Cass is the owner of and a clinical practitioner at Cass Christopher Lactation Consulting. Cass sees patients all over the country and world via telehealth and performs in-person care at the Holland, Michigan location. Cass is a former dancer, singer, actress and Broadway performer. Before having a family, she toured the world, taking in language & culture from 28 countries on 4 continents. As a new mom she had many breastfeeding challenges but had never heard of a lactation consultant and couldn’t have afforded one if she had. These early struggles inspired her to help other parents in need. Cass did her clinical hours at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens NY, with the Lactation Learning Collective in Harlem, NY and in homes in western Michigan rounding out her education with a total of 9 mentors! She believes that everyone deserves high quality and compassionate health care regardless of their race, culture, who they love, or their financial situation.
Bachelor of Arts (2003)
IBCLC (2021)
Infant Craniosacral Therapist (2024)
Breastfeeding Advocates of Ottawa County
National Lactation Consultant Alliance
New York Lactation Consultants Association
English
Cass sees patients in her Holland, MI office or in your home (20 mile radius from Holland). She also can provide craniosacral therapy for babies (infant bodywork) which helps with tension, stress and any discomfort babies may be experiencing. Telehealth consultations are an option if desired. Cass helps with a variety of concerns like: Low milk supply Latching difficulty Mastitis/clogs and/or breast pain Poor infant weight gain Bottle feeding issues Oversupply/hyperlactation Nipple pain or damage Fussiness while feeding Prenatal education and more Cass is experienced with clinically complex situations including: NICU graduates Oral ties (tongue/lip ties) Lactation after breast surgery Re-lactation Feeding multiples Pre-existing conditions
Allison at CCLC was truly my guiding angel as a first time mom newly postpartum. She helped me enjoy the gift that is breast-feeding, and she is a big reason my baby and I made it to 15 months. She is truly a light and gave me so much confidence in my own ability to mother in the way I was choosing to with my daughter. Literally, I’m excited to have another baby for the sole purpose of needing Allison’s help again! Thank you Allison!!!
- Hannah Helwani
Cass came highly recommended from both medical professionals and online reviews. She did not disappoint. Cass is professional, knowledgeable and thorough. Her home office is clean, warm and inviting. Cass also has a sweet and kind presence that relaxed both me and my baby and ultimately helped us both get the most out of her services. I sought out Cass for a second opinion about my daughter’s oral ties. She was very thorough in her exam, informed me of current evidence-based research regarding ties and provided resources and supports. She taught me ways to improve my latch with my daughter and even helped me figure out how to administer Tylenol to her without her spitting it out. Cass helped coach me on pumping and ways to ensure my daughter will take a bottle when I go back to work. Cass also performed body work on my daughter, which my daughter loved and benefited greatly. Cass also collaborates well with other professionals involved in my daughter’s care. She sent a very thorough report to them and also will send a similar report to you after your appointment. It is SO nice to have a detailed summary of what was discussed, including additional resources. I highly recommend Cass for both lactation support and body work for your baby.
- Christie Bamford
I worked with Shamina Rao after the birth of my son (first child) and I cannot recommend her highly enough. My son spent his first week in the NICU where he learned to bottle feed but I really wanted to switch to breastfeeding. She worked with me and my partner over several sessions to get us from exclusively bottle feeding to a balance of breastfeeding and bottle. Shamina was extremely knowledgeable, kind, and thoughtful. I trusted her completely to assess how things were going, identify potential issues, and recommend/demonstrate exercises/techniques to improve the latch/suck/body positioning/etc. In the forest of post-partum where I felt like my ob had signed off, PCP was out of her depth, and pediatrician seemed disinterested as long as the baby was gaining weight, Shamina became my most trusted provider. She taught me and my partner so much about lactation as well as an array of other infant-related things. When I "graduated" from her support, I felt such a sense of personal accomplishment and gratitude for how she had helped me and my baby connect. I can't recommend her highly enough. She also takes insurance.
