How did you get into lactation consulting? When I had my oldest daughter, about 13 years ago, I really struggled with breastfeeding. It was hard, and OH so painful. We weren't in a position where any extra expenses had any space in our budget and I knew if I was going to be able to stay home with my daughter, which had always been my dream, I was going to have to figure out this breastfeeding thing. The internet wasn't anything like it is now, and there were no Facebook groups to turn to. My close friends didn't know why I was struggling so much, and I truly had no answers. Magically around 8 weeks that pain started to fade and I began to really value my breastfeeding relationship. Before I knew it, I was nursing a toddler. It was during this journey that I realized there was a need for lactation support outside of the 2 days you spend in the hospital, and I had a huge passion for helping other parents not suffer like I did, and then reap the benefits of that breastfeeding relationship like I had. What made you choose IBCLC? How is IBCLC different than other lactation consulting certifications? When I started researching what I needed to do to help breastfeeding moms, I knew this would be my career and I wanted to make sure that I had the highest level of breastfeeding education available and a credential that would stand alone. There are plenty of breastfeeding certifications, but the IBCLC is the only credential, and it is the most challenging. It requires college courses, lactation specific education, and hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of hours clinically working with breastfeeding parents. This is typically a multi-year process, if you are starting after having children, 5 years seems to be the average time it takes to get all of the requirements to be able to sit for the IBCLC Boards.  What’s your favorite part about working in lactation consulting? I love that every day is different, and every family is different. I never walk into the same situation twice, because we are talking about families and people who are unique and individual. Breastfeeding is a relationship between parent and child and it will be different with each parent and each child. I love seeing a parent who has been struggling finally feed their baby and say, "Wow. This doesn't hurt." I also love hearing stories months later about how the time we spent together impacted their journey. I am truly thankful to be a part of so many families' stories. When do you start seeing clients? I love seeing families prenatally when possible. Most families will feel more confident in their abilities after birth if they have a basic understanding of how breastfeeding is supposed to look. For most new parents today, we don't have the opportunity to see breastfeeding until we are handed our own baby in the hospital, and that can be scary. Being prepared can help make that transition easier. The bulk of my clients call me after the baby is born and they realize they are struggling. I am always happy to help. I've seen babies the day they were born and babies who were over a year old. There is always something different going on. What’s the best way for them to contact you? The easiest way to schedule an appointment is to fill out the form on my website - https://bfden.as.me/schedule.php. I can also be reached by email, phone, and text message. Text will give you the fastest response: 410-929-2455.
Why is breastfeeding important to you? To our culture? I had a really rough entry to motherhood and breastfeeding. It made me passionate about helping other families not feel the same pain and stress that I did. Breastfeeding is the biologically normal way to feed our babies. It is important, health-wise, for both mom and baby. The more breastfeeding becomes seen and accepted by our culture, the easier it will be for more parents to choose breastfeeding. How do you feel you’ve contributed positively to our local community? I hope that by providing caring support to families, I have empowered them to make the right choices for their families and feed their babies in the way that is best for them. Parents who are armed with knowledge and support can make informed choices and will feel good about those choices going forward. 
