Supporting Your Feeding Journey as you transition into parentood
Providing private in-home & virtual feeding and lactation support in Metro Vancouver
Helping families with their parenting and feeding journeys at any stage.
Becoming a parent is one of life's most rewarding milestones, but it can also bring added challenges as you navigate the first weeks with your newborn and beyond.
If you have questions, struggles, or are simply feeling overwhelmed when it comes to feeding your baby, it is important to understand that you are not alone. A International Board Certified Lactation Consultant can help families navigate challenges to reach their feeding goals with professional and unbiased expert advice, not to mention an empathetic listening ear.
Meet Lana
Lana Vugteveen is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) who brings over 15 years of health care experience and a passion for maternal health to her job.
Lana's experience in health care began at Canadian Blood Services, first as a collections specialist turned phlebotomist and later helping to launch the umbilical cord blood collection at BC Women's Hospital (both on labour & delivery as well as the postpartum units) for public banking. Lana's career also took her to London England where she worked in the UK National Health Service as a Neonatal Phlebotomist and Physician Assistant. Here she specialized in working with premature infants and their families, both in hospital and within the community outpatient jaundice clinic. At the outset of the pandemic in 2020, Lana also became a volunteer La Leche League Leader for the Burnaby/New Westminster area.
Lana is a mother of two, with six years of her own personal breastfeeding experience. She is an Auntie to 10 nieces and nephews and has given support to many close and extended friends, family and members of her local community throughout their own feeding journeys. She very much understands and has the qualifications to walk families through the turbulence often seen with the transition into postpartum life. Given her own experience, background in infant care, and passion for helping others, it was only natural that she would continue her professional career as a Lactation Consultant. Along this journey she completed the "Breastfeeding for Health Care Providers" program at Douglas College and wrote her exam to become an IBCLC in the years after.
Lana's experience in health care began at Canadian Blood Services, first as a collections specialist turned phlebotomist and later helping to launch the umbilical cord blood collection at BC Women's Hospital (both on labour & delivery as well as the postpartum units) for public banking. Lana's career also took her to London England where she worked in the UK National Health Service as a Neonatal Phlebotomist and Physician Assistant. Here she specialized in working with premature infants and their families, both in hospital and within the community outpatient jaundice clinic. At the outset of the pandemic in 2020, Lana also became a volunteer La Leche League Leader for the Burnaby/New Westminster area.
Lana is a mother of two, with six years of her own personal breastfeeding experience. She is an Auntie to 10 nieces and nephews and has given support to many close and extended friends, family and members of her local community throughout their own feeding journeys. She very much understands and has the qualifications to walk families through the turbulence often seen with the transition into postpartum life. Given her own experience, background in infant care, and passion for helping others, it was only natural that she would continue her professional career as a Lactation Consultant. Along this journey she completed the "Breastfeeding for Health Care Providers" program at Douglas College and wrote her exam to become an IBCLC in the years after.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Metro Vancouver areas do you serve?
Effectively everywhere! I'm based in New Westminster and travel within 25km is included in my pricing. This covers Burnaby, Tri-Cities (Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody), Pitt Meadows, Richmond, Vancouver, East Vancouver, most of Westside Vancouver, North Vancouver, and Surrey. Occasionally I can travel to Langley & South Surrey/White Rock. Please message about support in the Fraser Valley (Abbotsford, Mission and Chilliwack).
Virtual Support is provided without any boundaries across British Columbia and beyond.
What is the IBCLC designation?
As defined on IBLCE.org: "International Board Certified Lactation Consultants function and contribute as members of the maternal-child health team. They provide care in a variety of settings, while making appropriate referrals to other health professionals and community support resources. Working together with mothers, families, policymakers and society, IBCLC certificates provide expert breastfeeding and lactation care, promote changes that support breastfeeding and help reduce the risks of not breastfeeding."
What does a lactation consultant do (or not do)?
An International Board Certified Lactation Consultant is a feeding specialist who works with dyads (parent and baby pairs) and is an integral part of the health team. They make appropriate referrals to other health professionals and community supporters and help you to reach your feeding goals. They can help you to use equipment, do feeding assessments and demonstrate techniques to support feeding.
An IBCLC does not write prescriptions or diagnose. If and when they see a matter that needs to be addressed with medications or within the scope of practice of another care provider, they will make that referral after explaining what they see and why they believe it to be of concern.
We also do so much more. IBCLC's support parents/families to find realistic solutions that work for everyone involved in the feeding of their babies/children. Together we will devise a plan using up to date and evidence based information. This can mean focusing on breastfeeding if that's what you want/need but we are also experts at doing combo and bottle feeding. We can work with families who are feeding one way and want to transition to another and we can educate about optimal times to transition or change feeding methods. This includes not only feeding younger babies but also older ones, including toddlers. I do consultations for starting solids and how to wean safely and appropriately in a variety of circumstances.
What is your commitment to diversity?
My goal is to foster a positive and inclusive environment for all families who are interested in breastfeeding, chestfeeding, and human milk feeding. This includes those who want/need to combo and bottle feed as well. In a society where postpartum life often feels unmanageable and overwhelming, mothers, babies, parents and families should not have to face feeding challenges and adapting to life with a newborn on their own. Nor at any age and stage of your child's development for that matter. You can expect judgement free visits no matter what state you and your homes are in. Please don't worry about cleaning up before your in-home visit. I take you as you are so you can focus on your baby and yourself.