ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
Breastfeeding is a natural, biological process, but that does not mean it is easy or comes naturally.
Ashley Smith can support mothers on every step of their breastfeeding journey from before the baby is born to its last latch.
Smith started her health care career at the age of 19 as a certified nurse’s aide at a local critical access hospital, and after going to nursing school, getting married and having her first child, she became enamored by all things labor, birth and breastfeeding.
“I pursued my passion and in 2016 began working on the labor, delivery, postpartum unit in Dodge City – a 50-mile drive from my home,” she said.
Adding to her skills as a labor, delivery and postpartum nurse, Smith is not an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and through her business, Sunflower and Stage Lactation (SSL), she offers in-home, video conference and telehealth visits to help families who are wanting to breastfeed or pump for their babies.
“I can go to their house, or we can do a video conference,” she said. “My big passion for it is to be able to reach people who are already driving really far for many health care related services, especially specialty visits.”
Smith currently lives in the small town of Englewood, southwest of Ashland in Clark County, and after having to drive more than an hour for her own OB care, she saw the need to help others with similar issues.
“My heart in it is to be able to go to these smaller towns that don’t have these types of services,” she said. “ It’s one less thing they have to do and they have to get out for when they have a new baby.”
Smith currently works in Dodge City as a labor and delivery nurse, something she has done for close to nine years, and she said this peaked her interest in helping with lactation. She added that interest started, though, even before she became a nurse with the birth of her first child.
“I was one of the first people in my friend group to have kids, and with being able to help from my own experience breastfeeding my first baby, it was really awesome to be able to offer that support,” she said. “Then going into labor and delivery, postpartum care as a nurse, I wanted to be able to learn as much as I could to be able to help my patients, and I ended up getting my International Board Certified Lactation Consultant certification. It’s a pretty time intensive and rigorous process to be able to sit for those boards.”
Though she lives in Englewood and works in Dodge City, through SSL, Smith works with families within about 55 miles from her home, including Seward County.
“I can drive further than that, but they would incur a travel fee,” she said. “I can go to Dodge City, over to Liberal, down to the Woodward and Shattuck area, Beaver, Meade. Those towns would be included as well.”
Smith takes payments currently through cash or private pay, and her prices are reasonably affordable.
“The first visit where I’m spending anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours with the families, they’re about $175,” she said. “For follow-up visits in the home, it is less at $125, and telehealth visits or visits where we’re going over only something or a prenatal visit where we’re learning while the mom is still pregnant, those visits are less – anywhere between $75 and $100.”
Smith provides clients with a super mill or itemized receipt to submit to their insurance.
“It’ll be dependent upon their insurance plans and the policies as to whether they’re reimbursed or not,” she said.
As pregnancies take place on a daily basis, Smith said she would love to see any mother who is either pregnant, breastfeeding or thinking about breastfeeding in their prenatal phase to talk about what to expect and the ins and outs of breastfeeding, as well as common challenges in order to prepare them in advance and after delivery.
“Anybody who is planning to breastfeed or will be wanting to provide milk by pumping, lactation services are very much needed,” she said. “Even if there’s not a big problem going on, it’s also nice to have the reassurance that things are going well. I can weigh the baby, make sure the baby’s gaining appropriately. It’s just another touch point for a health care provider to see how this family’s doing, how the baby’s doing, how Mom’s mental health is. It is a big need whether people recognize it or not.”
Other reasons Smith said mothers should reach out for lactation services include:
• Experiencing pain with breastfeeding or pumping;
• Concerns about milk supply or slow infant weight gain;
• Needing to supplement;
• Using a nipple shield; and
• If a baby has a tongue tie.
“This is not an exhaustive list, but they are some of the reasons families schedule with me,” she said.
The third trimester is critical to any pregnancy, and so too is getting a visit with Smith prior to the due date.
“Within the first week or two after they’ve had their baby, we can see how things are going and help to address any issues that might be coming up,” she said. “People who are going to be returning to work, we can talk about pumping and come up with a game plan of how to begin storing up breast milk in order for them to have enough milk for their baby to go to daycare. Prenatally in that third trimester, early on after they’ve had their babies and a few more visits if they need it just for some extra support.”
Smith said about 85 percent of women in both Kansas and the U.S. initiate breastfeeding at birth. That rate falls to 47 percent at three months in the U.S. The number falls below 50 percent in Kansas after six months and to 28 percent in the U.S.
“We know women and families are wanting to provide breast milk for their babies, but they are able to due to various reasons,” she said. “One of those reasons is they need the lactation education and support. Oftentimes, moms in this generation, their moms and their grandmas may have not breastfed, so that kind of knowledge sharing between generations is lost for many families. Having somebody who can provide accurate evidence-based education is going to help them to meet their goals around infant feeding.”
While lactation services alone cannot break down the systemic issues that make it difficult for women to provide their babies breastmilk, Smith said receiving lactation care can women to breastfeed longer by addressing painful latching and giving information to help them feel more confident.
SSL appointments can be made online at www.sunflowerandsagelactation.com.
“They can use the ‘Book Now’ icon, and it’ll send me an e-mail,” Smith said. “I can get them to schedule an appointment.”
More information about Sunflower and Sage Lactation can be found on the Web site, as well as through social media on Facebook and Instagram. Smith does not have a defined set of hours, but she will work with her patients’ schedules.
“I have my hospital job as well and my four kids,” she said. “I’m fitting these visits in the spaces where I have time. I don’t have regular business or office hours, but I am able to get back to people who message or e-mail me within 24 hours to be able to find a time that would work for them.”
