It all began when a tearful breastfeeding patient’s frustration leaked over to me.
I’m Christine, an IBCLC, author, and international speaker.
One beautiful Friday in 2013, I was working a shift in lactation at my local hospital. A mother of twins born healthy at 31 weeks was one of my patients that day. Despite her diligent pumping efforts, her milk output was minimal by 36 hours postpartum.
That’s pretty normal, and she would have handled it fine - except the neonatologist caring for her babies really upset her. His words left her feeling threatened and like she was facing an ultimatum: “bring us ounces of your milk next time you come in or we’ll be giving your babies formula.”
I realized at that moment that though I had clearly been successful at educating my patient about how early milk production generally unfolds, that information was not clear to the neonatalogist or any of the nurses in the NICU who were caring for the twins. Additionally, I had skipped emphasizing the importance of hand expression and focused mainly of her pumping routine.
It was time for a change.
I created The First 100 Hours strategy the very next day.
Today I’ve been working in the lactation field for 24 years, and I’ve taught The First 100 Hours strategy to hundreds of perinatal care providers like you from around the world.
In 2024, I wrote a book called Evolving the Modern Breastfeeding Experience: Holistic Lactation Care in the First 100 Hours.
The book has been spreading the word faster than I ever could in person, and I’d love for you to read it, too.
Christine Staricka is an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, health writer, international speaker, and a trained childbirth educator. Christine earned her IBCLC credential in 2009.
Christine is the author of the book Evolving the Modern Breastfeeding Experience: Holistic Lactation Care in the First 100 Hours. She developed The First 100 Hours strategy in 2013 after a patient encounter opened her eyes to the gaps in early lactation care.
Christine hosts The Lactation Consultant’s Inbox Podcast and writes a blog called Evolve Lactation.
Christine has over 24 years of experience providing clinical lactation care in a wide variety of settings, including 10 years working in local hospitals. She has also worked in the community in private practice, and she is the co-founder and facilitator of Baby Café Bakersfield.
Christine is a member of the GOLD Lactation Academy faculty and an Education Planner for Live Events at GOLD Learning.
Christine is a Fellow of the International Lactation Consultant Association. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Phoenix. She has been married for 31 years, lives in California, and is the proud mother of 3 amazing daughters.
You can find more information about Christine and access free resources and downloads at www.ChristineStaricka.com.
Substack: https://ibclcinca.substack.com/
Instagram: @ibclcinca
LinkedIn: @christinestaricka
Email: christine@evolvelactation.org