- Eva L
Cass has been with my wife and me since before the birth of our first child, and I truly can't imagine our LGBTQ parenting journey without her. She was originally recommended by the gynecologist I saw while undergoing treatment for induced lactation. I had never carried a baby before, and thanks to the protocol she supported me through, I was able to produce a substantial amount of milk to supplement what my wife fed our son. We worked with Cass again when I carried and gave birth to our daughter. That experience was more complex—our daughter had difficulty feeding, and it wasn't immediately clear what the issue was. Cass gently suggested the possibility of a posterior tongue tie and guided us toward other providers for further evaluation. Her clinical insight, compassion, and calm demeanor were a lifeline during a stressful time. Every session with Cass left me feeling reassured and more confident. Her support with breastfeeding and pumping was invaluable—we were able to build and maintain a good milk supply for both children. More importantly, we felt empowered and educated in how we fed our kids. Her follow-up notes were outstanding, always accompanied by handouts and helpful videos that made the information easier to process and reference. Cass also made her care accessible: she accepted our insurance, offered a very reasonable travel fee for home visits, and thanks to the Affordable Care Act, all sessions were fully covered. Her knowledge, support, and empathy were truly indispensable. I’m so grateful she was by our side every step of the way.
- Dimi-Alix LLK
I highly recommend lactation consultant Shamina Rao who was invaluable in supporting me through initial breastfeeding challenges as well as ongoing issues that came up over the subsequent months. She is extremely thorough and knowledgeable and was a wonderfully reassuring presence during emotionally turbulent times. After a couple rough initial postpartum days, I feel incredibly lucky that Shamina was available to do a home visit with me a few days after we got home from the hospital, which completely turned things around. In that first week postpartum, she was critical in helping me establish both breastfeeding and pumping, neither of which I had received adequate support for in the hospital. We continued to do home visits during the first few months to keep things on track, and then I did telemedicine appointments with her as additional struggles came up. My only regret was not having a prenatal appointment with her, which is now my first recommendation to all of my pregnant friends who plan to breastfeed.
- Anna Moot-Levin
Allison was absolutely instrumental in building up my knowledge and confidence when learning how to feed my baby. I am living abroad, away from family and friends, and the role she played in sharing advice beyond just breastfeeding was so valuable - I am truly grateful for her compassionate support. Thank you so much, we will always remember the role she played in our new parenting journey!
- Emily Short
We worked with Cass when I was having trouble breastfeeding my newborn baby, and she was the most incredible combination of knowledgeable, helpful, and comforting. She helped us get our baby to a point where he could latch and drink, and helped me feel good about myself throughout the whole process. If you are lucky enough to work with Cass as a lactation consultant, you won't regret it!
- Maia Lichtenstein
After a frustrating experience with the lactation support at the hospital, a visit from Diadji from Cass Christopher's Lactation Consulting was a life-saver. We had been doing triple feeding for 5 days, and our baby still wasn't consistently latching on one side. Diadji was kind, professional and knowledgeable. She brought a scale with her so that she could measure how much our daughter was eating from a feeding. She also observed me nursing, and discussed how to address the issue with latching. After the visit, she followed up with a detailed visit summary, links to videos, and a plan to transition away from triple feeding. Since the visit, I have emailed her a handful of times for quick questions/advice and she has responded quickly with the information I needed. I was amazed at what a difference one visit made. We are already planning to reach out again when it's time for me to return to work, to make a plan for that transition.
- Alison Suggs
I highly recommend CCLC. I was able to meet with a lactation consultant prenatally which helped me prepare and feel more confident in my postpartum journey. Then we had an in person home visit with Narchi Jovic once the baby arrived and it was so encouraging, informative, thorough. Narchi was well prepared in reading through my prenatal and birth history and helped us all feel comfortable and supported as we breastfed, did weight checks, and even made sure my pump parts/settings were optimal. I would recommend her to any expecting or new mother
- Selina Grippo
I can’t recommend Cass highly enough. Her help was truly a turning point—not just for my baby’s feeding, but for my own sense of peace and confidence as a new mom. I’m so grateful for her and would recommend her wholeheartedly to any parent looking for evidence-based and empowering lactation support.
- Gina Mortensen
Three syllables ta-ba-tha ! Saved my over worrying mind. She’s my postpartum fairy in every way.
