Happy Milk Lactation Support

Community Subscriber
Berkeley
Owner:
Ellen Schwerin, MPH, IBCLC
Phone:
510-730-2154
Email:
ellen [at] happymilk.us

Hi there! My name is Ellen Schwerin, MPH, IBCLC. I'm a private-practice lactation consultant, seeing families in their homes in Berkeley & Oakland. My motto is "It's your baby, it's your body, it's your choice!" I firmly believe in being caring, professional, and non-judgmental. Please contact me if you are looking for support for you and your family, both before and after your baby arrives. I can help with breastfeeding/chestfeeding/inducing lactation education and also any issues you may be having, such as sore nipples, concerns about milk production or baby's weight gain, bottle feeding, pumping, going back to work or school, or weaning. I am in-network with Aetna/Meritain. Thank you!

Parent Reviews

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I hired Ellen Schwerin to help with latching issues with my twin baby girls. I worked in coordination with Ellen and a craniosacral therapist recommended by Ellen and a few others. Ellen was very easy to work with and very supportive of my journey. Before I had the babies, I didn't put much pressure on myself about breastfeeding, but once they were born and it became apparent that there were many hurdles to successfully directly breastfeeding the girls, I had a lot of anxiety around making it work. The first time Ellen arrived in my house, she was able to get both babies to latch without any issues. She has a calm and methodical approach. After Ellen left, I continued to have issues with the babies being able to latch. Some days it would work, and others it wouldn't. Ellen was available by phone, email and came to the house a couple times. She was supportive in my goals to breastfeed, but was also supportive on the emotional journey in figuring out what would work best for my family. I tried for about 10 weeks, and although successful at times, the babies would not continuously latch for full feeds and it became apparent that I needed another solution. I ended up pumping successfully for the first year of their life and supplemented with formula as I didn't make enough for all of their needs. Ellen was supportive and not judgmental of this outcome. I would recommend her to others having issues and especially those with twins.

Hey, it is a good idea to set up a lactation consultant meeting. The hospital doesn't provide you with a lot of information about breastfeeding. My first breastfeeding days in hospital ended up with bloody nipples and hungry baby. Ellen from Happy Milk is great. If not her I would have given up on breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a natural process but also it is a skill for you and your baby. My baby had a tongue tie, that is why he had a hard time to get enough milk. Nobody in the hospital didn't even bother to look for those things. Ellen helped me and my baby. 

I strongly recommend meeting with Ellen of Happy Milk! We just had our prenatal visit with her, and I feel so much more confident and relaxed about the time after birth when I'll spend bonding with my baby and learning to breastfeed with her. We're excited to meet with her after we give birth. Though the nurses at the hospital will help you, they're not going to give as much attention and advice to help with your longterm breastfeeding experience.

I have worked with Ellen at Happy Milk Lactation, for both of my breastfeeding experiences. She is very knowledgeable and approachable. I originally sought out the lactation consultants connected to my hospital, but didn't find their help to be enough. Luckily I stumbled across Ellen, because she was in network for my insurance and could see me in my home. Both of my children were severely tongue tied and we benefited greatly from Ellen's expertise, as well as referrals for additional care providers. She has supported me through revision and healing of my children's ties, overcoming mastitis, healing breast damage and reducing repetitive motion injury with natural breastfeeding positions.

Hi I hope this helps!

I have used happy milk lactation consultant Ellen H. Schwerin. She is wonderful! She does house visits which was a big deal for me. She's is very patient and very understanding that you are a first time mom.
If you forget a question post visit Ellen is willing to answer any questions very quickly whether it be through email, text or phone.

She show me methods of breastfeeding that made it easier for me and my baby ,so that it wouldn't be painful.
I definitely recommend her!!!

 I used Ellen/happy milk when my son, now four Was an infant. She came to my home, was very knowledgeable and helpful, as well as comforting. She detected a  tongue tie and my son which we later addressed and were able to nurse for over two years. I also participated in a  breast-feeding group that Ellen facilitated which was equally as helpful. Several of my friends have also used Ellen and have all been pleased. I would highly recommend her!

Ellen is amazing! She came to our apartment when our baby was just 2 days old and was by far our most invaluable post-baby resource. She came a few more times for 2 hours at a time, as she was totally invested in our success as breastfeeding mom and baby. I would have never gotten off nipple shield if it wasn't for her. 

Hi - we had the privilege of working with Ellen at Happy Milk before and after the birth of my second child.  It was one of the smartest decisions we made.  She came to our home to help us prepare for the breastfeeding journey, once again.  It had been several years since my first child was born (he fed for a year).  I had several bouts of mastitis and really wanted to make sure I was as up-to-date with new information and ready to start this incredibly important experience again - as empowered as possible.  Ellen has the warmest energy, she's so smart and completely covers a wide range of information in just the first meeting.  There were new breastfeeding positions being promoted by lactation organizations since our first child.  Mostly it was just so helpful to have a kind, loving presence helping us feel comfortable right before the birth.  She came over after he was born and made sure everything was going okay.  I have been using her for advice over the last year as I've continued feeding my son.  She's been so generous with her time and so thorough with info and advice.  For me, breastfeeding was one of the most important areas to have support and it was wonderful to have found Ellen.  Our entire family has been so thankful she's been a part of our lives.

Yes, I used Happy Milk for both of my babies.  Ellen is super smart and great at follow up.  It is very convenient and she offers lots of additional referrals for whatever issues you may have.  Highly recommended! 

Archived Q&A and Reviews


March 2013

RE: Lactation consultant for ''low milk production''

Ellen Schwerin; call her at 510.730.2154 or e-mail ellen [at] happymilk.us (ellen[at]happymilk[dot]us). the Kyle


You should talk to Ellen! She has the highest certifications possible and is a really sweet person! Ellen H. Schwerin, MPH, IBCLC Board Certified Lactation Consultant HappyMilk Lactation Support Cell: 510.730.2154
Alexander


I highly recommend Ellen Schwerin. I called her in a tizzy about severe breast pain after nursing and she was incredibly calm and kind, listened very carefully, and offered what seemed to be an accurate diagnosis and successful technique for easing the pain. Pain's gone! Ellen also sent me an email with a bunch of research on breast pain AND called me the next day to see how I was feeling AND offered to take a look. I really can't say enough good things about her. Give her a go. http://www.happymilk.us Sima


I'd like to recommend Ellen Schwerin of Happy Milk as a fabulous lactation consultant. I am an experienced mom having breastfed my first son for 14 months. So when I was experiencing pain as my second son was latching I knew that something had to change fast. I called her on a Sunday evening and she was at my house by 10am the next day. She quickly discovered that my son was not sticking his tongue out far enough and gave me some ''tongue training'' exercises. 2 days later my son was latching without pain. In addition to fixing my latching issues she also gave me a lot of breast feeding tips that I wish I had known the first time around. Calling Ellen was a great decision and it's the best money I've ever spent. Katy