San Diego Breastfeeding Center

What San Diego Breastfeeding Center does

San Diego Breastfeeding Center (SDBFC) is a private, founder-owned lactation and infant feeding support practice headquartered in La Mesa, California. Founded in 2009 by Robin Kaplan, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and Functional Nutrition Counselor, the practice serves expectant and new parents in San Diego County through in-person consultations and globally through virtual channels. The core offering is a comprehensive suite of one-on-one lactation consultations (prenatal, postpartum, bottle feeding, pumping, weaning, and induced lactation) plus functional nutrition counseling, perinatal and back-to-work classes, free weekly support groups, and online educational resources.

The practice's technology stack is built entirely on standard commercial SaaS rather than proprietary systems: intakeQ/Acuity for appointment scheduling, ThriveCart and Kartra for online course and funnel delivery, Squarespace for web and blog hosting, and Facebook for community engagement. The flagship digital product is the 'Breastfeeding for the Working Family' self-paced online course (launched June 2019), consisting of 14 instructional videos, customizable handouts, weekly live Q&As, and a private Facebook community. Content assets include The Sanity Spot blog, The Boob Group podcast (100+ episodes), and Robin Kaplan's published book 'Latch' (Penguin Random House). No mobile app, API, or AI/ML components are disclosed.

The business model is a hybrid of professional services and digital content revenue. Primary revenue comes from fee-for-service 60-minute lactation consultations billed directly to in-network insurance carriers (Anthem, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Aetna, Cigna, Health Net, Kaiser, Sharp Health Plan, UCSD Managed Care, and Medi-Cal), with self-pay clients receiving superbills for reimbursement. Secondary revenue streams include online courses, classes, and support groups that double as lead generation. The practice employs four people (three IBCLCs and one administrative staff), is bootstrapped with no external institutional funding, and is complemented by the separately incorporated San Diego Breastfeeding Center Foundation, a 501(c)-affiliated nonprofit founded in 2016 that has delivered over 1,000 free or reduced-fee consultations to BIPOC and low-income families.

Name

San Diego Breastfeeding Center

Legal name

San Diego Breastfeeding Center

Website

https://sdbfc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

San Diego Breastfeeding Center is a private, founder-owned lactation and infant feeding support practice in La Mesa, California, providing in-person and virtual IBCLC consultations, functional nutrition counseling, classes, and online courses to expectant and new parents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lactation Consulting Services

NAICS

Home Health Care Services (62161), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Lactation, Postpartum & Perinatal Support Services (HLAFAJAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Postpartum Newborn Care & Parent Education (NCS) (HSAAACAA), Feeding Support & Newborn Nutrition Care (NCS) (HSAAACAC)

Keywords

• Lactation consulting
• Breastfeeding support
• Infant feeding services
• Postpartum care
• IBCLC services

Headquarters

HQ city

La Mesa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Lactation Consultations: One-on-one breastfeeding and infant feeding consultations lasting approximately 60 minutes. Includes pre- and post-feeding weight checks, oral assessment, customized Plan of Care, and 2 weeks of free email/phone follow-up support. Direct insurance billing for in-network providers.
2. Functional Nutrition Consultations: Specialized nutrition counseling sessions addressing gut health, food sensitivities, milk supply optimization, and postpartum wellness.
3. Classes and Support Groups: Perinatal classes, back-to-work classes, and support groups. Virtual and in-person options available.
4. Online Courses - Breastfeeding for the Working Family: Self-paced online course with 14 videos, customizable handouts, exclusive Facebook group, and weekly live Q&As. Sold via ThriveCart platform.
5. Follow-up Appointments: Discounted follow-up consultations for clients with ongoing concerns. Weekly email subscription available for continued support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

San Diego Breastfeeding Center (SDBFC) is a private maternal and infant health practice that delivers one-on-one lactation consultations with International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs). Services span prenatal and postpartum lactation, bottle feeding, pumping, weaning, and induced lactation, complemented by functional nutrition counseling, perinatal/back-to-work classes, weekly support groups, and a self-paced online course (Breastfeeding for the Working Family). Care is delivered in-person at the La Mesa, California office and virtually worldwide.

Product overview

San Diego Breastfeeding Center (SDBFC) is a healthcare service provider offering a comprehensive suite of lactation and infant feeding support services. The core offering consists of one-on-one lactation consultations with International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs), complemented by functional nutrition counseling, educational classes, support groups, and online resources. Services include prenatal and postpartum consultations, specialized consultations for bottle feeding, pumping, weaning, and inducing lactation, plus an online course ('Breastfeeding for the Working Family'). Additional offerings include Tummy Time consultations, The Boob Group podcast, The Sanity Spot blog, and a curated Amazon product store. SDBFC operates as a service-based practice rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Boob Group: A weekly breast/chestfeeding podcast founded by Robin Kaplan with over 100 episodes
• Breastfeeding for the Working Family
• The Sanity Spot

Products and services

• Lactation Consultations
• Functional Nutrition Consultations
• Tummy Time Consultations
• Classes and Support Groups
• Breastfeeding for the Working Family Online Course
• SDBFC Amazon Store

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 free/reduced consultations provided through nonprofit foundation in 2023

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• San Diego Breastfeeding Center FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Nonprofit foundation founded by Robin Kaplan in 2016 with mission to reduce socioeconomic and racial disparities in chest/breastfeeding support. Raised over $150,000 in grants/individual donations in 2023 and provided over 1,000 free/reduced-fee lactation consultations and 16 scholarships to BIPOC individuals pursuing lactation education.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SimpliFed: SimpliFed is a telehealth lactation platform connecting new parents to IBCLCs for insurance-covered consultations, directly competing with SDBFC's virtual consultation and in-network billing model.
• Nest Collaborative: Nest Collaborative is a virtual lactation consultation service staffed by IBCLCs serving families nationwide via telehealth — the closest pure-play parallel to SDBFC's consultation-led offering.
• The Lactation Network: The Lactation Network is a national IBCLC provider network that facilitates insurance-covered lactation consultations, mirroring SDBFC's in-network billing model and core IBCLC service delivery.

Emerging players

• Mahmee: Mahmee is a maternal and postpartum health platform extending beyond lactation into broader perinatal support, overlapping SDBFC's postpartum and functional nutrition services at a tech-enabled scale.
• The Mama'hood: The Mama'hood is a postpartum support center providing lactation consultations, classes, and support groups comparable to SDBFC's perinatal class and support group offering.
• Tinyhood: Tinyhood is an online parenting education platform offering expert-led classes on infant care topics — directly comparable to SDBFC's perinatal, back-to-work, and online breastfeeding courses.

Broad incumbents

• Aeroflow Breastpumps: Aeroflow Breastpumps is a large DME provider distributing breast pumps through insurance with robust lactation content — broadly overlapping SDBFC's insurance-channel and content ecosystem, but as part of a much wider DME business.
• Lansinoh: Lansinoh is an established global breastfeeding accessories brand with educational content and products, serving a similar consumer set as SDBFC's curated Amazon store and content library but at a much larger retail scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-n_GkjqUOccz1C52cK34pQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/SanDiegoBreastfeedingCenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 San Diego Breastfeeding Center