- Lauren Beck
I am very pleased with the lactation consulting services received. Very easy to schedule and Tabatha was super thorough and gave me a personalized plan after her visits. I had an issue with my insurance coverage and I am beyond grateful for how responsive Cass was to try and find a workaround to ensure my services were covered. She was very thorough and explained in detail the problems encountered and found a solution without me having to deal with it which I appreciated given I was completely occupied taking care of my newborn. This type of customer service is hard to find nowadays. Thanks so much!
- Kristin Newman
My wife was in need of lactation support and Cass went above and beyond to move schedules around and free up a practitioner to come and see her on short notice. So helpful !
- Jake Kent
I can’t say enough nice things about Narchi Jovic. I rarely leave reviews but am so grateful for the time, support, kindness and responsiveness received from Narchi. I never expected to have trouble breastfeeding and it became one of the most challenging parts of my post partum experience. I very much wanted to breastfeed but my supply was low following a post delivery hospitalization and c-section. While my son could latch he would get frustrated nursing (understandably!) since he couldn’t get enough milk. We were forced to supplement with formula which I had hoped to avoid. At first I was wary of working with a lactation consultant because I had heard from others that some can have an agenda and that was the complete opposite experience I had working with Narchi. Narchi understood I wanted to nurse and supported and encouraged me for the progress made but did not shame me for supplementing with formula. As she explained, any amount of milk I could provide was beneficial. I also struggled with pain while my son nursed, and Narchi came to our home, adjusted his latch, recommended better pump parts that might work for me to help boost my supply and even sent recommendations on supplements and formulas that we could consider if needed. After 8 weeks with some improvement but still needing to supplement, I was ready to give up and accept that I would always need a 20% formula top off. At some point, however, after week 8 something kicked in and now my son feeds directly with no formula and no more pain. Narchi consistently checked in, responded to messages same day, and provided so much emotional support and encouragement during a time when I felt like I was failing. I never thought we would get to this point, and while everyone’s journey is different, whatever your goals are I strongly recommend working with Narchi. I will be forever grateful for her help.
- Tania Mistretta
Cass is the best! She got my little baby to breastfeed after he was given the bottle at the hospital when he was born. He cried every time I tried to BF him because the bottle fed him faster than BFing. It seemed like an impossible task, but she did it! Thank you!
- Janine Panchok-Berry
I will be forever grateful I found Shamina Rao as my lactation consultant. After a rough start to breastfeeding with little support in the hospital, Shamina truly came to the rescue for me physically and mentally. I struggled with the latch, I struggled with a demanding pumping schedule, and I struggled with mentally accepting I needed to wean sooner than expected. Shamina supported me through every part of this journey. She is extremely thorough, caring and considerate. If you're looking for someone who gives truly personal and holistic care, look no further. Shamina has my highest recommendation and I remain so thankful to her.
- Katie Gregoire
Cass is an extremely knowledgeable and kind lactation and infant care consultant. She respectfully conducted the appointment in our home (such a kindness for postpartum mothers & families) and offered thoughtful advice as we were struggling to help our infant gain weight. She handled him beautifully and he was really calm under her touch. I do not believe another consultant would have caught as much as she. Her post-appointment notes also helped me keep things clear (a challenge during sleepless nights), and she was available for follow up visits. I couldn’t recommend working with her enough. Good luck, mamas! You got this, and Cass can help.
- Shira Schindel
I am forever grateful to have found Cass! She is truly an angel and a game-changer for breastfeeding mothers. Her vast knowledge, compassion, and non-judgmental approach made all the difference in my journey. With her expert guidance, I was able to overcome challenges with low milk supply and navigate the complexities of nursing my daughter, who had a significant tongue tie. Cass provided an array of tools and techniques to support successful nursing, and her follow-up care was exceptional. What sets her apart is her kindness, empathy, and willingness to address the emotional aspects of breastfeeding. She even inquired about my stress levels and helped me develop a plan to manage anxiety, which was a total surprise and a blessing. If you're seeking a lactation consultant who truly cares, is incredibly knowledgeable, and will empower you to reach your breastfeeding goals, look no further than Cass. She is a gem, and I feel so lucky to have had her by my side. Thank you for all that you do!
