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.

Your goal as a lactation consultant is to provide the best care you can to the families you serve, but far too often, insurance companies make this easier said than done.

The Affordable Care Act did some good in stating that lactation services would be covered, but because of the vagueness of the phrasing, there is no clear consensus among insurance companies and providers about what this should look like in reality. 

Annie and Leah provide some tips for listeners who want some help navigating this topic in order to focus on serving their families better.

“Everybody needs help.”

In this episode, we will cover:

• The Affordable Care Act says that “lactation services are covered” but doesn’t specify who the providers should be, what the timing should be, or who should determine if the services are needed
• Insurance companies only want to cover the lactation consulting services at the hospital immediately after birth and at the pediatrician’s office, so they are quick to deny coverage for anything outside of those instances
• The National Women’s Law Center, however, provides scripts for families to use when talking with their insurance companies to ensure coverage of lactation consulting services
• Typically, the consultant handles in-network insurance claims and agrees to the insurance company’s prices for their services and the consultant provides a superbill to clients who are out-of-network for the client to submit to their insurance company
• The providers feel obligated to provide services to clients regardless of their insurance status because it is a right
• Sometimes out-of-network insurance companies will call or write to argue with your billing amounts
• It is unclear whether it is more successful for the provider or the client to submit the superbill to an out-of-network insurance company
• Leah talks about the benefit of looking at your average payout versus your per-consult payout to assess how your business is working with insurance and self-paid clients
• Annie recommends the diagnosis code of Z39.1 and the procedure code of either S9443 or S99404 because these are the most conservative and hardest for the companies to argue with
• It is important to ethically bill your clients and seek information from a variety of sources

This episode is sponsored by Acuity Scheduling for forms and payments – They are providing LBC podcast listeners with a 45-day free trial at this link.

Links and Resources

• National Women’s Law Center toolkit
• Rebecca Costello’s Billing Content
• 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.

By diversifying – opening up multiple channels of income within – your lactation consulting business, you are building yourself a sturdy foundation to prepare for lean market times while connecting with more families. This could include accepting both insurance and self-pay clients, writing a course or book, creating a resource or piece of merchandise for others to purchase, or developing continuing education. The sky’s the limit!

“We can use our passions for more things.”

In this episode, we will cover:

• Diversification in business essentially means opening up multiple channels of income
• Having multiple income streams can help sustain your business during lean times because you will not be relying on any one thing and you will be competitive in the market
• In the lactation consulting industry, one of the main forms of diversification is accepting insurance and self-pay clients
• Annie and Leah also advise people to set up opportunities for passive income such as creating a continuing education course, handouts, YouTube content, and writing books that are all accessible through a paywall that you write once but continue to earn from as people access the content
• Consider what other topics you are interested or talented in and start integrating those things into your lactation business. Ideas include QuickBooks, courses, engineering, research, writing, graphic design, merchandise, etc.
• When venturing into the world of renting and selling pumps, try to remain as impartial towards all of the companies as possible by not accepting any “free gifts” they want to give you
• There is often a fine ethical line when combining two of your business elements, so it is always best to disclose your status to the client ahead of time
• Remember to stay up-to-date on the applicable laws and insurance regulations, particularly if you are doing business with people in countries outside the U.S.
• Keep in mind the strategies about time management previously shared on this podcast and be smart about the ideas you decide to pursue

This episode is sponsored by Acuity Scheduling for forms and payments – They are providing LBC podcast listeners with a 45-day free trial at this link.

Links and Resources

• “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Perinatal Health Equity Foundation
• Lactation Business Coaching
• 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.

Many lactation consultants are used to working solo, and it can be hard to surrender certain aspects of your private practice to others. But if you feel like you’re spending too much time on tasks that take you away from the clinical work you love, it may be time to bring on people who can share the workload.

In this episode, Annie and Leah discuss when to recognize when you need help and where you can hire help in your business.

“When you’re pushing and trying to do everything yourself, there will be long-term health consequences that will cost you money down the road.”

