At 19 years old, I gave birth to my oldest son, Gavin, prematurely. During our NICU stay, I was not given adequate lactation education or support; and because of this, I was left confused, unable to meet my breastfeeding goals, and suffering from mom-guilt and postpartum anxiety and depression.
That experience gave me the motivation to seek out proper breastfeeding information before my second child was born, and I successfully breastfed him until he was nearly two years old, but not without some initial obstacles. Cracked and bleeding nipples and more postpartum depression wreaked havoc on my mind and body for many months after his arrival.
I decided then and there, I would not continue to let this happen to parents. I couldn't sit idly by while mothers who wanted to breastfeed were unable to access supportive lactation care. So I became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) through a four year degree program in Maternal Child Health: Human Lactation and many hours of being a clinical support person. This is my calling, and I will do everything I can to help others meet their goals.
My three breastfeeding journeys have had so many obstacles: exclusive pumping for a short time, failure to reach my breastfeeding goals, mom-guilt, cracked and bleeding nipples, a tongue and lip tie, three bouts of postpartum depression and two bouts of perinatal anxiety disorder, mastitis, clogged ducts, oversupply, and the list goes on.
My goal now is to provide comprehensive infant feeding education and support, free of judgment, for any family who has questions about feeding choices or has run into obstacles in their breast/chestfeeding journey. I have been a young mother who was formula-feeding her baby with the help of WIC. I have been a military spouse who felt unheard and lost in her breastfeeding and mental health struggles. And I have been a lactation professional breastfeeding a baby with oral restrictions. I have overcome many obstacles, and to be honest, some almost broke me. It's okay to admit that.
Let's overcome your obstacles together.
