Hidden Gems: Meet Leora Robles of The Breastfeeding Center of Orange County

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leora Robles.

Hi Leora, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am first and foremost a Mom to our three boys, ages 15, 7, and 5. My husband and I have been married for 16 years and he is my high school sweetheart. They have been by my side from the moment The Breastfeeding Center of Orange County was just an idea, a dream. I am grateful for each of them and their support every single day.

How did The Breastfeeding Center of Orange County come to be?
In 2006, I was first introduced to the world of breastfeeding. I was pregnant with my first son, and one of my best friends just had a baby. She breastfed him and made it look magical. I wanted that experience and decided I too would breastfeed!

My son arrived and he latched shortly after delivery. This was going to be a great experience. I’m in love. I am bonding and nourishing my new baby and how could life be any better?

Less than 24 hours later, I hated breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding was painful for me. Every time my son latched I winced in pain. Sometimes I even cried. I was told it was normal for breastfeeding to be uncomfortable in the early days. I had to push through. I wanted to be successful.

Over the next few days, each feeding was worse than the one before. I vividly remember my emotions changing like the switch of a light. When he was content, I loved him. When it was time to eat, I resented him. This resentment grew stronger with each feed over the next couple of days.

We came home from the hospital four days after my son was born. It was our first night home as a family. At 3 am my son woke up to eat, my husband hands me the baby and I cried. “I can’t do it”, I whimpered.

My husband took our son to the kitchen and made him a bottle of formula. I sat in our bedroom and pumped. I stared down at two bottles full of blood-tinged breastmilk. I dumped them down the sink.

For the next nine months, I became an exclusive pumper and my baby never latched to my breasts again.

Seven years later, we were blessed with another child. Again, I was determined to breastfeed. I became educated about breastfeeding. I read breastfeeding books and took all the classes. Every breastfeeding friend I had became my teacher. I was prepared for the worst but determined for the best.

My second son was born three weeks before his due date. He refused to latch. My son latched only with a nipple shield and it allowed him to nurse at my breast. I was thrilled to be pain-free!! Six weeks and three visits with a lactation consultant later, my son latched without a shield for the first time! That lactation consultant became an angel of support for me. My son and I went on to breastfeed together for sixteen months.

Our third child arrived two years later (another boy!). My breastfeeding experience with him was nothing like his brothers. He was lying on my chest, skin to skin in the recovery room when he crawled down to my breast and latched on his own! I cried. I laughed. I smiled. I was relieved. Third time was the charm. We breastfed together for twelve months.

After having my third baby, I absolutely fell in love with breastfeeding! As a breastfeeding mother, I felt empowered, successful, proud and humbled. I wish for all mothers who desire to breastfeed to find their success as well.

Many people ask what led me to the world of breastfeeding. Aside from the challenges I experienced breastfeeding all three of my boys. What ultimately helped me realize my calling as a lactation professional was when my sister had her first baby.

I was so excited to have the opportunity to help my sister transition into motherhood. I just had my third son, and she was having her first baby. Less than an hour after her home birth, I arrived to her house just in time to witness the first breastfeeding moments. My sister looked up at me with big question marks in her eyes. Her stare screamed, “Am I doing this right?”. I smiled, vividly remembering that feeling of uncertainty. I reassured her and helped her latch her baby.

I talked her through expectations and goals for her first 24 hours of motherhood and breastfeeding. I encouraged her, reassured her, and guided her. It was a moment I will never forget.

My sister was wise enough to call a Lactation Consultant for a home visit when her daughter was just 24 hours old. She wanted professional reassurance that everything was going well. My sister invited me to stay for the consult. I watched. I admired. I participated. I was hooked.

The Lactation Consultant I observed that day encouraged me to pursue a career in lactation and she became my mentor. I did not realize at the time that I had connected with one of the best Lactation Consultants in Southern California!!

One year later (after hours and hours of research, interviews, and family discussions), I dove headfirst into the world of lactation and have not stopped since. In 2019, The Breastfeeding Center of Orange County was born.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
When first opening The Breastfeeding Center of Orange County, the biggest challenge was ensuring I was providing the best clinical support to our families while simultaneously managing the “business-side”. It was ALL ME to start. I was the lactation consultant, the receptionist, the administrator and bookkeeper. I spent hours taking continuing education classes to best help the families coming to The Breastfeeding Center while also learning about sales and business tax, insurance, superbills, HIPPA compliancy, and all the other miscellaneous tasks of running a small business.

In 2020, our biggest hurdle was Covid. In March of 2020, we had to quickly segue from in-person consultations, classes, and groups to 100% virtual support. As a mother of three, it was especially challenging to transition from having three children in school to three children at home ALL DAY, EVERY DAY! Balancing clients, our children’s needs and their schooling became incredibly challenging. I stayed committed to The Breastfeeding Center and our families. I continued offering lactation consultations and breastfeeding support groups – all via Zoom! Our families needed support more than ever before – and most places they reached out to for help were now closed due to Covid.

In June 2020, I had enough. I could not watch new parents suffer behind my computer screen any longer. I wore masks, gloves, extra layers of clothing and began offering in-person, home visits once again. The demand and necessity for in-person support was evident. One of our greatest challenges soon became the reason The Breastfeeding Center of Orange County is what it is today.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The Breastfeeding Center of Orange County offers a wide range of breastfeeding and lactation support.

Beginning in pregnancy families can come to us for private prenatal consultations or group breastfeeding classes.

Breastfeeding 101 is our group prenatal breastfeeding class. This 2.5-hour class covers everything expecting parents need to know to feel confident and prepared for their little ones arrival.

Once baby arrives, parents can continue receiving support through private lactation consultations and our weekly breastfeeding support group – Mama’s Milk Club.

Our private lactation consultations are offered in our Laguna Hills office and at our client’s homes throughout Orange County. Many families find it challenging to leave their homes with a brand new baby, so it’s a wonderful option to have a Home Visit!

Mama’s Milk Club is our weekly breastfeeding support group. Every Wednesday at 1 pm, a group of moms gather to share their joys and challenges surrounding breastfeeding or motherhood. Always lead by an IBCLC (board-certified lactation consultant), parents have a chance to ask questions and receive additional support and guidance as breastfeeding is an ever-changing and evolving journey. A pediatric scale is always provided so parents can check their baby’s weight or do a weighted feed to see how much milk their baby drank during a breastfeeding session! This opportunity truly helps parents feel supported and reassured – this is invaluable to the success of parents meeting their breastfeeding goals.

We are proud to have the opportunity to work with many insurance plans – Aetna, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Cigna, Anthem – to provide many of these services with no out-of-pocket costs to families.

How do you define success?
This is simple. For me, success is when a family we serve leaves us feeling heard and supported. Transitioning into parenthood is HARD. Caring for our babies all day, every day is HARD! Nourishing our babies every couple hours day and night (sometimes even more often) is HARD! My number one goal is for parents to feel heard and supported. How they nourish their babies is THEIR choice – not mine. My goal is to best support them to reach THEIR OWN goals – however that may look for their family. If we made their journey just a little easier, then that is a success!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.breastfeedOC.com
• Instagram: @breastfeed_oc
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-breastfeeding-center-of-orange-county-laguna-hills?osq=the+breastfeeding+center