Nourishing Justly

Did you know I also do bottle refusal consultations? In addition to my overall IBCLC training, I completed the Guiding Bottle Breakthroughs: Bottle Refusal Training (by Rachel O’Brien, MA, IBCLC, PMH-C) in 2023.

Honored to be featured on the Weaning It Podcast!

We talk about my journey into motherhood, nursing each of my 2 boys for 2+ years, weaning my first vs younger son, and my health equity work.

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/weaningitpodcast/episodes/8--Empowering-Breastfeeding-Journeys-Nourishing-Justly-with-Kavisa-Wood-e2jlb09

8. Empowering Breastfeeding Journeys: Nourishing Justly with Kavisa Wood by Weaning It: A podcast for toddler nursing moms Kavisa Cyprian Wood is an extended nursing mom of two boys. Her parenting journey though started with adopting two young girls, followed quickly by her first biological child the next year. Can you imagine having your first nursing experience include two young toddlers running around? Professionally...

Last week the Sacramento Breastfeeding Coalition hosted the 2024 Family Friendly Workplace Awards at the California State Capitol. We recognized workplaces within the Greater Sacramento Area that go above and beyond to provide a family-friendly workplace for their employees where they feel supported in their efforts to pump milk and feed their babies.

awarded these work places for 2024:
The Makers Place™
Trader Joe’s # 70 (Marconi Ave)
University of California Davis, Anthropology Dept
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District (SPK)
Genentech

California Work and Family Virtual Advocacy Day!

Today I joined in meetings with Legislative Aides, Policy Analysts, and fellows representing Senator Ashby, Assemblymember Villapudua and Senator Caballero to discuss making paid leave more accessible for families. Together with , , and others, we advocated for:

: Update Paid Family Leave to include chosen and extended family
: Allow workers to apply for PFL and Disability Insurance up to 30 days before their need for leave begins
: Remove the provision where employers can require employees to use 2 weeks of accrued vacation before they can receive PFL benefits
: Provide educators with Pregnancy Leave
: Strengthening Safe Leave - Strengthens existing California workplace protections for survivors of violence, sexual assault, stalking, and domestic violence, including by allowing family members to take leave for specific reasons to support survivors in securing safety.

I’m teaching free Yoga in the park this Saturday, May 11 at 9 am hosted by . It will be Vinyasa Yoga, meditation and pranayama (breathing exercises) set to flow inspiring music.

McKinley Park (near the Rose Garden at H & 33rd Street)

Sign up: linktr.ee/YogaMovesUs

Do you have extra frozen human milk? Your liquid gold donation can nourish fragile babies in need, helping them thrive and grow strong. Bring it to the Greater Sacramento Human Milk Drive hosted by Sacramento Breastfeeding Coalition and Placer County Breastfeeding Coalition!

Contact Mothers' Milk Bank San Jose to start the screening process today. We’ll have two in-person drop-off locations available:
May 3, Friday, 10 am-1 pm, McKinley Park
May 4, Saturday, 10 am-1 pm, Kaiser Roseville

If you tuned into this morning you might have seen me teaching yoga for a showcase of 🧘🏾‍♀️🤩. The spring/summer season of Yoga Moves Us has officially started 🎉. Check out their website for free yoga in the park throughout Sacramento. I love how supportive, diverse and welcoming the community of YMU is.

I’ll be teaching a few classes in the park this summer (nourishingjustly.com/yoga), my first free class is May 11 🌻

Sacramento Breastfeeding Coalition is collecting nominations for the Family Friendly Workplace Awards. If your current workplace or a previous workplace was supportive of your lactation journey, use this link to nominate them https://tinyurl.com/FamFriendlyWorkplace2024

🌻 Nominations due April 19 at midnight.
🏆Winners will be recognized at an in person event on
May 9.
🏛️Place of employment must be in the Sacramento

Did your workplace create a supportive environment for you or your co-workers to continue pumping human milk and overall postpartum support? The Sacramento Breastfeeding Coalition is now accepting nominations for the Sacramento Family Friendly Workplace Awards https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfblH-RO8Ojv3rKiLE8XvOqY1rgKFNhtm4-7qppLRPtueK2mA/viewform?usp=send_form

Send a message to learn more

The field of lactation continues to expand and adapt as more research and technology are available. I consider myself a lifelong learner and enjoy opportunities to learn from others. I was able to shadow Dr. Jude Crutchfield, DMD as he consulted with patients concerning tethered oral tissues, using the Solea 9.3-micron CO2 laser to release tongue and lip ties and conducting post-op follow-ups. Thank you to Dr. Crutchfield, all the friendly staff who work at , and the families who allowed me to observe.

