(Meet Kristi)
IBCLC
Breastfeeding, Food Allergy Educator
Kristi Cortina, BA, BS, IBCLC
Kristi Cortina is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), mother, allergy warrior, and baby feeding guru. When you pair her business management and accounting skillset to her lactation skillset you get a superb double duo of goal oriented, finance focused, mission driven, fiery support. If that does not get you excited about her, I am not sure what will…
How Kristi’s History Led to Supporting Families With Infant Food Allergies
Kristi started her family while serving in the United States Marine Corps in 2019. When she started her parenting journey, she knew nothing about lactation.Unfortunately, she quickly realized that the local hospital did not offer any lactation support or assistance. She didn’t realize that you needed to have the correct flange size for pumping to go well, using the incorrect size for 6 months while on Active Duty, until seeking assistance from an IBCLC who correctly fit her size. Once she learned this new information her entire journey got better. Since there was no one to answer this call of duty, Kristi set out to find solutions to help moms with this very basic need. She started as a peer lactation support educator.
We LOVE that she saw a need and moved quickly to help fix it!
She also joined the milk donation community. What better way to serve than to donate your very own breast milk to help other mothers in need. You can learn more about donating human milk for fellow families in our Milk Stash Blog Post!
Kristi did not stop there; she knew that she needed to reach the masses, so she started her quest to become an IBCLC. Unfortunately, this journey as it was missing a key ingredient, the IBCLC curriculum did not include food allergy education. She quickly realized that her infant fell into the “breastfed babies can go longer than 10 days without pooping” myth. Kristi knew that this myth sounded “off”, but she was not quite sure where to start.
After Kristi gave birth to her second daughter, she became all the wiser. Her second child also had food reactivity, and Kristi refused to believe the status quo. She knew that her first child was suffering, and she regrets having listened to the “misinformation”.. She set out with a clear mission: to extinguish breastfeeding myths. Her next step….why not get a master’s degree in public health to light the way? She understood how critical an education in public health would be if she wanted to advocate for families. She wanted to teach parents how to get answers to their questions and how to push for further studies and investigation. A parent knows their baby best, and parents should not have to fight this hard to get irrefutable science-based answers!
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Looking for an infant allergy expert to help you navigate your child’s symptoms?
Stressed about an elimination diet on a budget?
Overwhelmed about where to even start with infant food allergies?
Frustrated with feeling unheard by medical professionals?
Do you need help advocating for yourself and getting medical providers to understand your perspective?
We understand and we’ve got you covered!
As a mother of two infants with food reactivity, Kristi understands exactly how hard it is to find the culprit of your child’s discomfort, and get answers fast!
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Here’s what you can expect to receive from Kristi at Free to Feed!
I commit to…
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Being someone who can help advocate for you and your baby!
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Helping you to feel empowered and not alone through this journey.
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Guiding and supporting you through feeding challenges that often come along with allergies.
Kristi is highly credentialed, boasting a variety of professional achievements:
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Bachelor of Arts, Accounting
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Masters in Public Health
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International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
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5 Fun facts about Kristi and her family:
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All of her family's birthdays have the number 11 in them!
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Her favorite food is wagyu steak and they go to eat at Fogo De Chao at least once a year!
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They visit Las Vegas every year for a club, even her husband joins the fun!
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She is an absolute bookworm and loves to read anything and everything! Lactation and childbirth are her favorite genres.
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She is a sourdough bread connoisseur!
What Kristi wishes most parents understood about food allergy babies:
"First, you are not alone!
Second, butter is dairy!
Know that these challenges will not last forever. Once I worked with professionals who could help me, it made the experience a lot smoother! Having my own children who went through infant food allergies, and finding support through it truly made it more manageable, although it felt quite isolating oftentimes."
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Get guidance from an experienced IBCLC who understands the importance of advocating for your food allergy infant.
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