Supporting Your Feeding Journey: A Chat with Jenn Carrier from Supported Starts Lactation

Feeding your baby can be one of the most beautiful and challenging parts of parenthood. Whether you’re breastfeeding, bottle feeding, pumping, or somewhere in between, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, and sometimes, you need a little extra support. Today, I’m chatting with Jenn Carrier, MSN, FNP-C, CLC, and the expert behind Supported Starts Lactation. Jenn has been there, done that, and is here to help parents navigate their unique feeding journeys. Let’s dive into her incredible insights! 

Interview with Jenn Carrier 

1. First off, can you tell us a little about yourself and what led you to become a lactation counselor? 

Absolutely! I have been an RN for the past 13 years and an NP in family practice for the past 8 years. I have recently transitioned into pediatrics. I was inspired to become a lactation counselor after having my daughter in 2020. Even though I had taken a breastfeeding course through the local hospital, I felt so unprepared to actually breastfeed my child. I spent hours reading KellyMom and watching YouTube videos in the middle of the night trying to figure out what was normal and how to troubleshoot latching. I was lucky enough to be connected with two IBCLCs during this time, and after getting personalized help from them I realized how important 1:1 lactation help can be. This inspired me to start on a journey toward becoming an IBCLC, which is the highest available certification in lactation. Currently, I am a certified lactation counselor and I am on track to take the IBCLC exam in April of 2026.

I also own a private lactation practice called Supported Starts where I provide in-home and virtual breastfeeding, pumping, and bottle refusal support. My daughter was a bottle refuser and this has inspired me to learn as much as possible about what causes bottle refusal and how to work with parents toward solving this very stressful problem. 

Additionally, I am in the process of starting a free community breastfeeding support group in Leelanau County so keep a lookout for that as well!

2. A lot of parents might not know about prenatal lactation visits. Why are they so helpful, even for people who’ve breastfed before? How can they make a difference when it comes to getting off on the right foot? 

Prenatal lactation visits are so wonderful! These type of visits allow you to have a valuable conversation with a lactation professional, ask any questions you might have, make a personalized postpartum plan for getting breastfeeding and milk supply off to a great start, get trustworthy resources to refer back to if needed, and to connect with someone you can call if you need help after your baby is born. It is a truly invaluable resource.

3. I love that you work with moms across the entire feeding spectrum, breastfeeding, bottle feeding, pumping, and everything in between. Can you talk about why it’s important to meet families where they’re at and support all feeding journeys? 

Breastfeeding is not one size fits all. I think it is often distilled down into phrases such as, “breast is best,” but in my opinion this is too simplistic. I also think that there are a lot of misperceptions about what exclusive breastfeeding actually means. You can absolutely exclusively breastfeed AND pump and bottle feed. And sometimes, formula actually allows you to give your baby more breastmilk in the long run. There are so many ways to make a breastfeeding journey work and what works best for one family may not work well for another. Sometimes NOT breastfeeding is the right thing for your family. Variables like NICU stay, milk supply, tandem feeding, needing to return back to work, wanting a break in the middle of the night, wanting/needing to go out of town, mental health, etc can all be taken into consideration and accommodated. I think it is important to redefine a successful feeding journey as doing what works best for you, your baby, and your family, whatever that may look like.

4. Bottle refusal is such a tough issue for so many parents, and I know you’re passionate about helping with this. What do you wish more parents knew about preventing or managing bottle refusal? 

Bottle refusal can be so hard! I wish parents knew that feeding from a bottle is a skill that needs to be developed. When babies are born they have a suck reflex, so if you give them a bottle and the tip of the nipple touches the roof of their mouth they will begin to suck. Around 8-12 weeks this reflex integrates (AKA disappears). For this reason, waiting too long to introduce a bottle can sometimes lead to bottle refusal. Not because your baby is actually refusing a bottle, but because they haven’t learned how to drink from one yet! 

