Melanie, owner of Baby Bonds, and her exclusive dental partner, Dr. Sam Zink, were included on a list of recommended lactation consultants provided to us by St. Alphonsus after delivery. Because my son was not latching, we made an immediate appointment to see Melanie the day we were discharged from the hospital. We were exhausted, overwhelmed first time parents with a two-day old baby who was struggling to eat. We were worried our baby might have a tongue tie. I have a pretty severe tongue tie myself, so I had been worried this could be an issue for him. However, none of the doctors or lactation consultants at the hospital could see a tongue tie. Melanie was our second opinion. She took our two-day old baby and moved his body through some "maneuvers." In no more than 60 seconds, Melanie proclaimed he had a severe tongue tie. In addition to the lactation package she wanted to sell us, she recommended we immediately schedule a tongue-tied release procedure (frenectomy) with her "exclusive" partner, Dr. Zink. For an extra fee, Melanie would assist with the procedure. We were in luck, we were told, they could get us in that week! Although insurance covered none of this, we made the appointment because it felt urgent and important. Time was of the essence to get my baby to latch. But after sleeping on it, we realized we both had a bad taste in our mouths from our appointment with Melanie. It felt extremely "scammy" to us, so we cancelled the procedure in order to carefully consider our options. But after meeting with two other lactation consultants, a pediatrician, and a pediatric physical therapist, nobody else could tell us with any certainty that our son was tongue tied. We will never know if our baby could have benefitted from a frenectomy because we decided against it. However, looking back, our experience with Melanie honestly felt predatory. It is easy to see why so many exhausted, scared parents are agreeing to this invasive and painful procedure based on the high-pressure sales pitch they are getting from her. And of course, she and her dental partner must be profiting enormously from their symbiotic financial arrangement, which to us feels extremely unethical. I've thought about this experience many times in the nearly two years since it occurred, but I honestly felt too intimidated to say anything. A frenectomy is not always the right decision for every family. It is not an emergency regardless of how you are made to feel. Don't be afraid to trust your gut. Don't be afraid to get a second opinion. read more

Melanie is absolutely amazing. I breast fed my daughter for a little over two years so I thought I knew what I was in for this go around. I was ten years older and more experienced, right? This wasn't the case. I could not establish a good latch with my little guy and each feed was very painful. I went to the hospital lactation consultants and our doctor. We were told that he didn't have a tongue tie and to just keep going since he was gaining weight. I ended up with mastitis when my little one was around 2-3 weeks old. I reached to Melanie and she immediately was such a blessing during the postpartum period. She helped with information and ideas for treatment before being able to get into the office and meet. I thankfully was able to kick it without antibiotics. When I came into her office and she immediately got work. Her office was very welcoming and during a time when it's hard to take care of yourself, she took the time to check on me. It still means a lot. Being able to sit in the massage chair and drink a protein drink or coconut water while she does body magic on the little one is so rejuvenating. She helped establish a good latch, did weight checks, craniosacral therapy, helped get the tongue tie revision done and after care, organized mommy get togethers, and has been available text almost anytime. She also offers what seems to be all of the items for fake at office which has been so helpful. I can't recommend her enough. You won't be disappointed. read more

