Essential Lactation

“Every drop’s a gift” - Carolyn Mathews

After completing my mentorship with Carolyn Mathews, I began working alongside her at Essential Lactation in 2021. After her decision to retire, I am honored to be trusted with Essential Lactation. I owe much of my experience, knowledge, and love of supporting families to Carolyn.

I am so excited to be continuing her mission of supporting local families in their feeding goals.

Sara Manske RN BSN IBCLC

I graduated from Washington State University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2009 and have been working as a registered nurse in the Bellingham and Mount Vernon area ever since. In 2015, I had my first child (Soren) and had a really hard time breastfeeding: pain, tongue tie, infant weight loss, low milk supply – you name it! Thankfully, I was directed to Carolyn at Bellingham Center for Healthy Motherhood for breastfeeding support. Without Carolyn’s knowledge and support I know I would not have been able to meet my goals. After my experience, I knew that I wanted to provide the same kind of support for others on their breastfeeding journey. We aren’t meant to parent alone! In 2017, I returned to BCHM as a student and trained with Carolyn to gain hands on experience as a Lactation Consultant. I especially enjoyed meeting and assisting parents and their babies during our weekly drop in weigh day group-I even brought my second baby (Astrid) along most days! In December 2020, I became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. I am a member of the United States Lactation Consultant Association (USLCA), the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA), and actively pursue continuing education opportunities to provide you with the most up to date lactation care. I am excited and honored to support new parents and help them reach whatever their feeding goals may be.

In my spare time, you can either find me digging in the garden surrounded by my two children, my dog named Penny, and numerous chickens or baking way too many cookies. Curious to know more? Check out my flower and egg shed page: @chickchickbloom

Hear from some of Sara’s clients

  • "Sara is incredibly kind and knowledgeable. She made me feel comfortable and confident by listening to my challenges and providing valuable advice. I have been able to exclusively breastfeed my 3rd child, and I couldn't have done without Sara. Thank you so much!"

    -Sammy R

  • "Sara was an angel sent to save me! She is incredibly friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. I was at my wits end with breastfeeding. I had extreme difficulty getting my daughter to latch properly so I was in constant pain. I was crying almost every time I fed her and was just about to give up. I scheduled my appointment and Sara showed up and completely changed everything for me. She normalized my struggle, which helped me a lot as I was experiencing postpartum anxiety. She was thorough in her examination, and was hands-on as she coached me through feeding my daughter. She left me with instructions and resources to further assist me, and was available if I had any additional questions or concerns. Thanks to her help, breastfeeding is no longer painful and I enjoy the bonding time with my baby girl. I would recommend her to any new breastfeeding mama!"

    -JV

  • "I cannot recommend Essential Lactation highly enough. As a first time mom, even though my daughter seemed to latch fine, they offered tips, positions, and encouragement that I didn’t even know I needed, but has immensely helped as my daughter has gotten bigger and her needs have changed. Not only do their consultants support in the visit, but I was able to text follow up questions and receive immediate support and help. Being a mom can be so isolating and it felt amazing to have this help. We had a follow up appointment to learn how to safely prepare and give bottles, where both my husband and I learned a lot! Thank you so much!"

    -AC

  • "Sara was so incredibly helpful as my son and I started our breastfeeding journey. She was also so helpful for my husband's bottle feeding techniques. She eased all our concerns and was efficient, professional and personable. The support she provided by phone after our visits was invaluable too."

    -Laura R

  • "Sara is absolutely fantastic!! She is so welcoming and warm, she made it so easy to talk with her. I felt so comfortable being open and sharing my struggles with motherhood, breastfeeding and being a full-time working mom. She had a plethora of helpful information and was more than willing to hear my millions of questions. I highly recommend her!!"

    -BB

  • "Sara's support completely changed my lactation journey! When my daughter was born, I struggled to figure out breastfeeding on my own. My daughter was losing weight faster than I was comfortable with her losing. Sara was able to come out the first week and provide concrete steps that immediately helped us breastfeed. Sara taught me new skills that helped me breastfeed successfully, pump effectively, and figure out a balance between the two. Her compassionate and positive attitude helped me believe in myself. I am still breastfeeding at 9 weeks and am positive I would've given up long ago without Sara's support. Highly recommend!"

