Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amanda DeWeese. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Amanda, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

My primary business is a private practice as a board-certified lactation consultant.

When I was brainstorming names, I came up with a lot of ideas–some funny, some sentimental, and lots of slang terms for breasts! I had a list of at least 100 terms and phrases that described how I felt about breastfeeding, what I wanted my biz to be known for, and catchy slogans.

I was (very!) pregnant with my fourth son when I decided to sit for the exam to become board-certified. I was newly postpartum when I decided to start my practice. As I sat spending endless hours nursing my new baby, I thought about why I wanted to start this business. Two thoughts kept circling back: for my boys and to empower families. As I watched my older sons play, racing back and forth with their superhero capes, I mused about how they were my little sidekicks. Those days, everywhere I went, they all went with me (they’re homeschooled). And it dawned on me–I wanted to be a sidekick to all the parents I would help along their breastfeeding journeys!

Voilà! Sidekicks Lactation was born! I have built this practice on the premise that parents are the superheroes (or as I like to say, SuperParents), and I’m their trusty Breastfeeding Sidekick. I have built this practice for my own Little Sidekicks (there are now 5), as without them, I wouldn’t have ever gone down this lactation road.

I also have a second business as a professional editor and research consultant. It is under the Sidekicks brand, as Sidekicks Editing and Research. Just like with my private practice, I am the Sidekick to all the writers, students, and educators that I help!

Amanda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Amanda, and I am an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). I have been helping families in the Tampa area with breastfeeding for over 10 years. In addition to being an IBCLC, I have also been an accredited La Leche League (LLL) Leader since 2013, and I am an experienced nursing mother of 5 sons. I earned a BS in Health and Physical Education with a concentration in Health Promotion and a BA in Spanish from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, and a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health from the University of South Florida, in addition to being Certified in Public Health (CPH).

My breastfeeding journey began when my oldest son was born as a preemie in 2010. With support from some great local LLL Leaders, my son and I enjoyed a long and healthy breastfeeding relationship. Between the births of my second and third sons, who also experienced full term (and tandem/triandem!) breastfeeding, I became accredited as a LLL Leader and obtained my MPH and CPH. Coupled with my education in Maternal and Child Health, my experience supporting families throughout the normal course of breastfeeding through LLL led me to seek certification to be a lactation consultant. Days after my fourth son was born (yes–all boys!!), I received the exciting news that I had passed the IBLCE exam. With help from my own little sidekicks, Sidekicks Lactation was born!

I have had the pleasure and honor of helping hundreds of families all over the United States, as well as internationally, meet (and exceed!) their breastfeeding goals. I see families prenatally, all the way up to weaning (and everything in between!)–and then again with siblings down the road! I love empowering families through evidence-based practice, but also provide the bedside manner of a mama raising her own 5 little ones. I enjoy helping families in the comfort of their own homes in the Land O Lakes/Lutz/Tampa areas, but also offer the convenience of telehealth. For folks wanting to get out of the house with a more budget-friendly option, I also offer office visits in Lutz.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

To be honest, social media isn’t really my thing! We still have a little bit of a love-hate relationship with each other these days. I remember the day a fellow small biz owner and sweet homeschooling mama told me I needed to get on Instagram. While I’m not completely technologically challenged, learning new platforms can take me some time and lots of trial and error.

I’ll admit–those first few posts were rough! And then once I got more comfortable with posts, stories became the new thing. Once I felt like I could handle stories, IGTV and reels became popular. And lives. It’s hard not to get overwhelmed trying to keep up (especially if you compare yourself to other brands), but showing up as *you* is going to help build your audience. I go through phases and spurts (coincidentally, if I’m really active on socials, it’s usually because I’m not as busy with families), but I really like to show the “behind the scenes” and rawness of everyday life as a breastfeeding parent, lactation consultant, and working mom myself. I’m sure that as my own little ones get older and my season of life changes, so will my online presence.

While I was working on building my modest community (I still have a long way to go!), some of the best tips I received were:
*Be authentic.
*Be consistent.
*Be relatable.
*Be cohesive.
*Be valuable.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

So, this is an interesting answer, but I actually funded my private practice by starting another biz first! Most folks don’t realize, but I’ve actually been an editor and research consultant for over twice as long as I’ve been a lactation consultant! I saved up a little (as much as you can while raising a house full of boys), and then when I needed extra funds for biz expenses for the practice, I took on other editing or writing projects until I was set up enough to run both comfortably.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sidekickslactation.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sidekickslactation/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SidekicksLactation/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-deweese-mph-cph-ibclc/
• Other: Booking: https://sidekickslactation.intakeq.com/booking Insurance verification: https://go.lactationnetwork.com/SidekicksLactation Linktree: https://linktr.ee/SidekicksLactation