Amber Ginn, IBCLC, is the founder of The Latch Link, one of the nation’s leading virtual lactation practices. With a decade of experience working with moms, she provides prenatal and postpartum breastfeeding support to families across the U.S.—and with insurance, that care is completely free.
Amber is known for her no-fluff, straight-to-the-point approach, empowering moms with the knowledge and confidence to feed their babies in a way that works best for them. Whether it’s preparing for breastfeeding during pregnancy, troubleshooting latch issues, increasing milk supply, or making pumping work, she meets moms where they are with practical, judgment-free guidance.
This week we have a fantastic discussion on what advocating for your own breastfeeding journey really looks like and the top tips for improving your experience!
So I think we recorded this one, the end of February on my birthday. Well birthday this year. I have a leap year. So February 28th we recorded this and I'm just so like, whoa, where are we? June. So I'm really excited to have this one out. It's always so fun to go back and see all the conversations that I've had, even if they're months ago and I get to re-listen to these amazing conversations where I learned a lot.
nds about the topics that we [:
A bit on my story with regards to losing the hospital job. I don't even wanna say losing, let's be honest. But I don't, I don't have that job anymore. I resigned, but I feel like they were gonna fire me anyways, so I. I like, as I was sitting on the couch for, I wasn't sitting on the couch. I'm working hard on my friends and nurse, but for them, I was sitting on the bench, let's say, and getting paid for six weeks while they were figuring out, what they were gonna do.
way, there's no way I can go [:
And I certainly don't wanna risk my reputation, with them saying that I go against orders and whatever lies they, or.
There's no way, because that's just not how I, how I roll. I do, I, I do follow doctor's orders, but I also make sure that the patient is informed correctly, that we are getting their consent and that their preferences and their voices are being heard. And too many times I can see them blatantly ignoring them or completely.
st don't, I just don't do it [:
And they're gonna get that. So I'm a great nurse. I know it. I can back myself up. There's nothing in the charting that they've never told me anything I actually did wrong. I've requested because if I did do something wrong or even if I said something, I. Really wrong or disrespectful. Maybe my tone.
nd out what the issue really [:
Maybe I'll send myself a. An email, maybe I'll, I'll, I'll send them an email. I don't know. What should I do? You guys send me a message? You know, they're doctors in my community and I, I have, now that I'm a doula and I, I, you know, I'm a coach virtually, I have clients that are coming to me that are going to be giving birth in this hospital, and some of them may have these doctors.
So how can we work together? Right. Please don't, doctors, please don't. You know, put these doulas in a box, or put me as a woman, just like it's, we have to be cohesive. There's, we're working for this woman and her birth and her baby. So how can we do that appropriately? If I, if she has chosen me to be her advocate and her doula, then how can we work together?
by that. That code of code, [:
Please share the episode. With others, especially if they're nurses or doulas or doctors or they're pregnant and share the show. I just really appreciate it. I love being here. I love doing this and I wanna continue. So let's continue. Let's get into our interview today with Amber Jen, and we have a really good conversation.
s get into it with Amber Jen.[:
Welcome to the Birth Link podcast presented by my friends and nurse. I'm your host, Keva Ker, a high risk. Labor and delivery nurse right here in sunny California. I'm also an OB certified specialist, birth educator, lactation expert, and mother of two beautiful daughters. I am passionate about guiding you through the miraculous journey of pregnancy and childbirth, using evidence and history, and asking the reason why.
I have some incredible medical friends and colleagues, and we're all here to help you navigate this often overwhelming birthing hospital system in the United States. My goal is to gain trust in birth, improve this system, and provide some valuable insights. Let's make this journey a little less daunting and a lot more joyful.
Let's get into it.
onto the Birth Link podcast [:
So first, please tell us more about yourself and what your story is, how you got into, lactation consulting and just the birth world in general.
