Find a Certified Lactation Consultant in Decatur, IL

Lactation consultants on Meela are certified, client-recommended, and vetted by licensed medical practitioners. Find one near you.

Create a free account, and we'll bring top lactation experts to you.

Get started

1,000+ childbirth experts

Client recommended, 97% 5-star reviews

Vetted by licensed medical practitioners

Verified client testimonials

Why Use Meela to Hire Your Lactation Consultant?

Meela is the trusted place for parents to find top-rated lactation consultants, connecting over 1,700 parents with vetted professionals each month. Reach out to lactation consultants directly, or answer a few questions and let us bring you the best available options near you. All for free, no strings attached.

Certified, Expert-Vetted Lactation Consultants Near You

Our lactation experts include IBCLCs, IBCLEs, CLCs and more. They are the best of the best and hold the highest standards of evidence-based, inclusive, and compassionate care. Each verified professional on Meela is vetted by a licensed medical professional and comes with multiple client recommendations, active certifications, and has extensive training and experience in perinatal care.

Found 4 Pros in Decatur, IL, USA | Lactation support
EXPERIENCE
0 50
Families served
0 3500
Birth fee
$0 $7500
HOURLY RATE
$0 $500
$ flexible
img

Monica Tessier

Bloomington, IL

0 reviews • 2 families supported • 1 years experience

0 reviews • 2 families supported • 1 years experience

I was first interested in becoming a doula after the birth of my first child. It left a lot to be desired and was not a great experience overall. I wanted to be able to help others in this process and let them know that there are choices! It is important to know what you want in regards to birth and to advocate for your wishes. I am trained through DONA, and I am also a CLC. As a CLC, I can help get you started in your breastfeeding journey as well as help with any questions you may have about breastfeeding. I also offer maternity/labor and birth photos.

Care philosophy

As a birth doula, it is important to help prepare you for labor, and birth. I work with you and your partner (if applicable) and teach ways to help cope with the pains labor can bring. I teach about all interventions that could happen in labor, as well as go over a birth plan which will be all about your wishes for the labor process.

Areas served

  • Peoria
  • Bloomington
  • Normal
  • Champaign
  • Aurora
  • Chicago
  • Naperville
  • Springfield
$ flexible
img

Mecca Phillips

Champaign, IL

0 reviews • 6 families supported • 3 years experience

0 reviews • 6 families supported • 3 years experience

I provide postpartum care to families in hopes to promote healthy bonding, thorough healing and successful breastfeeding! I decided to become a postpartum doula after giving birth to my second child and seeing the effect a lack of support has on healing and breastfeeding. I want to be the support for moms that I wish I had!

Care philosophy

A healthy and well rested mother makes a healthy family!

Areas served

  • Champaign-Urbana, Illinois
  • Danville, Illinois
img img

Hillary Kelly

Petersburg, IL

2 reviews • 175 families supported • 3 years experience

2 reviews • 175 families supported • 3 years experience

I provide in-home and virtual lactation support. In rural areas, getting around is not always easy. People often travel long distances from home to seek what limited supports are available. We live without a lot of the support services that urban areas have, and this lack of resources got me motivated to bring in-home lactation care to people in West Central Illinois. During a visit we can learn through a nursing session, weight baby, assess oral function, talk about pumping, and all the things pregnancy and postpartum. My passion is to help you meet your breastfeeding goals! You can do it!!

Care philosophy

My core philosophy is providing evidence-based and mother-led lactation support. As a mom I've had very different births with very different results and very different breastfeeding journeys. As a former NICU parent, c-section mom, and VBAC mom, I know that support is KEY to meeting your goals. Everyone deserves support from pregnancy, to postpartum, to first foods, to toddler-hood, and beyond!

