Katie The Traveling Lactation Consultant

Owning a small business often means wearing every hat, trying to do all the things.  Marketing is especially tough if you don't know how to do it, or maybe it's hard to market it without feeling slimy as a healthcare provider.  However in this episode Katie Oshita IBCLC and Katie Bridgewater, marketing expert for Perinatal professionals, discuss how this is possible.  How you can use som...

Lactation support should not be based on income bracket, however it frequently is.  In this episode Katie Oshita and Elizabeth Montez-Garcia discuss how non-profit programs, such as Open Arms in Washington, can support indigenous families with lactation support.   Podcast Guest: Elizabeth Montez (ILC, IBCLC) is an Anishinaabe and Latine lactation consultant, educator, and community organizer worki...

Most parents in America are doing combination infant feeding- some direct breastfeeding, some pumped milk.  Insurance covers breast pumps yet there isn't any consistency between pumps and flanges that come with pumps are grossly oversized for almost all parents.  Listen here as Katie Oshita and Nichelle Clark discuss pumping in America. Podcast Guest: Nichelle Clark is an International Board...

It's amazing how fast time goes.  This podcast started as Katie Oshita began her traveling journey in an RV summer 2021.  Katie traveled to 40 states, 3 Canadian provinces and met with many wonderful providers along the way.  Then in 2023 Katie sold the RV and settled down in western WA.  With this podcast Katie is still able to travel, tho most is virtually now, and meet with skilled provide...

Spoiler alert‼️ It's NOT normal to pee when you sneeze, or when you jump or when you exercise!  Not even after having babies.  So many people are told that this is normal and just something they will have to live with.  Thankfully there are knowledgeable PT's out there focusing on exactly this issue and more.  Pelvic floor physical therapy is a specialized field, not something that shoul...

Historically, having a baby was not a solitary endeavor. The partner was involved of course, but the parent's family, friends and whole community would come together to support not just the gestating parent but the whole family during this transition.  As a midwife and IBCLC in Australia, Kellie Eason sees the consequences of lack of support for families.  In this episode Katie Oshita and Kel...

Breastfeeding is universal, however the options for support are not.  In the US an Osteopath has very different training than in Australia, where all Osteopaths are trained in Osteopathic Manual manipulation (OMM) unlike in the US where it's difficult to find an Osteopath with any manual training at all.  In Australia there's also no prescribing from an Osteopath.  Kirsten Hannan is not...

Pregnancy and postpartum nutrition are not just helpful but essential to milk supply.  Thyroid issues, PCOs, insulin resistance, gut microbiome dysfunction all cause problems in milk supply and nutritional status.  Learn how working with an IBCLC RD can help to uncover those issues and get parental health, nutrition and milk supply on the right track. Podcast Guest: Allegra Gast is a functional re...

Learning about oral ties and airway dysfunction hasn't only helped Katie's clients and practice.  Along the way Katie and her family have benefited from this knowledge.  Since learning more about lip and buccal ties, Katie and her Kidds all had these released.  Listen for details on why and the results. Podcast Host : Katie Oshita, RN, BSN, IBCLC has over 25 years of experience working i...

Craniosacral therapy (CST) is something that few people understand.  CST comes from Osteopathy and is a gentle, rhythmic movement to support bones and the cerebrospinal fluid moving within us.  CST is gentle and focuses heavily on the head.  Meaghan Beames is not just a practitioner of CST, but a leader and teacher, who wants to help many more providers learn this gentle bodywork to support babies...

Breastfeeding is universal and lactation support is needed everywhere.  Katie Oshita and Kyrie Hickey discuss pumps, providers and paid time off in Australia and how those things differ with what's offered in the US.  Listen here for more. Pocast Guest: Kyrie Hickey is an RN, RM and IBCLC from Brisbane, Australia. She has worked as a pediatric Burns-Surgical Nurse, hospital-based midwife and...

Frenectomies are much more common now, there are more providers learning and  doing releases.  Rarely though does anyone discuss or offer a guided release, many don't even know what it is or how it's different.  Dr Kundel has been doing guided releases with Dr Geis (Ep 79) for years, they have learned together how to feel and listen to each other to get the most profound result for clien...

In this episode Katie Oshita and Karen Garcia discuss how bodywork and lactation work together.  As a practitioner of Osteopathic Manual Manipulation (OMM) and lactation, Dr Garcia is in a unique place to combine the two fields to help the dyad thrive.  From breast manipulation for mastitis to helping with body tension on tongue tied babies, Dr Garcia works with the whole dyad to achieve wellness....

Ever wondered what happens at a lactation visit?  What does an IBCLC do with the parent and the baby?  What types of visits are there?  What is different for a returning to work visit or a visit with a tongue tied baby?  In this episode, Katie Oshita addresses these questions and more, going into detail to help you understand some of the many things that can happen in a lactation consult. Podcast...

It's not often you meet someone who has gone from a very allopathic profession to extremely holistic.  Adina Popov lives in Romania and started her career as a Pharmacist.  After having her children she felt passionate about lactation, studied and became an IBCLC.  Still seeing so many dyads struggling with wellness prompted her to study traditional homeopathy.  Listen as Katie Oshita and Adi...

Breastfeeding is a universal biological right.  It is what humans have been doing from the beginning of time.  While it is biologically normal, that doesn't mean it's easy.  Some places in the world have more support than others.  Indonesia has very few IBCLC's, bodyworkers and release providers.  Listen as Ingrid Siahaan and Katie Oshita discuss the joys and struggles of supporting...

For many parents, exclusive breastfeeding is difficult and supplementation must happen.  Many do what is referred to as "triple feeding" to breastfeed, bottle feed and then pump. It's exhausting and not sustainable long term.  While many IBCLC's know about at breast supplementation, most are either too intimidated or not knowledgeable enough to teach families how to use it.  Jo...

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...

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 episo...

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 supp...

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...

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...

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...

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 t...

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 guid...