Amber: Yeah, so first of all, thank you so much for having me and it was super fun getting to hang out with you in Nashville. So my name is Amber GaN. I'm a board certified lactation consultant.
traumatic experience. I had [:
That's never gonna happen. You're gonna need an epidural. It's gonna be the worst thing ever. And so I was already pretty downtrodden from the beginning, but I definitely ended up having a really, intervention late in birth. It wasn't very empowering. I had an emergency C-section, the whole thing. And so I had my little baby there and I was like, okay, if I can just manage to breastfeed him, like I'll feel like I did one thing right And it was going really sideways in the beginning and thankfully I managed to get in touch with a, I think it was just a breastfeeding peer counselor through wic, and she was able to get me a pump and show me how to get a good latch, and I was able to pump for him and haul this.
Big old, like old school pump back and forth to school. I was in high school, still went to school the whole time, every single day. And I was able to pump for him, for the first like year of his life. And it made me feel like I was able to do something right in a time when I was like screwing everything up.
experienced to other people, [:
So I really love it and I run my practice, the Latch Link. It's fully virtual and I work with moms all over the US and I absolutely adore getting to support moms in a way that was so meaningful for me and my own motherhood journey.
Colette: That's amazing. I mean, talk about taking your own story and journey and then.
Changing the narrative and empowering, being able to empower other women with the knowledge that you gain. That's so cool. And I, I always say I am like, the birth workers that I talk to, whether they're nurses or lactation consultants or doulas, a lot of them, it, they stem from like their own stories and their own birth, like.
by, especially here in maybe [:
And then we almost become advocates for them, right? At least the nurses like. And of course, doulas and lactation consultants. We, our job, our main priority is to advocate for these patients, for our clients, for these women, and for their families, right? So, it starts with learning what that even looks like.
And let's get into it a little bit. First, I know I wanna talk about. There's a skill to advocating for yourself, right? I talk about it a lot in my workshops and a lot of it's communication and leadership skills that go into speaking up for yourself, right? And I. You know, what would be the benefits?
their prenatal appointments [:
We're fine. Right. And they don't really speak up or ask questions and then they get to the birth room and they're like, okay, I am just gonna just do whatever's best for the baby. And, you know. Okay. And, and, and that's as far as it goes. They put a lot of it into our hands as nurses and they only really start speaking up or.
Feeling it when it's too late, when things have already gone wrong. And then that's probably when you see them the most is as a lactations consultant. So what can we do? Like mom's listening, let's, let's start chatting about like during pregnancy. What can we start doing to start advocating for ourselves maybe, for birth, but also since you're a lactation consultant for breastfeeding too?
Let's, let's start chatting about it. So what can we do during pregnancy, would you say?
d say definitely, having the [:
It's not like. We're on this same playing field, like they're the decision maker and we work for them. So them understanding that power dynamic I think is really, really important. In my practice, I'm really big on like, you are the boss, like the mom is the boss, and there's a lot of like empowerment that comes from framing it that way.
But there's also, we have to understand that any of the consequences, so the choices we make are, we're responsible for them if we like, you know, what am I trying to say? If we just. Defacto trust what the doctor says, then that can be good, and then we feel good. But then if it's a bad outcome, then we're the ones responsible for it.
with those, whether they're [:
Exactly
Colette: right. When I first became a labor and delivery nurse in the, interview, the director of the unit said, just so you know, this is the most highly litigated unit in the hospital, so you better be aware. Like she was scaring me. Like, and this is why it is because their patients are coming in.
, Not as educated, not as prepared, and ha giving all of the responsibility, almost of making those decisions to the doctors, to the nurses, and to the hospitals. That's why we're so careful with our policies and with what we allow, because we have to do, make decisions based on like an umbrella of like putting everyone in this umbrella, right?
rn all of these policies and [:
But. Because we're gonna get sued if something happens. Right? They're be like, Hey, you were responsible for those decisions, right? So now we're suing you because this didn't turn out right or, and we got hurt in some way, or My baby got hurt in some way. Right? So we are given a lot of responsibility as a healthcare team, but who is going home with the consequences?
r you as a mother and as the [:
So you, whether you like it or not, you are going to have to take some responsibility for your healthcare and your health. So that means. Being prepared, being educated, and like you said, building a team and really understanding that you are the boss. I love that you say that with your clients because it's so true.
