Cara Banks

Accept insurances
Lactation Consultant
Averill Park, New York
10 years of experience
5.0
About me

After the birth of my first daughter in 2011, I became passionate about breastfeeding and its advocacy. I had no idea how hard and isolating it would be and desperately wanted help and advice. We moved back to the Capital Region and I found La Leche League! This community of supportive, non-judgmental nursing families inspired me and I became an accredited Leader in 2017. Since then, I’ve been fervently learning about breastfeeding and human lactation. I earned the title of IBCLC in December 2022. I live in Averill Park, NY with my husband, two daughters, our two rescue cats, and a handful of chickens. I love gardening, cooking, cycling, running, pole vaulting, learning new things, and empowering families to overcome challenges and achieve their goals.

Education

Bachelor of Science, Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2004)

Master of Arts in Teachering, SUNY Cortland (2006)

Certification and training

IBCLC (2022)

Memberships and affiliations

ILCA, NYLCA, NLCA

Credentials
BS CBS IBCLC MA
Specialties
Breastfeeding Assistance and Support Breastfeeding Consultation Breastfeeding Support Premature Infants Prenatal Care Telehealth Toddlers
Languages

English

Accepted insurances
Aetna Cigna Empire Plan Optum Health UnitedHealthcare First Health (Coventry Health Care) Multiplan PHCS
Service introduction

In-home and virtual lactation care for families in the Capital Region of NY (and anywhere virtually!) Support for latch, positioning, milk supply, pumping, inducing lactation/relactation, breastfeeding twins/multiples, breastfeeding your pre-term baby, mastitis, plugged ducts, engorgement, nipple pain, co-nursing, and more!

Packages
In-home lactation consultation
Cara Banks, IBCLC, will come to your home for a private, custom-tailored lactation consult. Every breastfeeding journey is so unique, which is why every in-home visit looks different. Generally, a consult takes about 90 minutes to 2 hours and you can expect that we will: discuss the main reasons you need a lactation consultation discuss the details of your pregnancy, birth and early breastfeeding assess your baby’s latch and positioning observe a feeding and talk about signs of good milk transfer assess your breasts/nipple health, if needed address any issues or concerns provide education/information surrounding your concerns evaluate any pumps or other tools you’re using create a plan that works for you, your baby, and your family provide relevant written materials for your review and reference develop a customized plan that works for your unique situation provide goal checkpoints and follow-up plan help with insurance reimbursement, if needed Common concerns we can help with include: nipple pain/damage latch and positioning issues slow/low weight gain oversupply low supply engorgement overactive letdown reflux/spitting up mastitis and “plugged” ducts pumping, pump output and flange sizing premature infants introducing bottles/alternative feeding methods identifying signs of tongue/lip tie twins/multiples breastfeeding after reduction surgery baby refusing breast/nursing strikes co-nursing lactation without birthing/inducing lactation relactation after a period of stopping
$295.00
USD Flat rate
Bottle Refusal Consultation
When you can’t be with your baby, you may need them to take a bottle. If you’re returning to work or school, and your baby’s caregiver requires bottles, it is super stressful when your baby refuses to take a bottle. Ideally, we will work together to troubleshoot exactly why baby is refusing a bottle, talk about the steps baby needs to take for bottle feeding, and how they are different from breastfeeding. We will address any oral defensiveness or other issues that may cause your baby to reject the bottle. We will develop a customized training plan to help baby accept a bottle and provide recommendations for bottles/nipples that would work best for your unique baby, AND MORE! Generally, a bottle refusal consult takes about 60 to 90 minutes. Though each bottle refusal journey is quite unique, we will generally discuss: breastfeeding history bottle feeding history baby’s health and wellness history After discussing all your info, I will perform an oral assessment to see what’s going on inside baby’s mouth that might affect bottle feeding. I will explain what I am looking for and how your baby’s response to these different exercises/assessments shows us information relevant to bottle feeding. We will then do a “bottle trial”, which based on your history and baby’s oral anatomy and response to oral stimuli, I will recommend a bottle/nipple that’s appropriate for your unique baby and provide you with that bottle to try with your baby (I will have several sanitized options, but you may need to work with a bottle that is different than the recommended one until you can order the appropriate bottle) I will then give you exercises (these are really fun games to play with your baby!) to help to train them to do the things that are needed to accept a bottle. We will then have up to THREE WEEKS of follow-up via phone, text, or email to be sure you’re making progress!
$225.00
USD Flat rate
Ratings and reviews
Average
5.0
# of Reviews
99
5.0

