenatal breastfeeding classes at The Family Room and the Del Mar Birth Center, and also works as an inpatient, outpatient, and NICU Lactation Specialist at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital.

Finding Your Perfect Lactation Consultant

As wonderful as Jessica is as a lactation consultant, not all lactation consultants are created equal. When looking for a lactation consultant, here are some important questions to consider:

How do they continue to expand their knowledge in the field?

How do they make you feel? Do you feel like they are listening to you?

How soon do they call you back, and how many babies do they see in a week?

How many years of experience do they have? Do they have hospital experience? (It’s not essential but it’s an added bonus if they have it)

Are they non judgmental and not focused on “This is how it has to be”?

Jessica hosts a free zoom meetup on Mondays at 11 AM and Thursdays at 6 PM. To join, contact Jessica directly via Instagram (@jessica.claire.ibclc) or from the link directly on her website.

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