Every Wednesday for the last couple of years the IBCLCs of The MILC Group have opened their doors from 10am to Noon for drop in Weight Checks and Lactation Chats. We decided we should write a short blog post letting people know what to expect during Weight Check Wednesday (WCW).

• Weight Check Wednesday is a "drop in" event meaning we do not require appointments.
• Since WCW is a "drop-in" event you will not have privacy while chatting with us.
• Some days we will see one breastfeeding family and others we may see five. We do our very best to give individual attention and to move people in and out in an organized manner.
• We ask that families fill in a very short form for us to be able to keep a track of who attends and also to track the baby's weight gains each week.
• Babies will be weighed before feeding and after feeding in order to get an idea of intake during that feeding. 
• The Lactation Consultants of The MILC Group will sit and observe the baby nursing in order to assess external latch and to listen for any indicators that there may be a latch issue. 
• The IBCLCs will answer any basic breastfeeding questions that families have during the Weight Check.
• Recommendations will be given if a full lactation consult seems to be needed.
• The baby's weight will be recorded for future reference and will be written down for you to take with you. 

Weight Check Wednesday is an excellent way to get accurate information from an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant for a minimal fee and in a short amount of time! It does not substitute for a consult.

The fee for Weight Check Wednesdays with The MILC Group is just $20. Come in and see us this Wednesday!

The MILC Group offices are located inside of Go Baby Go, 6104 Broadway, #C-4, San Antonio, TX 78209. Contact us online at www.TheMILCGroup.com or by phone at 210-960-MILC/210-960-6452.

A week ago I put my home on the market. If you have ever sold a home you know how hard it is to keep it picked up and looking show worthy every day. Today I had to leave my house with my dog in order for the house to be shown. When I returned the folks who had been here were still standing across the street talking to their realtor. It made me wonder....what do people think of my house? 

On the surface I think that my house looks very "normal." It is a simple three bedroom house. The color palate is neutral. I love all things "natural" looking. You can tell I have two daughters that live at home. There are lots of pictures of my children on the walls and in frames scattered around. Then there are the "extras" that probably set my home apart as that of a birth worker/IBCLC/hippie....
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• Mixed among the art on my living room wall is a gorgeous collage of prints that were given to me by a client. They all depict breastfeeding. I think they are pretty subtle. 
• My Peace corner serves to keep me calm. I love all the little tidbits that have been added to it by friends and family. Underneath are two beautiful books. One was a client gift from The 4th Trimester Bodies Project  and the other is a cookbook my son and his girlfriend gave to me titled Share: The Cookbook that Celebrates our Common Humanity. 
• My bookshelves are filled with birth and breastfeeding books that I have gathered over the years. 
• In my bedroom I keep a bag filled with the things I use when teaching my childbirth classes. On top is the doll that I use for demonstrations. There she lies in her tie dyed baby t-shirt. 
• On my dresser are the remnants of the recent United States Lactation Consultant Association Conference. Just some boob friendly items including some nipple shield samples. 
• My stove hood is home to some boob magnets that I made for some events.
• My water bottle is hanging around my kitchen with the "Boobs The Original Organic Food" sticker.

I wonder if people notice these things? I wonder if they have an image of me? Hopefully it makes them smile. Maybe they will be my clients one day. Just my random thoughts for today. 

Families in the San Antonio area have a good number of choices for their breastfeeding support needs. We wanted to compile a list of reasons that you should choose The MILC Group. 
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1. Ginger and Tina have a combined 25 plus years of experience working with breastfeeding families! That's a lot of experience.
2. Ginger and Tina both started their careers as La Leche League Leaders. Why does this matter? La Leche League is the largest non-profit breastfeeding organization in the world. As La Leche League Leaders both Ginger and Tina have had the privilege of working with families from birth into the toddler years which creates a wide range of knowledge. They also show an obvious passion for this work since they continue to volunteer their time to La Leche League instead of only doing paid lactation work. 
3. Giving to their community is of the utmost important to The MILC Group. Both Ginger and Tina still are active with La Leche League leading monthly meetings and attend many outreach events in our area to give as much to our community as possible. 
4. Education is the foundation of what Ginger and Tina do. They both attend in person and online conferences regularly to keep their skills up-to-date. 
5. Both of the MILC ladies have sought out additional hands-on training in the evaluation of tongue and lip ties as well as other structural issues. Other IBCLCs may have taken online trainings or sat through talks, but hands-on training is so valuable to this profession. 
6. Integrity is of the utmost importance to both Ginger and Tina. We are who we say we are. 
7. Relationships with other care providers is also so important and so we work to develop these relationships to benefit our clients. 
8. Developing relationships with our clients matters to us. We strive to continue to support the families that see us for as long as they need. The MILC Group offers weekly Support Groups and Weight Check opportunities to help families keep on track with their breastfeeding goals without breaking the bank. 
9. Last but not least....we are awesome! We work daily to be the best International Board Certified Lactation Consultants that we can be :) 
10. I feel like I should make one more to create an even number.....how about the fact that we are amazing parents and our kids love us. That's pretty darned important!

Your baby has arrived and you are having problems breastfeeding. What should you do? Some of your knowledgeable friends suggest that you should see an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant). That sounds okay, but you want to know what to expect during a meeting with one. Here is what to expect if you choose to meet with an IBCLC from The MILC Group.

• The Lactation Consult  lasts about 1.5 - 2 hours whether in our office or in your home. 
• ​We make every effort to arrive on time and call or text you if we are running behind.
• We bring a high quality baby scale which we use to weigh your little one. 
• If we make a housecall,  we set up our scale on a flat surface (kitchen counter tops work great), otherwise we always have a scale in our office.
• We wash our hands thoroughly before we touch you or your baby and we also use non-latex gloves during our exam.
• We  ask you to fill in a brief intake sheet which can be found ahead of time on our website, but we always have them available to fill out in person.
• If baby is hungry, we skip ahead and weigh the baby so you can start to feed them. If baby is sleeping, we complete the paperwork before waking the baby to feed.
• We take a health history, talk about your birth and your breastfeeding experience so far and we ask some possibly odd seeming questions (we will always explain their purpose). We get a lot of insight into issues during this part of the meeting.
• We weigh your baby in a diaper only. We always ask you to put a clean diaper on your baby before the weight which stays the entire time for the most exact pre and post feed weight possible.
• The MILC Group IBCLC performs an examination of the baby including an oral assessment. We explain what we are doing as we do it so that you feel completely comfortable as well as to point out what we observe along the way.
• Getting you comfortable before nursing is important so we in your home we set up in whichever space you feel most at ease and in our office, you choose your spot and which pillows you want to use (or not use).
• We assist your baby in latching as needed and watch and listen as your baby feeds at the breast. We correct positioning as needed during the nursing session and make any other adjustments. 
• After the nursing session, we again weigh the baby to get an idea of how much baby has transferred at the breast. 
• All of this information will go into our assessment of what issues you may be having and we will write up a care plan for you to refer back to and to share with your care providers. 
• The MILC Group provides you with a Superbill for your insurance company to be reimbursed for our services.
• We take payment at the time that services are rendered. We accept cash, checks or credit cards. 
• It is extremely important to The MILC Group IBCLCs that all of your questions and concerns are addressed so we do not rush you through the appointment and we make sure along the way that you have time to ask questions. Feel free to have a list ready for our appointment :) 

We hope that this answered your questions about what to expect if you schedule a Lactation Consultation with The MILC Group. We look forward to meeting with you and your family!

​We can be reached by phone at 210-960-MILC/210-960-6452.