- Julie Pappalardo
Cass played a crucial role in helping me with my breastfeeding journey and beyond. From the early days of constant feeding and monitoring baby's weight, to months later when we needed strategies for travel, Cass was always there as a calming, steadying presence. Her knowledge was reassuring, her manner non-judgemental and encouraging. Cass assessed the latch, made suggestions for improving milk supply, recommended useful tools, and worked with us on a feeding and sleeping schedule. Through it all, Cass helped us manage the anxiety and stress that can come with this new adventure and we can't thank her enough!
- E C
I cannot say enough amazing things about Cass and her group. My baby came a month early and was very small- she fit me into her schedule on multiple occasions and spent so much time with us to make sure we felt comfortable and confident about our plan moving forward. She answered my many messages promptly and always with an evidence based response, which as a fellow health care provider, was very important to me. Cass was patient, compassionate, incredibly knowledgeable, and calm (which for a hormonal first time mom is essential!!) My breastfeeding journey has been so positive and successful because of her and I am forever grateful! She continues to be a resource to me even now, as I am 6 months postpartum!
- Katherine D
We had such an amazing experience with Cass Christopher. From the option to have telehealth visits to home visits, they offer such incredible service. Extremely professional, timely, communicative, and thankfully made it very simple to work with insurance (which is rare!!). Cass herself is such a warm, compassionate, patient, and understanding person. She took away a lot of the anxiety and guilt I had around the very intense, stressful experience of struggling to nurse my baby. At every visit I would feel such relief; my husband and I would always just look at each other and simultaneously “wow, Cass is the best” as soon as she left. I credit her for both the success I have nursing now and the grace I am now able to extend myself around the whole experience and our need to supplement with formula. I can’t say enough good things about Cass!
- Alexandra Nee
Cass has been instrumental in my journey as a first time mom. She has helped me in the various stages of my lactation journey, from latching issues when my daughter was a newborn, to palate desensitization strategies and getting my baby to learn to take a bottle in preparation for my return to work, helping me figure out a pumping schedule and efficient ways to pump at work, and most recently helping me figure out why my milk supply has suddenly dropped at 7.5 months. I have worked with Cass both in person at my apartment and via virtual calls when in person is not necessary. Cass has a wealth of knowledge about breastfeeding and recommendations for other disciplines when needed. She also sends you very detailed notes at the end of your session, which is super helpful when you’re a new, sleep deprived mom and have your hands full. I highly recommend Cass as a lactation consultant!
- Amanda Bezerra
I couldn’t thank Cass Christopher enough for everything that she’d done for me and my little one (LO). From helping us with lactation issues (low supply, poor latch), to preventing torticolis. She is very supportive and knowledgeable. A real gem. That’s why I always brag about her and recommend her to Mommies who needs an awesome lactation consultant. Thank you again Cass!
- Elle
I have had both an in person and virtually appointments with Cass Christopher Lactation Consulting and both were extremely thorough and informative. I left with a lot of good resources and recommendations. Cass is easy to talk to and explains things in a way that can easily be actionable. I would highly recommend her services to all parents
- Lisa Goldstein
Shamina is a wonderful lactation counselor and she goes above and beyond the job description because she truly cares about the wellbeing of her clients. She is kind, understanding, and patient. She helped me come up with a personalized plan that worked for me and my baby. Shamina gave me invaluable support during a difficult time, and I highly recommend her!
- Anastasia Bell
We had an absolutely wonderful experience working with this company, and highly recommend Tabatha as a consultant. She was incredibly kind, calm and supportive. As compared to other lactation consultants we tried at another company, we found Tabatha to be attuned to our specific situation as a family. We felt she really tailored her interventions to our stated feeding goals.
- Melissa Yanovitch
Met with Cass who was wonderful, detailed, and informative. She answered all of my questions, anticipated a few others, and gave very constructive suggestions to improve my breastfeeding experience. She helpfully pointed out both the strategies I was doing that were working and suggested other techniques that could be optimized.
- Beverly Tchang
I couldn't recommend Cass more highly. For a number of difficult reasons/complications, my partner and I decided to exclusively pump and bottle feed our baby, but when he was nearing eight weeks, I felt a profound sadness that we never got a fair shake at nursing. Enter: Cass. She was the fourth lactation consultant I had seen, but the first to truly help. Within three days of her initial visit, we went from exclusively bottle feeding, to nursing all but one feed a day. She is also incredibly receptive over messaging and writes up a care with each visit/consultation. I am so grateful.