    -Chris K

  • "Very compassionate, thorough, kind, gentle - everything you could want in a lactation consultant. She came into my home as a stranger, and left feeling like a close friend. Highly highly highly recommend Sara. Thank you again - you are perfect for your profession!"

    -Stephanie O

  • "Sara was great, she was very informative and professional when assessing my baby and I. She provided me with strategies and plenty of options when it came to feeding my baby. She is also very responsive with her messaging portal."

    -KM

  • "Sara is everything you could want out of a lactation provider. She is professional, prompt, organized, down to earth, and supportive."

    Leah B

  • "Sara was extremely knowledgeable, efficient, kind, and gentle. She was able to provide the specific care that my son and I needed after his birth. She went out of her way to meet us as soon as possible to relieve my pain at the beginning of our breastfeeding journey. She provided all the tools, advice, and knowledge necessary for us to succeed! I highly recommend Sara to any new family looking for assistance. I don’t know where we would be now without her!"

    Yasmin W

  • "Sara has been an absolute pleasure to work with. She listens well, and explains in ways that make sense and answer your questions, putting you at ease. She has this ability to give you the confidence you need to conquer your breast feeding and pumping journey, whatever it may look like, while cheering you and your baby on the sidelines and always being available to help out and offer advice. She clearly loves her job and giving women the tools to be successful, and it shows through how knowledgeable she is, and how she comes in and treats you and your baby like you’re the only ones who matter. I would recommend her over and over! She answered so many questions, put me at ease as a first time mom, and created an incredibly helpful care plan for my girl and me. I cannot thank her enough!"

    Alexa L

  • "Sara was great in helping with latch issues and easily availble for extra support via text. I have other children, so absolutely loved that she came to our home. It was one less place to drive after trying to recover from having a baby."

    Clare W

Recent and Upcoming Continuing Education and Conferences:

  • Bottle Skills for the Bottle Refuser - Susan Howard, MSN, RN, IBCLC, Babies in Common, completed December 2024

  • Gold Tongue-Tie Online Conference 2024, completed December 2024 (13.5 hours)

  • Pumping in Practice - Allison Tolman, LPN, IBCLC and Jessica Anderson, IBCLC, currently enrolled

  • Holistic Sleep Coaching Program, OCN Level 6 - Baby Em with Dr Lyndsey Hookway IBCLC, completed August 2024 (100 hours)

  • Pushin' (P)ump Parts & Flanges - Paperless Lactation with Nichelle Clark IBCLC, completed August 2024

  • Breastside Manner for Lactation Professionals - TLN with Nekisha Killings MPH IBCLC, completed August 2024

  • Best Practices for Providing Trauma-Informed Lactation Care - USLCA with Beckie Walker, MSN CNM IBCLC, completed May 2024

  • The Ripple Effect: Foundations of Queer Inclusive Lactation Care - USLCA with Bryna Hayden, IBCLC, completed April 2024

  • The Elephant in the Nursery- How to Talk to Perinatal Clients about Suicidality - USLCA with Kristin Cavuto, MSW, LCSW, IBCLC, completed April 2024

  • A square peg in a round hole: answers on drug transfer in lactation made simple - iLactation with Karolina Morze MPharm, completed April 2024

  • GOLD Lactation Online Conference 2023 (29.5 hours)

  • Lactation Conversations - iLactation Online Conference 2023 (19 hours)

  • Self-paced Course: Pumping & Feeding Gear for IBCLCs - Babies in Common with Jeanette Mesite Frem, MHS, IBCLC, RLC, CCE, CD, completed March 2023

  • How to be Part of the Solution: The Effects of Intergenerational Trauma on Perinatal Persons of Color - GOLD with Tanya Singleton IBCLC, completed March 2023

  • Bodywork for Babies: Guidance for the Lactation Consultant - USLCA with Susan Vaughan Kratz, completed January 2023

  • GOLD Tongue Tie Symposium 2022 (10 hours)

  • Lactation Private Practice Essential Course - Paperless Lactation, completed 2022 (40 hours)