It’s not often in life that you cross paths with people who just get each other. Two individuals whose professional synergy is so effortless, so complementary, that watching them work becomes a masterclass in clinical care. When I started my journey to become a Lactation Consultant, I was fortunate enough to be taken under the wing of two extraordinary women: Amanda Pauley and Amy Chatburn-Stevens. Both of these women pushed me to do my IBCLC training, and I said yes, but only if mentored by both of them only. They began this journey as my official, designated mentors, the clinical guides responsible for shaping me into a competent clinician. But as the months and years turned into a rich tapestry of learning, shared clinical triumphs, and problem-solving, something wonderful and profound happened: they finished not just as mentors, but as two cherished and good friends.
This blog post is an attempt to capture the depth of my gratitude and appreciation for the sheer amount of effort, heart, and dedication they poured into my training. To say I have learned invaluable skills would be an understatement; they didn’t just teach me how to practice; they taught me how to be a clinician.
The Unquantifiable Gift of Time
Let’s be honest: good mentoring is a sacrifice. It’s an investment of time that an already busy professional could spend on anything else, more clients, more personal time, or simply catching a breath. Yet, from the moment they agreed to take me on, both Amanda and Amy gave up so much of their time to teach me.
It wasn’t just the scheduled hours. It was the frantic text messages at 8pm when I was puzzling over a complex case; the extra 30 minutes spent debriefing after a challenging home visit; the texts with links to the latest research papers; and the patience to let me fumble, find my footing, and try again. They created space for me not just in their clinics, but in their incredibly demanding lives. This willingness to consistently put my development ahead of their own convenience is the first and most enduring lesson I learned: dedication to the next generation of clinicians is a necessary cornerstone of this profession.
I have always believed that if you are going to learn something, you should learn it from the best. And genuinely, I feel that I have learned from the best. I am so incredibly happy, humbled, and grateful that they agreed to train me. Their acceptance felt like winning a professional lottery, and I committed myself to soaking up every single piece of wisdom they offered.
The Clinical Bootcamp: A 360-Degree View of Lactation
One of the greatest strengths of the training Amanda and Amy provided was the comprehensive scope of practice. They threw me into the deep end of the entire professional ocean, ensuring I got to experience nearly every area of lactation that you can work in. This wasn’t just observing; this was hands-on, deeply mentored experience that provided context and versatility that no textbook ever could.
We rotated through:
The Postnatal Ward: The immediate, high-stakes environment where the foundation of a feeding journey is laid. I learned the critical importance of those first 48 hours, the art of supportive non-judgmental care in a vulnerable period, and how to triage concerns in a fast-paced setting.
Outpatient Hospital Clinics: Here, the cases were often more complex with post-discharge problems that may not have arised in hospital.
Private Practice: Witnessing their individual private practices provided a crucial insight into business acumen, and the deep, longitudinal relationships that form when a consultant follows a family over weeks or months. It showed me the profound autonomy and responsibility that comes with being an independent practitioner.
Home Visits: Perhaps the most intimate and challenging setting. Being invited into a family’s sanctuary taught me the power of contextualising care. You don’t just treat a symptom, you treat a mother and baby in their environment, navigating their unique challenges and resources.
This breadth of experience is, in my opinion, the gold standard of clinical mentorship. It taught me that a great lactation consultant must be a professional chameleon, capable of providing empathetic, evidence-based care whether under the fluorescent lights of a hospital or the soft glow of a living room lamp.
The IBCLC Push: Believing in My Potential
While they equipped me with the skills, they also gave me the professional vision. Both Amanda and Amy were instrumental in pushing me down the pathway to become an IBCLC. There were moments of doubt, the sheer volume of study, the stress of sitting the exam, the weight of the responsibility, where I might have settled for less. But they wouldn’t let me.
They saw my potential long before I had the courage to see it myself. They didn’t just say, “You can do this.” They provided the structure, the rigorous cases, and the study materials that made doing this possible. They understood that the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) designation isn’t just a set of letters after your name; it is the global measure of excellence, expertise, and ethical practice in the field of human lactation. Their belief in my capacity to uphold that standard was the fuel that propelled me through the final, daunting stages of my qualification. Thank you for holding the mirror up to my potential.
The Invaluable Skills: More Than Just Positioning
What truly sets their mentorship apart is that they taught me far more than just how to solve a latch issue or manage a mastitis case. They instilled the core tenets of being a good clinician.
They taught me:
The Power of Listening: Not just for symptoms, but for the underlying emotional landscape of a new parent. They taught me to hear the fatigue, the fear, and the self-doubt in their voice and to address that first. One of the most valuable things was listen to the mother as they know their child the best! I had already been doing this in my practice as a paediatric dietitian, however in the lactation field, this skill is extremely crucial in helping families.
Critical Thinking and Evidence-Based Practice: They demanded I know why I was recommending something, not just what I was recommending. They turned me into a perpetual student, always questioning, using critical thinking skills, always referencing the latest data.
The Art of Non-Judgmental Communication: They showed me how to deliver sensitive information with unparalleled empathy, ensuring a parent feels supported, respected, and empowered, regardless of their feeding goals. “Meet the family where they are,” was a constant mantra, and it’s one I carry into every single appointment.
Professional Boundaries and Self-Care: They modeled the necessity of taking care of yourself so you can effectively care for others. In a field that demands so much emotional energy, this was an indispensable lesson for longevity.
The True North: Passion, Dedication, and Client Care
The most inspiring part of my entire training was not the skills I gained, but the constant exposure to their passion, dedication, and care for their clients. It shone through in every single interaction.
Passion: Their faces would light up when a new mother described a positive breakthrough. They celebrated every mL of breastmilk produced and every comfortable feeding. This genuine, infectious enthusiasm reminded me that we are in the privileged position of supporting a fundamental, life-affirming human process.
Dedication: I watched them go the extra mile countless times, calling a doctor, coordinating care with the multidisciplinary team, or staying late to ensure a detailed follow-up plan was in place. Their dedication wasn’t a job requirement; it was a deeply ingrained professional ethic.
Care: Their compassion was boundless. They understood that being a lactation consultant is often being a witness to pain, exhaustion, and vulnerability. They approached every family with a gentle, fierce determination to provide relief and support, treating their clients’ goals as their own mission. They are the embodiment of what it means to be a compassionate healthcare provider.
The Final Bow and Forever Friends
Amanda and Amy, as I step out fully into my role as an IBCLC, I carry pieces of both of you into every single clinic, ward, and home visit I perform. You didn’t just give me the tools for the job; you instilled in me the soul of the practice.
Thank you for your tireless commitment, your patience with my inevitable mistakes, and your unwavering belief in my ability to succeed. Thank you for showing me what clinical excellence looks like, and for demonstrating that professional rigor and profound human empathy can, and must, coexist. Thank you for the laughter, the shared coffee or coke, and for allowing a professional relationship to blossom into a cherished friendship.
I truly feel that I am the best clinician I can be at this stage of my career because of your guidance, and I owe a debt of gratitude I will spend my entire career paying forward.
To any family who has the fortune of being cared for by either Amanda or Amy: you are in the best, most capable, and most caring hands in the field.
And to my mentors, who are now my dear friends: Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for making my dream a reality.
