WELCOME!
IF THIS FEELS HARD RIGHT NOW, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
I'M HERE TO HELP!
Hi, I'm Colleen! ​​​
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I am a family nurse practitioner and IBCLC who makes lactation consultant home visits in the Boston area. I'm also a mom of 2 who has experienced my fair share of feeding concerns with both my kids. ​​
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A little more about me and my background is here.
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Recovering from giving birth, becoming a parent, and learning to breastfeed a baby are not easy, and not things we are meant to have to figure out alone. My mission is to help you find which way is up, talk through your goals, make a plan to fix what isn't working, cheer you on, possibly cry a little with you, and hopefully also laugh lot too.​​
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Common problems I address are: breast/nipple pain and damage, difficulty latching, low milk supply, concerns about your baby gaining enough weight, figuring out if a tongue tie is present, transitioning away from a nipple shield, supplementing to support continued breastfeeding, understanding feeding cues, and sometimes just reassurance that what feels chaotic is actually OK.
HOW MY PRACTICE WORKS
I make home visits within my service area (about a 30 minute drive of my home in Milton, MA). Visits are usually 1-1.5 hours long.
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​I'll come to your home, we'll talk through what's going on, and for most concerns, I'll observe your baby feed with before and after weights on a high sensitivity scale. I will also complete an oral exam to understand your baby's oral function. We'll then make a clear, workable plan to address what you want to fix and move closer to reaching your feeding goals.
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This all works best if your baby is ready to feed at the time of our visit, which usually means timing your baby's last feed to be about 2 hours our appointment.
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Please don't clean your home for me, and there is no need to change out of your pajamas if you do not want to!
FOLLOW UP AND COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR OTHER PROVIDERS
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I will fax a copy of our visit note to your pediatrics provider, and any other relevant provider you are seeing, within 24 hours so they remain in the loop of care.
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I value your time and I know your parental leave is precious (and sometimes busy!). I try my very best to give you everything you need and answer all of your questions in our initial visit.
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However, sometimes we will need to follow up - to assess what effect our plan has had, address new concerns, or adjust your goals or plan. I happily answer follow up questions by email or text in the time following our visit. We'll schedule another visit if a new in person assessment or a more extensive consultation is needed. ​For most problems, between 1-3 visits with some messaging in between is typical, though I have supported some families over a longer duration when needed.
INSURANCE COVERAGE AND PAYMENT​
Lactation support is mandated under the ACA, but the details on how this works can vary by insurance plan.
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I am currently in network with Aetna and Mass General Brigham plans (more coverage is pending!), so I am able to bill them and they pay for your visit. I am not currently able to bill other insurance plans. ​​
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If I am not in network with your insurance, payment from you is due at the time of my visit, and I will provide you with a superbill and receipt you can use to submit for reimbursement to your insurance company.
Most Massachusetts insurance companies will reimburse you in full for my lactation visits even if I am not in network.
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My home visit fee is $425, payable in cash or by check. ​
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If you would like to check with your insurance first, you can call them to verify if they will reimburse for my visit.
If needed to verify coverage, my NPI number is 1073932059.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions about my home visits as well as common general breastfeeding questions, are here.
RESOURCES
A list of resources I like, for finding community, education, reliable answers to tricky breastfeeding questions, or just things that have brought me joy as a parent, can be found here.
