I qualified as a Paediatric Nurse in 2006 and during my career I have worked in both hospital and community settings with my most recent employment being at the University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire. I worked on a general medical ward for infants aged 0-2 years old and in 2014 I took on the role of the Breastfeeding Link Nurse so that I could work more closely with babies who had been admitted to hospital with health problems resulting from ineffective breastfeeding.

In 2019 I trained to become a volunteer breastfeeding Peer Supporter where I worked with breastfeeding women in my local towns and in 2021 I was offered the position of the first Infant Feeding Specialist in the Paediatric Department of the University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire.

My role included working closely with families in the Paediatric A&E department and on the hospital ward to identify and address any breastfeeding difficulties and provide education and support to the family in order to overcome any challenges. I also ran breastfeeding support clinics in the Paediatric Outpatient Department where I would arrange to review babies after their discharge from the ward or after their A&E attendance, and I would also see families for breastfeeding support who had been referred to me from Community based care providers. I worked closely with the Community Midwife Team and Community Health Visting Team, as well as the Infant Feeding Lead nurses in the Maternity and Neonatal Departments.

In 2023 I left my  role at the hospital to begin my training as a Lactation Consultant.

I breastfed my own two children but for a variety of reasons I had difficulties establishing breastfeeding with both of them which required me to seek out breastfeeding support from a Community Lactation Consultant. It is due to my own personal and professional experiences that I trained to become a Certified Lactation Consultant so I could provide women with knowledgeable and experienced breastfeeding support as early as possible when they are faced with any breastfeeding challenges.

My aim as an IBCLC is to be able to educate and support women to overcome their challenges which in turn will enable them to continue breastfeeding their babies.