I started my professional career working with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) supporting global health programs.  I stumbled into breastfeeding while pursuing a Master’s of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health at UNC in Chapel Hill and completely redirected my career trajectory. As I learned more about the global benefits of breastfeeding, as well as the many complex barriers to successfully breastfeeding, I developed a passion for empowering women to reach their breastfeeding goals.  

 

In 2010 I completed lactation consultant training through the Mary Rose Tully Training Initiative and joined the UNC Hospital Lactation Department, where I was privileged to learn and collaborate with many experienced lactation consultants and share the knowledge I gained with students, nurses and physicians.  I provided clinical lactation management to patients in diverse settings throughout the hospital and in the outpatient clinic for over 10 years.  

 

I completed a BS in Nursing at UNC in 2017 and joined the Women’s Birth and Wellness Center lactation team in 2020, where I continued to learn and collaborate with other lactation consultants and provided optimal, early interventions and follow up to breastfeeding dyads.  

 

Many breastfeeding journeys are interrupted with early interventions or supplementation due to common problems, such as latch difficulty, nipple pain, weight loss, prematurity, hypoglycemia, jaundice tongue ties or concerns about milk supply.  I am adept at working with these and other complex breastfeeding difficulties, especially in the early postpartum period and have helped countless patients achieve their breastfeeding goals.   

 

Over the years I’ve learned that there is a lot of science, but also a lot of art to breastfeeding.  I am excited for the opportunity to bring what I have learned and learn new things from Ellen in this next chapter.