About Me
I trained as a Physiotherapist and gave up work to bring up four children, each of whom I breastfed. Breastfeeding for me was not always straight forward . Unsettled babies and juggling life on not much sleep. I am sympathetic to the demands on first time parents. Once my children were grown up I joined the Infant Feeding Team at Chelsea and Westminster hospital as a volunteer, after a recommendation from a friend..
I have now been volunteering there for over 4 years. It is incredibly rewarding work. We are in the fortunate position to help mothers immediately after birth to get going with breastfeeding. However, I could see that some mothers felt unsupported once home. I decided to train as a Lactation counsellor and I qualified in November 2020. This year, I have also begun working at the Tongue tie clinic at Chelsea and Westminster as an Infant Feeding Supporter.
Education is a big part of my Lactation counsellor journey. I have attended numerous conferences on Breastfeeding and undertaken several additional training courses.
Additional studies include: Understanding the microbiome; Newborn behavioural studies; Rhythmic movement training; More than reflexes; Tongue tie: A modern breastfeeding miasma; Up dates on skin-to-skin research
Certified. Responsive. Compassionate.
My Approach
A tailored approach
The newborn period is an intensely special time, both from an emotional point of view and the trials and tribulations of getting breastfeeding going successfully. It affects both parents. This is where I come in.
I can take time to get to the bottom of what is going on around the feeding and support the mother to become a more confident nurser. There is so much research around now which can help us make things easier. Understanding why babies do certain things makes it easier to adjust. Each mother baby situation is different. I work to assess the individual needs of each family
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I have recently undertaken a course in Newborn Behaviour observations. This helps parents understand what their baby is communicating to them. We used to think that babies slept, fed and cried. We now know that they are like a sponge, taking in all sorts of information and very much aware of, and reacting to, their immediate surroundings. It is fascinating to learn about. I can work with the parents to see what their baby can do and help them understand what their individual behaviours mean.
