Childbirth Education & Lactation
Serving Mid-Michigan and Beyond
contact@abbiemullins.com
517.798.4878 (p)
517.225.0490 (f)
Lactation Visit
Preparing for your
Our Lactation Consultants
We are here to support you in your feeding goals! We are proud to all be International Board Certified Lactation Consultants. You are welcome to pick your provider or schedule with the first available. You can learn more about us, our backgrounds, and our training here.
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If you already booked your visit online, we are so excited to work with you!
Already Booked Online?
We are so looking forward to working with you! Once we review your booking request and approve it, you will received a confirmation email that will include more details. Please allow 12-24 hours for us to review and confirm your appointment as we may be with other patients at the time of your request or if you booked after business hours. If you have not received a confirmation or communication within 24 hours, you are welcome to contact the LC you scheduled with by email.
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You are also welcome to contact our Administrative Assistant, Jessica, who would be happy to support you with any booking questions or assistance, especially as our LC's are often busy with patients during the daytime, and Jessica may be able to communicate more promptly!
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Need Help Now ?
If you are struggling and need support, we are here. You can look at available appointments and get scheduled right away if you have not yet booked your initial visit. Click the button below and line up help now!​
Visit Locations
We offer lactation support visits in the following ways and places:
Clinic Visits
Rooted Collective
330 W Lake Lansing Rd., East Lansing, MI 48823
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Parking lot entrance is just east of the pedestrian crosswalk on Lake Lansing Rd., off Arbor Glen Dr. (look for the Arbor Glen Apartments sign). After turning north onto Arbor Glen Dr., enter the first parking lot to your left. Rooted Collective is the second building on the left. CATA stop 4829 (WB) and 4831 (EB) - Bus Route 24 and 25. ​Enter the building through the Rooted Collective door on the north side of the building.
Please take a seat in the waiting room and we will come get you at your appointment time. ​There is a restroom with a changing station down the center hall.
East Lansing
Rooted Counseling
111 E César E. Chávez Ave, Lansing, MI 48906
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Free parking is available on Washington Street and in the lot behind Rooted. There is no back entrance so you will need to walk to the front door. There are also metered spots out front using the Passport App. CATA stop 6006 (WB) and 3748 (EB) - Bus Routes 14 and 16.
Enter the front of the building through the Rooted door using the door code your received in your booking confirmation. Once inside, enter the first door to your right. Take a seat in the waiting room and we will come get you at your appointment time There is a restroom with a changing station down the hall and straight to the back.
Old Town Lansing
Home Visits
Mid-Michigan and Beyond
Greater Lansing
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In-Home consultations with Abbie are limited to newborns less than 4 weeks old as she has full time clinic hours in East Lansing. (exceptions made for preemies and multiples on a case-by-case basis).
Tiffany sees babies of all ages at home and in the Old Town Lansing Clinic.
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West Michigan | NE Grand Rapids
Vanessa sees all families in their home and serves West Michigan.
Home visits may be subject to a travel fee that is not covered by insurance. You can see our travel radius by provider below and any fees. Clinic and telehealth visits are always open to babies of any age.
Service Area
If you have any pets, please secure them in another room or area for our visit. We appreciate animal lovers and it is nothing against your special furry family members! Pets tend to become very protective of their tiny people, and we are a stranger coming into their space. They are usually also very curious about the consult bag and all the things inside (and pet smells on the outside from hundreds of other homes!). Some of our providers also have allergies, but still want to extend our care into your home because we know how valuable it is. By doing this, it will help us to focus on you and your baby the entire time.
Pets
Travel Radius &Fees
Home visits are subject to a travel fee. We have a few different travel ranges based on provider. You can see below if your home is in our travel radius, and what the travel fee would be.)
Abbie
Abbie primarily see babies in the East Lansing Clinic, so home visits are limited to newborns under 4 weeks of age, and to the following locations.
(exceptions for preemies and multiples are made on a case-by-case basis)
Radius 1 (Blue) - $50 (<10 miles from Lansing)​
Radius 2 (Green) - $75 (10-15 miles from Lansing)
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Tiffany
Tiffany works with babies of all ages in the home and also at the Old Town Clinic. She serves Greater Lansing and south to Jackson area. You can see if you are in her travel radius below.
Radius 1 (Purple) - $50 (<15 mi from Holt)​
Radius 2 (Pink) - $75 (15-25 mi from Holt)
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Vanessa
Vanessa works with babies of all ages in the home only. Because of this, she offers a free travel radius for the first 20 miles. She serves west Michigan and North East Grand Rapids Area. You can see if you are in her travel radius below.
Radius 1 (Yellow) - free (<20 mi from Greenville)​
Radius 2 (Red) - $50 (20-30 mi from Greenville)
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Telehealth Visits
We offer synchronous, HIPAA compliant telehealth lactation visits to anyone needing support outside our in-person service area.
Abbie offers telehealth to anyone in the state of Michigan (as she is a Registered Nurse). Tiffany and Vanessa offer telehealth to patients across the country. These may be covered by some insurance plans, can be used for full consultations, but are also great for quick check-ins as a follow-up, when back to work, or when needing to troubleshoot new issues.
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It's helpful to ensure you have adequate WiFi strength, good lighting, and limit background noise, If working on a feeding session, a helper for holding your phone/tablet/laptop can help us to best visualize you, your baby, and a feeding, but isn't essential.
What to Expect
Fees &Insurance Coverage
Navigating insurance can feel like a lot (especially on little sleep and with a little one to worry about!) We're here to help you navigate this process. Lactation should be covered per the Affordable Care Act, however it isn't so simple as that unfortunately. We have a couple of options for families: Either upfront coverage for select plans through our partnerships with The Lactation Network and Wildflower Health, OR support for requesting reimbursement from your health plan after the fact.
