Evonne Smith

 

Location

Pasadena, CA + Virtual

Pronouns

she/her

education / certification

International Board Certified Lactation Consultant

Kabira Energetics practitioner, level 2 (candidate for certification)

Sleepwonders Integrative Sleep Consultant (I no longer offer sleep consults as a standalone service, but I incorporate this knowledge into my other modalities)

Lactation & infant feeding consulting, energy healing

words you live by:

 “I will live my dream, my life, my way.”
My mom gave me that affirmation (and blessing) many years ago :)

areas of expertise:

Combo breast/bottle feeding, tongue ties, balancing breastfeeding, and sleep.

what/who inspired you to become a lactation consultant?

I started my career as a newborn care specialist offering overnight support. I spent a lot of time with tearful new moms struggling with breastfeeding in the middle of the night. I loved those babies and those families and I saw how deeply breastfeeding difficulties impacted them. I wanted to be able to help more impactfully.

What is your approach when meeting with a new client? How do you work with those who may not be able to / don’t wish to exclusively breastfeed?

I get a sense of where they’ve been and where they want to go. I want to know what’s your history, how you’re feeling, what you’ve already learned and have already tried, what your goals are, and where I can help. Breastfeeding doesn’t exist in a vacuum—I have expertise in many areas and do a lot of teaching in my sessions!

I happily support families with breastfeeding, bottle feeding [and refusal], pumping, formula feeding and introducing solids. There isn’t one “right” or “best” way to feed a baby. My job is to help you figure out what feels right and reasonable for your baby/family and we craft a plan together for how to make it happen. Simple as that!

We see a lot of people who struggle with low milk supply. What is your approach to this challenge? How common is low milk supply?

When working with low milk supply, I start with optimizing the foundations of making milk (including improving the quality of baby's latch and/or the pump flange fit). Once those are fine-tuned, we look at balancing the hormones to support the milk-making process. I like working with herbs for this purpose, when appropriate.

In the meantime, we co-create a supplementation plan to ensure the baby’s nutritional needs are met while we’re working on supply.

The struggle with low milk supply is also a deeply emotional affair. I hold space for whatever feelings arise and offer lots of warm (and practical) support.

What advice do you give to moms going back to work who want to continue to breastfeed?

It’s absolutely possible! If your baby will need to take bottles regularly while you’re working, introduce bottles early (usually by 4-6 weeks) and keep them a consistent part of your feeding routine to avoid bottle refusal. Especially if you’re working outside the home or if you’ll be away from your baby for several hours, optimizing your pump fit, settings and routine is key to maintaining your milk supply.

What do you love about being a part of a collaborative care team?

It’s the best way to offer truly holistic care. I’m an avid learner and worked hard to develop expertise in my field, I can’t be an expert in everything. It’s easy to be honest about where my limits lie when I can refer you to someone who has expertise in an area, rather than just saying “sorry, I can’t help you”.

what inspires your work?

On a deeper level, I believe that the way we parent our babies shapes them and, in turn, shapes the future world. Can you imagine what the world would be like if more people were well-loved, emotionally nourished, self aware, and who deeply trusted themselves and their worth?

My work happens where that starts. The thread that unites all my modalities is helping new parents heal, build their self-trust and practical know-how so they can help their babies grow into that kind of person.

what is your self-care ritual?

It changes based on what type of rest and nourishment I need. Sometimes it’s a quick grounding meditation, strolling through the botanical gardens just before sunset, an energy-cleansing yoni steam or ritual bath, or curling up with some comfort food, wine, and Netflix.

what are you reading/listening to right now?

Lately I'm really into musical affirmations by Geminelle, Toni Jones and Coax Marie (my “High Vibes” and “Love Quest Manifest” playlists have been on repeat). I just finished reading “Akata Witch” by Nnedi Okorafor and can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in the series.