Katie The Traveling Lactation Consultant

Most of the time sleep and breastfeeding feel like opposing forces, but they don't have to be.  Joy MacTavish is an IBCLC and a holistic sleep consultant who supports families to balance both wants and needs of their growing family.  Joy also supports many Queer families  and addresses their unique needs.  Listen as Joy MacTavish and Katie Oshita discuss managing all of these in ways to help each family thrive.

Podcast Guest: Joy MacTavish, MA, IBCLC, RLC is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and certified Holistic Sleep Coach focusing on the intersections of infant feeding, sleep, and family well-being. Through her business, Sound Beginnings, she provides compassionate and evidence-based support to families in the greater Seattle area, and virtually everywhere else. She entered the perinatal field in 2007 as birth and postpartum doula, and childbirth and parenting educator. Joy holds a Master of Arts in Cultural Studies, graduate certificate in Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies, and two Bachelors degrees from the University of Washington. She enjoys combining her academic background, analytical skills, and passion for social justice into her personal and professional endeavors. Joy serves as an Advisory Committee Member and guest speaker for the GOLD Lactation Academy. When not working or learning, she can be found homeschooling, building LEGO with her children, or dreaming up her next big adventure.

Podcast host: Katie Oshita, RN, BSN, IBCLC has over 24 years of experience working in Maternal-Infant Medicine.  While Katie sees clients locally in western WA, Katie is also a telehealth lactation consultant believing that clients anywhere in the world deserve the best care possible for their needs.  Being an expert on TOTs, Katie helps families everywhere navigate breastfeeding struggles, especially when related to tongue tie or low supply.  Katie is also passionate about finding the root cause of symptoms, using Functional Medicine practices to help client not just survive, but truly thrive. Email [email protected] or www.cuddlesandmilk.com 

In this episode, Katie Oshita addresses many of the topics new parents need to know about.  From prenatal lactation to weaning, telehealth, and gut microbiome, lactation is a time of questions and concerns for most families.  Many aren't even sure what to ask or when to seek support.  If you have questions about skilled bodywork, galactagogues, or other new parent questions, this is the episode for you.

Podcast host: Katie Oshita, RN, BSN, IBCLC has over 24 years of experience working in Maternal-Infant Medicine.  While Katie sees clients locally in western WA, Katie is also a telehealth lactation consultant believing that clients anywhere in the world deserve the best care possible for their needs.  Being an expert on TOTs, Katie helps families everywhere navigate breastfeeding struggles, especially when related to tongue tie or low supply.  Katie is also passionate about finding the root cause of symptoms, using Functional Medicine practices to help client not just survive, but truly thrive. Email [email protected] or www.cuddlesandmilk.com 

Type 1 diabetes in infancy and toddler years is rare, but when it happens most families are not just encouraged but forced to wean from breastfeeding.  Erin Hayden-Baldauf has personal and professional experience with breastfeeding a T1D baby, and has written a book about the challenges this brings.  All IBCLC's supporting families need to know about these signs, options and resources to support these dyads.

Podcast Guest: Erin Hayden-Baldauf is a dedicated educator and creative writer with a passion for crafting engaging, heartwarming stories. With a PhD in Education and a master’s degree in Creative Writing, she blends formal training with personal experience to create stories that resonate with her readers.

Erin received her IBCLC certification in 2013 and has served numerous families as a childbirth educator and doula. As a mother of four, including a child with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac disease, Erin infuses her fiction and nonfiction with real-life insights into managing complex medical conditions. 

In 2024, Erin founded BraveryBooks to bring her writing across genres together, celebrating the everyday acts of strength and bravery that make life special.

When she's not writing, Erin enjoys spending time with her family, exploring new recipes, and sharing her love for literature.

