Essential Lactation

• Peer support

• General sleep Q&A

• Education about normal sleep based on age and family situation

• Connection

• The occasional guest speaker!

Sleep can be a challenge when you are raising children at any time, but it feels especially important to have a place to connect, vent, celebrate, and share with other families in our community during our present times.

We are an inclusive space and recognize that not all families identify the same or in a binary way. We strive to provide a supportive environment for all families. Older children, partners, and support people welcome-just let us know how many will attend.

Please sign up before our group so we can plan accordingly. We can’t wait to be in community with you 😴

Join us once a month for an open and honest conversation about your family’s sleep.

This is a safe space to bring your questions, challenges, and to share your wins with other parents just like you! We will begin sharing at 12:15 so come early to check in and get comfy.

Suggested amount $0-$20 based on your current financial ability to contribute. No questions asked, no one turned away! Community support is vital for all of us regardless of income. Funds go towards rent of our space and time, snacks for group, and guest speakers.

Relax, drop in, & hang out!

Older children welcome! Partners may accompany for drop off and pick up, partners are welcome at the NAPTRAPPED group! This is for the privacy and comfort of nursing parents-thanks for understanding. If you are a current client of Essential Lactation and looking for a quick weight check please reach out directly.

We hope you find your people here 😊

This is a community drop in group facilitated by Sara Manske IBCLC of Essential Lactation and Briana Hodgson IBCLC of The Latchmaker. Our goal is to provide a group for primary feeding parents to connect with each other. One (or both!) of us will be present at each group and an infant scale will be available for you to weigh your baby. 

This is an inclusive group and families present may use different terms to describe infant feeding (examples: breastfeeding, nursing, chestfeeding, bodyfeeding, bottle feeding…) or themselves (examples: parent, mom, baba, zaza…). Please respect other families and ask if you don’t know. We will use neutral terms when talking generally and your terms when talking with you one on one. 

Suggested amount $0-$20 based on your current financial ability to contribute. No questions asked, no one turned away! Community support is vital for all of us regardless of income. Funds go towards rent of our space and time, snacks for group, and professional guest attendees.

This is our dedicated virtual space to share wins, troubleshoot hurdles, and find community among other families in the Circle.

Full Circle Family Portal members have immediate access to these monthly virtual gatherings for life! (These gatherings are not recorded for privacy reasons.)

However, you will also have access to all of my monthly Q&A videos on demand any time. So even if you miss a group, I will likely answer some of the most commonly asked questions each month for you to watch at your own pace.

Sleep & Lactation Essential Reset and Full Circle packages include this perk!

Find out more about the Full Circle Family Portal HERE.

Lots of learning and conversation!

What to Bring: Your wonderful self, a partner or support person, kiddos if you have other children and they will be with you, and your questions!

What is Provided: Light snacks + refreshments, seating (couch, chair, floor pillows + cushions, yoga ball), education handouts, paper for notes, and childcare!

Child Care Details: Let us know if you are in need of childcare, and if you are able to contribute to childcare costs! We have a wonderful child care provider who may be available. She would be present with older siblings to read books, play games, and support kids who attend alongside their parents! We will have a small separate space for kids to play or read. Our chosen child care provider has ample experience with infants, toddlers, and older children, has worked in a YMCA childcare setting, and currently works as a private nanny for a local family. We are grateful she is willing to come support families who may not have reliable childcare for an evening class! Let us know if you have questions and if this would support you in attending class!

Access Needs: Please let us know in your registration form or by email if you have any specific access needs and accomodations that we can support with . The building is wheel chair accessible and has an elevator. If you have allergies to foods or scents, please feel free to let us know in your registration form!

Languages spoken by facilitators: English + Spanish, class will be in English.

This class is for pregnant people and their partners or primary support people. Open to first time, second time, and beyond parents-to-be.

We are aiming to co-create a space for learning, conversation, and community building centered around Sleep + Early Parenthood, Evidence-Based Education, family autonomy, and community support! 

Our goals include providing education on infant sleep, feeding, parenting, and beyond in the first 4 months of life. The class is an interactive, parent driven discussion that will meet twice each class series. The first session will be mostly informative with some group/activity work and the second session will be Q&A and open conversation with time to complete pod mapping and postpartum goal setting.

Base Price $250 for class series

Support Price: $275, Support Price 2: $300 - If you are financially stable and have the abundance to pay at a higher price to support families in attending who would otherwise not be able to due to financial stressors, thank you!

Receive Price: $125, Receive Price 2: $50 - If you struggle to make ends meet, seldom have an emergency fund, and are hovering above the poverty line yet are nowhere near being a middle-income household, please receive the support!

Full Scholarships: Please let us know if you are Medicaid-eligible AND are struggling significantly financially. We offer two scholarships on a case-by-case basis. We aim to be able to offer more scholarships in the future as communal funds are raised.

This prenatal lactation class is for expectant parents (it can be your first, second, third baby or beyond!). Navigating feeding your newborn can be both exciting and overwhelming. We cover everything you want to know about nursing your new baby in the first days & weeks together.

You will learn about milk supply, normal newborn behaviors and feeding patterns, when to ask for more support, and alternative feeding methods too. Common challenges will be discussed as well as tips for an optimal feeding journey with your infant. Resources for the primary feeding parent and their support person will be shared with lots of time for questions and discussion.

All questions welcome, we love curiosity and we can help clear up any confusion from things you’ve seen online or heard from friends & family! This includes questions about pumps, formula, bottles, nipple pain, how to know if your baby is getting enough, and more.

$35 per pregnant person and their support person

During the early weeks and months it can feel like all your baby does and eat and sleep, and yet nothing is easy about it! This regular educational breakfast provides you a nourishing meal, provides community connections, and get help with any sleep and feeding questions from our experts. Plus - No Dishes!

Experts: Briana Hodgson RN BSN IBCLC, Sara Manske RN BSN IBCLC and holistic sleep consultant, and Heron Paulson-Quick Full Spectrum Doula, Birthworker, Advocate, and Parenting Educator, and more local perinatal providers TBA. And of course, the ultimate expert on your baby-YOU!

$22