As Midwives, we are often the first line of breastfeeding support and the first ones to assess difficulties. It is crucial to know about, and be able to assess for potential contributors to poor latch, and poor milk transfer such as tongue tie.

Michele Burtner, CNM, MS, MPH, IBCLC began her career as first as a labor and delivery nurse while on the pathway to becoming a midwife. Her undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing degree was completed at the University at Buffalo. After finishing the midwifery program at OHSU, she worked for a large inner-city community practice in Indianapolis, providing both inpatient and outpatient midwifery care to both low and high-risk women. After moving back to the Pacific Northwest, she continued working as a full-scope midwife, including waterbirth, and teaching midwifery students. She moved back to Western New York in 2007 where she joined the URMC Midwifery Group at the University of Rochester. She served as Midwifery Division Director from 2013-2018. In 2021, Michele completed a Fellowship in Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine as well as a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Rochester. She is the Associate Medical Director of Breastfeeding and Lactation Services at URMC.

Hayley Hoffman, CNM, MSN, IBCLC, is a Midwife on faculty at the University of Maryland, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She has been an IBCLC since 2017 and has dedicated herself to helping patients overcome feeding challenges. As a CNM, IBCLC, she has a unique scope that allows her to diagnose, treat, and refer both the mother and the baby. She founded and runs the outpatient breastfeeding medicine clinic at the University of Maryland. Her special interests include tongue ties, perinatal mood disorders, diabetes in pregnancy, and providing fourth trimester support. Her current research is on tongue ties and their effect on postpartum mood.