Essential Lactation

Comprehensive lactation care and evidence-based sleep support tailored to your family's unique journey in Bellingham, Whatcom, and Skagit Counties.

You Weren't Meant to Do This Alone. Find Your Full Circle of Support Here.

Providing the expert lactation and sleep guidance you need to find your confidence. We’ll work together—partners and caregivers included—to create a Full Circle support plan that respects your unique journey and meets your where you’re at today.

Prenatal lactation education and breastfeeding preparation in Bellingham, WA, for expectant families. LGBTQ+ affirming lactation and chestfeeding support in Bellingham, providing inclusive care for all family structures.

Expecting Parents

Set up your fourth trimester support network before your baby arrives.

Build Your Support Plan
Comprehensive lactation care and infant feeding support in Bellingham, including breastfeeding and bottle-feeding guidance.

Baby is Here

Comprehensive lactation support for you and your baby when you need it most.

In home, office, or virtual

Get Feeding Support Now
Holistic infant sleep rhythms and evidence-based sleep support for families in Whatcom County.

Holistic Sleep Support

Full spectrum sleep support for infants and children through preschool age.

In home, office, or virtual

Restore Your Sleep
NAPTRAPPED monthly sleep support group for parents in Bellingham, hosted by Essential Lactation and Onward Love Care Collective.

Classes, Groups, & More

Community connection is so important in the early weeks and beyond of parenting. Whether you are preparing to welcome a new baby, have sleep and feeding questions, or are just craving community, check out my other offerings in partnership with providers from the amazing perinatal community in Whatcom county.

Find Your Community
Sara Manske, BSN, RN, IBCLC, a holistic lactation consultant and sleep coach in Bellingham, WA, offering home visits and virtual support.

I am deeply dedicated to the wellbeing of families throughout Whatcom and Skagit counties. To ensure the highest level of safety for the newborns and postpartum parents I serve, I remain current on all clinical health recommendations, including seasonal flu and Covid-19 vaccinations.

Sara Manske RN BSN IBCLC

Meet Sara
LGBTQ+ affirming lactation and chestfeeding support in Bellingham, providing inclusive care for all family structures in Whatcom County.

All Families Welcome Here

*Essential Lactation does not discriminate against employees, business associates, or clients on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, creed, citizenship status, sex, gender identity, sexuality, sexual orientation, gender expression, religion, physical ability, appearance, age, family status, or marital status.

*Essential Lactation is an inclusive practice and acknowledges that not all lactating persons identify as female or use the word mother or breastfeeding. Families, parents, and caregivers identify and present in so many different and beautiful ways-so thank you for the trust you grant in working with me.

*Prioritizing continuing education on cultural competency, inclusivity, racial inequities, and LGBTQIA concerns in order to provide the best possible care to all families is at the core of my practice. If Essential Lactation is not the right fit for you, please get in touch so I can help you get connected with the right support for you! Your comfort and safety always comes first.

Connect & Schedule

Client Reflections

  • "Sara is incredibly kind and knowledgeable. She made me feel comfortable and confident by listening to my challenges and providing valuable advice. I have been able to exclusively breastfeed my 3rd child, and I couldn't have done without Sara. Thank you so much!"

    -Sammy R

  • "Sara was an angel sent to save me! She is incredibly friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. I was at my wits end with breastfeeding. I had extreme difficulty getting my daughter to latch properly so I was in constant pain. I was crying almost every time I fed her and was just about to give up. I scheduled my appointment and Sara showed up and completely changed everything for me. She normalized my struggle, which helped me a lot as I was experiencing postpartum anxiety. She was thorough in her examination, and was hands-on as she coached me through feeding my daughter. She left me with instructions and resources to further assist me, and was available if I had any additional questions or concerns. Thanks to her help, breastfeeding is no longer painful and I enjoy the bonding time with my baby girl. I would recommend her to any new breastfeeding mama!"

    -JV

  • "I cannot recommend Essential Lactation highly enough. As a first time mom, even though my daughter seemed to latch fine, they offered tips, positions, and encouragement that I didn’t even know I needed, but has immensely helped as my daughter has gotten bigger and her needs have changed. Not only do their consultants support in the visit, but I was able to text follow up questions and receive immediate support and help. Being a mom can be so isolating and it felt amazing to have this help. We had a follow up appointment to learn how to safely prepare and give bottles, where both my husband and I learned a lot! Thank you so much!"

    -AC

  • "Sara was so incredibly helpful as my son and I started our breastfeeding journey. She was also so helpful for my husband's bottle feeding techniques. She eased all our concerns and was efficient, professional and personable. The support she provided by phone after our visits was invaluable too."

    -Laura R

  • "Sara is absolutely fantastic!! She is so welcoming and warm, she made it so easy to talk with her. I felt so comfortable being open and sharing my struggles with motherhood, breastfeeding and being a full-time working mom. She had a plethora of helpful information and was more than willing to hear my millions of questions. I highly recommend her!!"

