When I look back to 1988 as my own breastfeeding story as a new mum began I’m amazed that I managed to breastfeed for as long as I did! I don’t remember any support being available, didn’t understand that sore nipples weren’t normal, and remember my health visitor looking down at me and saying with incredulity ‘Oh, you’re breastfeeding, are you?’
Fortunately I met a group of lovely new mums, and seeing them weekly offered far more than the stability of friendship, but also a way to persevere past the uncertain times of early breastfeeding and make the experience far more enjoyable. Ongoing friendship led to an increased confidence in parenting, and as an added bonus I found breastfeeding my next baby far easier and more relaxing from the start.
I qualified as a registered nurse in 1985, however it wasn’t until 2002 when I joined Medway Health Visiting Service that I quite unexpectedly discovered a passion for supporting families with young babies.
My interest in providing lactation support intensified following Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) training, and in 2005, with clear memories of how important friendship groups can be to new mums, I started facilitating a weekly breastfeeding support group, as well as supporting breastfeeding mums and babies on a one-to-one basis.
As part of the BFI accreditation process I began developing and delivering breastfeeding training for health visitors in 2007, and in 2009 became the infant feeding lead, continuing to train health professionals and children’s centre staff. To my great surprise I discovered that creating and facilitating education programmes was something I really enjoyed, and went on to include reflective practice sessions for very enthusiastic volunteer breastfeeding peer supporters .
In 2010 I was delighted to pass the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiner’s exam and very proudly became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), re-certifying every five years since. It felt like one of the biggest achievements in my professional life, and helped to validate everything I had been working towards in breastfeeding support. Of course this was only the beginning, and the qualification has truly enabled me to grow a fulfilling career that I have loved.
Soon after becoming an IBCLC, myself and a midwifery colleague took on a weekly specialist breastfeeding clinic supporting complex lactation challenges, and that was enhanced in 2016 when we developed a community tongue-tie service, providing a ‘one stop’ specialist service for complex feeding challenges.
In 2018 I made the move to East Suffolk, where I initially worked as an independent IBCLC and tongue-tie practitioner. However, that significant conversation with my much respected breastfeeding mentor led to a fresh path for me to follow, combining a passion for ensuring new parents receive effective, timely breastfeeding information and support with a renewed enthusiasm for training those practitioners able to share all important lactation knowledge.
It has given me huge pleasure meeting so many practitioners who have enrolled on the Lactation Learning course and who share my passion, and to become a small part of their journey as they increase their own skills and knowledge in supporting breastfeeding families, and are enthused to apply for the IBCLC exam.
If you would like to know a little more about the people who have supported my journey click here.
