Welcome to Pink Cocoon Lactation

Cindy Curtis, Breastfeeding Consultant in Culpepper, VirginiaMission: To provide pregnant and breastfeeding families in Culpepper, Virginia and surrounding counties with accurate and research based breastfeeding education and support in the comfort of their own home.

It is my genuine hope that every breastfeeding relationship will begin perfectly, but the fact is that it often does not. Many things can interfere with the initiation of and continuation of breastfeeding; a preterm baby, a medicated or traumatic delivery, a cesarean section, going back to work or the health status of the mother or baby. It is often very stressful for a new mom to get out of the house in the early days to get help with breastfeeding. I would like to help you work through your challenges in the comfort of your own home.

Cindy is an expert in detecting oral restrictions in infants, including issues like tongue and lip ties. She offers specialized and compassionate guidance to both babies and their mothers, providing personalized treatment and care plans along with valuable resources.

Cindy strives to keep up to date on her education to offer the best care possible.

  • 2018 Infant Oral Anatomy - 2 hours
  • 2018 Tongue and Lip Tie Comprehensive Assessment and Care Strageies - 1.5 hours
  • 2018 Tongue Tie Assessment and Treatment - 4 hours
  • 2019 Tongue Ties Comprehensive Assessment and Care - 6.5 hours
  • 2020 GOLD Learning Tongue Tie Symposium - 10 hours
  • 2022 GOLD Learning Tongue Tie Symposium - 10 hours
  • 2023 GOLD Learning Tongue Tie Symposium - 10 hours

Lactation Consultatation

What is a Lactation Consultant?

An International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) is a health care professional who specializes in the clinical management of breastfeeding. IBCLCs are certified by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners, Inc. (www.iblce.org) under the direction of the U.S. National Commission for Certifying Agencies. IBCLCs work in a wide variety of health care settings, including hospitals, pediatric offices, public health clinics, and private practice.

An International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) is a health care professional who specializes in the clinical management of breastfeeding. She has demonstrated her competence to practice by passing an internationally recognized criterion-reference examination.

Breastfeeding is supposed to be natural, so why do I need a Lactation Consultant?

Breastfeeding is indeed the natural way for us to feed and nurture our babies and young children. Our babies are born with all the instincts and reflexes necessary to find their way to the breast, latch on and nurse effectively. Like most things in life however, there tends to be a learning curve for mom and baby as they settle into their nursing relationship. This learning curve is often made steeper by the fact that in today's culture, many of us grow up never having seen a child breastfeeding before. Combine this with medicalized births and primary health care providers who often have little to no education about breastfeeding, and it's no wonder that for many new moms, breastfeeding doesn't come as naturally as they expected. The good news is that even with a rocky start, it is almost always possible to get breastfeeding back on track with the right help and support.

Cindy can help you with:

  • Adoptive nursing
  • Baby wearing
  • Biting
  • Bottles
  • Breast refusal
  • Choosing a pump
  • Cleft lip/cleft palate
  • Lip Ties
  • Tongue Ties
  • Failure to thrive
  • How to tell baby is getting enough milk
  • Low milk supply
  • Medications
  • Milk banking and milk sharing
  • Milk storage
  • Nipple confusion
  • Normal newborn behavior
  • Nursing during pregnancy
  • Nursing multiples
  • Nursing outside of the home
  • Nursing strikes
  • Overactive letdown
  • Premature babies
  • Preparing to breastfeed
  • Pumping issues
  • Reduction and augmentation surgeries
  • Reflux
  • Relactation
  • Returning to work or school
  • Sick mother or baby
  • Sore breasts & mastitis, plugged ducts, abcesses
  • Suckling difficulties
  • Sore nipples
  • Surgery
  • Tandem nursing
  • Too much milk
  • Weaning, including night weaning
  • Yeast/thrush

With a Board Certified Lactation Consultant, you will receive:

  • a personalized and detailed breastfeeding care plan
  • evidence-based breastfeeding support and answers
  • approximate savings of up too $2,500 a year when not buying formula
  • reassurance from an understanding and nurturing certified breastfeeding professional
  • successful breastfeeding techniques that apply to your own personal circumstances

 

Click here to watch a short video to learn more about what an International Board Lactation Consultant does.

About Cindy Curtis, RNC, IBCLC, CCE, CD

Cindy began working with mothers & babies in 1986 as an RN in a Family Birthing Center. In 2021 she retired from hospital work after 35 years of devoted service after leading UVA Culpeper Medical Center to be the first Baby Friendly Hospital in the state in 2008. Cindy has a passion for working with laboring mothers, breastfeeding babies and their families.