Baby Bonds - Little guy and I - Lactation Services Near Me - Boise, Idaho

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My experience with Melanie in 2019 made such an impact on me when I was a first time mom I had to write a more detailed review. I had hired her in 2019 when my first was 3 days old. I was having nipple pain that was our only breastfeeding issue. My son was gaining well and a very happy thriving baby. Her initial visit sent me feeling extremely anxious, emotional, shamed and discouraged. She told me after a very short oral examination that my baby was "severely tongue tied" and that was the reason my nipples were damaged. She quickly began discussing tongue tie revision and told me it would immediately stop the nipple pain. She said if it wasn't done I would most likely have more issues breastfeeding down the road. She made the procedure sound like no big deal and a quick fix. She wanted to schedule a consultation AND the surgery right then with Dr. Zink. I said I wanted to ask my husband before going forward. I left the visit feeling as if a revision was the only way to have a successful breastfeeding journey. She told us during this visit that (I don't remember exact numbers) but $800 would be cost for procedure. She didn't take insurance cash or check only. AND that a portion of this cost for the procedure would go to her. She called for follow up the next day or so, again continuing to push revision getting scheduled with Dr. Zink. She claimed if we didn't take the slot a family traveling up from California would take the slot. She claimed it was the only spot available for months. This call felt super sale-sy and I began to feel my mama instincts telling me something wasn't right here. After a few days she followed up again. My nipples were healing and we decided to not to do revision. Upon telling her this she promptly told me I didn't understand how serious this was and if I didn't do it my baby would have all these issues (cognitive delays being one of them). I felt shamed for my decision as the PARENT. I was bawling after hearing this and very upset. My mom was extremely upset by her aggressive behavior and encouraged me to write my first review. My son and I had a beautiful breastfeeding relationship for 2 years. He is a very happy thriving 4 yr old. I have seen other IBLCE for my other children and every time it makes me realize how out of line my visit was with Melanie was in comparison. I have nothing against tongue tie revisions but I am against uninformed and coerced consent and unethical medical practices. If you're considering a tongue tie revision from Melanie and Dr. Zink I urge you to consider other providers with a MUCH LESS AGGRESSIVE and much more holistic approach. You will find every other tongue tie specialist and IBLCE will caution rushing into this procedure without knowing the risks, recovery process and importance of body work before and after. They will tell you that a tongue tie revision is just one piece to the puzzle often NOT a cure all. They will also LISTEN TO YOU and build you up not leave you feeling anxious and discouraged. read more

I went to see Melanie for a post tongue tie release follow up after my 8 week old had a tongue and lip tie release done. I had only gone to her since my original provider who recommended the release was closed over the weekend and it was recommended that she be seen 48 hours after the procedure to ensure that it had not reattached. I thought it was great that she was able to see me with such short notice and over the weekend. However, my (and my daughters) experience with her was anything but that. Melanie was not soft, gentle or caring with how she handled the evaluation of her mouth. She insisted that I wasn't doing the "stretches" properly or with enough force. So, she demonstrated it for me which resulted in puncturing the wound site, making by baby bleed, then purple and scream out in pain. I felt pure shock and flooded with emotions of sadness, anger and confusion. How or why would anyone use such force on such a small and delicate baby?? I left upset with not only her, but myself for going there and trusting my baby to be okay under her care. My hope is to warn other mothers who are in this position to seek other providers. She did have good advice for breastfeeding tips and positions however I would never recommend going to her for anything tongue tie related! read more

I would 100% recommend Melanie! She has helped me since day 1 with my baby. We had latch issues, we worked them out and now my baby girl nurses like a pro. She has provided continual support and care. She is always just a text away. My little girl is 8.5 months now and we have graduated from her care but I still reach out to her with questions and she is always there for me. I love her craniosacral therapy as well! read more

