getting to know your lactation consultant….
I believe it is very important to really know, like and trust your lactation consultant. I mean…..I am going to be all up close and personal assessing your baby’s latch and if you are not in my office…I am in your home! Also…there is a 100% chance I’m going to see your boobs. I hope to make you comfortable and throw in a little laughs. We’re also going to be hanging out for a couple hours! I want to be part of your team as you navigate through the trenches of early parenthood. I want to be your cheerleader when you need the extra pick-me-up. I also would like to be your voice of reason when you are second guessing everything at that 3am feeding…or trying to buy all the gadgets (you don’t necessarily need) on Amazon to make things “easier” or to get more sleep…because I have been there!
I am a wife to my high school sweetheart, Ricky, and momma to my furbabies Zoey & Poppy and to two sweet (but devilish) little boys, RJ (4yrs) & Collin (2.5yr)…Survived the 2 under 2 situation and now I am wrestling with the terrible 2s and the threenager stage...and thought it was an awesome idea to get a newfypoo puppy #Godspeed.
I have been a nurse for over 10 years and have worked as a NICU nurse at Beth Israel & Boston Children’s Hospital. Being a NICU nurse is ingrained in my heart and I have learned A LOT over my career as a NICU nurse. I have learned extensively from the many talented Neonatologists, Nurse Practitioners, Pharmacists, Nutritionists, Speech Language Pathologists, Respiratory Therapists. All of which have taught me to be a well rounded practitioner to help support and educate families.
Fast forward to 2020…just before the before the pandemic...my husband and I thought it would be a great idea to start a family…normal right? Well….1 week after we found out we were pregnant the pandemic started and evolved (#covidbabyanyone?). Pregnancy during the pandemic and as an ICU nurse was so hard on my mental health after becoming a mom. I tried returning to critical care nursing after maternity leave with RJ, but that is when my passion to do more for families lit on fire to support women. To tell them all the things I wish I knew. To give them evidence based, research based, realistic information to better support them, their family, and their baby. So, shortly after I decided to take my career down a different path. Why?? I was a new mom trying to navigate how to be a working mom who had a traumatic labor, delivery and birth experience…so I desperately wanted and needed to do something much different. So…I left the NICU, left the bedside nursing career path and the rotating schedule and the weekends and holidays.
But, while I was still working in the NICU, I became a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) where I got my toes wet, so to speak. I didn’t want to put over 1,000 hours and a lot of money into obtaining a license if I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. But, I didn’t just like it…I fell in love with the field of helping families learn how to feed their baby…Being a new mom, I knew that there are many ways to feed your baby. I also witnessed how intense it can be to figure out how. I got my IBCLC certification very shortly after because I wanted to be the best resource for families with the highest certification in the field.
I love helping mothers and families throughout their entire feeding journey work through all the ups and downs. I am passionate and excited about supporting and educating parents different ways to feed their baby (breast, bottle, combination feeding, formula feeding) and giving them a customized/personalized plan that is perfect for their family and for their baby/babies. Also - completely free of judgement. I also have tried almost every single pump there is on the market, done all the research on hacks and tips and tricks…So I can give you all the insider info for pumping, bottles and breastfeeding tools that actually work and are helpful.
I want you to feel comfortable talking to me like your best friend - but I want you to get the research and evidence supported information and a customized plan with NO BS and NO sugarcoating and NO gatekeeping! One thing I won’t do - is sugar coat things.
So here’s my spiel..
If you have scrolled down to the bottom for the spark notes version of me.…..I love my Dunkin Donuts coffee, get Amazon packages delivered almost every day (then try and hide them from my husband), I know the UPS driver by name (thanks Peter!), enjoy red wine way too much, drop wayyy too many f bombs (sorry mom..), love to bake sourdough bread with our sourdough starter named Annie, cook delicious Half Baked Harvest meals when I can, order take out too much and of course spending time with my family!
I look forward to serving you & your family,
Christine
Professional Certifications & Associations
I am passionate about being up to date on research and evidence to base my practice. I have breastfed before, but what worked for me might not work for other dyads or every family. Every breastfeeding (or pumping) dyad is completely different and I want to be prepared for any visit that comes to me. I am active members to all of these in addition to being a current registered nurse, a certified IBCLC and CPR certified. I have also completed the Masterclass on Oral Habilitation of the Breastfeeding Dyad.