Dr. Thuet is out of the office on maternity leave and will return January 2026. To rent a hospital grade pump or find professional breastfeeding support during this time, please click here.
Dr. Thuet is out of the office on maternity leave and will return January 2026. To rent a hospital grade pump or find professional breastfeeding support during this time, please click here.
Dr. Christina Thuet is the first board-certified breastfeeding and lactation medicine specialist practicing in the state of Utah. She launched Ella & Allo in 2024 after identifying a gap in prenatal preparation and postpartum support to help families achieve their breastfeeding goals.
Throughout her career as a pediatrician, Dr. Thuet has helped parents anticipate, prepare for, and navigate the newborn stage. However, when her daughter was born in 2016, she was surprised to find that her training had ill-prepared her for what to expect on her own breastfeeding journey. Despite her medical background, she didn’t have the adequate knowledge or skills to navigate some of the hurdles of breastfeeding during the first few days and weeks home with her newborn.
After experiencing her own struggles and watching those of the parents and families she cared for, she decided to pursue additional training specifically in breastfeeding so that she could better support her patients. In 2021, Dr. Thuet became an international board-certified lactation consultant (IBCLC), which better equipped her to help parents overcome the struggles of breastfeeding and their own self-doubt to embrace this bonding experience.
As a physician, Dr. Thuet wanted to further her knowledge in diagnosing and managing breastfeeding and lactation-related medical conditions. Thus, she joined the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine in 2021, an organization specifically designed to bring doctors together globally to provide evidence-based solutions to the challenges associated with breastfeeding.
In 2023-2024, the North American Board of Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine was launched as the first board certification for physicians specializing in breastfeeding and lactation medicine. Dr. Thuet became board-certified in its inaugural year.
So often, during her first encounters with families in the early days of breastfeeding, parents say at the end of their visit, “I wish I would have known all of this PRIOR to our baby’s arrival….It would have been comforting to know how much of this is normal and not that I am a failure.” That’s why Dr. Thuet launched Ella & Allo – to help parents prepare for the unexpected, to find the joy in their feeding journey, and to build confidence in their ability to nurture and nourish their little one.
Dr. Thuet completed her undergraduate and medical education at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, Utah and her residency training in pediatrics at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. Out of residency, Dr. Thuet and her husband moved to Tuba City, Arizona where she practiced as a board-certified pediatrician on the Navajo Nation, caring for Hopi and Navajo infants and children. There, she served as the Medical Director of the Tuba City Regional Healthcare Nursery where her love for helping mothers and families meet their breastfeeding goals grew. After moving to Utah, Dr. Thuet joined the University of Utah Department of Pediatrics as a pediatrician, with the majority of her clinical time spent in the University of Utah Hospital’s Newborn and Intermediate Care Nurseries.
Dr. Thuet has previously served on the board of directors of the Mountain West Mothers’ Milk Bank and currently serves on the advisory committee.
In her free time, Dr. Thuet is an avid traveler, visiting 6 continents and over 30 countries with her family. She and her husband own a 1977 Cessna single-engine airplane for which they enjoy exploring the western U.S. with their daughter.
A physician who is board-certified in breastfeeding medicine has undergone specialized medical training focused on breastfeeding and lactation issues. This board certification requires completion of medical school followed by residency training in a relevant field such as pediatrics, family medicine, or obstetrics/gynecology, and additional training specifically in breastfeeding medicine.
In order to qualify for the North American Board of Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine, a physician must have practiced breastfeeding and lactation medicine independently for at least 3 years and have a minimum of 45 continuing medical education hours related to lactation. These physicians are equipped to diagnose and treat medical issues related to breastfeeding, such as lactation difficulties, nipple pain, infant weight gain problems, and maternal health issues as well as to induce lactation.
A lactation consultant does not need to be a physician and may come from various backgrounds, including nursing, midwifery, or other allied health professions. While they may not have a medical degree, they have typically undergone extensive training and education in lactation support and counseling. Lactation consultants are skilled in providing practical assistance and guidance to mothers on breastfeeding techniques, positioning, latching, and overcoming common breastfeeding challenges. They often work closely with healthcare providers, including physicians, to support breastfeeding mothers and infants, but they cannot diagnose or treat medical conditions themselves.
Dr. Thuet is a pediatrician and BOTH a lactation consultant and Utah’s first board-certified breastfeeding and lactation medicine specialist, blending all three skillsets together to help you navigate every step of your breastfeeding journey.