Suzanne Sanders here, IBCLC on mission to become an extraordinary lactation consultant.

I want to improve my ability to read and interpret lactation research. I want to shadow and learn from great lactation consultants around the world. I want a better understanding of what concepts in the field of lactation are evidence based with hard research to back it up vs. expert opinion vs. age old wisdom that has been passed down from generation to generation.

A little bit about me.

In 2018 I started off as a breastfeeding technician at a breastfeeding center located at a pediatric clinic. There were multiple lactation consultants working at the same office, which was a phenomenal learning opportunity. While working there, I earned my IBCLC and shadowed IBCLCs with different perspectives and different backgrounds. I also shadowed pediatricians who had their IBCLCs. I was a lactation consultant at that very office, the outpatient pediatric clinic, then later at a hospital. Prior to all of this, I had a degree in elementary education and worked a myriad of different jobs in my 20’s while I searched for a career that I loved. Turns out, being a lactation consultant is my dream job.

I am currently in the throws of young motherhood, with a toddler and a newborn permanently fixed to my side. I decided it was best for me to step away from seeing patients to focus on caring for these babies during this season of life. While at home, I want to continue learning and growing in my profession, which is why I started For Lactation Professionals.

In this blog, I read and share about research articles in the lactation field that pique my interest. Outside of my statistics class in college, I have very little education about how to read and interpret research. So, I’m going to learn as I go and share my journey along the way. I also shadow IBCLC’s and share the positive take aways I gather from them, such at techniques, verbiage, body language, etc.

I would love your comments and feedback on my blog posts. To help me learn and our other readers learn, please include your credentials or experience with your comments. I want to hear your thoughts whether you’ve been interpreting research for 20 years or whether this is the very first time you’ve ever read something from a medical journal.

Let’s learn together.

Suzanne Sanders, IBCLC