I’m returning from Melbourne, Australia, where I was attending the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) conference. This year I had the honor and pleasure of speaking at one of the breakout workshop sessions. The topic I was speaking on was breastfeeding and trauma; how emotional trauma including child sexual abuse and intimate partner violence can…
While on vacation with my husband and kids, I got into a conversation with another woman at the pool. Her daughter was swimming along with my kids; they were all around the same age. “What do you do for a living?” She asked me. “I’m a lactation consultant”. Wait for it….. “And what is that?”…
I never really thought of myself as the maternal type. In fact, until I was pregnant with my first child, kids were not in my grand plan. I remember it like it was yesterday…I had just picked up some flyers from a local college and was deciding on classes when I found out that I…
I’d be a rich woman if I had a dollar for every time a new mom said to me “The baby does so well when you’re here. Can’t you just come back for every feed?” Babies seem to behave perfectly when I’m observing a feed. It’s almost as if they know that they are being…
Anyone who has ever breastfed a baby past 6 months has probably heard this statement at least once. Probably more than once. One of the most common questions I get is “how long should I breastfeed?” Today, a wonderful breastfeeding mom asked me about benefits to breastfeeding past 15 months, so I thought I might…
One of my fondest memories of being a lactation consultant came at the Octoberfest a few years back. We met up with some friends, one of which had an out of town visitor. Introductions were made, and this wonderful young woman (who is from California) asked me what I do. “I’m a Lactation Consultant” I…
When my website went live, I was so excited to share it with everyone. I sent an email to a friend, a male friend, with the link to my site. Much to my dismay, he was not as excited as I was. His response was something like “I cannot un-see those pictures”. Being that this…
I am not the most tech savvy person around. I had to call the support number for my website today and ask a question. The woman I had on the other end of the phone politely took my information and asked if she could access my site so she could look into the problem. She…
It all begins the moment you find out you’re pregnant. Whether planned or a blessed surprise, things change. You begin to eat differently, look at baby clothes, talk to other pregnant women, read blogs, buy baby books, and look into taking your first child birth class. And doctor appointments. Ahh yes. Whether you choose midwife…
I was out shopping with a friend the other day when she ran into a former colleague and his pregnant wife. After introductions were made and the niceties exchanged, of course the subject came up of the baby. Where are you delivering, did you take classes, etc. The couple stated that they are due to…