For 20 years lactation has “mattered” in my career but now more than ever !

Having been a certified lactation consultant for 20 years I have had the privilege of working with pregnant women and mothers in many different settings such as homes, clinics, hospitals, on video, over the phone, and with many different interpreters.

Even on holidays in Bali the work doesn’t stop as I recognised the mother of a 6 week old baby working at my resort’s reception was struggling using a hand pump that looked like something out of the 1800’s. This then led to showing how she could make the best out of the equipment she had and a quick couple of consults over the next few days in broken english about how she could possibly have her baby brought to her at work for feeds rather than the expressing .

Little interaction such at this, helping our friends when I could with their feeding issues , always looking at ways to improve what we offered within a system , allowed me to work the way I knew I could with confidence in my knowledge and in my practice .

Covid hit everyone hard . I was priveliged in that I had a job that I loved and I could kept working and I will always be grateful for this . But my colleagues and I also had to try to deliver our care the best we could in very difficult conditions for us and the families we were caring for . Parents fed back what it was like “ having a baby in covid times” We knew we were not able to give our usual high standard of care for 2 years in an effort to keep everyone safe and there was a cost !

Some beautiful and experienced midwives broken by the experience walked away from the profession forever.

For some of us were bruised but could feel that maybe there was a way for us to rebuild the way we practice and offer more of ourselves.

I know it’s a bit cliche but out of the covid ashes

Lactation Matters was born……………………

Stay Tuned !!!