Hi there, thank you for stopping in to learn a little more about Healthy Latch. I'm so excited to share with you why I chose to work in lactation support.
As many of my professional peers, I came to the field of lactation from personal experience. Like most first time moms, I prepared for the arrival of our baby girl from the minute I found out about her. Except, I completely forgot to learn how to breastfeed! I had looked up all the greatest accessories such as pumps, support pillows, nursing pads, etc. and thought the rest would come naturally. Wow, I was so wrong. After experiencing many missteps during our hospital stay, we were fighting an uphill battle to continue nursing by her first appointment with her pediatrician. Since the whole story of our breastfeeding struggles is so lengthy, I will just list what we went through here:
• Delayed breastfeeding
• Unnecessary formula supplementation
• Failure to thrive (x2)
• Jaundice
• Torticollis
• Lip tie
• Buccal ties
• Immature suck
• Low milk transfer
• Low milk supply
• Food allergies
There were many, many times I contemplated throwing in the towel, because honestly, I was never too cracked up about breastfeeding before giving birth. I knew I had a past experience with a rare, non-lactation induced mastitis, so I was prepared to jump ship at the first sight of breast pain. However, after having my daughter, experiencing it firsthand, I was hooked. I felt so connected to her, and I learned through her that my milk was so beneficial. So, somehow, with each struggle, we pushed through. We were never able to exclusively breastfeed, but I was able to make it to my goal of (some) breastfeeding for an entire year, and we are still going strong.
Our journey gave my professional path new life. I began learning about lactation through Lactation Education Resources, and earned the certification of Certified Breastfeeding Specialist (CBS). I am also a Fertility and Birth Doula and love supporting people in all stages of reproductive and maternal health!