    -BB

  • "Sara's support completely changed my lactation journey! When my daughter was born, I struggled to figure out breastfeeding on my own. My daughter was losing weight faster than I was comfortable with her losing. Sara was able to come out the first week and provide concrete steps that immediately helped us breastfeed. Sara taught me new skills that helped me breastfeed successfully, pump effectively, and figure out a balance between the two. Her compassionate and positive attitude helped me believe in myself. I am still breastfeeding at 9 weeks and am positive I would've given up long ago without Sara's support. Highly recommend!"

    -Chris K

  • "Very compassionate, thorough, kind, gentle - everything you could want in a lactation consultant. She came into my home as a stranger, and left feeling like a close friend. Highly highly highly recommend Sara. Thank you again - you are perfect for your profession!"

    -Stephanie O

  • "Sara was great, she was very informative and professional when assessing my baby and I. She provided me with strategies and plenty of options when it came to feeding my baby. She is also very responsive with her messaging portal."

    -KM

  • "Sara is everything you could want out of a lactation provider. She is professional, prompt, organized, down to earth, and supportive."

    -Leah B

  • "Sara was extremely knowledgeable, efficient, kind, and gentle. She was able to provide the specific care that my son and I needed after his birth. She went out of her way to meet us as soon as possible to relieve my pain at the beginning of our breastfeeding journey. She provided all the tools, advice, and knowledge necessary for us to succeed! I highly recommend Sara to any new family looking for assistance. I don’t know where we would be now without her!"

    -Yasmin W

  • "Sara has been an absolute pleasure to work with. She listens well, and explains in ways that make sense and answer your questions, putting you at ease. She has this ability to give you the confidence you need to conquer your breast feeding and pumping journey, whatever it may look like, while cheering you and your baby on the sidelines and always being available to help out and offer advice. She clearly loves her job and giving women the tools to be successful, and it shows through how knowledgeable she is, and how she comes in and treats you and your baby like you’re the only ones who matter. I would recommend her over and over! She answered so many questions, put me at ease as a first time mom, and created an incredibly helpful care plan for my girl and me. I cannot thank her enough!"

    -Alexa L

  • "Sara was great in helping with latch issues and easily availble for extra support via text. I have other children, so absolutely loved that she came to our home. It was one less place to drive after trying to recover from having a baby."

    -Clare W

  • “ Sara was incredibly helpful and her tips helped us turn a corner in our nursing journey. She is a good listener and effective educator - without overwhelming you with too much information. I wholeheartedly recommend her!”

    -Anonymous

  • “Sara is remarkable! She is incredibly competent, knowledgeable and instilled a lot of confidence. She was a cheerleader and encouraging even when I was anxious and overwhelmed. She went above and beyond to check in regularly and provided tons of support after meeting in person. She is incredibly professional, wrote everything down for us after meeting (which was a gift with post partum exhaustion and brain fog). I went from painful nipples and an underweight baby at week 1, to being in a groove (no nipple pain) with breastfeeding and occasional bottles and more than enough weight gain by week 5! For new moms, I highly recommend meeting with Sara week 1 out of the hospital and planning to meet 1-2 more times to follow up and check in. She fitted me for pump parts that are the right size and helped my husband learn to bottle feed. It was all incredibly helpful for a first time mom! You’ll be in excellent hands with Sara!“

    -Christine T

  • ” Sara was beyond reassuring and knowledgeable. Feeding a baby can be stressful, clunky and have parents in a funk but Sara helps not only with practical plans and solutions but was so validating to the intense experience that can happen for families. Not to mention her services are made accessible by doing home visits. I reached out several times after her visit and she was always so willing to answer questions. She also provided frequent check ins which were appreciated. I highly recommend!!”

    -AH

  • “ I am a first time mom and my partner and I worked with Sara beginning in late pregnancy and until my baby was 2 months old. I wholeheartedly believe that her expertise, attentiveness, and gentle approach made our early postpartum feeding experience significantly smoother than it would have been. We felt cared for and heard because of Sara's attunement, kindness, and knowledge. She offered holistic emotional and physical breastfeeding support, helped both me and baby with mechanics, provided resources, and was incredibly responsive to our questions and concerns. She offered in-home visits as well, which was wonderful in the first week with a brand new baby. Breastfeeding, and feeding your baby in general, is such a tender, brand new experience and I can't recommend Sara enough as a companion on that journey.”

    -Kristen B

  • “ Sara is an incredibly patient, a great listener, highly organized and friendly lactation consultant. I'm impressed by how she kept track of the many questions and concerns that I had, and answered each one effectively. I also really appreciate that she provides home visits. Lastly, when the Lactation Network stopped working with my insurance, she was so understanding as I spent weeks trying to figure out if I could work with her as an out-of-network provider. She regularly checked in with me to see if I needed support and remained an incredible resource even as we were in limbo. I cannot express how caring, wonderful and skilled she is at her work.”

    -JL

Full Circle Community Fund

I believe every family deserves expert support, regardless of their financial or systemic circumstances. To put this into practice, I hold space for one sliding-scale home visit per month for families who self-identify as part of an underserved community.

If you are in a position to Pay It Forward, your contribution directly funds additional lactation and sleep support for families identifying as low-income, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, those with disabilities and/or chronic illness, single parents, and those with insurance that does not adequately cover care in our community. Together, we can ensure no parent walks this path alone.

Any amount is so appreciated.

Learn About Equity

Support the Community Fund