Lactation Consultants & IBCLCs Near Me in Stephens City, VA

My name is Val and I am a trained NCS, and Lactation Educator. I also have training in gentle pediatric sleep conditioning, COVID safety, CPR/AED/First Aid, Safe breastmilk handling, multiples care and safe infant sleep practices. I have experience providing overnight care, 24 hr care, daytime newborn care as well as travel care. I have worked with families of different ethnicities , religions and orientations, and I am always enthusiastic to learn and follow newborn care practices that are sensitive and inclusive of the families culture. If you choose to have me work with your family, you will find me to be enthusiastic, understanding, diligent, flexible, discerning, level-headed and nurturing to the parents, the baby and other children (and pets) in the home. I genuinely enjoy working with families and newborns, and my favorite part is the exciting privilege of guiding parents through the exhilarating, and at times confusing and frustrating, world of newborns, to a point where they are confident, well rested and enthusiastic about peaceful days ahead as a family.

Lactation home visits throughout Montgomery County and parts of DC and Northern Virginia.

I can't remember a time when I was not passionate about family issues, and particularly family health. I had my first child at a young age, and found the perinatal landscape entirely bewildering. Mostly alone, I had no idea what was happening to me and my baby, or how to provide for him once he was born (and later, when he was quite sick). The experience strengthened my desire to support others who find themselves similarly lost at the hands of an impersonal medical institution. ​ ​​ I am committed to helping families access evidence-based information for informed decision-making, and to helping improve the birth experience for all families. I serve families of all types, and I specialize in trauma-informed care, bereavement support, disability advocacy, and neurodivergence, Additionally, I am conversant in Spanish, French, and American Sign Language (ASL). The journey into familyhood should be a time of joy, love, and familial and community support. I founded Family Ways with the intention to help bring such an experience to any individual and family who wants and needs it, and to strengthen the family bond—no matter what shape the family takes. I am honored to have been able to share in the lives of so many beautiful families, if for just this one crucial moment.