In this episode, we will cover:

• Realizing that time is just as finite as money helps you see that when you have more time for the things you want to do you might actually make more money
• Writing down your weekly and monthly tasks outside of your IBCLC responsibilities and assess what tasks might be good to hire out
• These tasks are likely things that someone else is more passionate about or proficient in
• You can hire out work for your personal or business life: billing, scheduling, clinical assistance, taxes, cleaning, laundry, school pickups, childcare, elder care, etc.
• It could be just as good for you to commit to brushing up on your proficiencies and then “hiring yourself” to do those extra tasks
• Not being afraid to tweak things until everything is working the way you want it to

Download our Interview Questions Swipe File

Like this episode? Want more?

The LBC podcast is ALWAYS free, thanks to contributions from supporters. 

Every contributed dollar counts and so do our contributors — as a thank-you gift to our top-tier members, we offer monthly LIVE Deeper Dive sessions with experts and access to all previous Deeper Dive sessions — check out our upcoming Deeper Dives and become a member! 

All contributions count; join at one of our starter levels here!

Links and Resources

• G Suite
• 3 Ways to Collaborate with other IBCLs (Podcast Episode)
• Incorporating Lactation Interns, Subcontractors, And Employees Into A Paperless Workflow (Blog Post)
• 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. You can email us questions and comments at [email protected].

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.

As a lactation consultant, you’re keeping track of so much. Client care, running a business, keeping up with social media, and staying current with your clinical training can become overwhelming, and sometimes important things slip through the cracks. 

Leah and Annie share the techniques they use to get organized and increase productivity to align their personal and business priorities to free up mental space and enjoy work and life.

“I do think it’s important for us to think about the things that we do want to have balance in our lives in and put that into our productivity too.”

In this episode, we will cover:

• Time blocking is a great way to focus on one task at a time while allowing yourself some mental rest within the structure.
• Bullet journaling is a freeform way to keep up with tasks and can take whatever form or function works best for you.
• Using productivity techniques helps you maintain a good work-life balance and prioritize the important over the urgent.

This episode is sponsored by the Breastfeeding Without Birthing Professional Pack, launching 10/1/19 with special intro pricing through 10/8.

Like this episode? Want more?

The LBC podcast is ALWAYS free, thanks to contributions from supporters. 

Every contributed dollar counts and so do our contributors — as a thank-you gift to our top-tier members, we offer monthly LIVE Deeper Dive sessions with experts and access to all previous Deeper Dive sessions — check out our upcoming Deeper Dives and become a member! 

All contributions count; join at one of our starter levels here!

Links and Resources

• Episode #8--Compassion Fatigue
• Free to Focus Planner
• Tailwind
• 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. You can email us questions and comments at [email protected].

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.

Lactation consultants are especially prone to burnout because our work is so intense. It can be hard to disconnect from your clients and from your business, but it’s essential to recognize the importance of taking regular breaks. 

In this episode of the Lactation Business Coaching Podcast, Leah and Annie offer practical steps to take when you’re prepping for your vacation.

“Burnout affects the families that we’re caring for.”

In this episode, we will cover:

• Burnout is real. It’s just not physically or emotionally possible to work without taking regular breaks.
• Our work is hard. We’re always thinking about our clients and it can be hard to turn that off.
• Our clients’ problems can drain our energy. When situations are complex, or when we’re faced with the same kinds of issues over and over again, it can wear us out.
• Scared that your business will die. Your private practice is not a shark, it doesn’t have to keep moving to live.
• How to set your practice up for a break. From organizing your tech to managing your communications, learn specific steps to take the break you need.

This episode is sponsored by Acuity. Never ask “what time works for you?” again. Clients can quickly view your real-time availability and self-book their own appointments—and even pay online, reschedule with a click. You can even handle all of your forms and payments before your appointments so you can get right down to business. For a FREE 45 day trial, visit this LINK.

Links and Resources

• Visit this link at Acuity for a 45 day free trial.
• Episode on compassion fatigue
• Putting your Business on Hold
• 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.

Whether you’re in solo private practice or feeling ready to expand into a group practice, making local connections with other IBCLCs and lactation helpers is good for you and good for the families you serve.

Why go it alone when community and collaboration can strengthen your skills and combat compassion fatigue? 