This review is almost 2 years overdue. My story is lengthy so if you don't want to read it all, please consider this one takeaway - do not let Melanie rush you into a tie release appointment. Please get a second opinion and see a pediatric dentist who will evaluate, diagnose and treat a tie. 4 years ago I was horribly struggling to breastfeed my daughter so I reached out to Melanie. I was full of anxiety and I was desperate to breastfeed. I followed and trusted her blindly without getting a second opinion or having my daughter seen by a pediatric dentist. I went through with the release that Melanie was adamant she needed. I didn't actually meet Dr. Zink until minutes before he did the release. It was a quick shake of the hands and then Melanie rushed us to a different room to do paperwork while she took our daughter next door to do the release. Zink was shady AF also. My baby was in so much pain. Her pain management directions were horrible. No improvement came of the release but I was convinced that had I seen her from the beginning & had the tie release done earlier I would have been able to nurse successfully. So two years later I had my son. I had a prenatal consult with Melanie that went great. I had a home birth with midwives who helped ensure breastfeeding success from the start. I followed their guidance and it paid off. My baby had a great routine, feeding on demand, unlatching himself when he was finished, full diapers and being completely content and happy. I had minor discomfort from nursing as my body adjusted but no pain. I almost canceled my postpartum appointment with Melanie but decided to follow through to be safe since we were in the first 24hrs. I was shocked when Melanie said he had lost too much weight and wasn't gaining it back fast enough, he failed his "suck test" and his weighted feed was shockingly low for how long he fed. She said he clearly was tied and she could even see it. It was such a poor report that I asked her several times if I need to take him to the ER. She said it's not that bad yet but we need to get it released ASAP and that I didn't seem like the parent who would do nothing for my baby. She also said it was my lucky day because she could get me in with Dr. Zink in just a few days as an emergency because he had an opening due to a family traveling from Oregon canceling their appointment otherwise it would be weeks but I needed to book it immediately. Which sounded oddly familiar from when I worked with her before. So I booked it, filled with panic and anxiety. She knew my story of PPA all fueled by the thought of failing at nursing again. She knew how hard I tried to save my daughters breastfeeding journey. My midwives were scheduled for their postpartum check up appointment and arrived shortly after Melanie left. I didn't mention the appointment with Melanie to them. They weighed him and said his weight was perfect. I asked how much he should be consuming and I learned that the amount he consumed during the weighed feed with Melanie was above average. They told me that the amount of, and the appearance of his poop meant he was getting plenty of nutrients. When he started to fuss I stuck my finger in his mouth to feel his tongue movement and I realized his tongue was moving and working perfectly. I said that out loud which made my midwife immediately stop what she was doing to ask why I would think anything was wrong. I told her everything Melanie said to me. My midwife assured me that my baby was healthy and thriving. I canceled my appointment with Melanie and Dr. Zink. Melanie messaged me right away asking why I canceled, saying that I would lose my appointment time and not be able to get in for weeks which would put my already struggling baby in grave danger. I never ended up getting him released. We had a beautiful, thriving breastfeeding journey. I ended up being an over supplier and was able to donate to multiple mamas all thanks to my midwives and the LC contact they shared. read more