Podcast host: Katie Oshita, RN, BSN, IBCLC has over 24 years of experience working in Maternal-Infant Medicine.  While Katie sees clients locally in western WA, Katie is also a telehealth lactation consultant believing that clients anywhere in the world deserve the best care possible for their needs.  Being an expert on TOTs, Katie helps families everywhere navigate breastfeeding struggles, especially when related to tongue tie or low supply.  Katie is also passionate about finding the root cause of symptoms, using Functional Medicine practices to help client not just survive, but truly thrive. Email [email protected] or www.cuddlesandmilk.com 

Breastfeeding, chest feeding, body feeding, bottle-feeding.  There are many ways to feed an infant (this list doesn't even include cup feeding, finger feeding and more!).  Gender diverse and queer families need unique support when expecting and as new parents.  Their lactation consultant needs to be knowledgeable about inducing lactation with herbs or medications, alternative feeding methods and many other feeding options to support their needs.  Jacob Engelsman has written a book not only to help queen families, but to help lactation consultants and other providers learn and support these families better.  Listen as Katie Oshita and Jacob Engelsman discuss supporting Queer families in many different ways.

Podcast Guest: Jacob Engelsman is an IBCLC specializing in lactation support for gender diverse families. He is the author of Lactation for the Rest of Us: A Guide for Queer and Trans Parents and Helpers as well as many talks and articles on how clinicians can better support LGBTQIA+ families.

Podcast host: Katie Oshita, RN, BSN, IBCLC has over 24 years of experience working in Maternal-Infant Medicine.  While Katie sees clients locally in western WA, Katie is also a telehealth lactation consultant believing that clients anywhere in the world deserve the best care possible for their needs.  Being an expert on TOTs, Katie helps families everywhere navigate breastfeeding struggles, especially when related to tongue tie or low supply.  Katie is also passionate about finding the root cause of symptoms, using Functional Medicine practices to help client not just survive, but truly thrive. Email [email protected] or www.cuddlesandmilk.com 

Bottles are actually not an innate skill.  Babies are born knowing how to breastfeed, and with many reflexes to support the process.  However bottle are not like the breast (no matter how much the packaging claims it's "just like the breast") and it is a skill that needs to be taught and learned, by both parents and babies.  Unfortunately most hospitals and Pediatricians hand out a bottle without any thought into the design, flow rate, or teaching the skill.  Susan Howard works with a lot of bottle refusal babies, and has many classes for providers to learn more as well.  Since new bottles are always coming out on the market staying current on new products is essential to supporting dyads with feeding.  Much of the common "strategies" for bottle refusal usually make things worse, such as "wait until baby is very hungry" or "constantly wiggle the bottle to keep baby feeding".  Learn more about bottle skills here.

Podcast Guest:  Susan Howard MSN, RN, IBCLC is a Registered Nurse, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and a leader in women and infant health. She has been in maternal infant health for 27 years first as a labor and delivery nurse, a childbirth educator and as a breastfeeding educator. 

Susan took a brief hiatus from maternal child nursing to oversee clinical trials at Georgetown Medical Center and was on faculty at Georgetown School of Nursing. Susan obtained her certification as a lactation consultant in 2011. She owns a private practice in the Washington DC area. 

Susan has advanced training and a special interest in complex feeding issues, including tongue tie, low milk supply, and bottle-refusing babies. She teaches various feeding and parenting classes, and she hosts a popular feeding and parenting support groups.  

Professionally, she lectures on supporting the bottle-refusing baby. You can learn more about her bottle skills workshops for IBCLCs that focus on strategies to support the bottle refusing dyad.  

Podcast host: Katie Oshita, RN, BSN, IBCLC has over 24 years of experience working in Maternal-Infant Medicine.  While Katie sees clients locally in western WA, Katie is also a telehealth lactation consultant believing that clients anywhere in the world deserve the best care possible for their needs.  Being an expert on TOTs, Katie helps families everywhere navigate breastfeeding struggles, especially when related to tongue tie or low supply.  Katie is also passionate about finding the root cause of symptoms, using Functional Medicine practices to help client not just survive, but truly thrive. Email [email protected] or www.cuddlesandmilk.com 

Being born is quite difficult and traumatic, even in the best of situations.  It's hard- on both the parent and newborn.  Chiropractic care helps get the dyad moving and feeling better, and this means breastfeeding better as well.  Katie Oshita and Dr Rachel Kuperus discuss what skilled bodywork looks like for a newborn (**hint- it's not 5-10 min visits**) and how this helps with tongue tie, torticollis and feeding challenges.  Supporting dyads through skilled bodywork and lactation leads to easier breastfeeding and calmer, happier families.