In this episode of the Lactation Business Coaching podcast, Annie & Leah share three ways you can grow your local connections and create more opportunities for all of you. From informal to formal, there’s something in here for everyone.

“I want all of us to make a living. How can we do that for each other?”

In this episode, we will cover:

• Show up and offer help. Volunteering with local lactation groups can
• boost your visibility and offer much-needed help
• Not available? Informal referral networks connect separate private
• practice lactation consultants without any legal agreements.
• Ready to make it official? Formal group practices have legal
• agreements in place and can be profitable for everyone

This episode is sponsored by Acuity. Never ask “what time works for you?” again. Clients can quickly view your real-time availability and self-book their own appointments—and even pay online, reschedule with a click. You can even handle all of your forms and payments before your appointments so you can get right down to business. For a FREE 45 day trial, visit this LINK.

Links and Resources

• Visit this link at Acuity for a 45 day free trial.
• Private Practice Subcontractor Workflow
• USLCA
• ILCA
• 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.

Annie and Leah have more listener questions in this episode of the Lactation Business Coaching podcast. 

From what’s in their home consult bags to running an office visit when you don’t have all the time in the world, they’ll share what works and what doesn’t in their own private practices. And if you’re a new IBCLC wondering if you’re ready to launch your practice, they’ve got some special words just for you.

“You can’t do this on your own, you need other people and other people need you”

In this episode, we will cover:

• What’s in your bag? Leah and Annie literally unpack their consult
• bags
• Time’s up: In the office, families have less time, so Leah has to be
• super-efficient to make the most of it.
• New in town: Leaping into private practice can feel intimidating when
• you feel like you know less than the other IBCLCs in your area.
• Building a community is the best remedy for professional insecurity.

This episode is sponsored by the Lactation Consultant Private Practice Toolkit. Listen to the episode for a Special 10% Off Discount Code.

Links and Resources

• Impostor Syndrome episode
• Bottle Pacing for the Breastfed Baby handouts
• 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.

Do you bring your coffee inside? What do you do when someone tags you on social media? What happens when the doctor disagrees with you? And finally—when is the best moment in the visit to take payment? 

Annie and Leah respond to some truly great listener questions about things that only lactation consultants will relate to.

“We don't diagnose, we say what we see and explain what we're seeing.”

In this episode, we will cover:

• How not to be a jerk: Learn from Annie’s coffee mistakes
• Toilet paper and soap bars: Bring your own?
• Hashtag what do I do: Navigating social media fears
• Assessment dismissed: Supporting your clients when disagreement
• happens
• Before or after: When is the best time to take payment?

This episode is sponsored by Practice Better. The all-in-one practice management platform that helps Health & Wellness Professionals automate and streamline their workflow. Use code CLEARDESK20 for 20% off your first 4 months.

Links and Resources

• Elizabeth Brooks - Step Away From The Mini Consult
• 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.

When you leave a lactation consult, you have no idea what will happen next, because it’s entirely up to that individual family. But by providing your clients with a clear, detailed, and rich care plan, you can guide them towards meeting their infant feeding goals, whatever those may be. A good lactation care plan increases client self-efficacy and improves health outcomes for parents and babies, and learning how to maximize this powerful tool is critical to the success of your private practice.

From choosing your resources to the most effective delivery methods, Annie and Leah share how they create care plans that work for their clients.

“I’m just a cheerleader for a miracle worker. You’re the miracle worker doing the hard work, I’m just cheering you on and giving you the tools.”

In this episode, we will cover:

• Carefully vetted resources can amplify your care plan by educating
• your clients and reinforcing your instructions
• Instructing your clients on when and how to follow up is a critical component
• Know how to adapt a care plan to meet your client’s needs
• Working together: The care plan isn’t handed down by you, it’s created with the family
• Structuring the care plan: How Annie & Leah decide what to include and how to present it to the family
• Paperless or paper? When the delivery system matters and when it doesn’t.

This episode is sponsored by Practice Better. The all-in-one practice management platform that helps Health & Wellness Professionals automate and streamline their workflow. Use code CLEARDESK20 for 20% off your first 4 months.

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.