I met Melanie in Dec. 2022. My daughter was struggling to gain weight, so we made an urgent appointment to see Melanie. She diagnosed a "type 2 lingual frenulum and class 4 labial frenulum," which Melanie said must be released ASAP. Melanie said this would be the only thing to solve our baby's feeding issues. Something about her demeanor was unsettling. I asked for time to think before we made such a big decision. Melanie promised to call the dentist, Dr. Zink, to work us into his schedule. Conveniently, Zink had a last-minute cancellation, she said, and Melanie promised to hold it, but we were pressured to decide fast. Because Zink doesn't take insurance, we told Melanie we preferred a specific provider who did. Melanie discouraged us, but refused to tell us why citing only "HIPAA reasons." Melanie said Zink would give a discount, and touted his superior abilities. We agreed to use Zink because of Melanie's insistence we act quickly. 3 days later we were in Zink's office for the procedure. His office had a "back alley" feel. It was dark and there was no receptionist. We were the only clients. Melanie led us to an exam room. I believed Melanie was there for post-release lactation support, so I found it odd she was in scrubs. I soon learned she would assist with the release. She opened a drawer of homeopathic "medicine" which she sold us. Tylenol wasn't an option. Our encounter with Zink was brief, as was the exam he performed. In addition to lip/tongue ties, Zink said our baby had buccals and recommended those be released too. We initially declined. Melanie pushed us, saying a 2nd procedure may be needed if the lip/tongue release didn't work. Reluctantly, we agreed. Melanie turned on a sound machine and told us to wait in the exam room. I heard my baby scream over the white noise. When Melanie brought her back, my daughter was screaming and I was sobbing, feeling sick about what we put her through. Melanie told me to stop crying because it was going to affect my ability to nurse. Melanie pushed my baby's head into my breast, and I smelled her burnt flesh. Melanie showed my husband how to perform the post-op stretches. She stressed the importance of pushing hard on the wounds to avoid reattachment. We were told to do them 4x daily. Melanie said she had other clients waiting and began to pack our things, including my breast pump. She put it all in our stroller and wheeled it into the hall. In front of us, she apologized to the next clients for the delay. At our 3-day follow up, I told Melanie my baby was still unable to nurse. Every time she latched, she instantly fell asleep. The nursing session at the appt was no different. I felt so vulnerable in this moment and Melanie's indifference was very offputting. As soon as our time was up, she walked out of the room telling us she had another client to tend to. I left feeling absolute despair not knowing if my baby would ever nurse. A few days later, I texted Melanie that my baby hadn't nursed, and I was worried I was losing my nursing relationship. Melanie said sometimes babies just prefer the bottle, which devastated me because Melanie previously told us she had a 100% success rate getting babies back to breast. My baby never nursed again. She is 15 months old and cannot eat solids. She has an oral aversion and is speech delayed. A swallow study found she has dysphasia likely attributed to the release. Her life is filled with specialist appointments and therapies. The stretches are barbaric, but Melanie claims they are essential for breastfeeding success. We were later told by multiple providers that the stretches are unnecessary. We are still haunted by the trauma caused by those stretches. The very thing Melanie said would fix my baby's feeding issues is now the reason she cannot eat. We have been told she may never eat or speak normally. Melanie, my daughter's voice may have been stifled, but mine will not. I will continue to share our horrific experience to protect parents from being pressured and intimidated, and to protect babies from a similar outcome. read more

Melanie helped us so much and was so comforting during our breastfeeding journey. Our baby had a tongue tie she helped us have released and took care of us for weeks post procedure. Our little guy is a completely different and happier baby! So glad we found her! read more

I cannot say enough good things about Melanie she is so much more than a lactation specialist! As first time parents she gave us positive advice that has made a difference in such a short time. We found her when my son was a month old and by 2.5 months old he was latched and looking for the breast. We did the tongue and lip tie which did not help right away with latching it did help with the gas issues we were having. At our last appointment our baby saw Melanie and gave her a big smile. I guess he enjoyed the appointments just as much as we did. Thank you Melanie for all you do! read more

Melanie was fantastic! I got in contact with her in a little bit of a panic after I realized my son had a tongue tie that was discovered at 4 months and needed resolved. My supply was low and I needed assistance in learning how to get it back up and to ensure my feeding form was good. The amount of information that Melanie provided me with has helped me continue to breastfeed my son when I was sure that my journey was over. Thank you Melanie for your help in our success! read more

Melanie changed our life. I'm eternally grateful! We have been through so much in the last 9 months trying to help our baby. I knew she had an oral tie but everyone kept turning us away because she was gaining "enough" weight. She couldn't nurse, eat, or sleep properly all this time. We went to all the therapies, body work, and pediatric dentists but nothing fully helped. We finally found Melanie! She was so caring and knowledgeable. She helped us immediately. I will be FOREVER grateful. It hasn't even been a week since our baby's ties were released and it's just night & day difference. Thank you so so much for what you do, Melanie! read more

I strongly recommend Melanie, she has helped my granddaughter before she had our great granddaughter and then she went to the hospital the day after she was born. She listened to my granddaughter and then walked her through all the answers in detail. I am so pleased we found Melanie. Thank you, Bettina Debenham read more

Melanie is so kind and helpful. I took both my boys to her. My eldest son has had no issues a year and half after revision. We walked through it again after my second son has similar latch issues And Melanie was there to guide and comfort us. Both my boys have healed beautifully and are great eaters and sleepers! I'll be bringing any future children to her. Thank you Melanie!!! read more

