Breastfeeding help

ANNOUNCEMENT: SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN COVERAGE THROUGH THE LACTATION NETWORK (TLN)

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Hello, sweet families.

A few years ago we made the decision to move from a self pay practice to participating with The Lactation Network (TLN), and later Wildflower, to provide a way for insurance coverage for lactation visits.  This week TLN sent an email to the IBCLCs contracted with them and announced, with no prior warning, that they were creating visit limits, effective immediately for new clients and after May 16 for current clients.  If you are a current client that is affected, you should have received an email from TLN.  

Who this affects:

-if you have Anthem/BCBS and are new with us starting May 1, we have 6 visits that are covered through TLN and then we can move to self pay, per the TLN email.

-if you have Anthem/BCBS and have already used more than 6 visits, PLEASE SCHEDULE BEFORE MAY 17, TLN states in their email that they will continue to cover these visits.  After May 17, if you are over the 6 visit limit, we will move to self pay.  

-if you have BCBS and haven’t used your 6 visits, we will keep a count of your visits and move to self pay after 6 visits as needed. 

Who this shouldn’t affect:

– If you have Cigna (paid through Wildflower), you will continue to have 5 visits covered, and we can request additional visits as needed if we have justification for those visits.

-if you have United (paid through TLN), it doesn’t look like there is any change currently, and we will continue as we have been.

-if you are already self pay, we will continue on as usual.  

For self pay visits, we can provide a superbill/receipt with codes that you can submit directly to your insurance company for potential reimbursement.  HSA/FSA cards are a useful way to pay as well.  

What else can we do?  You can contact your HR department and your insurance company and request consideration for unlimited lactation support.  We will continue to work on ways to provide you and your family with the lactation support you need and deserve. 

Here is the direct link to schedule a visit https://lactationcarewithelizabeth.janeapp.com/

Please reach out with any questions!  We have opened up as much availability as we can over the next few weeks to accommodate as many families as possible; if you don’t see an opening, please reach out and we will do everything possible to make sure you are seen.

Milk Donation Pick Up How-To

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Lexington, KY Milk Express & Milk Depot for The Milk Bank

We are privileged to partner with The Milk Bank to serve as a local Milk Express & a Milk Depot. We can accept donations from registered and approved donors through The Milk Bank. We also dispense purchased pasteurized human milk on behalf of The Milk Bank as well. Check out the steps to take to be sure you can collect your milk as easily and efficiently as possible.

For any additional assistance with feeding babies, please check out the blog, or schedule an appointment with one of our board certified lactation consultants. Insurance coverage an option, check coverage first before scheduling appointment on our Services page. For other support groups and group classes, view the schedule on our Classes page.

Real Client, Real Experience

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Received from a current client as of January 2022:

“I’ve been so thrilled with my experience 
with Elizabeth (and Katie) I would be glad to sing their praises any time!

Going in, I thought a lactation consultant would just show you how to 
hold the baby properly and ensure a good latch, I didn’t know enough to 
even realize there could be more to learn. We’ve gotten so much more 
than that; Elizabeth has been so compassionate and encouraging; in 
talking over our problems, we always feel she’s part therapist for us, lol.

We didn’t realize that appointments would include before and after weigh 
ins for the baby, which has been such a reassurance. When breastfeeding, 
it’s kind of hair raising to not know how much food your baby is 
actually getting. Having that info was such a relief.

Having someone inspect his mouth, gauge the strength of his suck, and 
tongue action, etc, was something I didn’t realize could even be 
examined, and knowing that he doesn’t have any problems in those 
departments was also a relief; I’d say the same if she DID find 
problems, knowing is half the battle, after all.

She’s helped put to bed many of our anxieties about handwashing, green 
diapers, spit up, and some medical misconceptions (I had been worried 
that letting him comfort nurse would stimulate my body to keep producing 
more milk, but she explained that it’s a different sucking pattern and 
my body knows to ignore that in terms of milk production). Elizabeth has 
also given my husband pointers for bottle feeding, and advice on different 
nipple styles, and even a new nipple to test drive at home. In my mind, 
I thought a lactation consultant would cover breastfeeding alone; if we 
had gone with formula or exclusive bottle feeding of breastmilk, we 
never would have even thought about seeking out a lactation consultant. 
I imagine there are others like that too, who think this type of service 
is for the breast-fed baby alone.

Sometimes just watching how Elizabeth handles the baby has been so 
helpful too. Perhaps like many first time parents, we’ve been handling 
him like glass, so to see someone handle him more freely and confidently 
helped us realize he’s stronger than we think, and we have more freedom 
in how we hold him too. She’s also taught us new ways to hold him, and 
burp him, that have brought us a lot of success compared to the standard 
techniques we were shown in the hospital. She’s also given us ways to 
help strengthen his tongue function, like tracing our finger around his 
gums, and sweeping around on his soft palate and pushing down on his tongue.

Connecting with Katie has also been wonderful; we wouldn’t have even 
been aware such services existed if we hadn’t met her by chance at our 
first appointment with Elizabeth. In the same way, Katie handles the 
baby so confidently and effortlessly that we’re reminded we can handle 
him more freely too. And many of the exercises she has done with him are 
things we’ve been able to replicate at home as well (some different 
stretches, nothing with his skull, haha). He enjoys all the new touches!

Perhaps we’re just particularly hungry for confident 
familial energy to help guide us through this time and both Elizabeth 
and Katie have that kind of warmth and positivity. We’ll be sad when 
Emmery stops breastfeeding and we no longer have an excuse to go.”

WE couldn’t ask for a better overview that touches on some (still not all) aspects of lactation support as practiced at Lactation Care with Elizabeth. A wholistic, family approach includes much more than a latch. And seeking help from an IBCLC affords expert advice on many aspects of lactation, feeding, structure and development.

Within the safe space of lactation support, processing and healing occur, both mental and physical. We are thankful for other professionals we include in our care for clients and love to hear about the progress made outside of our office. Thanks to our client for the kind words and personal examples of her experience with breastfeeding support!