Lauren Hughes, MD, IBCLC
Dr. Hughes is not accepting new patients
Dr. Hughes graduated from Pittsburg State University with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in chemistry and physical science in 2013. From there, she went to the University of Kansas Medical School. During her time there, she helped establish the KUMC branch of Exercise is Medicine. She graduated from medical school in 2017 and was 36 weeks pregnant when she walked across the stage!
After graduating from medical school, Dr. Hughes became a pediatric resident at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Throughout her three years of intense pediatric training, she worked at both KU and Children’s Mercy Hospital. Dr. Hughes obtained her IBCLC designation during her third year of residency. She graduated from residency in July 2020 and is a Board-Certified Pediatrician. She is a member of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, the Midwest Direct Primary Care Alliance, and the national Direct Primary Care Alliance.
Education
Dr. Hughes discovered direct primary care while she was in training. Though she was surrounded by competent physicians in world-class facilities both at the University of Kansas and Children’s Mercy Hospital, Dr. Hughes wanted to pursue a model built on genuine, trusting doctor-patient relationships. Why should her patients have to visit the ER or see other doctors when she could make herself available? Why go through the time-consuming bureaucracy and cumbersome checkboxes that ties up both doctors and families? Ultimately, she wanted to go to work each day for her patients. Dr. Hughes decided direct primary care was the solution she was looking for, leading to her founding Bloom Pediatrics and Lactation.
With this model, Dr. Hughes is able to practice the way she wants. She has a limited patient panel that allows her to truly focus on her patients and provide the kind of care they deserve. This also allows her to be more present with her own children!
Choosing Direct Primary Care
After graduating from medical school, Dr. Hughes had her son just a few weeks prior to starting her pediatric residency and immediately had difficulty with nursing. He had a posterior tongue tie that did not get corrected until he was six weeks old. This six-week struggle grew a passion in Dr. Hughes for breastfeeding medicine that helped shape her career. She started studying breastfeeding medicine on her own and earned her IBCLC while in residency. Dr. Hughes also directly shadowed the renowned tongue-tie specialist, Dr. Bobby Ghaheri as well as multiple other ENTs in Kansas City. This helped to prepare her to accurately diagnose and treat anterior and posterior tongue ties. Finally, she trained under breastfeeding medicine specialist Dr. Kathy Leeper who further prepared her for any breastfeeding complication. She also works closely with many local professionals in order to create a complete treatment plan!
Finding Breastfeeding Medicine
Dr. Hughes lives in Overland Park with her husband, Jordan, young son, Calvin, and twins, Nolan and Sloane. She also has a rescue dog named Jolene. After her nursing experience with her oldest and then one of her twins being diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, Dr. Hughes understood the value of being able to easily access her trusted pediatrician. She loves this model of care because it allows her the flexibility to be present with her family while providing exceptional care to her patients. When she’s not working with patients (or working on her clinic!) she and her husband love doing house projects. She also loves reading, crocheting, Peloton-ing, and building puzzles with her family.
In addition to her own family, her patients and their families are what keep her smiling when she gets up and eager to go to work every day. Seeing a new parent feel confident in their decisions, being able to help a family rest when she sees a sick child on the weekend, and simply being able to put minds at ease with quick answers via text - all of this is so rewarding. The truly personal and unique relationships she develops with her patient’s families make it feel less like treating patients, and more like helping out a friend.