After becoming International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC), Julia and Virginia developed the lactation program at Rush. Working closely with mothers they soon realized that even though educated and using the proper breast pump equipment mothers were still unsuccessful. Less than 10% of mothers who had taken a returning back to work and breast feeding class ever achieved their personal goal of nursing for three months. It was evident that without education, counseling and support at the work place, the success rate would not increase.

In 1992, they were approached by Amoco Corporation to educate their employees on returning back to work and nursing. In conjunction with Medela, Inc., the international leader in breast pump equipment, Transitions Into Parenting was incorporated and became the first corporate lactation program in the United States through Medela’s San Vita Program.

Transitions, now independent of the San Vita Program, cares for over several thousand working and nursing mothers per year. Transitions has found the magic key to assisting the working and nursing mother. Currently, 93% of their clients nurse to 6 months, a significant increase since the late 1980’s.

The staff at Transitions has increased to include Thecla Rettberg and several lactation consultants in the Chicagoland area and throughout the United States.

The number of nursing mothers will continue to rise. Our goal is to make that bridge between work and family, healthier, smoother and easier for both the mother and corporation.