Who is Dr Tanima Singhal – Lactation Consultant & Garbh sanskar expert

Hello, myself Dr Tanima Singhal, presently working as a Lactation Consultant & Garbh sanskar expert. I have work experience in the field of Maternal and child health since 2008.

With life taking me to different cities within India like Hyderabad, Kanpur etc, I learned about clinical research, clinical trials etc too which added to my knowledge but my passion for working with women and child never faded.

After my first child, it was difficult for me to stay home and I joined my job back after 6 months of childbirth. But then after second child, it was a mind toss between family and career. One thing was sure that doing job was not possible now.

So when it was a time to decide between career and family, I had two sides of a coin, wanted to give best as a parent but also didn’t want to let go waste the hard work which my mother did to make me a doctor. Leaving my career was like putting down her efforts.

But then I found a mid way. Women and Child health was my favorite field. I used my knowledge and experience to guide women who were pregnant. When I was in job, pregnant women and their families had loads of queries which were unanswered sometimes due to lack of time in OPD rush. So I decided to work as an educator and started taking Pregnancy education classes. Learned more about the various other aspects and also included the concept of Garbh Sanskar which I learned during my medical graduation. So incorporating concepts of Garbh Sanskar added stars to my classes and all went well. 

With time I realized mothers needed guidance not only during pregnancy but after childbirth too especially for Breastfeeding. I also realized awareness on breastfeeding was lacking and the guidance given at hospitals or by doctors is very traditional. So got trained myself for Lactation and started working also as a Lactation Consultant.

This was a major leap of my life, I built some beautiful relations with mothers and my tribe of mothers is increasing day by day. I have a deep connection with mothers visiting me and I realised purpose of my life. Seeing cute babies is a perk and is a very satisfying experience.

Then mothers used to ask what should be given to babies as complimentary feeding to baby after 6 months. Now it was time for me to study more. They needed guidance on starting solid foods. So again trained myself further on this and now guiding them for diet related queries too.

With a good word of mouth, major part of my patient base is referrals from the mothers who either took or are taking my consultations.

I also take sessions on Baal Sanskar and coined it as Smart Parenting sessions.

My clinic is located at Vikas Nagar, Lucknow. We named it as Maa-Si Care Clinic….caring like a mother.

As a doctor I was approached by many people for conducting medical camps, so conducted many such camps and formed Maa-Si Care Foundation in 2017 which I feel very proud of as it is 12A 80G certified and that too within 2 years of its formation.

During this whole journey I realized, that I am working on educating women on different aspects and it helps to improve the mental health but still something was missing.

The nutrition needs of families were catered by the options available in the market but they are very adulterated or very costly. So i thought of a natural food solution without chemicals or preservatives yet it should be affordable. The market options are harming my tribe mothers, babies and their families who are my extended family and I had to do something for it.

Now my mother came to my rescue, her expert recipes which I used for my kids, I started advising mothers to prepare them. But a new mother lacks time and many of them asked for a solution to prepare it for them. So I made some nutrition mixes and was thoroughly loved by families. This made us realize a new territory for us to work upon.

We now manufacture 8 kinds of nutrition mixes namely,

Lactation mix

DR. MIX Lactation mix is highly rich blend of 13 herbs which are directly sourced from nature. Dr. mix “Lactation mix” is a very effective product without having any kind of added flavors and sugar. Fennel , Carom Seeds , Cumin seeds , Cinnamon , Fenugreek, dried ginger black pepper and Shatavari are herbs which are very well known for galactagogues that helps in ” enhancing milk supply” in breastfeeding moms. “Lactation mix” is completely preservative free and completely safe for new mothers. DR. MIX Lactation mix comes with shelf life of “9 Months”. It helps new moms in regaining their strength, increasing iron and calcium levels naturally.

Poshak Tatva powder

DR. MIX Poshak Tatva is complete combination of protein, magnesium, potassium etc. It’s a complete mixture of germinated, roasted and powdered cereals & pulses which made by thoroughly washed, sundried, pulverized at optimal temperature to preserve its natural & organic nutrition content. DR. MIX Poshak Tatva is very useful for anyone looking to improve their health, nutrition level in body, natural protein, and energy and increase immunity naturally. It comes from the house complete natural products under the brand name of “DR.MIX”, which are well known for their natural remedies, 100% Natural ingredients no added sugar, no artificial flavors, no artificial colours, no taste enhancers. As Dr. MIX believes in Quality so all DR. MIX products comes with high quality and hygienically prepared and packed.

