Hi! My name is Sophie, I have been supporting breastfeeding mothers in a
trained role since 2015 and became an IBCLC in
2018. My goal is to support mothers to feed their babies and achieve
their goals.
My first son was born in 2011 which is when I began to learn about breastfeeding and how difficult it can be! With the support of a friend/ peer supporter we finally got on the right feeding path, that experience spurred me on to try and support mothers in the future to achieve their feeding goals.
I am part of a number of volunteer organisations that support breastfeeding and try to make a global difference to breastfeeding support and have since 2014 been giving my time to these organisations either helping them with their graphical work, social media or supporting mothers as an unpaid volunteer as a Breastfeeding Councillor. It has been a hugely rewarding thing to do. I became involved in the Lactation Consultants of Great Britain in 2018 and am a trustee, which has been a wonderful experience. I have helped manage their website www.lcgb.org since early 2020 which has taught me a great deal!
Becoming an IBCLC has been a huge amount of work and I hope to make a true difference within the UK with this new skill. I am humbled to have the credential that even to apply for the exam took me 14 health sciences, 1000 hours of breastfeeding support and over 90 hours of lactation training a long with other requirements too and took me over a year to prepare for while bringing up my young family. It has given me the ability to work in situations that warrant a close eye in regard to infant feeding.
I am using my qualification to spread awareness of breastfeeding in schools and beyond. I am humbled to be able to work with my local community of health professionals to make a strong network of support for new mothers and their babies. I have supported hundreds of families in their breastfeeding journeys and hope to continue to do so for the rest of my life.
In mid 2019 I completed training with Slingababy. A four-day intensive course which was in depth and has taught me a great deal. Baby wearing has been a core part of my journey and to now pass this skill on is a great honour. The course taught me how to teach others the skill of carrying their baby, safety aspects, love and understanding of infants and their need to be close to their parents.
I enjoy blending the two roles I am trained in to provide a deeper level of care to my clients.
During the pandemic of 2020 I diversified my work moving to online virtual consultations, I was able to meet and work with families all over the world during the pandemic and have been incredibly successful with my work supporting families to feed their babies and much more during the pandemic.
In November 2020 Lactation Consultants of Great Britain awarded all its members the outstanding contribution to breastfeeding award for our contribution big or small to the work we all did in the pandemic of 2020. I am honoured to receive this award alongside my IBCLC and LCGB members and colleagues.
In 2021, I began helping other lactation professionals create their own websites. So far I have designed https://www.pollysmithibclc.co.uk ; https://www.birthandbeyondbirth.com; https://www.breastfeedscotland.com and https://www.breastfeedingdoctor.co.uk
It is an honor and privilege to support so many people in the lactation word via https://www.lactationdesign.com