In this episode, we’re talking with Allison Alexander of Skilled Lactation Solutions about the beautiful rabbit hole that is lactation care—and why sometimes the best clinical skill you can have is being comfortable saying, “I have no idea, but I’m going to figure it out.”
Allison shares how she went from nursing to lactation after noticing a pretty significant disconnect: moms were showing up devastated and struggling, while the paperwork said everything was “fine.” Spoiler alert: the paperwork was not, in fact, breastfeeding the baby.
We dig into why every parent-baby pair is completely unique, why there is no magical protocol that works for everyone, and the importance of remembering one tiny but extremely important detail:
Your baby did not take the class.
“Hope is not a strategy.”
In this episode we talk about:
- Why lactation consultants need curiosity, flexibility, and the ability to be wrong—with absolutely no room for ego.(2:05)
- The problem with treating breastfeeding like a checklist: Latch? Check. Weight? Check. Mom is crying? Moving on! (3:26)
- The importance of helping parents trust their own intuition instead of outsourcing every parenting decision to TikTok, textbooks, or someone’s very opinionated grandma. (13:08)
- How social media can actually give parents something they desperately need: community at 3 a.m. (16:29)
Each month we host a live Deeper Dive so you can connect with us, our special guests, and each other + get lifetime access to the recording!
Our next Deeper Dive is about PMOS with Kenita Chenevert, BSHM, MA, IBCLC on September 29, 2026.
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About Us
Leah Jolly is a private practice IBCLC with Bay Area Breastfeeding in Houston, Texas.
Annie Frisbie is a private practice IBCLC serving Queens and Brooklyn in New York City and the creator of the Lactation Consultant Private Practice Toolkit.
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