Amylase Powder

Dr. Mix Amylase powder is best for nutrients absorption. It is very useful in improving the digestive system of a human body. “DR.MIX” Amylase powder breaks starch into tiny sugar particles which help in keeping stomach digestive and healthy. It can be used by complete family. It does not contain any artificial flavours and added sugars. It’s completely made with high quality of sprouted and roasted grains like “Ragi, Green Gram and wheat. It can be used at the time of making food as per the quantity of the food or can be mixed in food while serving. Amylase powder comes with a life span of 9 months from the date of manufacturing.

Powder of nuts and seeds

DR. MIX powder of nuts and seeds is a POWERHOUSE OF NUTRITION made with the goodness of Nuts & Seeds. Rich in Protein, Healthy Fat & Dietary Fibre. 100% NATURAL – contains NO ADDED PRESERVATIVES/ SYNTHETIC COLORS. However we ensure that we ship only freshly prepared products. Dr. MIX powder of nuts and seeds is “HIGHLY VERSATILE” – Can be added to milk , porridge, breakfast cereals, cooked vegetables, gravies, dosa, roti , juices, milkshakes, smoothies, salads, soups, lassi, sweets, desserts , pancakes & a lot more. NOTE: The product is ready to use & needs no cooking.
EASY TO USE – Mix a spoonful of DR. MIX Nuts & Seeds powder to your favourite food & your nutrient-dense meal is ready.
QUALITY IS OUR FUNDAMENTAL DRIVER – As always, all DR. MIX products are hygienically prepared and packed. It is very useful for brain development and increasing immunity naturally.

Multigrain ready to eat mix

Atta Combo

Our nutrition mix brand name is DR MIX. All our nutrition mixes are FSSAI licensed and tested by NABL accredited lab. They are 100% natural with no preservatives.

We now deliver them throughout India and they are available to be ordered from e commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart etc and are available on our website too.

During Corona disease outbreak, and lockdown, learned how to go digital. This was a major technical learning which helped a lot and now I take online consultations too. My patient base is now not restricted to only Lucknow but has mothers outside India too.

A lot of queries are asked about me for Lactation Consultant, so now I am going to write more about Lactation Consultant.

Who is a Lactation Consultant? 

A lactation consultant is a specialized doctor who takes care of all the clinical management of breastfeeding practices. A lactation consultant is meant for assisting a mother in solving the problems related to breastfeeding and all the other childcare-related problems. They are trained to provide advice related to pregnancy care of the baby’s mother and postnatal care. 

The mother faces lots of problems after the baby’s birth, such as lack of milk supply in the breasts, pain in the breasts or engorged breasts. Other issues include blocked ducts, sore nipples. If you face any problem related to postnatal care, then you should go to a lactational consultant for proper advice.

Are Lactation Consultants, doctors? 

Not necessarily, lactation consultants are doctors. They are medical practitioners, physicians, midwives, dieticians and often nurses too. The dieticians are with some additional certification can be lactation consultant. A lactation consultant can work in public health programs, hospitals and private clinics also. 

Many of the doctors and nurses who work with new mothers and give breastfeeding advice have less formal or professional education regarding breastfeeding. A lactation consultant has an international level of professional education, which is necessary to treat problems. On the other hand, lactation consultants have complete lactation education and clinical experience of breastfeeding with mothers and babies.

What job Lactation Consultants do? 

A lactation consultant will assist you regarding all the postnatal breastfeeding problems and provide you with the best diet plan and routine activities for a lactating mother. If you are pregnant and need tips to be taken care of your upcoming baby, you can take the help of a lactation consultant. 

They can prepare you for breastfeeding before the birth of the baby and will assist you in the related problems for it. A lactation consultant will help you to understand the normal process of breastfeeding and its signs of troubles. If you are struggling with sore nipples and less milk supply, you should not worry too much because a lactation consultant will help you with the necessary advice.

When should I see a lactation consultant? 

When a mother encounters breastfeeding problems, which includes painful and difficult latching, low milk supply to the breasts or too much milk supply. Other issues like too much weight gain or weight loss (more than 10% loss of weight from the weight at the time of birth) of the new-born baby.