In 1993, she became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and has since worked with hundreds of mothers and babies helping them reach their breastfeeding goals. Cindy founded Breastfeedingonline.com in 1996 to offer high quality breastfeeding information to parents as well as professionals. In 2010 she founded PinkCocoon to help meet the needs of birthing and breastfeeding mothers in the community.  She knows and understands the difficulty many women have trying to reach their breastfeeding goals in a society that is very much dominated by formula feeding.  She is happy to be continuing to serve these families with in-home lactation visits, breastfeeding and childbirth education, as well as labor support. Cindy networks with private practice and hospital based lactation consultants around the world to stay in tune with the ever evolving field of lactation.

In 2007 Cindy received her childbirth educator certification through PCE and in 2009 she received her Doula Certification through DONA

Cindy has been happily married since 1986 and is the proud mother of two adult children who she nurtured through breastfeeding. Moreover, she recently became a joyful grandmother when her first grandchild, a granddaughter, was born in 2021. Cindy was present at the birth and played a pivotal role in guiding her granddaughter through a successful breastfeeding journey. Her own challenges with nursing her children inspired her to dedicate herself to supporting mothers and infants in their breastfeeding endeavors.

Professional appointments and memberships

2013 – present    

Member Virginia Breastfeeding Advisory Committee

2009 – 2012    

Chair Virginia Breastfeeding Advisory Committee

1993 – present

Member ILCA

1997 – present

Member AWHONN

2005 – present

Member Virginia State Breastfeeding Taskforce

2007 – present

Member Doulas of North America

2007 – present

Member United States Breastfeeding Committee Meeting

2009 – present

Business Case for Breastfeeding Trainer

2019 – present

Member Member of International Affiliation of Tongue-tie Professionals

Cindy is Licensed and Insured

Contact Cindy

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Appointments

All consultations are provided by myself. Each initial consultation begins with us getting to know each other a bit. I will review your pregnancy/birth, breastfeeding and health history and explore the current issues you are experiencing. I will gently examine you and/or your baby and observe a breastfeeding session. During the initial visit we will spend one to one and half hours together. Consultation fees are per appointment, not based on an hourly fee, so we will never be rushed. After I assess and explore the situation, I will develop a written care plan with suggestions for improving whatever breastfeeding issues you may be having. You are encouraged to ask questions and share concerns. I will provide you with referrals to other health care providers if necessary. A full report and copy of the care plan will be sent to the baby's and/or your health care providers.

Follow up support is by phone/email unless another visit is necessary. Follow up visits are shorter and cost less than the initial consultation. You will be given a Lactation Visit Receipt to send in for possible reimbursement from your insurance provider. I strongly encourage all my clients to keep in touch with me until they feel fully confident that their problems are resolved and they are enjoying breastfeeding!

Payment Info

Payment is due at the time of service. Check or cash is preferred. Inquire about other payment methods that are accepted. Some families also choose to use funds from their pre-tax medical spending accounts to cover lactation services. Please check with your plan or account provider to see what options you may have.

Insurance - After your visit, you will be provided with a detailed, coded receipt that you may submit to your insurance company. I do not bill insurance on your behalf but I will provide you with all the necessary paperwork you made need to submit for reimbursement. Although many insurance companies do cover lactation care, I can not guarantee my services will be covered by your company.

Worried about cost? Quality lactation support is far less expensive than the option of not breastfeeding! I believe all mothers, regardless of income, should have access to quality lactation care. Feel free to contact me if you need to discuss alternative payment options or would like information on other sources of community-based support.

How to prepare for an in home Lactation Consultation

  • Relax... don't clean up or bake cookies, I'm not there to judge the condition of your home and I know for a fact that new moms do not have the time to do these things.
  • I need to be able to assist you with a feeding, so please don't feed the baby or pump your breasts with in the hour or two before I arrive.
  • I'd like to see you nurse in the spot that you usually nurse, please have any pillows that you have been using handy, as well as 2 receiving blankets.
  • If you have been keeping a feeding / diaper change log, please have it out for me to review, along with all of your infants weights written down with the dates they were taken.
  • If possible please arrange for a helper to entertain your older children. Please contain your pets in a room other than the one we will be working in. Pets are curious and they can be a distraction to the task at hand. I love animals, but if your pets are climbing all over me, I can't give my full attention to you and your baby.
  • Make a list of questions so you don't forget them.
  • If you have been using a breast pump, make sure it's close by and the kit is clean and ready to go. Also make sure that any other equipment you have been using is handy.
  • If you partner is available, it will be helpful for you to have them participate in the visit.
  • Please give at least 24 hours notice if you need to cancel your appointment.
  • For my safety, my spouse will be told your name, address and phone number. No medical information will be shared, only your location.
  • Sit back and relax... I'm here to help you!