Cara is absolutely amazing! She was so helpful during her home visit and made both my husband and I feel so comfortable to ask any and all questions. She had great information and made me feel so much more confident as a first time mom on this breast feeding journey. There is so much unknown in this process and she has been a great resource. The process of working with her was also very easy, to book, follow up and complete/review all pre-appointment information as well as all of the leave behinds she provided as resources. I would 10/10 recommend Cara to anyone looking for lactation support!

- Abby Nero

5.0

I called cara out of desperation and ready to quit. She was so amazing. I had been trying for weeks to get my daughter to nurse, cara got her nursing within 3 seconds. Iv had no problems ever since. You can tell she genuinely cares about helping breastfeeding moms and babies. Her attention to detail, and the little things she does really shows she cares. She filled out the reimbursement form for me, addressed it, and even stamped it. So all I had to do was sign it and stick it in the mailbox. I will forever be greatful that iv been able to have a breastfeeding journey bc of cara. I will always recommend her to anybody. My baby had a checkup today and I even told my pediatrician about heirloom lactation and how amazing they are.

- Kyrstin Rappazzo

5.0

Cara was absolutely fantastic. I’ve been really struggling and stressed out, and had a very emergent issue. She came to see me the day after I reached out. She really took the time to answer all of my questions and made suggestions to help my second ebf journey successful. Seeing her really boosted my confidence, and I really hope to see positive changes in the coming weeks! Thanks Cara again for all your help:)

- Elizabeth Laurange

5.0

So incredibly helpful! Shared realistic steps, ideas, and advice. Made me feel a lot more comfortable and confident in breast feeding.

- Ashley Burghardt

5.0

I reached out to Cara for postpartum lactation support and was so impressed by her quick response. She was extremely helpful and kind and put us on the right track for breastfeeding and pumping with a home visit. When I ran into issues after our visit, she was quick to respond and provide additional support. Highly recommend working with Cara!

- Helen Root

5.0

Cara was exactly what we were looking for. From the moment I reached out, she was a pleasure to work with. She provided resources throughout the entire process and was really encouraging. Every breastfeeding parent should get care and instruction like this.

- Nicole Badalato

5.0

Cara was the best support I could have asked for on my breastfeeding journey. She answered every single question with patience and care, made me feel completely comfortable, and tailored everything to both my needs and my baby’s specific needs. Her reassurance that my baby was getting enough gave me such peace of mind. I can’t recommend her highly enough!

- Kendra Richards

5.0

I had a great experience with Cara! She helped build my confidence in feeding my daughter. I greatly appreciated all of the information she shared in our meeting and the resources she provided during and after to refer to. Having her come to the house and work together in a comfortable space for me and my daughter was such a great opportunity. I highly recommend!

- Kayla Quenelle

5.0

Cara is an exceptional lactation consultant. She has a very strong knowledge base and is up to date on the most current recommendations and evidence which made me feel confident in the guidance she provided. After our visits, she sent clear and helpful summaries, checked in frequently, and was always responsive when questions came up. She also made the insurance reimbursement process incredibly easy, which was such a relief during an already overwhelming time. I felt fully supported every step of the way and can’t recommend Cara highly enough as she truly set me up for success on my breastfeeding journey.

- Christina Spaulding

5.0

I worked with Cara for an at home postpartum lactation consultation. She was very easy to communicate with leading up to the appointment. She was able to give me various strategies for both breast feeding and pumping to make the process easier and more relaxing. She is very knowledgeable! She provided me with a folder of resources for feeding as well as a thorough write up via email to reiterate all of the things we spoke about during our appointment. I highly recommend Cara for any lactation needs!

- Meaghen Duker

Frequently asked questions
What do I need to do to prepare for my in-home consultation?
What do I need to do to prepare for my virtual consultation?
Do you accept health insurance?
Do you charge a travel fee?
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