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 Kiera Lillesve Foto Today, I have the honor of sharing an interview I did with Austin Rees, a local Maryland IBCLC, Babywearing Expert, and owner of Breast Skin Sling. I first got to know Austin through some local Facebook groups. She was so helpful and took a lot of her own time to answer my questions. I then met her in person at a birthworker gathering and later at a Gena Kirby Rebozo workshop. Her warmth radiates from her core and is felt by everyone who comes in contact with her. Her knowledge of breastfeeding, babywearing, and honoring the sacred in us all is a welcome blessing to our community. Check her out at BreastSkinSling.com. How did you get into lactation consulting? My mother was a La Leche League Leader (LLL), and one of the first International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC). I grew up in an environment where I was taught to trust my body to carry, birth, and nourish my baby. Soon after my first daughter was born in 2003, I began attending regular LLL meetings and began my process to become a LLL leader at the end of that year. What made you choose IBCLC? I chose the IBCLC path to enhance my clinical skills to combine with the communication and counseling skills I acquired as a LLL leader, to meet the needs of more families. How is IBCLC different than other lactation consulting certifications? There are many forms of breastfeeding support to meet a mother's needs. Examples are peer counselors, educators, specialists and professionals. IBCLCs are recognized as a health professional. In order to become an IBCLC, one must complete 90 hours of lactation-specific education and specified college level health courses, obtain 300-1000 clinical practice hours, and successfully pass the board exam.  Brenda Amaya Photography What’s your favorite part about working in lactation consulting? My favorite part by far is watching a mother lean back into her own instincts and observe the deep relationship blossom with her child. When do you start seeing clients? I specialize in prenatal consultations. I have found over the 11 years working with mothers that if they have the foundations of how Milk works, how birth affects Milk, and skin-to-skin, they emerge into Motherhood trusting their bodies, their babies, and their milk. Misinformation or common "booby traps" can be avoided if they have the foundations before the baby arrives. I include in my prenatal consultations time to create a local core support team complete with professionals and peers. Parents have a list prepared to rely on if they have any questions, concerns, and needs that include specialists and contact information. They enter parenthood supported by their community and not alone. Postpartum lactation supported is beneficial to observe the mother/baby dyad and address any concerns one-on-one. I do not provide postpartum hands-on assistance at this time, but do recommend other local IBCLCs. However, I am able to provide virtual support through phone consultations in situations that do not require hands-on care. Examples would be questions about returning to work, starting solids, weaning, toddler nursing, and sleep.  Heartlove Photography What lactation consulting services do you offer? Currently I provide in-home or virtual prenatal consultations and virtual postpartum support. What other services do you offer? I offer personal Babywearing consultations, and classes. I host Sacred Mother Blessings, Sacred Baby Blessings, Sacred Weaning ceremonies, and local Milk Circles. I am the Co Founder of Sacred Milk, and will teach others how to facilitate Sacred Weaning ceremonies online, and assist in facilitating live Sacred Pregnancy Instructor retreats this year. Locally, I will provide Sacred Pregnancy and I AM Sisterhood full and mini retreats. Why is breastfeeding important to you? To our culture? Breastfeeding is important to me because it is an intimate relationship with our children. We communicate through our Milk. Our stem cells in our milk turn on genes in our baby's organs. Milk is more than a form of nutrition; it nourishes not only the child but ourselves. It is important in our culture because the breast is a living organ. How we feel about our breasts before Motherhood, during pregnancy, and the outcome of our Milk relationship impacts us emotionally. Providing education that empowers women to trust themselves and their bodies and their babies creates a community of attached, secured, healthy families. Why is babywearing important to you? To our culture? Babywearing is important to me because it provided a safe, secure environment for me to connect with my children and keep them close. Babywearing is important to our culture because it provides skill that meets the needs of both child and caregiver. Babywearing promotes bonding, security, support, and a safe way to keep baby close during the day. Babywearing has been passed down from many cultures and because of this we have a variety of types of carriers to meet different body types and situations.  