Exploring Life & Business with Lindsay Gustafson of Nourish & Flourish

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Gustafson.

Hi Lindsay, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was a Labor and Delivery RN for 12 years before becoming an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant. My passion lies in women’s and children’s health, as my entire career has been focused on this area. I passed my board exam for my IBCLC certification in 2019 and began working full-time as a lactation consultant in the hospital setting. I gained experience working in the NICU, Labor, Delivery, and Post Partum units. I started Nourish & Flourish part-time while working at the hospital in April 2020 and then dove into full-time private practice on January 1st of 2022, thanks to a divine nudge or several, haha 🙂 I took several extensive continuing education courses to expand my knowledge and expertise as a private practice practitioner. I was encouraged and mentored along the way by a handful of amazing colleagues that believed in me, and I am forever grateful for their support and guidance. Nourish & Flourish has been such a blessing, and I am so humbled to be in this profession where I am welcomed to enter into a vulnerable space for families and help encourage support and guide them through this beautiful transition as compassionate care, uplifting emotional support, and clinical expertise meet. I strive to help families cultivate the confidence they need to thrive and truly enjoy the time with their newborns. I am honored to step into the gap and offer support at every step, from the first latch to weaning and everything in between. I took the IBCLC Masterclass for Oral Habilitation of the Breastfeeding Dyad, which is an intensive course to learn how to specialize and care for babies with oral dysfunction, and I also took a 6-day intensive training to become certified in Craniosacral Fascial Therapy (CFT) with Gillespie to help aid in feeding difficulties from a whole body approach. It feels like a dream to do what I love and serve many amazing families in Kansas City.

Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
It has been a smooth road thus far, with all the gratitude and thanks going to my amazing family, friends, colleagues, and all the families I have worked with since Nourish & Flourish opened. I am blown away on the daily to be living this dream. Starting a business from the ground has its challenges getting everything in order, set up, and ready to go, but I had a lot of help and support. There were and still are times that it feels so overwhelming and complicated, but trusting in God that this is what He has called me to continues to ground me and press me onward. My husband has been my number one fan from day one, and I am so grateful for him.

Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your business.
I am a Registered Nurse and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. I offer individualized, compassionate care to help families thrive in nourishing their babies. I provide home visits, office visits, and telehealth visits. I have supported families in 3 countries and 7 states. What sets me apart from others is the unique skillset of my background as a labor/delivery nurse, IBCLC, and CFT bodyworker, paired with my advanced training in oral dysfunction. I take a holistic approach to healing and working through challenges. My assessment skills are sharp due to my RN background, and I can get to the root of challenges and help work through those from a whole-body approach specializing in the dyad. I assess mom and baby together as a unit to improve challenges and make infant feeding enjoyable, comfortable, and sustainable for both mom and baby. I have a unique ability to connect and uplift emotionally and meet people where they are, as I have a BS in psychology and a communications degree. My individualized, focused care helps to create a care plan based on each dyad’s specific needs and goals.

Services:

• Prenatal lactation consults to help set you up with education and understanding for success.
• Postpartum home visits, office visits, and telehealth visits to work through feeding challenges or any situations that arise needing expert feeding assessment and care.
• Assessments and oral habilitation for oral ties
• Pumping consults
• Return to work consults
• Infant CFT
• Toddler CFT
• Adult CFT
• Plus many more types of consults and appointments
• I offer a free support group once a month where all are welcome, and we discuss all things babies, breastfeeding, pumping, bottle feeding, combo feeding, and more!

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I loved and still love anything and everything outdoors. The ocean was and still is my favorite place. I played many sports: basketball, running track, soccer, and tennis. I played Division 1 collegiate basketball. I love people and living life to its complete fullness. Every day is a blessing; we must not let life pass us by.

Contact Info:

• Website: gustafsonlactation.org
• Instagram: nourishandflourishkc
• Facebook: Nourish & Flourish Lactation

Image Credits
Brittany B. Photography