Areas served

  • West Central Illinois

Reviews

  • Lara
    February 6, 2024 at 7:48 am | Peer review

    Hillary is dedicated, passionate, and well educated to help all parents reach their goals. She has a wealth of knowledge regarding breastfeeding, both professionally and personally. You will definitely be in good hands! She’s great at listening and answering questions thoroughly in a manner that is easily understandable.

img img

Traci Dow

Springfield, IL

3 reviews • 1500 families supported • 5 years experience

3 reviews • 1500 families supported • 5 years experience

My practice specializes in creating personalized feeding plans to make your breastfeeding journey what it can be. With my medical background, I find it necessary to identify risk factors and develop a treatment plan to ensure your baby is safely breastfeeding.

Care philosophy

I value the journey of breastfeeding and work with parents to develop a plan that works for them.

Areas served

  • Springfield, IL
  • Champaign, IL
  • Urbana, IL

Reviews

  • Kendra
    July 4, 2023 at 2:57 pm | Peer review

    Traci has years of experience in helping mother-baby diads navigate their breastfeeding journey. Traci has provided mothers with newborn support in a hospital setting, and has also helped older babies and mothers in an outpatient clinic setting. She supports moms through breastfeeding challenges, seeking best outcomes in cases where milk supply, breastmilk transfer, or feeding comfort are not ideal. Traci is warm, engaging, and professional. She has extensive knowledge of high risk breastfeeding situations, such as helping NICU graduates learn to breastfeed. Traci can help you achieve your breastfeeding goals, and provide support and resources that make it rewarding. Do not hesitate to contact her today!

Lactation Consultant: FAQs

A certified lactation consultant is a professional that helps parents address and solve their breastfeeding problems. Many new parents believe that breastfeeding is easy, only to find more obstacles than anticipated. 92% of parents say they are having problems with breastfeeding their new baby within only 3 days.

Nursing doesn’t always come naturally.

Breastfeeding can be overwhelming and all-consuming. A lactation consultant in Decatur, IL can identify issues such as low milk supply, latching problems, or nipple engorgement. They also offer advice and techniques to help parents understand existing issues, improve how they read their baby’s cues, and feel empowered about breastfeeding despite existing social norms.

Every parent’s journey is unique, and there might be specific challenges or obstacles in your particular situation. The ultimate goal of a lactation consultant is to support parents who choose to breastfeed their children. A lactation consultant in Decatur, IL can often save parents time and energy, and also give them some peace of mind.

Many mothers also face issues where they cannot breastfeed in the workplace or lack the family support or time to ensure that their child is breastfed correctly. A lactation consultant in Decatur, IL can also provide a significant amount of moral support, diagnose breastfeeding issues, and solve latching, positioning, and scheduling issues.

To find a lactation specialist in Decatur, IL, most parents recommend creating a job post on Meela and having uniquely qualified lactation experts near you (in your budget) reach out to you through the Meela app.

You can interview and chat with as many lactation specialists as you wish and hire a lactation consultant with confidence. It is completely free to create a job post on Meela and find a lactation consultant. There are no commitments to hire any of the qualified and expert vetted experts Meela brings you.

Here’s how it works in 3 easy steps:

  1. Post a job for free: Answer some questions and receive responses from top-rated lactation specialists near you. It takes less than 30 seconds to post your job.
  2. Get your list of lactation consultants: In a few hours, you will have a collection of lactation consultants near you who are qualified to meet your needs. You can compare pricing, experience, and read reviews. You can chat with each lactation specialist to learn more about them.
  3. Hire a lactation consultant with confidence: Schedule virtual or in-person interviews with your top choices. Hire your top lactation specialist and start getting the care you deserve.

To find a lactation consultant, you can also browse the available professionals near you in Decatur, IL and read reviews, compare pricing, experience and fit. Send the lactation consultants you are interested in a message, introducing yourself and setting up an interview. We recommend reaching out to and interviewing at least three lactation consultants before hiring a lactation specialist near you. After interviewing, hire the most qualified lactation specialist near you and start getting the care you deserve.

The cost of a lactation consultant can vary based on a variety of factors, including their experience, their services, and their skills or specializations. Overall, the average cost of a lactation consultant in Decatur, IL is $185 per hour based on a survey of 120 lactation specialists in the Decatur, IL area.

Under the Affordable Care Act, many insurance companies should be covering the cost of lactation services. However, there are a number of factors that determine whether insurance will cover the cost of a certified lactation consultant in Decatur, IL. You should contact your insurance company for more information.

