08/13/2026
I suppose it’s time I properly introduce myself. 🌱
I’m Christina Schaefer, BSN, RN, IBCLC. For more than 15 years, I’ve had the privilege of supporting parents and families through pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, postpartum, and the enormous transition that happens somewhere in between.
I’ve done this work as a nurse, IBCLC, doula, educator, peer - and sometimes simply as another human willing to sit beside someone and listen.
My clinical background matters deeply to me. So does evidence.
But experience has taught me that knowing the evidence and knowing how to care for a human being are not always the same thing.
I believe breastfeeding is biological, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy.
I believe babies are remarkably competent - but sometimes something gets in the way of their ability to do what their bodies are designed to do.
And I believe people deserve good information, support without judgment, and care that honors their goals, experiences, and intuition.
My work is about understanding the whole picture: the baby, the parent, the body, the birth, the feeding relationship, the family, the environment and the story that brought them into the room.
Sometimes that means assessing milk transfer, oral function, milk production, positioning, nutrition, recovery, pumping, or bottle feeding.
And sometimes the most important thing I do is slow everything down long enough for someone to recognize that they know more than they think they do.
After more than 15 years of doing this work, I’ve realized there is so much more I want to say about it.
About breastfeeding. Babies. Biology. Postpartum. Parent health. The transition into parenthood. And the systems we’ve built around all of them.
So I’m creating more space for those conversations here.
If you’ve been here awhile, thank you.
And if you’re new, welcome to The Natural Root. 🌱
We’re going back to the acorn.