If you want to learn more about Dr. Crutchfield’s practice visit rocklinkidsdentist.com

Still smiling from our joint coalition IBCLC Day Celebration with Sacramento Breastfeeding Coalition and Placer County Breastfeeding Coalition. It was inspiring to be surrounded by so many folks working to help families in their lactation journey. I truly love the work I do with the Sacramento Breastfeeding Coalition.

Celebrating and giving thanks to all my IBCLC mentors, teachers, and colleagues. Celebrating my own IBCLC journey with gratitude that I get to do what I love and help families every week.

International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) Day, celebrated on 6 March 2024, recognizes and celebrates the services that IBCLCs provide to expectant parents, new mothers, and the healthcare teams who form their circle of care. International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) introduced IBCLC Day to recognize and thank all IBCLCs around the world who significantly transform world health by providing skilled lactation care and to reflect on the incredible impact that IBCLCs have made.

Sharing U.S. Breastfeeding Committee’s call to action:

“The United States is facing a maternal health crisis. We need your help calling on Congress to pass the Black Maternal Health Momnibus.

This Black History Month, as we reflect on and celebrate the achievements and strengths of the African American community, let us also renew our commitment to advancing health equity for Black families. Raise your voice to call on Congress to end this crisis by passing the Black Maternal Health Momnibus.

The Black Maternal Health Momnibus is a robust package that includes 13 bills addressing the drivers of maternal mortality, morbidity, and disparities in the United States, including barriers to breastfeeding.

In recent years, the number of pregnant and new mothers who lose their lives has grown substantially, with Black and Native communities facing the highest risk. In 2021, the maternal mortality rate for Black women was 2.6 times the rate for White women. The majority of these deaths were preventable. We can and must do better. Call on your legislators to take action to end the maternal health crisis with our quick, easy action tool.”

https://www.votervoice.net/USBC/Campaigns/105225/Respond

When breast/chestfeeding it’s recommended to feed on demand using hunger cues unless there’s a reason to do otherwise.
🤱🏾 Early hunger cues: Baby is stirring awake, awake with wide-open eyes, turning head or in a quiet alert state
🤱🏻 Mid-hunger cues: Mouth movements like lips smacking, sucking on hands, Rooting (looking for the breast), Bringing their hand toward their mouth
🤱🏼 Late hunger cues: Crying

Unless there is a medical/current reason, use hunger cues and not the clock to feed on demand. Use early/mid hunger cues, nursing 8-14x/day during the first 12 weeks.

Which is a LATE hunger cue?

1) Baby bringing their hand toward their mouth
2) Baby smacking their lips
3) Baby crying
4) Baby rooting (looking for the breast)

No idea? Stay tuned for more on baby hunger signs later this week……

Happy World Pumping Day. Celebrating the love, time, health benefits and commitment in every drop of Human Milk.

If you need assistance on your pumping journey, visit nourishingjustly.com

💛

Reminder: You can use FSA & HSA cards (Flexible/Health Spending Accounts) to pay for lactation consultations 🤱🏽🤱🏾🤱🏿🤱🏼🤱🏻

media.nwica.org

In addition to teaching select Saturdays, I’ll be teaching prenatal yoga every Monday at 6:30 pm. In-person/Zoom at The Root ( 3385 Lanatt St, Suite D). Sign up: Sacroot.com/book-a-class

All pregnant folks are welcome to join this supportive community. My classes incorporate poses that aid in labor preparation and common pregnancy discomforts. We also practice pranayama (breathing techniques) and meditation for stress relief and centering.

Also teaching this Saturday, Jan 6 10:15 - 11:15 am (check my website to see all dates).

Are you going to the 2024 California Breastfeeding Summit? I'm excited and honored to be moderating a session.

This coming year’s summit will be online from January 23 to 25. Four days of plenary speakers and workshops (CERPs available) https://californiabreastfeeding.org/summit/

"Presented by the California Breastfeeding Coalition, the California Breastfeeding Summit is the premier statewide convening of lactation advocates from every corner of the Golden State! The overall goal of the summit is to be a catalyst for action, empowering you to address the structural and institutional racism and inequities of lactation care and support that prevent families from meeting their infant feeding goals. The Summit enables us to present the effectiveness of programs, research, and interventions for continuity of care in human milk feeding support. In addition, the Summit is a forum for attendees to learn best practices, acquire new skills, gain resources, collaborate, and network with peers, colleagues, and exhibitors."

