From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I knew I was going to breastfeed. I just didn’t know how hard it was going to be.

I took all the classes and read all the books, but when I brought my baby girl home, I was lost. I found an IBCLC in my neighborhood who showed up at my door the very next day. My lactation origin story began the moment she removed unnecessary gear and helped me latch my baby in the comfort of my own bed, with my dog curled up at my feet. That moment saved my entire breastfeeding journey with my daughter.

Fast-forward three years when I had my son, this time in a new city after a traumatic birth and brief NICU stay. I couldn’t find a soul to come to my house to help me troubleshoot breastfeeding.

I was a pro, or so I thought. But he wasn’t.

I finally found someone who would see me in office, 45 minutes away. But 45 minutes is a lifetime when you have a newborn, a fresh C-section incision, and a surgeon’s order not to drive for three weeks. The entire experience left me with the opposite feeling of my first IBCLC.

But it inspired me to take the next step.

I slowly gathered the health and science prerequisites while working full-time as a marketing copywriter before leaving to pursue the UCSD Pathway 2 Lactation Consultant Program in the spring of 2024. I sat for the IBCLC exam in April of 2025 and received my passing score in June 2025.