Today we’d like to introduce you to Diba Tillery.
Hi Diba, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a passionate advocate for the well-being of babies, and for helping them to get a healthy start in life. I am a registered nurse, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Certified Infant Massage Instructor, and founder and CEO of My Pure Delivery Breastfeeding Clinic.
In my ten years as a registered nurse in the NICU, I honed my skills in patient care, needs assessment, staff supervision and mentoring. More and more, as I helped mothers breastfeed, I developed an immense appreciation for the importance and power of human milk and found myself desiring more lactation specific training and formal education on this complex process. After seeing a baby’s life be saved by donor breast milk, I decided to become an IBCLC.
I noticed that although families were still struggling in the outpatient world, there was little to no qualified lactation support beyond the initial days in the hospital. Combining my entrepreneurial streak with an intense passion for helping babies thrive is how My Pure Delivery was born. Growing this business has been my main focus for the past ten years.
I opened my first clinic in Austin in 2016, and in 2017 we became the first lactation practice in Texas to become in-network with a major insurance provider. Today, we are in-network with ten major providers and have clinic locations in Austin and Plano. With the goal of elevating the field without elevating costs to those we serve, do the heavy legwork with insurance, keeping billing in-house so we can advocate for our clients and appeal denials to ensure they get the coverage to which they are entitled per our contracts and the Affordable Care Act.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Navigating the intricacies of insurance has been our biggest, and most ongoing hurdle. I am fortunate to have an amazing in-house billing team that advocates for our families to get our claims covered. Removing the cost barrier for as many families as possible is core to my mission. Lactation care is healthcare, and should be accessible to all.
Also, the pandemic forced us to switch gears and form an entirely new business model. Gone was the face-to-face, hands-on help and close collaboration that had always been integral to our service. So we shifted. Without layoffs or cutting hours, we figured out how to keep supporting families remotely and maintaining the level of service on which our reputation has been built. The transition pushed us out of our comfort zone and forced us to trust in our leadership and rely on one another and our shared passion for helping others, which allowed the company to grow and become stronger at a time when so many were going under or downsizing.
As you know, we’re big fans of My Pure Delivery. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
My Pure Delivery is a growing team of International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs), most of whom are also registered nurses with backgrounds in neonatal intensive care and women’s services. In addition to the full array of lactation services from prenatal to weaning, we also offer consults nationwide via HIPAA compliant telehealth.
An aspect that sets us apart is our strong belief in the power of collaborative care. After each appointment, we send a report to our clients’ physicians, so they are aware of our findings and recommendations. We also regularly refer to other specialties in certain situations, and keep a list of trusted referral providers. No one can specialize in everything, and this network is incredibly powerful for those who need it.
I am also TOTS certified, which is specialized training in the assessment and management of restricted oral tissues in infants. This training provided me with specific skills to support families with babies with tongue, lip, or cheek ties to improve their ability to feed effectively.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Through experiences prior to owning a business, I learned what I did NOT want to bring to my business. As an agency NICU nurse, I encountered some healthcare professionals around the country who were not helpful, not team focused, and sometimes downright rude to one another. I believe that “we rise by lifting others,” and vowed to create a collaborative culture in my company where we grow together, and speak with empathy, kindness, and compassion. My staff knows they are valued, and that the opinions, suggestions, and personal experience they bring to the group are heard and respected. How we present to each other impacts the service we provide for our clients. We touch families at such a vulnerable time in their lives and they remember us forever. So how do we want to be remembered?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mypuredelivery.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/mypuredelivery/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/mypuredelivery/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/my-pure-delivery
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@mypuredelivery