Here are some factors to consider regarding insurance and your lactation consultant cost:

  • Your insurance provider
  • Your individual health plan
  • The type of lactation specialist
  • The specific service provided

Meela’s network of lactations specialists in Decatur, IL offer both in-home lactation support sessions or virtual lactation support sessions. Both types of sessions typically last between 1 and 3 hours. In your sessions, your lactation specialist will spend time understanding the issues you are facing and work with you and your baby to diagnose the issues have and also provide specific guidance and hands-on practice and exercises.

Lactation consultants help parents understand the best way to comfortably breastfeed their baby and help them navigate breastfeeding social norms. They can also help reduce stress and anxiety about breastfeeding, or help with specific challenges (such as breastfeeding twins, for example). Other parents might just want emotional support that doesn’t currently exist within their family, workplace, or network or friends.

Certified lactation consultants can also help with specialized issues that may arise with premature children or sick children. A parent may not have thought about breastfeeding help until they notice that their baby isn’t gaining weight properly, and finally realize that they might need some support and knowledge before continuing to breastfeed. On the other hand, some parents might prepare with a lactation consultant months before the baby is born.

Whether you are planning ahead or are thinking about a lactation now that you are having breastfeeding issues or concerns, a lactation consultant can be incredibly helpful and useful for parents.

Lactation counselors in Decatur, IL can often help parents with breastfeeding and offer breastfeeding advice, training, and troubleshooting. Many of these counselors have taken the CLC exam, or the Certified Lactation Counselor exam. A certified lactation counselor has typically undergone 45 hours of training.

On the other hand, a certified lactation consultant in Decatur, IL has undergone a specific amount of clinical training hours, which is not a requirement to become a lactation counselor. These lactation consultants are certified by the International Board of Certified Lactation Consultants, as well. A lactation consultant typically has a bachelor’s degree in a health field and has undergone 90 hours of training and has somewhere between 300 and 1,000 hours of experience with parents.

Lactation consultants in Decatur, IL are often working with other healthcare teams in collaboration with postpartum nurses to ensure that parents understand how to breastfeed their babies. Both lactation consultants and lactation counselors can provide support, develop feeding plans, and offer actionable advice with respect to breastfeeding.

The best approach is for parents to hire a lactation specialist early in their pregnancy so that they can help you prepare both mentally and physically. Parents don’t need to wait until your baby is born to begin thinking about breastfeeding support and education.

Some parents might be anxious about breastfeeding in public or feel like they want access to a breastfeeding expert to help both inform and support them. A lactation consultant in Decatur, IL can also help young professional parents schedule their breastfeeding efficiently so that they can return to work quicker, while others might specialize in helping with breastfeeding anxiety issues.

It is never too late to hire a certified lactation consultant in Decatur, IL. These breastfeeding consultants can also offer emotional breastfeeding support that can be valuable to those who lack family or workplace support. A lactation consultant can also be critical in identifying warning signs that might indicate more serious growth or developmental issues.

There are many documented benefits to breastfeeding, and parents often believe that it will be an easy and natural experience. Unfortunately, many parents run into issues such as low milk supply, nipple engorgement, or latching problems that can affect their baby’s health. These lactation specialists can be useful for troubleshooting, advice, or emotional support.

Certified lactation consultants can strengthen the bond between parents and their babies through breastfeeding advice, tips, and support. This might include showing parents how to help their baby latch properly, establishing feeding schedules, or dealing with sore nipples or engorgement. A lactation consultant can help new parents better understand their baby’s needs in general, and monitor the baby’s growth and development.

Lactation specialists in Decatur, IL also offer emotional support and help parents breastfeed more efficiently so that they can get back to work and allow them to better manage expectations. Many parents face issues where they cannot breastfeed in the workplace, or do not have the family support or time to ensure that their child is breastfed properly and with care. These expert consultants can also provide a significant amount of moral support, diagnose breastfeeding issues, while also solving issues such as latching, positioning, and scheduling.

Get Started
keyboard_arrow_up