Life & Work with Summer Friedmann

Today we’d like to introduce you to Summer Friedmann. 

Hi Summer, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
It was after the birth of my first son in 2002 that I realized my passion and career path would change. A very unhelpful, rude, and not kind Lactation Consultant made me realize I wanted to be one of the “Great Ones”! (Perfectly opposite of her) I wanted to be a part of the solution for mothers in their breastfeeding and pumping journeys. 

I “Of Course!” breastfed all of my 3 boys, all at least for the 1 year recommended and years beyond into toddler and preschool-hood. I became an Accredited La Leche League Leader in 2006 and spent my days helping expectant and postpartum families find success with breastfeeding and pumping. I had aspirations of becoming an IBCLC (International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant) and eventually practice in a hospital setting. I wanted to prove to myself I could turn my own experience with a not-good IBCLC into a positive story, and be a “Great IBCLC”. 

In 2010 I sat for the board exam and became an IBCLC. My work with La Leche League provided me all the clinical hours I needed to qualify to sit for the exam, along with study, research, classes, and lactation conferences. I spent 10 amazing years (2009 – 2019) working on the Lactation Teams as an IBCLC at KU Hospital and St Luke’s on the Plaza. I worked with families in the Labor/Delivery and Mother/Baby postpartum units as well as the NICU. I loved working with my NICU families over extended periods of time, building relationships, and seeing them graduate with their thriving babies after all of that hard work! 

In 2019 I decided to leave the hospital setting for a new chapter, and do my private practice full time! Done Naturally is my business! I have had that name since 2004 when I opened it working as a Certified Childbirth Educator in The Bradley Method. Over the course of 14 years, I helped hundreds of families in their pregnancy, labor and birth, and postpartum world. Luckily for me, all of these things worked together, and Done Naturally easily shifted from pregnancy, labor, and birth, to now Done Naturally Lactation! 

In my private practice, I travel to parent’s homes in Kansas City and help them with anything they need from pumping, latching, re-lactation, weaning, solid foods, supplemental feeding plans, oral assessments, returning to work, and more! I also do telehealth with families all over the world! Not all families in KC need a home visit, some only need a telehealth session depending on their topic, and we can get A LOT accomplished that way; more than most realize. 

As a La Leche League Leader, leading breastfeeding support groups was a BIG part of the job, as was taking phone calls for help and emails for help. So, because I had 5 years under my belt as an LLL Leader, I really came into the IBCLC profession very equipped helping families, only now I was making a living doing so. 

I continue to host (free) weekly support groups for my breastfeeding, breast-pumping, lactating families with my Done Naturally Support Group. Ongoing support such a vital piece of success! Having a support system and having a place to get accurate information is key! 

I also have a YouTube Channel, Done Naturally. When she was just a brainchild, I wanted an easy way for families to have access to accurate information 24/7 at their fingertips, even while I slept. We all know that postpartum means awake in those middle of the night hours. So, I “birthed” Done Naturally YouTube. My goal was and continues to be; to have bite-sized videos parents can watch on a specific topic anytime they want and have it be relevant for this generation. These families don’t have tons of time to read a book or research, but they do have 3-5 minutes to watch a video; “Do You Have to Pump & Dump”, and get the answer they need. 

I also have a Private Done Naturally Facebook Support Group that is highly active. I built her from the ground up and she now has 4.5K members, all across the world. This group is invited only to help keep everyone vetted, safe and manageable. I pride myself in the group I have built, that will not tolerate any judgment, only loving support, and accurate information. This group is only for on-topic discussions, related to pregnancy, labor/birth, lactation, and postpartum. I have 7 moderators that I carefully selected to help the “DN Family” stay on-topic, keep us safe, loving, help speak up and share accurate information. They are a blessing. 

I absolutely feel so lucky to have found my calling, passionately love what I do, and along the way, I get to meet amazing families who graciously welcome me into their lives during such a vulnerable time. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Because this came very organically for me, yes, I would say this has been a smooth road. I knew what I wanted, where I wanted to be and gave myself time to make it happen. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
What am I known for…? Maybe I’m known for being relatable and making parents feel comfortable so we can talk about intimate things. After 15 years of working with families, I have a very good understanding of how they need to feel they can trust me before we can accomplish anything. I am a very open person, and a little bit of a quirky, silly person too. I certainly know I am not everyone’s cup of tea, but I’d like to think that I am adaptable and am able to read a person, so that I may help them in the best way, and that can mean I change my tone, my delivery, my cadence, my lingo, and other things to match them, while not losing myself. 

What am I most proud of…I am so proud that I listened to my gut and went after what felt so right. Previously in my career, I was a singer and actress and planning to teach K-12 music, until the day I delivered my firstborn. Was I scared to do something completely new? YES. Was moving towards the scary the right thing to do, ABSOLUTELY! It was and is 100% life-giving. 

What sets me apart from others…I do not practice in black/white. I am all about the grey in lactation. There is no ONE-WAY. There are many ways. So, my goal is to find out what will work for you, what you want, and figure out a way to make that happen for you! Some other IBCLCs might have an agenda, but that’s not me at all. My agenda, perse, is whatever yours is. 

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
This recent 2020 pandemic has really helped our lactation industry! More people are becoming aware of the science of human milk, its immune powers, and the antibodies it provides babies cannot be matched. I have seen families who never would have breastfed or pumped, but in light of CoV-2, made the choice to do so, and then ended up accidentally enjoying it. I have seen families extend their journey bc the last thing they want to do is wean during a pandemic. So yes, I think in the next 5-10 years we will see a huge increase in the statistics of initiation of breastfeeding/pumping and an increase in longevity of human milk-feeding for this new “C” generation. 

Pricing:

• $195 for an in-home consult. (2hr avg)
• $25 ea 15 min for telehealth. First 1hr paid as deposit ($100), any additional time needed, billed post-call, Any unused time refunded post-call.
• FREE Weekly DN Support Group
• FREE YouTube
• FREE FB DN Support Group

Contact Info:

• Email: summer@donenaturally.com
• Website: www.donenaturally.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donenaturally/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DoneNaturallyPUBLIC/?ref=share
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/c/DoneNaturally