Abbie Bridges

Accept insurances
Lactation Consultant
Gaithersburg, Maryland
5.0
About me

Hi! I am an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) with experience in assisting breastfeeding in all stages, from pregnancy to introducing solids to weaning. I graduated in 2021 from the University of Maryland with my Masters in Public Health and have been working ever since to advance community health through education and advocacy. During my first pregnancy, I found the idea of breastfeeding to be overwhelming and despite my background in public health, I felt entirely unprepared for what to expect. Because of key support figures like my lactation consultant and my mom, I was able to work through the challenges and breastfeed my daughter for over two years. Breastfeeding is often framed as something stressful, stifling, and painful. While it can be all of those things at times, with the right support I have found it to be joyful and rewarding. I believe it is time to step aside from the useless debate of breast is best vs. fed is best (which ignores the unique context of every individual), and instead focus on supporting parents and infants through individualized approaches to the goals and environments of each family. My goal is to help you find joy in your own feeding journey and succeed in a breastfeeding relationship that is mutually beneficial, enjoyable, and meaningful for both you and your little one. I can’t wait to work with you!

Education

Masters in Public Health (MPH) (2021)

Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology (2019)

Certification and training

UCSD IBCLC Pathway 2 (2024)

Memberships and affiliations

International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA)

United States Lactation Consultants Association (USLCA)

Credentials
CLC IBCLC MPH
Specialties
Breastfeeding Assistance and Support Breastfeeding Consultation Breastfeeding Support Nipple and Breast Pain Returning to work (pumping, breastmilk storage, etc)
Languages

English

Accepted insurances
Cigna UnitedHealthcare Aetna Tricare
Service introduction

Home Visits - Discuss your breastfeeding questions and concerns while remaining in the comfort of your home! This visit will include a thorough medical history of you and your baby, evaluation of your baby’s feeding at the breast, breastfeeding education, and assessment the condition of your breasts and baby’s oral anatomy. We will work together to create a plan of care that is reasonable and mutually beneficial for both you and your baby. I can travel within a ~20 mile radius of the 20879 zip code in Gaithersburg, MD. I am willing to negotiate further distances for an additional travel fee. Virtual Appointments - For parents who are outside my travel radius, virtual visits are an excellent way to discuss your breastfeeding questions and concerns over encrypted, HIPAA-compliant video chat. We will work together to create a plan of care that is reasonable and mutually beneficial for both you and your baby. I recommend this option for pregnant parents interested in preparing for their breastfeeding journey. Text Support - Unlimited text support with less than 24 hour response time in normal business hours. Please note that this text advice does not substitute for a clinical plan of care.

Packages
Initial Home Visit
Average 1-2 hrs
$250.00
USD Flat rate
Follow-Up Home Visit
Average 1 hr
$195.00
USD Flat rate
Initial Telehealth Visit
Average 1-1.5 hours
$150.00
USD Flat rate
Show all packages
Ratings and reviews
Average
5.0
# of Reviews
30
5.0

Abbie is so wonderful! We did our first appt at home and a follow up in her office which was so comfortable and welcoming. As a FTM, Abbie helped me get setup for success with regular feeds and pumping. I wasn’t having and “issues” but wanted to be preventative and I’m SO glad I did, I learned so much. Also her follow up notes were detailed which was so helpful referring back to them for different things. Highly recommend!

- Lexy Broussard

5.0

Abby has been so wonderful to work with! Even as a second-time mom, I’ve learned so, so much from her. Every session leaves me feeling more confident and her guidance has made such a difference in my breastfeeding and pumping journey.

- Kerry Savercool

5.0

Abbie is compassionate and knowledgeable! She helps clients navigate through a precious and emotional process, while meeting them where they’re at! I know when I refer a client to Abbie they are in great hands. I can’t recommend her enough!

- Jane Townsend

5.0

I cannot recommend Abbie enough! I feel I truly owe my breastfeeding journey to her. My son was born premature and due to other factors, I was encouraged to formula feed in the beginning. Despite seeing two hospital lactation consultants, I was not producing milk and baby would not latch. Our pediatrician gave me Abbie’s contact and I’m so happy I reached out. She was encouraging and made me feel comfortable and at ease. She was able to give me practical advice and easy to follow care plans. Within weeks we went from essentially exclusively bottle feeding to exclusively breastfeeding. Her experience and expertise really made a difference for us and I’m so grateful!

- Kristal R.

5.0

Abbie’s expertise and compassion made all the difference for my baby and me. She was helpful during truly vulnerable moments in my early days of motherhood, and I’m so grateful for her!

- Caitlin VE

5.0

Working with Abbie was an absolute joy! I truly don’t know where I would be in my breast feeding journey without her expertise and guidance. She is not only a wonderful and kind person, but she’s also extremely knowledgeable and organized. During our work together, I felt so supported and validated in my experience with breastfeeding. Now my baby primarily breastfeeds when before we started with Abbie, He wasn’t able to latch. She helped us SO much and I can’t recommend her enough!

