This is an excellent question.  Why should you trust me with your baby and your family as opposed to another IBCLC in the community?  The work I am doing with babies is very different than your typical IBCLC.  I do not believe current practices are sufficient for the community's success otherwise our rates of exclusive breastfeeding would not be 20%.  I focus on open-bodied breastfeeding which incorporates a different style of latching babies than what you will see from others.  I utilize infant body work and foundational movement as a key element of my practice.  I educate mothers on nutrition, infant practices, and following their own intuition.  I often encourage families to learn about their own baby, so they do not feel bound by me, other professionals, or weights and measurements.  Those are a few of the characteristics that set me apart from other lactation consultants.  I encourage you to reach out to learn more. 

First and foremost, I am a believer in learning through experiences.  Being a mother and having my own breastfeeding journey has been my greatest teacher.  I received my Bachelor's in Nursing from UNC Wilmington.  I was trained as an IBCLC through NC State University and through an amazing mentor that I still partner with regularly.  I took the Craniosacral Fascial Therapy class in Greenville, which included the adult and infant-specific course.  I have followed the work of many experienced, highly intelligent IBCLCs who have come before me.  Lastly, I am almost done with my Master's in Public Health Nutrition from Appalachian State. 

If you have followed me on social media or have ever heard me speak, you have heard me use this term.  Everything we do as a society these days is in a closed or collapsed position.  Think of driving, sitting at your desk, looking at your phones etc.  We are constantly hunched over.  When women are pregnant, the heaviness of their bellies will pull their body even further into a closed position if they are not used to an open posture.  Our babies, therefore, are developing with very little space in utero.  Then, when they come out, they are swaddled, scrunched, and generally squished into a closed position.  My practice focuses on opening them up.  Imagine trying to drink water with your chin on your chest.  If you were really thirsty, would you not instead tip your head back to maximize how much water can get in?  This is what I do with the babies.  It is truly fascinating.  Head over to my client testimonies to hear how this has changed the way these babies are nursing.

Craniosacral Fascial Therapy is an incredibly gentle form of bodywork that follows the body's natural inclination to release tension.  As mentoined above, given how our pregnancies, births, and infant practices currently are, babies have a lot of tension to release.  It is a huge reason why so many struggle to breastfeed.  CFT can also be utilized for many other common infant and childhood issues such as torticollis, plagiocephaly, chronic ear infections, delayed motor development, oral function issues, infant and toddler sleep issues, bedwetting, mouth breathing, and more.  I prefer to see children under 6 years old because that is when the palate (roof of the mouth) is still adaptable.  However, if you feel strongly that your child older than 6 needs to be seen, please feel free to reach out and we can discuss it. 

My main saying is "I believe strongly in the mother-infant dyad and their biological design to breastfeed successfully in a supportive environment."  I also believe that most women can breastfeed successfully with the right support, but for a small number of expectations.  I believe that breastfeeding is a vital sign for babies.  As a nurse, we are constantly assessing vital signs, if a baby cannot breastfeed, my question is why; what has to be explored further.  I believe that infants today are not learning proper oral-motor function and it is leading to a multitude of childhood illnesses, orthodontic requirements, speech issues, picky eating and more.  I absolutely believe more than anything in the world that mother's are innately designed to know what is best for their babies.  Some mothers struggle to find the confidence to reach that place, but it is deep within all of us as long as we are prepared to dig for it.  I believe maternal health is not a priority in the United States and it needs to be.   Lastly, I believe the body innately wants to heal and thrive when it is given what it needs.