Feeding Foundations

A class for expecting & new parents

Feeding Foundations

What every new parent deserves to know.

Feeding your baby in those first days and weeks is one of the most intense experiences of early parenthood — and most families step into it without nearly enough preparation. Feeding Foundations is a physician-led class designed to change that. We believe breastfeeding is worth preparing for and worth supporting. We also know that formula plays an important and sometime

s essential role for many families. This class gives you a foundational understanding of why infant feeding matters, the evidence-based benefits of breastfeeding, how your body prepares itself to feed your baby, and the common challenges that make the first week hard — so you arrive at those first days of feeding informed, prepared, and confident.

Course overview

What we cover

The first 1000 days

Infant nutrition isn't incidental — it's foundational. We open with why what babies eat in their earliest days matters so much, the unique properties that make human milk specifically suited to newborn needs, and why this window of time is worth taking seriously.

The evidence — and the reality

We teach the genuine, evidence-based benefits of breastmilk alongside the real circumstances where formula is medically appropriate, supplementation is necessary, or a family's situation makes breastfeeding unrealistic. Both things are true, and you need to know both.

Before Baby Arrives

There is more you can do to prepare for feeding before your baby is born than most families realize. We cover antenatal colostrum collection, getting your pump ready, practicing hand expression, and the risk factors that can affect milk supply and latch — so you walk into delivery already a step ahead.

The first week of life

What feeding actually looks like in the hospital and at home in those first critical days — what's normal, what's a warning sign, when to ask for help, and how to protect your milk supply while keeping your baby well-fed.

Hands-on skills

Leave with skills you'll actually use

Knowledge matters. So does knowing what to do with your hands at 2am. You'll leave this class with practical techniques that work regardless of how your feeding journey unfolds.

Hand expression

Every breastfeeding parent should know this skill before their baby is born. Critical in the first hours of life for colostrum collection, and one of the most underrated tools in your feeding toolkit.

Paced bottle feeding

Whether you're supplementing with formula, pumping, or combination feeding — how you give a bottle matters. Paced feeding reduces overfeeding, supports digestion, and protects the breastfeeding relationship when a bottle is part of your plan.

Engorgement care

When milk comes in, engorgement can be painful and, if unmanaged, can complicate feeding. You'll learn how to relieve discomfort safely, protect your supply, and recognize when engorgement is becoming something that needs attention.

Tennessee's only physician board-certified in breastfeeding medicine

Founder & sole provider of Tennessee's first medical breastfeeding clinic

Your instructor

Physician-led. Evidence-based.

FLOW | Tennessee's Center for Breastfeeding Medicine is the state's first — and only — dedicated medical breastfeeding clinic, founded on the belief that families deserve physician-level expertise when navigating infant feeding. We specialize in breastfeeding medicine, and we also live in clinical reality: we see every day how anatomy, hormones, history, and circumstance shape what feeding looks like for each family.

Feeding Foundations was built because the information gap is real. Most families arrive at birth having never thought about what infant feeding actually involves — the biology, the challenges, the decision points, the skills. This class gives you what no birth class, pediatrician visit, or Instagram reel does: clinical depth, honest tradeoffs, and the hands-on preparation that changes how the first week feels.

Board-certified pediatrics

Board-certified breastfeeding medicine

FLOW | Knoxville, TN

This class is for you if...

You want to breastfeed

You're planning to breastfeed and want to do everything you can to be prepared. We'll give you the clinical foundation, the risk factors to know, and the skills that matter most in those first days.

You're not sure yet

You're still weighing your options, or you'd like to try breastfeeding but have concerns. Understanding the full picture — including what can make breastfeeding harder — is exactly where to start.

Formula is part of your plan

Whether by necessity or by choice, formula is how many babies are fed — fully or in part. Paced bottle feeding, understanding what to expect in the first week, and knowing when to seek help matters for every family.

You're a partner or support person

The people in the room during those first exhausting days need to understand what's happening too. Come together — this information is for both of you.

Start your feeding journey prepared.

Led by Tennessee's only physician board-certified in breastfeeding medicine. Choose the format that works for you.

Evening Webinar

$25

Live · Virtual · Zoom

Join from anywhere for a live evening session covering everything in the Feeding Foundations curriculum. Questions welcome throughout.

Your Zoom link will be sent the day before class. Per family pricing.

In-Person Experience

8 spots only

$40

Live · Knoxville · Coffee included

A small, intimate gathering at a local coffee shop. Meet Dr. Eriksen in person, ask your questions directly, and connect with other expecting families over coffee.

Limited to 8 attendees. Partners and support persons are welcome to purchase their own spot. Location details included in class description at checkout.