Like your doctor, I always say is just a. A, very well educated and experienced advi medical advisor, right? And then when push comes to shove, when you need them to step in and do a cervical, procedure or intervention, they are qualified to do that when necessary. But you are the one that is going to be asking the questions and making sure you understand and agreeing to those interventions unless it's like a lifesaving emergency, right?
king the right questions and [:
That breastfeeding is. Important to you. Right? So asking them what can, yeah, what can I do? So what questions would you, as a lactation consultant, love, if your clients would start asking their provider, like, what questions can we start giving our team to make sure that we succeed in breastfeeding and or a birth that we really, really want?
Amber: Yeah, so I definitely would say, in terms of breastfeeding, specifically finding out, about the hospital that you're gonna deliver at, some hospitals are breastfeeding friendly, and I have had, a myriad of experiences, through my clients with breastfeeding friendly hospitals, baby friendly hospitals, excuse me.
traumatic experiences where [:
Beyond that, I would talk to your doctor and ask them about their particular protocols and preferences when it comes to. How baby is looked after, after they're born? Are they able to do exams while maintaining skin to skin? What sort of an emergency would warrant taking baby away from you? How long are you usually kept together?
Just those things that are gonna affect, your breastfeeding experience because the more one-on-one skin to skin contact, we can have prolonged undisturbed, with our baby immediately after birth. The better our outcome is going to be for breastfeeding, of course. We can navigate and, and work. On any situation where that doesn't happen, that's not like the end of the world.
But in the optimal setting, we would want to have uninterrupted skin to skin rooming in with our baby forever until they get their first latch. And you know, as long as you want to have them on, you pretty much.
Colette: Right. And [:
And then your whole team is on the same page so that you can facilitate that. Yeah, get it for sure. Yeah, that's great. So like the choices that you make in pregnancy really do affect your birth, and then they go right into postpartum and breastfeeding and the newborn stage and your postpartum stage.
It's, it's, they're all interconnected. So it really begins in pregnancy, maybe even before pregnancy. I love that. And so we touched on like birth choices and outcomes and how they impact breastfeeding a little bit. I love that you mentioned that, staying in the room and staying with your baby as much as possible.
cate for yourself to do that [:
And for them, sometimes that's the priority over you getting your skin to skin and being with your baby. So you have to say Uhuh or your partner has to be like, no, no, no, you, you could take my blood pressure, but I'm gonna go see my baby. How soon? What are we? What's, what's going? You have to speak up and you speak up often, sometimes.
When you can advocate for yourself and then have a team behind you, if you know the right people to ask, if you have like me or you or someone on the back line, like telling you what questions, or you have a doula, then that's gonna help you advocate for yourself as well. It's really hard to do it by yourself.
ike, how am I possibly gonna [:
They didn't, they didn't know as much. They didn't know about much as like of what I wanted or needed, and maybe I didn't know what I needed either. Right. So a lot of it is finding out what do I even want
Amber: or need. Oh, yeah. And why do you want it? I think I have that discussion with all my prenatals. It's like, what are your breastfeeding goals and why?
And then, and why and why a few more times before, because, yeah. Otherwise you have a lot of people out here thinking they want something and they don't even fully understand and it's really difficult to advocate. For yourself, for something, especially in a stressful situation, you're, you're facing some backlash if you don't even really know why it is, you want it in the first place.
A
ask for it. And when you're [:
Like you're gonna feel heard. Because if you're just like, oh, I don't know, I thought, you know, it was a good idea, is they're gonna walk all over you. You better come in stronger, strong. And again, if you prepare and you. Talk to your partner about it ahead of time, then you don't always have to be the one speaking up if you're really tired, if you're just laying there exhausted after crazy birth, if you're have medication, you're on pain meds or you know, whatever it could be, then you're not always gonna be able to speak up.
use our voice to then shape [:
, We know we wanna feel empowered, we know we wanna feel confident. So what are some tips to speaking up to building that team that you would give your clients?
