why choose MoMilkNJ?
Hello, I am Catherine Belonogoff, a lactation consultant. coach, mother and advocate for people who chest or breastfeed.. I offer office visits in Montclair, Essex County, New Jersey and telehealth anywhere. I've been helping moms and babies for more than a decade. I provide evidence-based options to you during this precious time after a careful assessment of your medical and birth history and feeding goals.
The problem that I see in the US healthcare system is that pregnancy is treated with many doctors visits and classes focused on the birthing process; however, little to nothing is done in response to the postpartum period. You have one or two visits with your ObGyn in the year after you give birth. You are cleared for sex, exercise and “getting back” at 6 weeks whether you feel ready or not. Many employers are eager for you to resume where you left off. If you’ve had a cesction, you have less support and the addition of caregiving duties than any other surgical patient. Nobody else is sent home after major surgery with a small human to care for 24/7. The realities of the postpartum period being denied, erased and unacknowledged creates undue hardship and stress on mothers. Looking for a way to help solve this problem of postpartum neglect, I went back to school to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Through my work with postpartum mothers in the last 10 years, I saw that with a little attention, some skills based training, most women have the potential to feel better, stronger and more confident.
Education
Bachelor of Arts, UC Berkeley
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), the International Board of Lactation Examiners
Certificated Lactation Education Counselor (CLEC), UC San Diego Extension
Tongue and Lip Tie Assessment and Care Strategies with ILCA and La Leche League
Certified doula and childbirth educator with Childbirth International
IBCLC MasterClass: Oral Habilitation of the Breastfeeding Dyad
Volunteer and Professional Organizations
Member of the International Lactation Consultants Association
La Leche League Leader with Garden State La Leche League in Montclair, New Jersey
Other things to know...
I have a keen interest in physical fitness and have earned a Postpartum Corrective Exercise certification, BirthFit Coach, GGS Level 1 coach, Underground Strength Coach, Strongman, and Pregnancy and Postpartum Strength Training Coach certification. I enjoy lifting very heavy weights and participating in strength sports. More about all my fitness things @mother_of_invention_strong
I volunteer with La Leche League in Montclair, Essex County, New Jersey.
I am the staff IBCLC at the Maternity Wellness Center at Wombkeepers OBGYN in Montclair, NJ.
I have lived in the United States, Russia, Lithuania, England and Singapore and have travelled a fair part of the globe. In New Jersey and Singapore, I have been a breastfeeding coach to thousands of mothers for more than a decade.
I have a passion for helping moms feel secure in their decisions and happy with their mothering journeys. Breastfeeding, though natural, is not an easy task. I have multiple methods to teach and assess this very special skill.
The problem that I see in the US healthcare system is that pregnancy is treated with many doctors visits and classes focused on the birthing process; however, little to nothing is done in response to the postpartum period. You have one or two visits with your ObGyn in the year after you give birth. You are cleared for sex, exercise and “getting back” at 6 weeks whether you feel ready or not. Many employers are eager for you to resume where you left off. If you’ve had a cesction, you have less support and the addition of caregiving duties than any other surgical patient. Nobody else is sent home after major surgery with a small human to care for 24/7. The realities of the postpartum period being denied, erased and unacknowledged creates undue hardship and stress on mothers. Looking for a way to help solve this problem of postpartum neglect, I went back to school to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Through my work with postpartum mothers in the last 10 years, I saw that with a little attention, some skills based training, most women have the potential to feel better, stronger and more confident.
Education
Bachelor of Arts, UC Berkeley
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), the International Board of Lactation Examiners
Certificated Lactation Education Counselor (CLEC), UC San Diego Extension
Tongue and Lip Tie Assessment and Care Strategies with ILCA and La Leche League
Certified doula and childbirth educator with Childbirth International
IBCLC MasterClass: Oral Habilitation of the Breastfeeding Dyad
Volunteer and Professional Organizations
Member of the International Lactation Consultants Association
La Leche League Leader with Garden State La Leche League in Montclair, New Jersey
Other things to know...
I have a keen interest in physical fitness and have earned a Postpartum Corrective Exercise certification, BirthFit Coach, GGS Level 1 coach, Underground Strength Coach, Strongman, and Pregnancy and Postpartum Strength Training Coach certification. I enjoy lifting very heavy weights and participating in strength sports. More about all my fitness things @mother_of_invention_strong
I volunteer with La Leche League in Montclair, Essex County, New Jersey.
I am the staff IBCLC at the Maternity Wellness Center at Wombkeepers OBGYN in Montclair, NJ.
I have lived in the United States, Russia, Lithuania, England and Singapore and have travelled a fair part of the globe. In New Jersey and Singapore, I have been a breastfeeding coach to thousands of mothers for more than a decade.
I have a passion for helping moms feel secure in their decisions and happy with their mothering journeys. Breastfeeding, though natural, is not an easy task. I have multiple methods to teach and assess this very special skill.