- Ciara Guihen

5.0

Abbie is very easy to talk to and provided expert advice! I appreciate that she offers evidence based support. She fit me for my proper flange size and since then my production instantly increased when pumping!

- Taylor Kemp-Johnson

5.0

The first few days of your baby's life can be chaotic, with hospital checks and initial pediatrician appointments on top of the major adjustment that this huge change in your life brings. Abbie was such a welcome presence in our home at that pivotal time and at every appointment since.<br><br>Abbie navigates the line perfectly between maintaining high professionalism while still being super warm, sweet, and easy to talk to. From our first conversation over email while I was still pregnant, I was really impressed by her deep knowledge and clear explanation of insurance benefits as they apply to lactation consultations (and we all know how much of a nightmare that world can be to understand).<br><br>During a visit, you can expect to get interesting insights into your baby's feeding behaviors and ability including taking a weighted feed if needed, as well as thorough and thoughtful answers to any questions you might have.

- Juliette Lemnij

5.0

Abbie was really helpful! Highly recommend especially for first time moms wanting to breastfeed

- emily em

5.0

Abbie has been such a core part of my positive postpartum experience. She is so down to earth and easy to talk to and I owe so much of my wonderful breastfeeding experience to her. She has so many tips and tricks and always sends a detailed follow-up of our visits which is helpful when postpartum brain fog is so real. She is a true professional and someone I’d love to work with again! I highly recommend her!

- Katie Pirone

5.0

She is simply wonderful! I had countless consultations with LCs at hospitals and none could help me the way Abbie did. She is very knowledgeable and keeps up with latest research. Accommodating and responsive - I always look forward to our sessions.

- Vibhuti Wadhwa

5.0

Abbie is so knowledgeable and kind! I was unsure of exactly what I wanted to do and she helped me develop multiple plans to decide when the time came 🫶🏼 def recommend her to anyone having a baby!

- Alexandra Flurie

5.0

Abbie was incredibly helpful from the first days of our breastfeeding journey. Even before delivering, we had a virtual visit to ensure we were planning accordingly and as ready as could be. She came to our home within a few days of coming home and helped us figure out how to transition our baby back to breastfeeding after requiring formula supplementation in the hospital. Abbie always made sure to check in with us on our evolving goals, always encouraging and never pressuring us in any way. She was quick to answer questions even between visits - and we appreciate the variety of support options offered.<br><br>Highly recommend!

- Cristina Vega McCoy

5.0

Abbie is wonderful! She is so knowledgeable and incredibly kind and generous with her time both at the appointment and after. We kept hearing great things about Abbie from different people and professionals so we decided to schedule with her, even though we thought everything was going smoothly already and I'm so glad we did. She gave us information and tips that have helped us so much, when we didn't know there was anything that needed improvement. For both baby's sake and mine, meeting with Abbie was definitely the right choice!

- Leanna Kramer

5.0

Abbie was so helpful during our breastfeeding journey! I'm a first time mom and needed help with my newborn who was notoriously hard to keep awake during feeds. I also struggled a bit with positioning and Abbie helped with all of that! She also showed me how to use my Spectra pump and gave me advice on when to pump/how to build a stash for going back to work. He's now 4 weeks old and eats great, so far breastfeeding has been a positive experience for both of us!

- Chloe Wallace

5.0

Abbie is a kind, knowledgeable, supportive lactation consultant who helped me achieve my breastfeeding goals. Whether it was a visit to her office or my home, she maintained a warm and professional vibe. The hour-long sessions were packed with information that helped me identify my goals and keep my little one fed the best, whether through breastfeeding or bottle/formula feeding. Abbie also helped me figure out how to use all my different pumps and troubleshoot how to use each one effectively. We are very grateful for Bridges Lactation and highly recommend her services for first time moms, like me, who plan to breastfeed their little one.

- Brooke Rosen

5.0

As a doula, having trusted professionals to refer my clients to is incredibly important—and Bridges Lactation is one of those invaluable resources. I recommend her services to my clients because I know they’ll receive compassionate, evidence-based support tailored to their unique feeding journeys.<br><br>Whether it's assistance with latching, milk supply concerns, or simply reassurance during a vulnerable time, she brings both expertise and empathy to every interaction. I'm so grateful to have such a reliable and knowledgeable lactation consultant in our community.<br><br>Bridges Lactation is a resource I truly trust, and I’m confident sending clients her way.

- Hannah Wright

5.0

I love your suggestions they have helped me a lot and 100% recommended I love it and your Spanish is good 🩷

- Griselda Bonilla

5.0

Abbie is truly a gem. I was struggling with my supply around 4 months post partum and she assessed me and the feeding of my baby. We did a weighted feed and saw how much my baby gained within one feed. She educated me in so much about how to position myself, what type of bottles mimic the breasts and when I experienced plugged ducts she assisted me right away with what to do to reduce the risk of masitis, very early on. I am so grateful for her help and recommed her to everyone who start their breastfeeding journey.

