About Gratitude & Grace Lactation

Krista Cassel, CPNP-PC, IBCLC

Krista is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and three-time breastfeeding mom who has developed a passion for working with nursing mothers while loving on families in pediatric primary care. She, too, has experienced many of the “bumps in the road” breastfeeding moms encounter and as a result loves to walk alongside mothers in their breastfeeding journey and empower them at the times they feel most vulnerable.

Krista combines her 10+ years of personal and client experience with evidence-based practice to equip mothers with strong foundations, realistic expectations and an effective plan to achieve their personal breastfeeding goals. She is a University of Kentucky graduate and proudly holds a Doctorate in Nursing Practice.

Krista decided to become a lactation consultant after struggling deeply in her own breastfeeding journey with her third child. During the peak of COVID in late 2020, breastfeeding support in the local community was nearly extinct.

We struggled with trouble latching due to nipple inversion, nipple shields and poor weight gain. I felt the fear and doubt when my baby was not back to birth weight at 2 weeks and I had to go from exclusive breastfeeding like I had with my other two children to pumping to closely monitor his intake. Things improved, but he still had slow weight gain and I was encouraged by my providers to “just give him more milk!” I felt hopeless - brushed off because I was “experienced” but wondering if so, why is it so hard? After a several weeks, he thankfully weaned off the shield and all the issues eventually resolved. We successfully continued our breastfeeding journey 13 months. I knew then that I never wanted another mom to feel as discouraged, lost and alone as I did in those earliest weeks, so I started my certification journey. It was not until I was weeks into my training that I learned the root cause of our breastfeeding struggles that started so many months ago.
With Gratitude & Grace, I acknowledge that I do not have all of the answers. But I am in this with you. You are not alone. My mission is to support parents and lactating families virtually to increase accessibility to quality, compassionate lactation care during the times they feel most vulnerable to improve the overall health of families and long-term outcomes. I am so humbled to walk with you in your journey.

Krista lives with her husband, Steven and their three beautiful children in warm and sunny southwestern Georgia. She enjoys camping and being outdoors with her family, running and serving at her church.