Amber: Yeah, so I would definitely say, just talking with your partner, deciding what sort of a setting you're gonna have, what your goals are for your birth, and then working backwards from there and making sure that you've communicated what you're hoping to get.
With your nurse, if you, if you know, like when you go to the hospital, you know what nurse you're gonna have communicating with them, your birth plan, but especially when you're going to your prenatal appointments, I would definitely bring that birth plan and talk to your doctor about it. Because I've had clients who brought their birth plan in and their doctors literally like scoff at them.
And like, that's a pretty big red flag. So you always wanna know like what sort of thing you're gonna be walking into. And sometimes we go on a trip and we go on labor and it's a whole new hospital and things happen. We don't always get, you know, the perfect situation, but. Definitely asking just how do they feel about you advocating for yourself.
and, and then kind of going [:
It's really helpful to, to have an idea of how they take what sub doctors I think perceive as criticism when you have your own ideas and you advocate for yourself.
Colette: Yeah. Like, how dare you come in here and tell me how to do my job. Like we're gonna take care of you. Just shut up. It's true. And I tell, parents and moms, especially to the sooner you can do it, 'cause you said like it's a red flag If you, if you take a birth plan or even say like, Hey, I'm starting to create a birth plan and I'd love to start asking you questions.
oner you do it though, right.[:
Though I have seen women in the middle of labor in the hospital fire their doctor for. Countless reasons. I had one, the last one I did, she was, she fired because she didn't like the way the doctor spoke to the nurse. And you know, the nurses were just like, they're like, hell yeah. Because sometimes they're, you know, you don't know how your doctor's going to be, speaking or their actual bedside manner until the time of, if they're gonna be rushing you, if they are prioritizing their way or the highway.
kind of in a rush? Are they [:
A type like this is, this is the way we do things. And very structured. Are they facing you when they speak? Do they have children? You know what, who are they? Like, get to know them and make sure they get to know you right? Make sure you have to, unfortunately, and this is hard for those introverts, so sometimes it's a good idea to bring in your friend that is.
That knows you and can ask those questions and kind of facilitate a conversation. Or maybe a great doula who will help attend a, these, these, prenatal appointments with you or your partner. Of course, you have to figure out your weaknesses and it's still get it done. Like, just because you're shy and you don't wanna make waves doesn't mean that you don't
ht? At least a little bit, I [:
Amber: available? It shouldn't, it shouldn't end there, right? I know.
Yeah. You definitely can interview obs. You know, it's just like you're saying with a nanny, I mean, hell, I feel like a lot of women will go through more, trouble like picking out like a massage therapist or like a nail tech or something than sometimes they do with obstetricians. They just show up and they're like, all right, good enough.
Like, you have the option. You can go and see lots of them.
Colette: For real girl, like I, they put more time into and who's gonna do their hair? Then who's going to deliver their baby? And, no, no, no, no. I really value the women that are, you know, ask a lot of questions and they're very picky. And yeah, for nurses and doctors, like, ugh, because our time is, we're rushed, we're short staffed, we wanna move on.
rstand that those postpartum [:
They are gonna be going a lot by what the policies are in the hospital and. The policies are set. Remember that umbrella statement, so like those policies are just to make sure that nobody falls between the cracks. So we are giving care to the same way to the all the people, and we're not letting some fall between the cracks.
But that doesn't mean that you have to agree to it, right? So, just understand like you can request a lactation consultant at the hospital, or at least, like you said, find out what the hospital can provide for you. Go in prepared and understand that you can, either you're gonna bring in your own help, bring a lactation consultant with you, you're gonna request one from the hospital, but.
erience they have before you [:
Amber: right? Yeah, definitely. And especially with lactation, like if you have, certain insurances, you get like unlimited visits with us.
So when you're in the hospital, they bill separately. They bill, usually the rendering provider is the doctor. So it doesn't really count. But when you see us outside of the hospital, you can see as many as you want. And same thing, interview us. Like if you talk to one of us and you're like, Ugh, she seems way too into like only feeding at the breast, or this one seems way too, like pushy about bottles
hire and fire us too. Like find, find the right people who work for you. It doesn't just go for doctors and nurses. I hope, moms understand. Yeah, you only work with people that you feel aligned with 'cause you're not gonna have good outcomes. And it's such a vulnerable state and our bodies, our hormones.