Podcast Guest: Dr. Rachael Kuperus graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 2009 with both a Bachelors of Science and a Doctor of Chiropractic degree.  She is Board certified by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners and the Kentucky Board of Chiropractic Examiners.  While all Chiropractors learn about pediatrics in Chiropractic school, Dr. Rachael was not satisfied with one class.  She pursued a Board Certification in Pediatrics after chiropractic school.  She spent 3 years studying pediatrics and maternal care while working at a non-profit to provide chiropractic to complicated pediatric and maternal chiropractic cases.  She holds a Diplomate in Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics (DICCP) through the International Chiropractic Association and Palmer College. Dr Rachael is a published author in the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics, and regularly lectures to other chiropractors on topics of pediatrics and maternal care.

In 2012, Dr. Rachael opened Kuperus Family Chiropractic with a mission to provide chiropractic care for all members of the family. She has adjusted babies a few hours old, those in their 90s, pregnant women and everyone in between. She has additional training in Webster and Bagnell techniques for pregnant patients.

Podcast host: Katie Oshita, RN, BSN, IBCLC has over 24 years of experience working in Maternal-Infant Medicine.  While Katie sees clients locally in western WA, Katie is also a telehealth lactation consultant believing that clients anywhere in the world deserve the best care possible for their needs.  Being an expert on TOTs, Katie helps families everywhere navigate breastfeeding struggles, especially when related to tongue tie or low supply.  Katie is also passionate about finding the root cause of symptoms, using Functional Medicine practices to help client not just survive, but truly thrive. Email [email protected] or www.cuddlesandmilk.com 

Year 3 for podcasting is done!  This year saw the end of constant traveling and instead a focus on international virtual travel.  The recordings were with 10 IBCLC's, 4 Release providers, 4 Bodyworkers, 6 solo recordings, and 2 other providers.  They spanned 6 countries-  Ireland, Lithuania, Spain, Australia, Germany and Canada.  Discussing and learning with providers across the globe helps to understand better lactation, tongue tie and the needs of families everywhere.   

Katie Oshita also discusses the end to the year-long Holistic Lactation Residency by Jennifer Tow.  Watching amazing providers in Connecticut- Dr Sharon Vallone, Dr Lenny Kundel and Dr Michael Geis- work together to support optimal function.  Learning new holistic modalities and how to view health and wellness differently.

Podcast host: Katie Oshita, RN, BSN, IBCLC has over 24 years of experience working in Maternal-Infant Medicine.  While Katie sees clients locally in western WA, Katie is also a telehealth lactation consultant believing that clients anywhere in the world deserve the best care possible for their needs.  Being an expert on TOTs, Katie helps families everywhere navigate breastfeeding struggles, especially when related to tongue tie or low supply.  Katie is also passionate about finding the root cause of symptoms, using Functional Medicine practices to help client not just survive, but truly thrive. Email [email protected] or www.cuddlesandmilk.com 

Having a bodyworker with hands on during a release isn't popular, but it has profound results.  Dr Michael Geis, an Osteopath trained in Osteopathic Manual Manipulation and Cranial Techniques and has chosen to specialize in oral ties after dealing with his own ties and those of his kids.  During the residency in CT for the Holistic Lactation course, Katie Oshita was able to watch Dr Geis guide an adult release with Dr Kundel.  In this episode Katie and Dr Geis discuss but how a guided release can dramatically improve outcomes and how important buccal ties are.

Podcast Guest:  Dr. Geis is a traditional Osteopathic Physician specializing in Neuromuscular Medicine (NMM) and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM). He graduated as a member of the Psi Sigma Alpha National Osteopathic Honor Society with honors from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2011. During his time in medical school, Dr. Geis was awarded an academic teaching fellowship with an extra one year focus on Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine and was the recipient of the Stanley Schiowitz Award for Excellence in Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Geis completed his residency training and was the Chief Resident at one of the top programs in the country for NMM/OMM at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, NY.  Dr Geis practices at Integrative Family Medicine of CT in Stamford, CT.

