We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Cara Riek and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Cara, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
After struggling with breastfeeding (my son) and eventually changing careers from teaching high school math to nursing, and then on to getting my Doctorate in Nursing Practice and specializing in Breastfeeding, I decided to help moms who are struggling with the same problems I had and open a practice (in Scottsdale, AZ and now Mesa, AZ) that specializes in breastfeeding and helping moms and babies to thrive.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We are proud that families trust us. They trust us with their babies and their own health. It was a long road to develop a patient base that respects and trusts us enough to recommend us to friends and others they know. Since most of our business comes from referrals, this is important. Rather than cut corners, I and my whole staff choose not to, but rather put in the time and effort to solve the problems that moms and babies come to us with and make sure we solve them! The biggest lesson is to listen. Listen to their (moms and babies) concerns and treat them as human individuals and give them respect. We put the effort in and because of that, we have so many come back to us with their next babies and tell their friends about us.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My husband and I have a younger family, so (especially right now, with COVID-19) we don’t go out a lot but we do like the trails and desert landscape we have in the Phoenix area.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Our story started in November of 2015 with a dynamic group of La Leche League leaders wanting to provide evidence-based breastfeeding care to families in the Valley of the Sun. Dr. Cara Riek started to realize this dream by becoming an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in 2015. Cara was (and still is) very involved in volunteer breastfeeding support, and has spent much time working to educate healthcare providers on the need for lactation-specific skills. With the loving help and inspiration of Rene Moore and Carol Kidd the vision of opening a centralized office that focuses specifically on breastfeeding medicine and holistic care of the mother/baby dyad came to be. Arizona Breastfeeding Medicine and Wellness was founded in September of 2016 by Dr. Cara with the help of her supportive husband Brian to further expand the scope of care to help families with their feeding needs.

Website: bfmedaz.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/bfmedaz
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arizona-breastfeeding-medicine-and-wellness
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bfmedaz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bfmedaz
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/arizona-breastfeeding-medicine-and-wellness-scottsdale
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC27f2m1Yj6PYQYrVn5irMTg

Image Credits
Colleen Adams (Phoenix, AZ)

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