Infant Nutrition at your Best

I'm Pat, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, wife of an amazing artist, and mother of two amazing teenagers. I have worked in maternal child heath promoting and supporting breastfeeding/chestfeeding for 14 years, in hospital settings. I have worked closely with families, providing professional lactation support in the labor & delivery unit, postpartum unit, NICU, outpatient clinic, and any other hospital unit that was a lactating parent, or a baby who needed help with feeding. My relationship with the lactation world started in 2004, with providing prenatal breastfeeding classes to pregnant teenagers, as part of a program that promoted a healthy pregnancy for a healthy infant of a teenage mother. When I gave birth to my first child, in 2007, I thought that breastfeeding would be a breeze, since I had been teaching breastfeeding for 3 years, right? Well, as much as I had learned, I quickly realized that putting all into practice wasn’t that easy, as my daughter and I were learning together to breastfeed. With patience, and help of a lactation consultant, we were able to overcome the bumps on the road of the first few weeks, and breastfed for 16 months. In 2008 I became a Certified Lactation Counselor and in 2009, I gave birth to my son. Breastfeeding was easier this time, however , it was also my last year of Grad school. I had to start pumping, and introducing bottle feeding, when he was only seven days old. Daddy and grandma learned to pace feed, to protect breastfeeding. It was challenging, and yet, we breastfed for almost 12 months. In 2012 I became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and in 2019 I started my private practice offering home visits and tele health services. I provide prenatal education and postpartum consultations, with evidence based information. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and a Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy. I also provide consultation in Portuguese and Spanish, as I am fluent in both languages.