Preventing bottle refusal can sometimes (but not always) be as simple as introducing a bottle early and regularly. And contrary to popular belief, the breastfeeding parent CAN bottle feed their baby. 

As far as managing bottle refusal, reaching out for help sooner rather than later is usually the best course of action. It can take time (2+ weeks) to get your baby eating from a bottle successfully. If you have to go back to work in less than 2 weeks, that’s ok! We can make a plan for getting your baby fed while working on bottle skills.

5. As a nurse practitioner, you’re uniquely qualified to tackle more complex feeding challenges. Can you share how you work with families and their pediatricians on things like slow weight gain or other medical concerns? 

Having treated slow weight gain, jaundice, etc from both sides of the equation (as an NP and as a lactation counselor) I have a unique vantage point from which to help parents through these stressful situations. I also have advanced infant assessment skills which allow me to effectively communicate with your pediatrician.

6. Nipple pain is a common complaint for breastfeeding parents. Can you walk us through how you help troubleshoot this and figure out when it might be something more serious? 

Any nipple pain is abnormal and should be evaluated. Probably the most helpful piece of information in determining what is causing nipple pain is WHEN the pain is occurring. Is it only during feeding? Only after feeding? During and after? And one clinical pearl: nipple pain is almost never caused by yeast and often what parents may think is yeast turns out to be vasospasms of the nipple.

7. You’ve mentioned the importance of knowing who to call for help after birth. Why is building that relationship during pregnancy so valuable for postpartum support? 

The postpartum period is such a vulnerable (and sleep deprived) time. Finding someone you are comfortable with BEFORE giving birth can add so much peace of mind! It can also remove the need to make any more decisions than are absolutely necessary when you’re potentially sleep deprived and overwhelmed.

8. What are some common misconceptions parents have about lactation support or feeding issues, and how do you help bust those myths?

I think one common misconception is that lactation professionals don’t work with bottle feeding infants. This is so far from the truth! I can help with exclusively breastfeeding, pumping and bottle feeding, formula feeding, combo feeding of formula and breastmilk, and even transitioning to solid foods.

Another common misconception is that we only work with newborns. I can help with lactation any time during your journey, from the newborn period through the weaning process.

9. Do you have a favorite success story or a moment that’s stuck with you from working with a family on their feeding journey? 

One of my favorite success stories is working with a mom who was breastfeeding twins! She was exclusively pumping and having trouble getting her milk supply where it needed to be. But after we worked together on flange sizing, pumping technique, and a pumping schedule she was able to transition from primarily formula to primarily breastmilk. It was a huge accomplishment for her and I was so happy to be able to support her through it.

10. What’s the one thing you wish every new parent knew about feeding their baby, and how can your services at Supported Starts Lactation make their journey easier? 

I wish that parents knew how hard breastfeeding can be in the beginning and that just because it feels hard it doesn’t mean you are doing anything wrong. Both you and your baby are learning something completely new! And even if you have breastfed other children before you haven’t breastfed this baby. It’s okay if it takes time for things to feel easy and comfortable.

I also wish that parents knew that you do not have to have a massive freezer stash of milk in order to have a successful breastfeeding journey. It is absolutely normal and okay to make only the amount of milk that your baby needs. The amount of milk you have in the freezer says nothing about your abilities as a parent.

My services at Supported Starts Lactation are here to make your journey easier by being accessible to you. I can be reached on Instagram, via email, or via secure messaging through the Spruce App. All contact information can be found on my webpage at www.supportedstartstc.com. I am also available to you via virtual visits or home visits! And once I pass my IBCLC exam next year, I plan to start taking insurance so that I can be accessible to even more breastfeeding individuals.

A huge thank you to Jenn for sharing her wisdom and passion with us! Feeding your baby isn’t always easy, but with the right support, it can be a lot less overwhelming. If you’re looking for personalized help, whether it’s with breastfeeding, bottle feeding, or navigating challenges like bottle refusal, check out Supported Starts Lactation. Jenn’s here to make sure you and your baby thrive!