I could go off on that for a while, but yeah, if you're feeling stressed when you're working with a practitioner, like you are not gonna have a good time with breastfeeding and your baby's totally gonna pick up on it.
and seeing what they provide [:
Before you're in postpartum, stressed out because your baby's not latching and feeding, and you have doctors and nurses down your throat about, oh, you have to do this. Or formula. Formula you can get, you know. Learn you what you can do in your options before those hormones are raging and, and you're exhausted and you now have a newborn.
And that's not the time to start interviewing a lactation consultant. For
Amber: sure. Yeah, definitely.
Colette: Do a lot of moms come in? Do you meet them a a lot of times pregnant or are they mostly. Postpartum.
Amber: I would say maybe like 20% of my clients I meet prenatally and the rest postpartum. But for the ones that I see postpartum, I would say like 90% of them, I would say 90% for sure, would be having a better time had they met with a lactation consultant during their pregnancy.
them, they kinda, you know, [:
Colette: Totally. Oh, that's great. And so you find those, that 20% of the pregnant women, you f can follow them along and they do better then.
Amber: Oh yeah. Yeah, they do great. And it's so beautiful.
Like you can tell just the way their language is, like, they're like, yeah, my doctor said this, but I already knew this thing, so I just, you know, didn't even worry about it. So they're just in a, so much of a better space. Yeah, they're, they don't get tripped up about suggestions or weight stuff, or they're just so much more empowered and, and calm, which is what we all really want as a, as moms, it's just to be chill, I think.
Not be too frazzled. Totally.
Colette: And your partner too, if you start stressing, they'll stress and then you'll stress more. Oh yeah. And all of a sudden you're giving formula 'cause you're like, I'm just too tired to even deal with this. Right. Yeah, for sure. Perfect. And you work virtually, you said, so it's not like you have to find one that that lives in your area too.
and they have said that it's [:
Funneling you and like getting the latch for you. You have to learn how to do it yourself. Right. Which is really empowering. I love
Amber: that. So you take clients. Yeah, that's why I virtually, exclusively, virtually, yeah, I did. So I've been, like I said, over five years in private practices in I-B-C-L-C and did.
ING stuff before that. But yeah, I switched over to virtual because I noticed that yeah, a lot of women, you would go to see them and they would, they would want you to like just grab on them and do all this stuff, and it's like, that's all well and good and we can get like a spectacular latch, but then I leave and so it just, it doesn't.
Stick. So, and I'm not really a big hands-on person. You have to know that stuff for yourself. 'cause at the, in the middle of the night when your baby's wiggling all over the place and it's dark, like you are not gonna have another lady there to grab all over you. So for me, yeah. And the way I practice virtual works really, really well.
you nursing your baby. Your [:
'cause a stranger's coming over, God forbid, drag a baby to another appointment. So yeah, I really, I love providing care virtually.
Colette: Amazing. And so your company's called the Latch Link, correct? Yes. And you can find amber@thelatchlink.com. And her social is at Amber, the I-B-C-L-C. That's the gold standard.
I-B-C-L-C is for lactation consultants. And Amber, can you just leave and I'll, I'll leave that information in the show notes as well. Can you just leave us with one last. Tip or what you would want our moms, our listeners to know today and leave with. Yeah,
Amber: just remember that you get to decide what works for you and there's no one right way to breastfeed.
ices that make you feel good [:
Colette: Thank you so much, Amber, and it was so good seeing you again. I can't wait to hang out again soon. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you so much for listening, and thank you again to Amber at the Latch Link.
Check out the show notes for all her links to get ahead in your breastfeeding game. I want to make sure that you have all the resources at your fingertips, whether it's virtually or in person, and, just share it. Share, share, share. Okay. If you know someone that's pregnant or share away, okay, this is when it starts during pregnancy or even before.
I'll see you guys next week. Bye.
and should not be considered [:
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