Thank you so much for booking a visit with me! If you have not yet, please download/sign up for the Practice Better app. I use this program to communicate with you, send care plans and charts.
Please read below regarding what to expect/how to prepare for our upcoming visit. Should you have any questions or concerns about your visit, feel free to send me a message in the Practice Better portal. I am looking forward to working with you and your family!
FOR OFFICE VISITS:
Finger Lakes Lactation is located at 270 Lake Street Suite 1 in Penn Yan, NY 14527, just across the street from Knapp & Schlappi Lumber Co. Finger Lakes Lactation is handicap accessible and is located the first door to your left as you enter the building from the rear parking lot off of South Avenue.
Parking
There are ample parking spaces between two convenient parking lots (one faces the side of the building and another faces the rear entrance of the building). Finger Lakes Lactation entrance is through the rear double doors of the building off of South Avenue.
What to Bring
Please bring your pump and pumping parts/bottles, just in case we need to do some pumping. If you are supplementing, please have milk ready.
FOR VIRTUAL FEEDING ASSESSMENTS:
I use Zoom integrated with Practice Better
Please have ready:
2. Smart phone or laptop with camera (smart phones/tablets tend to be more ideal to get the best angles, lighting and video quality).
3. A support person to help you get the best angles possible, you can also send them a copy of the link I send to invite them in on the call. This will give another camera angle for our call. If this is not possible, having a steady location to set your phone (approximately 3-feet away) where I can see your lap.
4. Good lighting. Sitting near a window gives the best quality of lighting.
5. Your pump and pumping parts/bottles ready, just in case we need to do some pumping. Have milk ready if we are supplementing your baby.
FOR HOME VISITS:
Please let me know if I should park anywhere specific, and if there is an entrance you prefer I use prior to our visit.
Please have ready:
1. Please have your pump and pumping parts/bottles ready, just in case we need to do some pumping.
2. A flat, stable surface to place my digital scale (i.e. a coffee table, dining room table)--if this is someplace near where you feed your baby, that's perfect!
3. A clean, spare swaddle blanket to use for the scale.
WHAT TO EXPECT DURING AND AFTER OUR VISIT:
Ideally, we want to have your baby be ready to feed approximately 20 minutes after our appointment time. As we all know, babies have their own schedules and completely run the show. If your baby is showing signs of true hunger and it can't wait, go ahead and "top off" to satisfy before our visit.
After getting signed in and settled, we will take some time to chat about what has been going on. I will then have your baby weighed in a dry diaper using a precise digital infant scale. During this time, I will quickly do a physical assessment of your baby, as structure may be affecting feeding. We will then do a feeding and breast assessment. I will try to be as "hands off" as possible, to allow you and your baby to do what feels natural. If needed, I will intervene with your permission to help your baby get the best latch possible. We will then do a post-feeding weight (after feeding on each breast) to see how much your baby drank. I will then (with both you and your baby's permission), perform an assessment of tongue movement and oral cavity using non-latex gloves. After this is complete I will develop a detailed care plan based on your goals. I will also be sending a summary of our visit to your baby's health care provider.
AFTER OUR VISIT:
Private pay clients: I will be available to you for two full weeks after our first visit. I want to answer any additional questions or concerns you may have, and make sure you are satisfied with our care plan. If you are still in need of phone or virtual assistance past the two week period, I provide 15 minute phone support calls at a rate of $25 (why use Dr.Google when you can ask a professional who knows you and your baby!)
FOLLOW-UP CARE: I would love to have a magic wand and fix every breastfeeding issue possible in the first visit! There are many cases where follow-up visits are necessary to maximize your breastfeeding success (non-latching babies, poor weight gain, low milk supply etc).
INSURANCE & PAYMENT:
INSURANCE:
If you are not approved for full-coverage through Lactation Network, I will provide you with a "Superbill" or coded receipt to submit to your insurance provider. Unfortunately, Medicaid nor Fidelis will reimburse for visits with me at this time. Call the member services number on the back of your insurance card and ask them how to submit for reimbursement for a visit with an out-of-network provider. Save the original copy of your Superbill for your records. If your carrier denies your claim for reasons beyond my control, your next step would be to appeal their decision using the sample letter included in the National Women's Law Center Breastfeeding Toolkit. The Affordable Care Act requires *most health insurance companies to cover "breastfeeding supplies, support and counseling" in conjunction with each birth. This is preventative care and your right under law. *Your insurance plan may or may not be exempt from ACA provisions for breastfeeding.
PAYMENT
I accept cash, credit card, FSA/HSA cards and personal checks. If you are using a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) payment card, please be aware that even if your payment goes through and is authorized at the time that we run your card, there is a possibility that your payment could later be denied. In the event of this happening, you are responsible for ensuring that full payment is made by other means. Fee includes 14 days of follow up support by secure messaging or email for private pay clients.
I am looking forward to meeting with you and your baby!
If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact me!
Heather Mastro, IBCLC