Infant Feeding

My “why” for becoming a lactation consultant

By Alison Miranda 7/22/2019 5 minutes

Hey everyone! I am Alison from AM Lactation Support. I am excited to share my “why” for becoming an IBCLC and going into private practice.

People generally don’t grow up thinking the perfect profession for them to get into is Lactation Support. I think most women fall into it because of their own trials with breastfeeding; that’s exactly how it played out for me. In 2012 I gave birth to my first child, a perfect little girl born prematurely at 34 weeks.

A few hours before I gave birth, I was given an article to read regarding premature babies and breastmilk. The article stated that breastmilk is considered to be a medicine and the best thing I could do for my new 34-weeker. I wanted to do anything and everything I could for her. Because of this article, I was now committed to giving my daughter breastmilk no matter what.

I happily began pumping after birth every 2-3 hours around the clock. After a few stressful attempts at breast where she was unable to consume the amount she needed, I felt defeated and just continued to pump. Once I had left the NICU with a nipple shield and a feeding schedule I thought that was it. I didn’t know that there were people who could help me achieve my breastfeeding goals once I was discharged. Needless to say, breastfeeding didn’t work out. However, I did exclusively pump until she was 1 year adjusted.

I began to notice time and time again that there were people who had similar experiences to mine, but there were also people that had great breastfeeding experiences. The key difference between the two, was the ones that had great breastfeeding experiences worked with great IBCLCs. This is when I decided to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Maternal Child Health with a specialization in Human Lactation. I graduated in 2015 and interned at Women and Infants Hospital. I obtained my IBCLC status in 2017. 

In 2017 I gave birth to my 2nd child. When he was born, I thought I would be able to conquer whatever came my way with ease, I was wrong. Much to my dismay, my son was terrible at breastfeeding. He had some muscle issues in addition to a tongue and lip tie. Because I was having a hard time thinking as an IBCLC and not as a Mom I got support from a couple IBCLC’s and a pediatric chiropractor. Because of them I was able to breastfeed my son for 18 months.

The lactation consultants that I saw were either at the hospital or almost an hour drive away. This is when I saw a need in my community and decided to provide lactation support to families in the comfort of their own home. In early 2019, with the help of my Husband and some friends, I was able to launch my private practice. I am happy to be able to serve the families in RI and Southcoast MA

I offer in home lactation support and classes. I am booking online at www.AMLactationSupport.com. You can also find me on Facebook: AM Lactation Support.

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AuthorPicture

Alison Miranda

I am an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) with a Bachelor’s Degree in Maternal & Child Health with a specialization in Human Lactation.

I came to this path in life through my own struggles breastfeeding/pumping for a premature child and then breastfeeding a tongue and lip tied child. I have been on both sides of the fence in breastfeeding both struggling myself and then helping families with their struggles.

I understand breastfeeding is not easy for everyone and work to provide in home individualized ca

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