- Hanan Brown

5.0

Abbie was absolutely incredible to work with. My baby and I had a rough start to breastfeeding and I was not sure if we would be able to do it. With Abbie’s support and guidance we are having so much success and he is gaining lots of weight. Having her come to my home worked so well to learn in the environment my baby and I would be in. Abbie is professional, caring, and knowledgeable. I couldn’t have asked for a better lactation consultant to work with and I would recommend her to anyone looking for support.

- Anna Shields Valenti

4.0

Amazing experience I was having problems with pain and milk extraction but Abby was very helpful 100% recommendable and something that describes her is her sweet way of treating her clients

- Salgado Ramirez

5.0

Abbie was an absolute joy to work with! I was nervous going into my most recent breastfeeding journey because of a difficult experience with my first pregnancy, and from our very first meeting I felt more prepared than ever. She answered every imaginable question (and I had a ton), was patient, encouraging, and made this experience truly wonderful. I felt incredibly comfortable with her, appreciated her flexibility to work with my schedule, and just couldn’t have asked for a better consultant. I would absolutely recommend Abbie!!

- Misner Family

5.0

Highly recommend Abbie if you’re looking for someone that is thorough and very knowledgeable. Great bedside manners, explains and answers any questions I had and do have and is flexible! Thank you Abbie for helping us on our breastfeeding journey!

- Sarah Orgeron

5.0

Abbie is an incredible lactation consultant, and I cannot thank her enough for her support and guidance! During my pregnancy, Abbie provided me with valuable information that helped me prepare for my breastfeeding journey with my son, baby Alex.<br><br>I informed Abbie that I exclusively breastfeed my daughter for two years and I wanted to do the same with my son. Thanks to her advice, I’ve been exclusively breastfeeding Alex since birth, and it has been such a rewarding experience.<br><br>Now that Alex is 10 months old and my milk supply is changing, I wanted to ensure he was still getting more than enough breastmilk to grow happy, healthy, and strong. After consulting with Abbie, I was overjoyed to learn that I’m doing a phenomenal job as a mother and can confidently continue breastfeeding. Her expertise and encouragement have been a true blessing.

- Shartaya Mollett

5.0

I was connected with Abbie through The Lactation Network. She was tremendously helpful when I was having issues after birth with nursing my son, offering key tips and insights so that the process became much easier for both my son and I. I would definitely recommend Abbie for any parents looking for assistance from a lactation consultant.

- Allison Cooke

5.0

Abbie is a wonderful IBCLC. If you are searching for one please stop because she is definitely the one you want. She is gentle, kind and takes the time to listen and answers all of your questions. I did not feel judged or uncomfortable at any moment during our visit. She does in-home visits which is really convenient for me. She definitely reassured me and also took the time to assess my son and gave good recommendations.

- Catherine Rivard

5.0

Abbie is simply amazing. We contacted her because we were struggling with our new born since he was not latching properly. Abbie came and right way showed us new positions to improve his experience (and mine too). She answered all our questions and even stayed in contact to guarantee that everything was good. An amazing experience!

- Mayra Silva

5.0

I cannot express enough how grateful I am for the support and guidance Abbie has provided me throughout my breastfeeding journey. After giving birth, I was exhausted and had to receive 2 units of blood, so we supplemented with formula while in the hospital. I was able to latch him with the lactation consultant’s help, but when she wasn’t there, it wasn’t happening. The lactation consultant in the hospital said to me “how badly do you want to breastfeed?” And I left the hospital feeling very discouraged. When we got home, I had severe back pain that would get worse when I tried to breastfeed in the only position I knew how (cross cradle). In the first few days postpartum, I did not feel up for leaving the house, so I was very thankful when Abbie offered to come to my home to see me.<br>Abbie was always patient, attentive, and empathetic, taking the time to listen to my concerns and answer all of my questions. She provided me with the tools and confidence I needed to successfully breastfeed my baby. Thanks to her support, I’ve been able to overcome the obstacles I faced and continue breastfeeding with much more ease. I am now 7 months postpartum and happily breast feeding my baby, with no desire to stop anytime soon. I highly recommend Abbie to any new mother in need of lactation support.

- Ashley Rocco

5.0

We had some issues with our newborn in the first week and our pediatrician recommended Abbie. We were quite lucky they did, as we were able to get a consultation that day, and it really helped us. I don't know what we would have done otherwise. Abbie was great and incredibly knowledgeable. We had an online consultation and then a house visit as well. Now our son is doing great. I highly recommend Abbie- thanks so much!

- Samuel Myers

5.0

I adore Abbie, she’s extremely supportive and knowledgeable. She checked in immediately when babe arrived and periodically afterwards. I loved that she hopped right into making an appointment to come by because of our latching challenges and her detailed notes are something I can look back on fondly and feel warm all over again.

- Samantha B

Frequently asked questions
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