Whether it is your first time or third-time of pregnancy, you might still have questions if you are breastfeeding. Is my baby getting enough milk? Am I doing this, right? Why are breasts engorged? What is the reason for sore breasts? So all these questions can be answered by a well certified lactation consultant. So, if you have such questions, then you should go to a lactation consultant. He/she will suggest to you all the necessary advice and treatments for your problems.

Which is the best brand of a breast pump?

The best brands of breast pumps are as follows-

Diya Breast pump: is good both quality wise and affordable too if looking for electric, double sided pump options.

Medela Symphony Double Electric Breast Pump: It is the best hospital grade breast pump. 

Medela FreeStyle Flex Double Electric Breast Pump: It is the best breast pump for multitasking. 

Lansinoh Signature Pro Double Electric Breast Pump: It is the best budget hospital grade breast pump. 

Bella baby Double Electric Breast Pump: It is the best budget electric breast pump. 

The Pumps are meant for making the process a little less well and sucky. It can help you in increasing milk supply even in the early days. The pump will help you to extract the milk as it will enhance the overall production of milk.

What foods help in Lactation? 

The foods that increase the breast milk supply are :

Oatmeal: It is one of the best food which boosts the milk supply in the mother’s breast. This includes Fibres, Iron, Magnesium and Zinc in it.

Fenugreek Seeds: It is a popular remedy to enhance the breast milk supply in mothers.

Garlic: Some tedious but fruitful researches in this field have proven that it has breast milk increasing property.

Leafy Green Vegetables

Brewer’s Yeast 

Fennel Seeds 

Protein-rich food supplements

Alfalfa

Do breasts need time to refill? 

Although the breasts are never truly empty, the milk is continuously being produced in lactating mothers. The milk is being produced endlessly, before and after breastfeeding, and even it is produced nonstop during the action of breastfeeding. The production of milk in lactating mother follows “Demand and Supply Law”, wherein the more the baby suckles the milk out of the breasts, the more milk is in turn produced in the breasts of the mother.

If there is a long gap between two feeding intervals, it will result in a lesser amount of milk than that in average breastfeeding laps. So, continuous extraction of milk is necessary for the constant production of milk from the glands.

Should I see a Lactation Consultant before birth? 

Yes, if you are visiting a lactation consultant before your baby’s birth can help you prepare for breastfeeding or provide expressed milk to the newborn baby. The prenatal lactating consultancy is one of the best approaches if you want to get ready for breastfeeding. 

The lactation consultant will advise you for all the tips necessary for increasing the breast milk supply in the breasts, the diet to be consumed from the time of pregnancy to the time of birth. The diet should be included in the diet plan of a pregnant woman. The lactation consultant will tell you all the necessary steps to be taken before and after the pregnancy.

Should you keep pumping if nothing is coming out?

If you need to produce more milk, then you should keep pumping even if little or no milk is coming out. Continuous pumping will produce more milk as the milk is delivered as per the demand. 

Power pumping mimics a baby’s feeding, so power pumping is an effective way to enhance the milk supply. Slowly the more production of milk starts coming out. If your baby is feeding efficiently from time to time, then you just don’t need to use a pump.

Do insurance companies cover Lactation Consultant?

A lactation consultant’s insurance coverage depends on the insurance company, your health plan, and the breastfeeding practitioners you want to see. You need to communicate with your health insurance company directly about the benefits and including services. 

The health insurance should cover your visits to your lactation consultant. The insurance should also include delivery and hospital stay as well. Some private lactational consultant is also included in your insurance. Your insurance will pay for every visit you make with your doctor.

How can I increase my milk supply in a day?

The foods that increase breast milk supply are as follows:

Fenugreek seeds are a good source of healthy vitamins, which are necessary for lactating mothers. It consists of omega-3 fats and is essential for the brain development of the baby. 

Fennel seeds

Garlic

Helps to increase breastmilk supply. 

Green leafy vegetables like spinach, fenugreek leaves, mustard greens, and vitamins minerals such as iron, calcium and folate. 

Cumin seeds: they stimulate the milk supply and also improve digestion. 

Sesame seeds are a source of calcium which is an essential nutrient for a baby’s development. 

Holi basil

Nuts and dried fruits.