Podcast host: Katie Oshita, RN, BSN, IBCLC has over 24 years of experience working in Maternal-Infant Medicine.  While Katie sees clients locally in western WA, Katie is also a telehealth lactation consultant believing that clients anywhere in the world deserve the best care possible for their needs.  Being an expert on TOTs, Katie helps families everywhere navigate breastfeeding struggles, especially when related to tongue tie or low supply.  Katie is also passionate about finding the root cause of symptoms, using Functional Medicine practices to help client not just survive, but truly thrive. Email [email protected] or www.cuddlesandmilk.com 

In this episode Katie Oshita talks about how people aren’t healthy anymore- fertility rates are on the decline, pregnant patients are less healthy, children aren't healthy in their childhood anymore.  Airway and  movement dysfunction (snoo, swaddle, containers, then kids and adults sitting and not outside).  There are toxins all around us- mold, Lyme, plastics, chemicals, VOC's.  Our food is less nutritious due to less minerals in soil.  

So what can you do about it- go back in time and use things that work- home remedies, homeopathy, nature, holistic modalities such as EFT, red light, movement, acupuncture/pressure and much more.  Listen as Katie discusses not only the state of health in this country but what she sees in her own family and private practice.

Podcast host: Katie Oshita, RN, BSN, IBCLC has over 24 years of experience working in Maternal-Infant Medicine.  While Katie sees clients locally in western WA, Katie is also a telehealth lactation consultant believing that clients anywhere in the world deserve the best care possible for their needs.  Being an expert on TOTs, Katie helps families everywhere navigate breastfeeding struggles, especially when related to tongue tie or low supply.  Katie is also passionate about finding the root cause of symptoms, using Functional Medicine and holistic practices to help client not just survive, but truly thrive. Email [email protected] or www.cuddlesandmilk.com 

OT and Lactation can have a very complementary relationship however, sadly it's frequently a complicated relationship instead.  In this episode Katie Oshita and Nat Udwin discuss how IBCLCs and OTs can not only support each other but support families for better results.  OT is all about skills to "do your job" which can mean work skills for an adult, but for a baby their job is eat, sleep, poop, exist comfortably.  In their OT practice, Nat sees a lot of fussy babies, with sleep, feeding breathing and regulation difficulties.  There can be delayed milestones, impaired reflex expression/integration, and asymmetry.  Nat sees many clients virtually, teaching parents how to use play and movement to help their child thrive.   Working together with an IBCLC and OT isn't always necessary but when there are issues needing more support, the results are astounding.

Podcast Guest: Nat (Natalie Udwin) is an infant development, airway and reflexive feeding specialist AKA pediatric OT.  On IG, most people know them as "Nat The Baby OT".  Nat's home base is in Atlanta, GA but they also work virtually with families all over the world.   Nat has a B.A. in Studio Art from Whitman College, an M.S. in OT from Milligan College and has been an OT for 12 years.  They have specialized in infant development for 7 years now.  Nat has a 4 year old son named Ari and enjoys anything in or on water, hiking, traveling, abstract painting and drawing and is definitely happiest outdoors.  

Sometime around 2015, Nat's eyes were opened to the world of reflex integration, which completely transformed their practice.  Finally, Nat was seeing skills were sticking and carrying over to other aspects of daily life that just weren't happening before for their patients.  It was the "foundational" approach to therapy that Nat had been trying to figure out for years.  After a couple of years of learning to integrate or inhibit retained reflexes, Nat began to ask WHY.  Why were all of these kids retaining these reflexes from infancy into childhood?  What was happening developmentally to change their trajectory?  Nat needed to know.  

So . . . Nat dove headfirst into infant development courses.  They quickly learned about the importance of human connection and emotional regulation in early infancy, as well as the developmental importance of strong breathing and oral motor skills to support a lifetime of healthy growth.  It was now all starting to make sense.  The next step was to start working with infants, and to put all of this new knowledge to the test.  Nat, alongside some incredible mentors and colleagues, has spent the past 7 years mastering their understanding of infant development to not only become an infant development specialist, but to create what is now the foundation of a holistic airway focused practice for children of all ages.  

Podcast host: Katie Oshita, RN, BSN, IBCLC has over 24 years of experience working in Maternal-Infant Medicine.  While Katie sees clients locally in western WA, Katie is also a telehealth lactation consultant believing that clients anywhere in the world deserve the best care possible for their needs.  Being an expert on TOTs, Katie helps families everywhere navigate breastfeeding struggles, especially when related to tongue tie or low supply.  Katie is also passionate about finding the root cause of symptoms, using Functional Medicine practices to help client not just survive, but truly thrive. Email [email protected] or www.cuddlesandmilk.com