IHA Breastfeeding Medicine (formerly IHA Breastfeeding Medicine Specialists) strives to empower families to reach their infant feeding goals through comprehensive, evidence-based lactation care in a supportive, non-judgmental setting. While breast milk is felt to be nature’s first food, breastfeeding does not always come naturally. There are many challenges that families may face when feeding their infant. Breastfeeding is a physiological process that involves both the mother and baby. A visit at our office involves a thorough assessment of both mom and baby to address breastfeeding concerns and identify each family’s individual feeding goals. Each office visit is about one hour in length. Our goal is to provide support, education and treatment that addresses your needs. When you leave our office, you will have a personalized feeding plan that includes care for both mother and baby and a plan for follow-up, either with us or your primary care provider. If you are experiencing an urgent issue after hours, please contact your primary care providers office or your childs pediatrician. We see both mother and baby during an office visit. We will be observing a feeding and assisting with any concerns you have about positioning and latch at breast as well as questions about pumping, if that is applicable. We ask that you feed your baby about two hours before the scheduled appointment so the baby is hungry and ready for a feeding at the time of your visit, but not starving and frantic. If you have a breast pump and kit, we also ask you to bring those with you in case we need to address any concerns about pumping. We accept most forms of insurance. If you have an HMO plan, we will need insurance referrals from both the mother’s and baby’s primary care physician (PCP). We are considered a specialty medical practice, so if you have co-payments for specialist visits, we will need to collect a separate co-pay for both mother and baby. If you have questions about your individual coverage, you should contact your insurance company directly. We encourage you to sign up for the IHA Patient Portal, which offers patients personalized and secure online access to portions of their medical records.