Three Little Foxes Photography How have you seen skin-to-skin help parents adapt to parenthood? Skin-to-skin care is an expectation of our newborns. A mother, or a caregiver's chest is a newborn's natural environment. When parents provide this time with their child it turns on specific nerves needed for development and increases the love hormone, oxytocin. This affects the dyad's brain. Fathers who provide skin-to-skin to their babies express a greater sense of responsibility, more confidence, and report they feel in control. What’s your number one advice you give to pregnant women? Wow, the number one advice? Create your core support team prenatally to include both peers and professionals who can support you in all ways- postpartum care, lactation, local Sisterhood, bodyworkers (for both mother and baby), spiritual guidance, meal support, home support (care for other siblings, household needs) etc. Have these things set up and available before you need to call on them. How do you feel you’ve contributed positively to our local community? I am still new to our community, but so far I feel I have been able to impact the women who have attended the Sacred Pregnancy retreat, and I AM Sisterhood retreat I've co-hosted with Jessie Bernstein through the Sacred Living Movement MD. By providing the platform for deep listening and self-growth for these women, they emerge into powerful community members. My wish is to continue supporting families as they prepare for the birth of their child and begin their Milk relationship. May word of mouth spread and I consistently provide the care and support local families and community members need to lead confident lives.  Hayley Stell Photography As World Breastfeeding Week comes to a close, I’ve been thinking a lot about what breastfeeding means to me. With my first 3 kids, I nursed out of the expectation that that’s what moms should do. I didn’t love it or honor that time as well as I should have. I didn’t educate myself about breastfeeding benefits nor challenges. And because of that, I struggled. It wasn’t until my fifth was born that I reached a level of true appreciation for the benefits of breastfeeding, and enjoyed that relationship I had with my daughter immensely. This is what it took me five kids to learn about what breastfeeding means to me: It means cuddle time. I loved holding my babies close to me. Sometimes they didn’t love it as much as I did but when they latched on to nurse, their body would just melt into my arms. It was so relaxing and comforting, for both of us. It means take a moment to sit time. I’m very busy. I don’t know any mom who isn’t. I had my first 3 kids in under 3 years and it got significantly harder to nurse with each child because I had older kids running around, vying for my attention. It wasn’t until I had my last baby via cesarean that I realized how important it was for me to take time to just sit and heal and recuperate and feed my baby. Nursing her gave my body the chance to rest and my mind the chance to relax. It means nourishment time. I love that as I nursed my babies, I knew I was flooding their bodies with healthy vitamins, nutrients, and antibodies. That I was giving them the best start. It means growth time. I could always tell my babies were growing when my hand couldn’t naturally curl around their bottom while nursing. Or when it required two arms to hold and nurse them while standing. Or when their legs would be dangling over the lap of the person sitting next to me. Bittersweet moments. Love my growing babies, missed my little babies though. It means bonding time. As my babies nursed, I got the chance to stare into their eyes and absorb all their precious uniqueness, like finding a dimple on a cheek or a freckle on their head. I got to touch their fingers and toes and chubby thighs. I got to know them and their unique personalities as they giggled or twirled my hair or tried to look around at their surroundings. It means reading time, for me and baby. I never read more with a baby than I did with my 4th. Every time I nursed, I made a point to sit and read. I loved it. It was such special time for me to hold my baby and enjoy one of my favorite hobbies. I also enjoyed reading to my babies too while they nursed, introducing them to my favorite children stories. It means nap time. Sometimes it was nice just to lay down in bed and fall asleep while nursing. And have the baby fall asleep too. I was able to enjoy this the most with my youngest because my older kids were old enough to be more self-sufficient so I could take those moments in the afternoons to just rest and cuddle my baby. It means play time. I remember the acrobatics involved in nursing my 1 year olds, as they learned to lean, contort, and stretch their bodies all over the place while still staying attached. They wanted to soak up the world while still staying at the safety of their mother’s breast. It means happy time. I wish I had gotten this on film: every time I would go to nurse my youngest, she would get so excited, she would smack her lips and make the sign for “milk.” It made me so happy. It means overcoming challenges time. Was nursing always easy? No. With my last baby, I got clogged ducts at least seven times. And I mean, super clogged ducts to the point that my breasts were rock hard! I spent a lot of time on my hands and knees dangle nursing while crying because it hurt so bad. It means adjusting my schedule time. I’m a go-go-go kind of mom. I take my kids all over the place and I hate to be late. But having a nursing baby isn’t always conducive to that. After my 4th child, I had a 6 year gap until my 5th and I had gotten out of the routine of having a baby around. I remember one day when the baby was only a week or so old, making plans to hit several errands at one time but forgetting 2 key things: the diaper bag AND time to feed the baby. It was a moment of recognition for me that my schedule had changed. I had a new life who was dependent on me. It means making memories time. I finished nursing my last baby almost 6 months ago. I miss it but I’m so grateful for the memories I have and the lessons I learned. |
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