A few years before the birth of my first child I decided to start teaching CPR and First Aid classes around the community. It was my way of helping families feel safe caring for loved ones and helping businesses meet their required job training. I love teaching and love helping families. After the birth of my first child I really struggled with breastfeeding. Without the help of an IBCLC I am certain I would have given up on breastfeeding. I started thinking about what an amazing impact the IBCLC had on the life of my child and on my life by helping us successfully breastfeed. I got involved with Nursing Mothers Council so I could also help breastfeeding families but I really wanted more so I started the difficult journey of obtaining my certification as an IBCLC.

Over the next several years I completed a number of prerequisites, applied to and completed a rigorous lactation education program, and completed more than 300 clinical hours working with mothers and infants in a variety of different settings. These settings included a pediatric office, small hospital, mommy peer support group, and large hospital system working with in patients and out patients. After completing my education and clinical hours I sat for an extremely challenging international board exam. After passing my exam I went on to continue working with breastfeeding families and have continued to gain even more knowledge and experience working with breastfeeding families in the hospital for the last 1.5 years. Recently, I have added postpartum doula care to my private practice to better help support new families.

I love teaching and I love helping families! Helping a family learn CPR so they feel safe caring for their new infant, helping a mom with techniques or education to help her successfully meet her breastfeeding goals, and helping a new family get a warm meal and some sleep give me so much satisfaction! If I can make an impact on just one family I know I am helping to change the world!

On a personal level, I have been happily married for nearly 10 years. I have an older boy, 3 year old girl/boy twins, and we are expecting a little girl to join our family in June of 2017! We have two dogs who were our first children and two crazy cats! I enjoy running, biking, hiking, trips to OMSI with my kids, reading breastfeeding/lactation books, and I am currently learning how to play the piano.