The Lactation Network

What The Lactation Network does

The Lactation Network (TLN) is a Chicago-based, privately held healthcare services company that operates the largest national network of International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) in the United States, covering all 50 states and having delivered 575,000+ patient visits. Its core product is insurance-covered lactation care delivered in-home, in-office, or via telehealth, monetized by billing commercial health plans (notably UnitedHealthcare and Aetna) directly under the Affordable Care Act's mandated lactation benefit. The technology layer consists of the myTLN patient portal for eligibility verification, IBCLC matching, secure provider messaging, and care plan access, a healthcare provider referral platform, and a healthcare-grade analytics and compliance stack (HITRUST-certified, HIPAA-compliant, with Heap, Resonate, and Google Analytics on the marketing side).

TLN runs a hybrid B2B2C model with four distinct customer surfaces: (1) families and new parents as the primary consumer segment, acquired through SEO, content marketing, organic social, and email; (2) employers and HR departments purchasing lactation support as an employee benefit, especially for return-from-parental-leave populations; (3) commercial health plans contracting TLN as an in-network provider to fulfill ACA-mandated breastfeeding support; and (4) healthcare providers (OBGYNs, midwives, pediatricians) who refer patients into the network. The go-to-market motion is sales-led across both consumer and enterprise surfaces, with insurance verification and billing handled in-house to remove a major access barrier for patients. Beyond clinical services, TLN operates two advocacy-oriented initiatives — a national Lactation Coverage Gap campaign targeting insurers and legislators, and the Room at the Table restaurant partnership program — and maintains a content library of IBCLC-backed breastfeeding resources. AI is deployed only at the operational layer, using third-party tools on de-identified clinical data for quality improvement, training, and documentation compliance; it is not a productized feature for external customers.

Name

The Lactation Network

Legal name

The Lactation Network, LLC

Website

https://lactationnetwork.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Lactation Network operates the largest US network of board-certified lactation consultants (IBCLCs), delivering insurance-covered in-home, in-office, and telehealth breastfeeding care across all 50 states, serving families, employers, health plans, and healthcare providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lactation and Postpartum Care Services

NAICS

Home Health Care Services (621610)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)

akta.pro primary industry

Lactation, Postpartum & Perinatal Support Services (HLAFAJAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Lactation & Infant Feeding Telehealth (lactation consulting, pumping support) (HLALAHAE)

Keywords

• Lactation consultation services
• IBCLC care network
• Postpartum breastfeeding support
• Insurance-covered lactation care
• Telehealth lactation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Insurance-covered lactation consultations: TLN operates as an in-network provider with commercial health plans including UnitedHealthcare and Aetna. IBCLC consultations are covered at no out-of-pocket cost to families as mandated by the Affordable Care Act. The company bills health plans directly for services rendered.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Lactation Network delivers insurance-covered lactation consultation services by International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) to expectant and postpartum families across all 50 U.S. states. Consultations are available in-home, in-office, or via telehealth and are billed directly to commercial health plans (including UnitedHealthcare and Aetna) under the Affordable Care Act's lactation benefit mandate, with no out-of-pocket cost to eligible patients. The company supports the service with the myTLN patient portal for insurance eligibility verification, provider communication, care plans, and breastfeeding resources.

Product overview

The Lactation Network (TLN) is a healthcare company that delivers accessible, insurance-covered lactation care through a network of International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs). The core offering is lactation consultation services — available in-home, in-office, or via telehealth — delivered across all 50 states and covered under the Affordable Care Act's lactation benefit mandate. TLN's primary service components are: (1) direct lactation consultation services via IBCLCs, supported by an insurance eligibility verification workflow; (2) the myTLN patient portal for ongoing care management and provider communication; and (3) a healthcare provider referral platform enabling clinicians to connect patients to TLN's IBCLC network. Beyond clinical care, TLN operates two advocacy initiatives: the Lactation Coverage Gap campaign to push for legislative and insurer action on lactation coverage, and the Room at the Table restaurant partnership program to create public spaces that support breastfeeding families. TLN also maintains a breastfeeding resources library providing IBCLC-backed educational content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lactation Consultation Services Insurance-covered lactation consultations delivered by International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) to expectant and postpartum families in-person (in-home, in-office) or via telehealth across all 50 U.S. states. Eligible patients pay no out-of-pocket cost under the ACA lactation benefit mandate, and TLN bills commercial health plans such as UnitedHealthcare and Aetna directly.
• Employer Lactation Benefits A workplace lactation benefit offered to employers and HR/benefits teams, providing employees access to TLN's IBCLC network for in-home, in-office, or telehealth lactation consultations to support employees returning from parental leave and to help employers meet worksite lactation accommodation requirements.
• Health Plan In-Network Lactation Provider Services B2B in-network provider services sold to commercial health plans, including UnitedHealthcare and Aetna, that need IBCLC coverage across the U.S. to meet ACA-mandated lactation benefits. Coverage varies by state and TLN is actively expanding insurance network partnerships.
• Healthcare Provider Referral Program A referral partnership offering for OBGYNs, midwives, pediatricians, and other prenatal and postpartum healthcare providers that enables them to refer patients into TLN's IBCLC network and receive shared charting and care plan visibility from the consulting IBCLCs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 575,000+ patient visits nationwide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Zaya Care: Zaya Care is a care-matching platform that connects expectant and postpartum parents with vetted lactation consultants, pelvic-floor therapists, and doulas, often with insurance coverage. It mirrors TLN's model of routing insured patients to in-network maternal-care specialists.
• Mahmee: Mahmee is a maternal-health platform offering in-home and virtual support to expectant and postpartum parents, including lactation consultants. It targets the same patient population and overlaps with TLN on postpartum lactation care delivered via a tech-enabled provider network.
• Wildflower Health: Wildflower Health is a maternal and family health platform that contracts with health plans and employers to deliver digital health programs including breastfeeding support. It competes with TLN for payor-sponsored maternal-health contracts.
• Aeroflow Breastpumps: Aeroflow Breastpumps is a direct competitor operating a similar DTC + insurance-covered model for breastfeeding supplies and lactation support, billing commercial insurance plans on behalf of patients. Both companies occupy the same ACA-driven lactation care lane and target the same payors.

Broad incumbents

• Progyny: Progyny is a publicly-traded fertility and family-building benefits provider sold to employers. While its core is fertility, it competes for the same employer-benefit wallet allocated to maternal/postpartum care, including lactation support.
• Ovia Health (Labcorp): Ovia Health, owned by Labcorp, provides maternity and family health programs to health plans and employers. Its pregnancy and postpartum programs include lactation resources, positioning it as a broader incumbent in the payor-sponsored maternal-health category.
• Maven Clinic: Maven Clinic is a well-funded virtual care platform for women's and family health, selling subscriptions to employers and payors. Lactation is one of many services in its broader women's health offering, making it a wider-portfolio incumbent competing for the same employer/payor dollars.

Others

• WIC (USDA Special Supplemental Nutrition Program): WIC is the federal program that provides free peer lactation counseling and breastfeeding support to low-income pregnant and postpartum women. It is a free public alternative that constrains demand for paid lactation services and overlaps with TLN's clinical care lane.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LactationNetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lactation-network
• Instagraminstagram.com/lactationnetwork
• Pinterestpinterest.com/thelactationnetwork

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Lactation Network