Melanie is a wealth of information and experience. I was able to observe and learn from her during my lactation training, and she is an invaluable resource. Many lactation and pediatric providers do not have the most recent education on things like tongue ties and other 'common' conditions and procedures (nipple shields or formula supplementation for example), and knowing how and when to use these things can make or break a breastfeeding relationship. Melanie has proven to be dedicated both to her clients and furthering her knowledge to better serve them. read more

I don't like to leave negative reviews, and I decided to just ignore my experience in March of 2022. I was very afraid that I had just misinterpreted the encounter in my postpartum brain based on the many 5 star reviews. However, I just read the New York Times article that Melanie was named in, and I decided I would be irresponsible to keep quiet. I had one phone call with Melanie that left me feeling awful. She diagnosed my baby with a tongue tie over the phone without ever seeing us, and told me to call her pediatric dentist for a revision. When I said I'd like to talk to his pediatrician, her tone completely changed and she became very demeaning and told me that his pediatrician isn't going to notice it and I will not be helping my child. I was told that it is best not to go to his ENT because they won't catch it, and that the laser was the best option. All evidence in that article points to the opposite, and I am so grateful I trusted my gut and didn't follow through with Melanie's advice. The icky feeling from that phone call has stuck with me for almost two years. read more

Melanie is an angel on earth. Her knowledge and care are second to none. My twins were missed at birth for tongue tie, and we never breastfed, I pumped. I wish I knew her then. With my last baby, I sought her out and she helped me through revising my baby's ties, aftercare and creating a successful breastfeending journey, that lasted 23mo. She answered so many questions and concerns I had along the way. I treasure her! Melanie has also grown to become a wonderful friend. I now volunteer my time & we work together to help mamas and families seek out help and care with breastfeeding challenges and find good doctors in Idaho. I'm glad to be able to continue to stay in touch with her. read more

Working a long side Melanie has been a wonderful experience. She is caring, compassionate, and extremely educated in all things lactation and tongue ties. I have witnessed many mothers come in discouraged and Melanie was able to solve the problems and able to get mother where she wanted to be with ease and gentleness. I recommend her to all mothers! read more

Update to previously 5 star review: We went back to see Melanie for an update on baby's tongue 4 weeks post revision. She "manually released" WITHOUT my consent and it caused a great deal of pain in baby. We had trouble nursing after. While we are finally gaining momentum again after this, it was a rough go after an already rough go at nursing. We have found great help in chiropractic care and cranial sacral. read more

Melanie has truly found her passion helping new mamas navigate the emotional roller coaster of breastfeeding. She is kind and gentle while providing a wealth of knowledge and support. I contacted her at a breaking point with my infant who had a tongue tie. She made time to call immediately and talk through the struggles we were having and just that conversation made me feel so much better. At our visit the following day she showed me all kind of tips and tricks to help with my baby as well as solid recommendations for care providers in the area. She came back after we had the tongue tie revision and helped guide us through recovery. Each time we interacted, I immediately felt relief. She is so gentle with baby and mama, at times when both need it so much. If you're struggling with breastfeeding at all, I highly recommend you reach out to Melanie! read more

Melanie was fantastic to work with. My baby was about 3 weeks old and struggling with digestion issues. She sat down with me and showed me many hands on massage techniques to use with my sweet newborn. I began using what I learned immediately and began seeing results. I wish that I would have known what I do now with my 3 older kiddos. I still use some of the massage techniques on all of my kids, and they love it. It is such a nice time to bond and connect with them. I was also struggling with some breast feeding issues and recurrent clogged milk ducts and mastitis. Melanie was able to give me some pointers and suggestions to prevent and treat the problem. She is very knowledgable and easy to work with. Her passion is evident and she naturally makes you more comfortable and confident as a new momma or 4th time momma whichever the case may be. ;) I am so grateful to know Melanie and to have had the opportunity to work with her. read more

