We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mara Lubic. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mara below.

Mara, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?

It was 2019, I was looking to get back into lactation more, and help parents with home visits. I had recently relocated and was working in different fields, while helping my kids get adjusted into school.

I was working in a hospital on a very part time, As needed status, and a Methodone clinic as a nurse. It was wacky hours and I was missing the calling of Lactation and home visits. Even though I was working at the hospital as their PRN( as needed) IBCLC, it was barely a part time position in a rural town.

I started the year talking about opening my own practice. Some of my was concerns were about the legal, financial and marketing. I had valid concerns, however I kept procrastinating. It wasn’t until a colleague and friend, in August of 2019 told me she sent a momma and baby to me. I laughed and said I’m not ready. She replied, you might wanna start one!
This was just what I needed to kick start my procrastination!

I spent those next 3 days building a business, paying the fees, buying a scale and supplies and getting ready to help my first momma and baby.

I find the hardest thing about owning my practice is rebuilding and growing with each move. We have finally found our forever home and hope I won’t have to redo all this hard work again.

The other hard part is getting in network with insurance companies. It has been a pain to learn how to do my own billing and how to advocate for a better health care system for new parents!

I would have read more books on how to start a small business if I was doing this for the first time again.

My advice for a young professional would have to be, owning your own small business isn’t for the faint of heart! I know this sounds weird however, it has kept me going in the toughest of times. Know that it will be hard but it is the best feeling to have my own practice! I wouldn’t trade it for the world .

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started my educational path at Palm Beach State College and obtained my Associates and LPN certification in 2009. After graduation, I started working in endocrinology. It has given me a knowledge base to help mothers with complex medical histories, such as diabetes or thyroid disorders.
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In fall of 2013, I earned my Bachelors of Health Sciences from Kaplan University with distinction of Summa Cum Laude.
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After the birth of our second daughter in August of 2013, I went to a local BabyCafe in El Paso, Texas looking for breastfeeding help. As a military spouse,at the time, it was very difficult to find support so far away from home. My breastfeeding experience with our first daughter was a struggle, and I was determined to make this journey with our second daughter different and successful. It was there, at Baby Cafe of El Paso, where I first realized my true calling of lactation!

I earned my International Board Certification in Lactation in 2015. I began working for one of the field’s leading IBCLC’s in Columbia, SC – Denise Altman RN, IBCLC.
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Over the years I have worked with hundreds of infants, and have a special interest determining how the infant structure affects the infant’s function. This can include tongue or lip ties, torticollis, birth trauma, or molding from uterine positioning.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

After opening my practice in 2019, I had to pivot my practice model by adding tele health, when COVID-19 happened. It was a difficult but needed shift to still be able to help parents and new babies.

In 2021 and 2023, I had to pivot two more times. Both of those years we relocated to new states and had our 3rd and 4th children. It was a time of growth in myself as well as the practice. I had to find balance between maternity leave and growing my client base. I partnered with other birth professionals to help grow my practice!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

You have to charge what you are worth! This has to be the hardest thing I had to learn again. In 2023, after relocating I had some difficulty with an insurance company. I ended up not getting paid for the visits I had done.

I didn’t send bills to the families I was working with, in fear they would be upset. This left me with a bit of resentment and frustration. I was so apprehensive about it, that I forgot to value my time and worth! I since have learned ways to make sure I get paid and value my time spend helping clients learn how to feed their infant.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mountainlactationservices.com
• Instagram: mountainlactationservices
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MountainLactationServices?mibextid=LQQJ4d