I became a Registered Nurse in the state of California in July of 2020. To become a Registered Nurse, it requires extensive training from an accredited nursing school that includes nursing coursework and over 600 clinical hours, studying and passing the NCLEX (nursing board exam), and obtaining state licensure.

I obtained my International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in September of 2024. An IBCLC is a healthcare professional specializing in lactation and breastfeeding support. We are the highest credentialed lactation experts, offering personalized and expert care, particularly in complex breastfeeding situations. I studied at UC San Diego Extended Studies in Lactation and Perinatal Education, which is a nationally recognized university program. The course is based on objectives, guidelines and competencies established by Lactation Education Accreditation and Approval Review Committee (LEAARC), provides 90 hours of lactation-specific education, and allowed me to sit for the IBCLC exam.

I graduated from San Diego State University with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree in May of 2020. San Diego State School of Nursing is accredited by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN). It is a 4 year program requiring health and science prerequisites, nursing coursework, and over 600 clinical hours. The program has highly selective admissions, <5% admission rate when I was accepted in 2016. During my time in nursing school, I worked as a Patient Care Assistant at Rady Children’s Hospital, interned at Sharp Grossmont on their Labor and Delivery unit, and volunteered at a breastfeeding support group at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Newborns.

I have been working as a Registered Nurse on a Mother Baby/Postpartum floor full time for 5 years, equating to almost 10,000 hours supporting mothers and babies directly. I assist in baby’s first latch within the first hour of skin-to-skin, continuing into on demand feeding and cluster feeding on the 2nd day. I establish feeding plans for parents to follow once they discharge from the hospital. This hands-on experience has molded my practice as a Lactation Consultant and is irreplaceable.

I became a Lactation Education Counselor (LEC) in April of 2024 after completing UC San Diego Lactation Education Counselor Program. A Lactation Education Counselor (LEC) is a health professional who provides education and support to families regarding breastfeeding and lactation. The Lactation Education Counselor (LEC) Certificate meets the requirement of 95 hours of education within the past year that relates directly to the WHO/UNICEF (World Health Organization/United Nations Children’s Fund) breastfeeding counseling training course.

I was first trained in Baby Friendly USA in February of 2020. The Baby Friendly USA course is a competency-based training program designed to equip healthcare providers with the knowledge and skills to support and promote breastfeeding and human milk feeding. It aligns with the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiate, USA and its “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. Baby Friendly USA assists hospitals in creating supportive environments for breastfeeding mothers, while the course aims to empower healthcare professionals with the necessary skills to assist families.

I hold a Basic Life Support (BLS) certification and renew every 2 years. Basic Life Support (BLS) is a set of emergency procedures used to sustain life in individuals experiencing cardiac arrest.

I hold a Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) certification and renew every 2 years. NRP is a joint program of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association designed to teach hospital staff how to resuscitate newborns.