Inspiring Conversations with Julie Matheney of LA Lactation, LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Matheney

Hi Julie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
When I was 10 years old I told my mom I wanted to feed babies for a living. I became a speech pathologist because the same things you speak with, you eat with. I’ve been a speech pathologist in a hospital for over a decade with a specialty in feeding and swallowing disorders. In working in the NICU setting, I realized I wanted a more intimate approach to working alongside families as they worked to feed their babies. I became a board certified lactation consultant and have really fallen in love with what I do. There’s nothing better than empowering families to reach their feeding goals, wherever they are in their journey. Speech pathology has given me a unique lens for approaching breastfeeding and I’m grateful or my unique journey into working with breastfeeding families.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I decided to go into speech pathology to feed babies in the neonatal intensive care unit, which is a hospital base setting. I discovered in that journey that while I was able to work with and feed babies, I only had a limited amount of time with each baby. I never really felt like I was making a difference in their lives. I also worked as a speech therapist on every other floor and unit in the hospital. So I was not spending as much of my day working with babies as I had anticipated. I discovered years into my career journey that I didn’t only want to work with babies, I also wanted to empower and work with their mothers. I had my intended career goal but I wasn’t satisfied in it. When I discovered lactation as a field, everything clicked and I knew that was what I had actually wanted to do for so many years. It took a few years to build my private practice and gain the skills I needed for the shift. It took the support of my husband to help me realize that my career goals could shift, and I could actually have the job I had always dreamed of. I have now been in private practice for 4 years and am loving it!! I get to spend more time with families and do what I love.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about LA Lactation, LLC?
As a speech pathologist, I specialize in tongue tie and premature birth, and the impact these have on infant feeding. The hospital setting prepared me for working with very complex lactation cases and I enjoy a challenge, especially where there is low milk supply or a baby that isn’t feeding efficiently. In the course of my own breast-feeding and pumping journey, I also realize most people are using the wrong size pump flange. The majority of us can’t pump with the flange that comes in the box! It’s amazing to see the expression on a mom’s face when we find the right pump flange and her comfort and output significantly improve. I try very hard to support all journeys, recognizing that infant feeding is as individual as how we feed ourselves as adults. I want parents to feel supported in their choices for how they feed their babies.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I feel like as people become more educated on breast-feeding, we can continue to make change in supporting unique and individual infant feeding journeys. Tongue ties are not a fad, they’re an anatomical difference that we are seeing more of. I’m hoping all health care professionals will continue to further educate themselves on what they are and how to properly help families manage them. The industry is definitely having more awareness and education on pumps and flange sizes, which absolutely make a difference in maintaining and establishing milk supplies. I would also love to see less judgment on how parents choose to feed their babies, whether breast-feeding, combo, feeding, bottle feeding, and pumping, or formula feeding, supported is best.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Lalactation.com
• Instagram: @lalactation
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCZZJk57o9bKLZwx8fabDkQA