Continuing Education Units via The California WIC Association:
Registered Nurses (26.25 RN Contact Hours) - Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing Number CEP 16525.
Registered Dietitians (26.25 RD CPEUs) —Provider approved by CDR, Provider Number CA00.
International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC 22.25 L-CERPs / 3 R-CERPs / 1 E-CERP) —Provider approved by the IBLCE, Long Term Provider Number CLT 115-01.

In addition to the years of training to become an IBCLC, I recently completed Guiding Bottle Breakthroughs - a bottle refusal course by Rachel O'Brien, MA, IBCLC, PMH-C. I'm honored to be able to provide tailored support to families struggling with bottle refusal (with babies under 6 months old).

Text reads:
Now Offering Bottle Refusal Consults
Is your baby refusing a bottle or experiencing difficulties during feeding? With a bottle consult, I will:
• Check baby for oral issues that may be causing feeding problems
• Provide oral function exercises and bottle suggestions specific to your baby's needs
• Create a personalized care plan with 2-week virtual follow-up

For more information visit NourishingJustly.com

New Payment and Insurance Options!

My services may be covered by your insurance plan - and in some cases include multiple visits! I’ve joined the Lactation Consultants of America to process insurance options where applicable. If you would like LCA to check if your insurance will cover part/all of the in-home visit please email [email protected] or select the option when booking your appointment online. Then fill out the emailed intake form. Please allow 48+ hours before your appointment time for a response.

Insurances that may be billed:
Aetna/Meritain (PPO, POS, OAP)
Anthem Google (PPO - Subscriber must be an employee of Google)
Cigna (PPO, POS, OAP, EPO)
Health Net of CA (PPO, Ambetter PPO, HMO Fee-for-Service/No Assigned Medical Group, Ambetter HMO)
PrimeHealthcare EHP – Blue Shield of CA EPO
Tricare West (Tricare West Prime or Tricare Select plans include Reserve, Retiree, Young Adult, etc.)
United Health Care UHC/UMR/Empire (PPO, EPO, HMO)
Note: Please investigate your coverage as you are responsible for any charges insurance does not cover.

Represented the Sacramento Breastfeeding Coalition Sacramento Breastfeeding Coalition as Secretary with Brittany our Social Media Chair at The Sacramento Bee “Sacramento's Tipping Point: A discussion of housing, transportation, climate & equity” panel discussion. Although our grant submission on ‘Human Milk for a Healthy Climate’ didn’t win, we had a great time and enjoyed the panel discussion 🌍🤱🏾

It's my honor to be included in clients' postpartum journey. I know how tender and "hazy" that time can be. I do my best to make the breastfeeding-related aspects less stressful.

Give the gift of nourishing lactation support! Perfect for baby showers, prenatal friends/family, or postpartum gifts.

Purchase an e-gift card to be used towards lactation support: https://squareup.com/gift/ML46KKTBTF900/order (link in bio)

Recently someone asked me how to deal with backlash they are receiving when they nurse their child who is over a year old in public. It’s unfortunate that other people are doing this to parents who are simply feeding their babies. Sharing some things to keep in mind and a few tips.

Personally I’ve been lucky and only had 2 incidents of this. I find that standing firm and acting unbothered by the person’s comments stops them faster. Like ‘ok, and I’m still going to nurse here so thanks 😏’

How do you deal with stares/comments when nursing in public?

New Online Breastfeeding Class! Nourish your lactation education whether you’re preparing for your baby’s arrival or your baby is already here. Taught by an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, this breastfeeding class will help you reach your lactation goals.

Featuring:
🧐 Fundamentals of Milk Production & Breast Anatomy
🤱🏾Mastering Latch and Positioning
📏 How to Know Your Baby is Getting Enough Milk
🍼 Pumping, Milk Storage, and Bottles
Pacifiers, Ni**le Shields, and Other Devices
🤱🏻Troubleshooting Common Issues
➕And much more

$45 gets you 2 hours of video content + 6 handout guides (purchase here https://nourishingjustly.thinkific.com/courses/Breastfeeding101).

If you want to schedule a 30-minute video chat/call with me to discuss any questions that might have come up after completing the course I’m giving a discount to those who purchase the Thinkific course (details here: https://www.nourishingjustly.com/breastfeedingclass)

During in-home lactation consults, I tailor my lactation education and support to your goals and needs ☀️. I’m so grateful to be able to do this work 🤱🏾

When taken by fathers, parental leave also facilitates greater involvement by fathers in caring for the family, thus promoting sharing of care responsibilities between parents and reducing the burden for mothers who usually take the larger share.