HSA/FSA are always accepted and payment plans are available! You can click the button to learn more and access a helpful list of FAQs and resources for families!
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Any time-based service is billed on the time used not allotted. Initial postpartum visits are alloted for 2 hours, and follow-ups for 1.5 hours. Telehealth visits are slightly shorter allotments. If your visit ends early, you are only billed for the time used! If your visit runs over the allotted time, you will be billed accordingly. Visits are billed in 15 min increments with a roll over at the 7 to 8 minute mark.
Infection Precautions
As we work with newborns with immature immune systems, we take infection precautions seriously. More information about these precautions, what to expect from us, and our expectations of you can be found on the Infection Precautions page. Illness / cancellation policies can also be found on this page.
Preparing for your Visit
There are a few things you can do to prepare for our visit together! This helps us spend our time focused on you, your baby, and meeting your goals.
If you can plan on your baby needing to feed sometime within 15-30 min after the start of your appointment time that would be best! We know however that sometimes, it is hard to predict when babies will be hungry. If your baby needs to eat shortly before your visit, please feed your baby enough to take the edge off of their hunger, but if possible not a full feeding so your baby will be ready to eat again sometime during your visit.
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If you have a breast pump, please have it with you as well as your tubes / flanges / bottles. We will make sure your flanges are fitting you correctly and will discuss how to optimize your pumping routine! Also, please have any feeding supplies you routinely use with your baby if any (bottle and milk, pacifier, etc).
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Secure Client Portal
We use a secure, HIPAA client portal for all booking, communication, intake forms, notes, and telehealth visits. You can download the app, Practice Better, to your phone or tablet. It is available from the Apple Store or at Google Play for Android. Once your booking request is confirmed, you will be receiving an email confirming your appointment as well as inviting you to create your account and join the portal. This can be done via the app or on a computer at .
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When downloading the app, be sure to allow notifications as this is how we will communicate, how you will know which forms to complete, and also will let you know when your visit notes and education are posted to your portal. Alternately, some clients elect to have their notifications go to their email.
Your baby will have their own profile with their own health record and intake form. You will navigate to their profile in order to complete their pending forms and see the visit notes and care plan after our appointment. In order to switch between your record and your baby's record, follow these instructions:
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Computer
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In the top right corner of the toolbar, click or tap on the profile image.
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A menu will appear with an option to "Switch Profile".
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Click "Switch Profile".
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A screen will appear allowing you to select from a list of family records.
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Here you can select your baby's profile
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Practice Better App (phone or mobile device)
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In the top left corner, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines)
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Scroll to the bottom of the menu and select "Switch Profile"
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Select your baby's profile​
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Intake Forms
You will have a few intake forms to complete prior to our initial visit. These will all be in the client portal. At your earliest convenience, please complete your intake form, your baby's intake form, and sign your consent forms.​ You will get notifications of the forms you need to complete via the portal.
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Your Forms:​
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Consent for Care, Payment Policy, Disclaimer, Release of Liability​
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Illness Screen and Cancellation Policy
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HIPAA Acknowledgement
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Lactation Consultation Intake Form - Parent (your health history)
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Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
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Your Baby's Form:​
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Lactation Consultation Intake Form - Infant (baby's health history)​
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Filling out these forms are very helpful for me to prepare for your consult and take into account any factors which will help you reach your goals!
Secure Messaging​
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Practice Better also has secure messaging which works like texting. This will allow us to communicate with each other before and after your visit while documenting it all in your chart!
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You can access helpful tutorials on accessing and using portal on the Practice Better website. Below is a video tour of the client portal on a desktop:
During Our Visit Together
During your consult, here is what you can expect!
Together, we will:
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Review your completed intake forms
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Discuss your feeding goals and goals for the visit
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Make a short term and longer term plan to help you meet your goals
Over the course of the visit, we will:
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Take a thorough history of both you and your baby
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Do a full assessment of:
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You and your breasts
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Your baby, including an oral function assessment (We will guide you on helping with this in a virtual visit)
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A full feeding if you are direct breastfeeding or by bottle if that is how your baby is feeding
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Weigh your baby so we can check your baby's growth (in-person visits).
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Complete a pump fit assessment and ensure you are well oriented to your pump and pumping technique.
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Answer any questions you have regarding your breasts and nipples, milk supply, feeding your baby, and your baby's growth and nutrition.
We will then share our assessments with you, formulate a plan going forward both for you and your baby, and review the education with you that will be provided in the portal. We will also make a follow-up plan if indicated.
Support After Your Visit
After our visit, you will receive a detailed Care Plan both for you and for your baby via Practice Better. It explains all we discussed during the visit and tips and techniques to meet your goals. Your care plan contains detailed instructions, videos, E-Handouts, and website links for more resources. This can be found under the menu in the "Session Notes" section.
A provider report summarizing our visit is also faxed to both your healthcare provider and your baby's healthcare provider. If I recommend you be seen by any other professional, we will also initial those referrals and fax them to the recommended provider.
After our visit, your Lactation Consultant is available to you for one week via secure chat in Practice Better for any questions you have and for support! If new issues arise, you would like more hands-on help, or if after one week, you are still having challenges, you may benefit from a follow-up consultation.
Have more questions?
Please reach out if we can answer anything else for you. We know it can be overwhelming to navigate feeding challenges. If you are ready to line up some help and haven't already booked a visit, click the button below to see available appointments and get scheduled!