Testimonials

"A few days after my son was born he developed jaundice. He was not eating the way he should and it was frustrating me since I wanted to breastfeed. Cindy encouraged me to keep trying. Around 3 weeks after his birth he decided to try breastfeeding. Since then he hasn't stopped. When he was not latching right Cindy showed me what I was doing wrong, after that it has been smooth sailing for breastfeeding." —Abby W., Culpeper VA

"I have used Cindy as a lactation consultant for several years and two babies, the newest is 7 months old now. She is wonderful, I cant say enough good things about her. No matter where she is or whether she is on duty she always takes time to speak with me and answer my questions. I have always been able to get in touch with her easily by phone or email and she is always very prompt. She always makes me feel comfortable, even when I have questions that I feel are silly or embarssing. I would recommend her to anyone. She has become more the a consultant, she is a friend. Thank you Cindy!!" —Courtney, Charlottesville, VA

"I was a first-time mom and stressed out about so many parts of breastfeeding that I never thought about before: What position is best for me and baby? How can I tell if she's latched properly? How can I tell if I'm doing anything right? Cindy was a lifesaver for all of those questions and more. She traveled to my house to show me how to comfortably position both me and the baby, which saved my back and shoulders! She quickly answered my endless follow up questions and was always so kind, helpful, and informative. When my baby was later diagnosed with thrush, Cindy sent me information that even my doctors didn't have. I don't know if I would still be breastfeeding if it weren't for Cindy and her amazing help. Thank you so much for all that you have done for me and Sydney!" —Dawn P., Stafford VA

"Breastfeeding both my sons has been one of the most wonderful experiences of my life! I am so thankful for the encouragement and help that Cindy offered me during this special time. Cindy is so positive, friendly, and professional! She is a wealth of knowledge and always responds to my questions promptly by phone or e-mail. A good support system is essential when breastfeeding and I highly recommend Cindy as a Lactation Consultant." —Crystal Renee S., Sperryville VA

"I would highly recommend Cindy Curtis as a lactation consultant. She was very caring, patient and helpful. She was very accessible and always returned my calls promptly. She offered highly personalized care and had many different techniques and suggestions for me to try. When I was stressed and a little worried, she even made a house call to offer further help. She made me feel comfortable and confident, and made all the difference in making my first breastfeeding experience successful. She is a fantastic nurse and anyone would benefit from her high standard of care!" —Jennifer D., Boston VA

"Having your first child and knowing nothing about breastfeeding can be scary. I was blessed to meet Cindy and receive her help in removing my fear and making breast feeding into a wonderful experience. Each child is different and brings different challenges while feeding but Cindy is extremely knowledgeable. There has not been a problem that she could not help me with. I successfully breastfeed my first daughter and now my second with her help. Cindy's knowledge and help (even into the late hours of the night) are worth far more then what you will pay for formula and with that said nothing puts a price tag on the bond I have with my daughters." —Sommer H., Richmond VA

"I can't recommend Cindy Curtis, RN, IBCLC enough!!! Two years ago, I gave birth to a 5 pound baby girl at 37 weeks. She had trouble latching and I struggled for almost 3 weeks to get her to latch and nurse well on my own. Thankfully, I was referred to Cindy by a good friend of mine. She spent over an hour of dedicated one-on-one time with my husband, daughter & I. She gave us many helpful suggestions to help her latch appropriately, different holding techniques as well as providing us with some supplies and a personalized handwritten schedule to use with her at home. She provided us with her contact information and made herself available to us 24/7. I'm sad to say that after long, hard days of attempts, my daughter just wasn't getting the hang of it and I think my frustration took over. I made the choice to stop nursing/pumping due to obligations with work & feeling like I wasn't enjoying this very special bonding time between a mom & baby. It was an extremely hard decision and many times made me feel like a failure. Cindy was nothing less than supportive and showed me so much encouragement through the whole process. I can honestly say that if I were to have seen Cindy earlier in my breastfeeding battle, I know my outcome would have been different. She knew my heart was to breastfeed and gave me lots of hope that this wouldn't be the same outcome with my next baby and she was willing to be there from the beginning to help make sure of that.

I'm very happy to say that 13 months later we welcomed our second baby into the world and today he is a very happy, healthy 10 month old breastfeeding baby!!! Cindy was my rock from the beginning and through those very early days. She has provided assistance to me on countless occasions -- including last week. Cindy has always been easy to reach and responds very efficiently. When you're a breastfeeding mom dealing with engorged breasts, sore/cracked nipples, low milk supply, poor latching, etc the last thing you want is to feel alone. I can assure you that with Cindy, you'll never feel alone or helpless. She is an educator and encourager!! Her genuine passion for breastfeeding shines through everything she does. Whether it's your first baby or you had a less than positive experience the first time around and are questioning if you want to attempt breastfeeding again, please allow Cindy to be your cheerleader and coach. She will help show you the joy and benefits of breastfeeding as well as the bonding it brings between a mom and baby (now, who wouldn't want that??). Thank you again, Cindy. I know I couldn't have done it without you!!" —Aimee A., Locust Grove, VA

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