Starting a blog has been on my to-do list for a long time, but I was overwhelmed with the topics I wanted to cover. I get a lot of questions about how I started on this journey, so I thought I would start there and share how I came into this field and why it is important to me. I have been around babies since the very beginning of my life. When I was a child, my mother had an in-home daycare and would let my sister and me stay home from school if we helped her with the kids. Giving bottles and changing diapers were so commonplace that I always knew I wanted my own children when I got older. My little brother was born when I was eight, further cementing my ideas about being a parent and the type of parent I wanted to be.
Lots of years later, after I got married and struggled to get pregnant for a few years, I had my first child. Whether or not I would breastfeed never entered my mind. I had constantly been exposed to bottle feeding and breastfeeding, but after seeing my brother breastfeed, it seemed instinctual to me to feed that way. Unfortunately, my first child and I struggled with breastfeeding. When he was two weeks old, we were told that he had lost a pound of weight and needed to be supplemented.
I met one of the IBCLCs who changed my life, and we made a care plan to get his weight increased while continuing to feed him the way I wanted. We worked hard, and his weight came up slowly. I could never discontinue the supplements, though, no matter how much I wanted to. He continued breastfeeding until he naturally weaned, even though it was never "exclusive." I am so thankful for all that relationship taught me.
I attended a weekly support group that the IBCLC and her business partner facilitated during
this time. Seeing the support all parents received and how accepted all infant feeding was in that group made me feel so accepted and heard in my struggles and joy of continuing to breastfeed with supplements for so long.
My second child was born almost three years after my first, and I was determined to be more proactive and "do everything right." I continued working with my IBCLC and attending the support group, and I was amazed that this time, I was able to breastfeed exclusively without supplements. I enjoyed being in the supportive space created and decided I wanted to become an IBCLC to support other new parents.
When my second child was a few months old, I became a La Leche League Leader on my path to becoming an IBCLC. I want to recognize what a privilege it was for me to be around for my kids during the day and fill my role as an LLLL. I would not have been able to do that if I had needed to return to work, so I am thankful for my partner for working so hard to make that possible.
I started college courses while an SAHM and continued with La Leche League for a few years. I begged the IBCLCs who facilitated the support group to let me help them with their experience, and they graciously accepted. Two of us started helping to facilitate their weekly group and answer questions in their Facebook group, and we jokingly referred to ourselves as "Milk Elves." The other Milk Elf is now an IBCLC in Austin, TX.
It took me five years of classes and support hours logged to be able to sit for the IBCLC exam, but in June of 2015, I did it! I couldn't start officially seeing clients until I had my exam results, but I continued getting experience where I could. I took phone calls for the IBCLCs that became my business partners and assisted at their Latch Clinics. I got my test results in October of that year and was so happy I passed.
I started seeing clients the year my youngest child started Kindergarten, which was hugely rewarding. I also continued on the college path and completed my Associate of Liberal Arts two years later. I didn't need to finish that degree to practice, but I wanted to show my children that it is never too late to finish what you started or redefine your goals for yourself.
I stayed with that IBCLC practice for several years, and I appreciate every bit of knowledge and feedback they gave me. They are amazing women, and the clients they see are so fortunate to be supported by them. Splitting off from that group and starting my solo practice was a hard decision, but one that I knew I needed to make for my growth and development as an IBCLC and a person.
The most valuable thing that my experiences and children have taught me is not to judge anyone. Through my feeding and parenting journeys, I have realized that we all deserve the autonomy to make choices that work for us and feel supported in those choices, no matter what. Parenting is one of the hardest things most of us will ever do, and being judged by other parents or even ourselves is so detrimental to mental health.
That is why I practice as an inclusive IBCLC. I do not judge anyone's lifestyle, parenting, or infant feeding choices as long as everyone is safe and happy. #lactation #lactationsupport #inclusivesupport #inclusivelactation
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