When a family reaches out to you for a home visit to help them with breastfeeding/chestfeeding or other lactation-related concerns, it’s natural to want to take some precautions to protect your own safety in an unfamiliar situation with someone you’ve never met before. 

Our clients also need to feel safe with us because if they don’t trust us, we can’t help them. You are coming to them at a raw and vulnerable time and you want to come across as someone who is understanding and accepting of them without judgment. At the same time, you should communicate your expectations ahead of time about the visit and have a plan in place to alert someone if you ever feel unsafe.

“I felt from the very beginning that it was important for me to set some expectations for both sides.”

In this episode, we will cover:

• Your intake process is a great way to set expectations from the start
• Consider sharing your location with your spouse, partner, or other trusted friend so someone always knows where you are
• Have procedures in place for physical safety and digital privacy
• Know when and how to refer out if anyone in the family is unsafe
• Do work ahead of time on your own biases
• Be cautious in your use of social media

This episode is sponsored by IntakeQ. Use IntakeQ to collect client information for the superbill, even if they are out of network. IntakeQ is offering Lactation Business Coaching podcast listeners a discount on their first 3 months using the service at this link.

Links and Resources

• Lactation Business Coaching website
• Lactation Business Coaching Facebook
• Subscribe to the Deeper Dive Membership: https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/subscription/deeper-dive-membership
• Have an idea for a podcast episode or a Deeper Dive? Let us know! https://learn.paperlesslactation.com/form/collaborate

If you like what you heard today, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram and leave us a review on iTunes. 

About Us

Leah Jolly is a private practice IBCLC with Bay Area Breastfeeding in Houston, Texas.

Annie Frisbie is a private practice IBCLC serving Queens and Brooklyn in New York City and the creator of the Lactation Consultant Private Practice Toolkit.

Many thanks to Stephanie Granade for her production assistance, and to Silas Wade for creating our theme music.