- Callie B
I am so happy to have had Cass part of my breastfeeding journey. Any time I had a question, she got back to me in a timely manner and if I needed a follow up session, I was able to see her right away. She is very supportive and knowledgeable and I’m glad this third time around, I was successfully able to nurse my baby. Thank you so much!
- Krs Prz
Cass has been such a pleasure to work with! I don’t know what I would’ve done without her! She is patient, extremely knowledgeable and super professional. Cass held my hand at every step of the way in my breastfeeding and motherhood journey. She helped me overcome breastfeeding fears and challenges. She is a natural with babies and has helped provide useful tips to help with my child’s developmental milestones. She is super quick to respond to all my questions and concerns, which has been super helpful and reassuring. She has helped with latching issues, bottle aversions, engorgement, feeding positions, schedule recommendations, amongst many other things. If it weren’t for Cass, I probably would’ve given up breastfeeding in the first month. I went from exclusively pumping to exclusively breastfeeding. Thanks to her tremendous guidance, constant encouragement and support, I am still going strong at 5 months postpartum. I can’t recommend Cass enough to breeze through your lactation journey!
- Manvi Jain
The online consultations I had with Cass throughout my breastfeeding journey were tremendously helpful! Thanks to her advices and coaching, I have been nursing my baby girl for two years now. She has been enjoying all the benefits of breastfeeding, keeping her strong and healthy! We just had another very informative and useful meeting regarding how to handle baby #2 who is about to be born while I am still nursing my toddler. Cass is very professional, knowledgeable and knows how to reassure her clients. I felt much better after our meeting, feeling more confident and relax about how to face the arrival of my new born while still providing and taking care of my first child. I highly recommend Cass as a lactation consultant. Thank you for your support! Not sure I would have gone that far into breastfeeding without you!
- Jennifer Chicheportiche
Cass is amazing (and it is incredible that she takes insurance). She was quick to respond to my initial inquiry and has been an amazing support ever since. She noticed a potential allergy in my son before anyone else, which helped us catch it early. She is kind, knowledgeable, patient, and helps make the breastfeeding journey reasonable!! She came to my home twice and helped with positioning, latching, understanding the baby’s intake, helping manage fussiness/gas, pumping, and more. She has a reassuring way about her that will put any new mama at ease. Don’t hesitate, just give her a call.
- Samantha Grosser
Working with Cassandra truly saved my breastfeeding journey! She has been immensely helpful with weighted feeds, making sure we had a strong latch on both sides, and navigating how to change my daughter’s feed schedule as she gets older. Cassandra has a wealth of information and was an incredible resource. I really can’t thank her enough!
- Laura Taishoff
Cass is a wonderful lactation consultant and person. In the first few months of my baby’s life, we were having a number of feeding challenges which was making breastfeeding unpleasant. My baby’s pediatrician was not taking my concerns seriously because my baby was gaining weight. I knew that breastfeeding was not supposed to be painful and stressful, so I reached out to Cass for support. Cass really made me feel heard and patiently and kindly worked us through our feeding challenges. She has a warm, calm, and intuitive presence and her validation and knowledge was just what I needed as a new mother who knew something wasn’t right but could not pinpoint the issue. I really appreciate her and highly recommend her services.
- Awa Kroyer
Cass is amazing - incredibly patient, listened to all concerns. The notes she makes during the visit are very comprehensive and useful post visit. She is very friendly and patient with babies and has a holistic treatment approach. She was able to diagnose our babies tongue tie issue within minutes of her visit! She also worked with us post the frenectomy procedure to help with our baby’s recovery process. She had some very helpful tips and tricks to get your baby used to bottle feeding. She also helped me with recovery post mastitis and had suggestions for feeding and pumping that were super helpful. I am looking forward to working with her to get guidance in helping to plan baby’s feeding schedule for when I return to office. We are so thankful to her for all her guidance- without which we were struggling! Her professionalism, depth of knowledge and quick responses made us feel reassured and secured while resolving feeding issues. We strongly recommend her!
- Allauki Janani
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