Melanie was really intuitive and helped me a lot after my second child was born. I had never used any type of doula services before and just knew I needed some help. Melanie was amazing at coming in and achieving so much in such a short amount of time. She could handle my two children with ease, accomplish everyday tasks that had become so daunting for me, and still had time to show me infant massage and help me bond with my baby! I would definitely recommend her to friends! Thanks Melanie!! read more

Melanie was the most caring & knowledgeable lactation consultant of several I had met when I was struggling with recurring bouts of mastitis. I was determined not to give-up my breastfeeding journey despite having 3 episodes of mastitis in 4 1/2 months. Not only that, but when I had initially reached out to a group (Le Leche League) for help- she immediately came to my home & got to the root of the problem. I am proud to say that I'm still breastfeeding (baby is 10 mos) & it's in large-part thanks to Melanie. read more

Melanie was compassionate, informative and very helpful to our lactation needs! A little history: Our first child was misdiagnosed with feeding issues for the first 11 months of her life and after many months of multiple doctors, lactation specialist, occupational therapists finally when we informed of her having a lip and tongue tie and she had it surgically addressed at 11 months old by Dr. Ghaheri. Fast forward to present time: My wife and I just had our baby boy March 27th and immediately we were experiencing breast feeding issues, so we sought out lactation consultations and also another appointment with Dr. Ghaheri. Our son underwent a tongue tie surgery and then we met with Melanie yesterday. She was very empathetic to our family history dealing with complex lactation and feeding issues, she gave us very concrete suggestions moving forward, and was able to give us handouts and exercises to help with our son. Thank you Melanie for listening to our concerns, and the great care for my wife and son! read more

I was having some issues breastfeeding my daughter and I gave Melenie a call and she offer to come the next day. She was soo helpful for me and I learned a lot of new things about breastfeeding and she helped me find the best position to breast feed my daughter. Next day she also came in for infant masage. That massage was my life saver. After the massage my daughters slept for 2 hours. She was the best read more

I took a group Infant Massage class with Melanie and learned a ton! She is very knowledgeable, patient and fun to be around. She has also helped a few of my friends with lactation issues, and even doing in home visits. I feel comfortable working with Melanie because of all of her doula and lactation training. Its hard to get help as a mom with a newborn. Melanie is the full package with being a Certified Postpartum doula, Infant massage instructor and Lactation Educator. I can't rave enough about her! read more

Melanie was such a great help with my newborn twins. I was fortunate to have her as a postpartum doula. She has such a calm, nurturing presence and was so helpful to me on my new journey in motherhood. She openly shared things that worked with her children when they were babies and always presented all child rearing ideas as options. She also stressed the importance that I really needed to take care of myself in the midst of all the craziness of having newborn twins. I will always be eternally grateful to her for those early months with my babies. She was there with tips and tricks for caring for newborns, and she was also the quiet presence that just took care of my babies when I just needed some rest. read more

I consider breastfeeding one of the biggest challenges I have had to face in my entire life as a new mom. I started to see a lactation consultant from the beginning who was helpful, but it was really Melanie who could finally figure out what the problem was. Melanie is so knowledgeable and kind. She offered to visit us at the comfort of our house. She examined my daughter for tongue tied and weighed her before and after feeding. She also watched me nursing her and let me know what she thought the problem was. She helped me to learn about different positions of breastfeeding and supported us every step of the way. If it wasn't for her, being a working mom, I wouldn't be still nursing my five month old daughter. read more

Melanie is an incredible resource for all things baby. She has the experience (she is a mother to six), the knowledge (she's got a degree in Family Life and a long list of certifications), and the connections (she can help you find the right specialist if the need arises). I am very thankful that I met Melanie after having my baby girl. She helped both of us learn and grow in so many ways. read more

Melanie taught me about infant massage, and it was a great experience. She helped me feel more comfortable about touching/holding my baby, and taught me the importance of touch and mother/baby bonding while answering all my questions without judgement. She is a complete professional. read more