Where do you do visits?
Office visits are located at 5670 Wilshire Blvd Flr 18 Los Angeles, CA 90036. Home visits are throughout LA County and telehealth is anywhere within the US!
What Covid-19 precautions are you taking?
I’m fully vaccinated and boosted and wear a KN95 mask for in-person visits to ensure safety.
Can my partner/mother/friend be at my visit?
Sure! Support is wonderful! In the intake form sent after booking, there will be a question to indicate who you are comfortable with being present at the visit.
How much will I pay with insurance?
Visits are free with insurance! Due to the Affordable Care Act, lactation care is classified as preventative care. This means visits are no or low cost, even if you haven’t met your deductible. Yay! Home visits require a travel fee (see below) for some insurances.
How many visits does insurance cover?
Generally 6 visits are initially authorized. If your situation is more involved then further visits are approved by the insurance company as well. This authorization may take 24-48 hours after the 6th visit.
Does insurance cover a prenatal visit?
Yes! A prenatal visit is also covered as preventative care. At this time, prenatal visits are only in the office or via telehealth.
Is there a travel fee?
Tricare: Home visits are not an option at this time.
All Other Insurances:
Do I need to do anything to ensure my visits are covered?
What if I don’t have insurance you work with?
Even though the ACA states lactation care is a preventative service, implementation is taking time. If you decide to self-pay, I can provide a superbill so that you can try to recoup some of the costs. I'm also happy to work with you to ensure pre-authorization so the visit will be reimbursed properly.
For those on Medi-Cal/WIC, I offer a discount code for office visits or telehealth as Medi-Cal will not reimburse for lactation at this time.
I strongly believe breastfeeding support should be accessible to all. I’m happy to work with a “pay when you can plan” after an initial deposit before a visit. I can also refer you to skilled peer counselors as well.
My baby won’t latch. Can you help?
I’m sorry to hear you’re having difficulty with latching. And yes I can help! Generally home visits are best to help with positioning.
I’m concerned my baby may have a tongue tie or lip tie. Can you evaluate this?
As IBCLCs, diagnosing a tongue/lip tie is out of our scope. That said, I can certainly evaluate it and recommend a few specialized ENTs/DDS’s for further diagnosis and treatment. I can also help with post-frenectomy suck strengthening exercises.
What’s the point in seeing you before baby comes?
Sitting down and answering any breastfeeding questions you have and going over what to expect in the first few days can help pre-empt any potential hiccups. It can also be helpful to discuss which pump would work best for you, if you want one.
What else can an IBCLC help with?
Besides helping in the newborn days, an IBCLC can be helpful when making a back to work plan, starting solids, or when weaning - amongst other scenarios. Essentially anything involving lactation is within an IBCLC’s scope.