Why you decided to become a Lactation Consultant
I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration. For 12 years, I worked as a corporate accountant. During this time, I had my first baby, and then another. While my job as an accountant was less than fulfilling, I became invested in several hobbies, and for many years, I started to search more deeply about what I really wanted to do and to be in life. One day, when I was pumping breast milk for my second baby at work and searching for a place to donate my extra milk, the light came on in my brain that I could work in a field that supports parents to provide their babies their own breast milk instead. I knew I couldn’t give my own milk forever. The moment became the beginning of my transformation, my discovery of my place in the world. Right after that, I attended my first of many La Leche League meetings. And at that first meeting, I knew I wanted to be a La Leche League Leader, and possibly, in a distant future, a Lactation Consultant. A whole new world opened up to me beyond just breastfeeding tips and information. It was finding a missing piece of my life, and it was strangely fulfilling.
I am currently working full-time as a Lactation Consultant at Gardner Health Services’ WIC program. I am also a Certified Infant Massage Instructor and have a private practice called Marigold Lactation (marigoldlactation.com) where I offer both lactation support and teach infant massage classes. I am a La Leche League Leader supporting breastfeeding families as well as contributing my Area as a Co-Professional Liaison, and to the LLL USA’s New Beginnings blog (https://lllusa.org/blog/) and La Leche League International’s Leader Today Journal as a Review Team member.
Anything you want to share about your experience as an AANHPI Lactation Consultant
Before I became a lactation consultant, I was a La Leche League Leader first. Near the end of my training to be a Leader, I started to think more about what it would look like being an Asian breastfeeding support person who would offer counseling to people who didn’t look like me. What would they think of me? Would they “accept” me? Why would they listen to me?
Being new was one thing, being an AANHPI lactation provider added another layer to this complexity, and not seeing so many other AANHPI providers besides me made me ask myself questions about what my place was in this community.
For months and years to come, I worked to gain knowledge, information and experience, and most importantly, to find myself, again. During this time, I was thankful for my supporting LLL Leaders, who inspired me and taught me the first things about breastfeeding counseling, allowed me to make mistakes, and helped me grow into a new LLL Leader.
See AlsoUndergraduate Majors at UC San DiegoPrecision Oncology via Artificial Intelligence on Cancer BiopsiesUC San Diego School of Medicine Recognized Among 2024 Best Medical SchoolsThe Importance of National Breastfeeding Month: A Global Initiative for Better Health | Continuing EducationI started to realize, as I shifted the focus away from myself to others, that it was not about me or how I looked, but it was about my skills and knowledge as a lactation provider; that it was not about whether or not anyone would accept me, it was about what I could offer - care and support, information, options, possibilities, empathy, hope and encouragement; that it was not about if anyone would listen to me, it was about me listening to them.
That was the first hurdle that I have gradually overcome as an AANHPI lactation provider. With that awareness, I am closer to the place I have always wanted to be - a place where I can be myself, where my background and ethnicity become an advantage and add value to not just my own community but the whole lactation community as well; a place where I meet like-minded people who tirelessly and strategically work to break down barriers and make health equity a reality.
Your current position at the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program and the communities you serve
I have been working as a Lactation Consultant at Gardner Health Services’ WIC since late 2022. Since I went into the breastfeeding and lactation field, WIC was one of the places I had always wanted to work at. What I love about working at WIC is the opportunity to provide support to a population who needs it the most. The amount of resources and information WIC provides to its participants is tremendous and valuable, and its impact can be direct and deep. The opportunity for further training and education for staff at WIC is a special bonus.
I love helping WIC families, I love that I can make a difference in someone’s life in every interaction I have. I love that the participants have access to breastfeeding supplies at no costs.
Besides helping families, I create informational posters to promote breastfeeding, redesign the breastfeeding rooms at the 2 clinics I work at. I participate in writing and translating the WIC newsletter. I love contributing to the community by way of writing. I feel I can make a wider impact and bring awareness to areas that matter most at the moment.
I create the training material and deliver the training for staff on prenatal breastfeeding education. I find it most important and effective to start supporting breastfeeding at this stage. I work to connect with providers within the clinic’s network and Santa Clara County to find resources and build processes for referral in regards to perinatal mental health support. I also hold a monthly virtual support group for both WIC participants and the general public. I appreciate the opportunity and the flexibility I have to learn, to connect, to share, and to become the IBCLC I want to be.
In our program, about half of the participant population speaks Spanish. So, I am learning Spanish. This is my biggest challenge at this point. By supporting participants in Spanish - a very new language to me, I have realized that, maybe, breastfeeding support doesn’t have to be very complicated. I can keep things simple. At the same time, there is a lack of connection that happens when language is a barrier, and it is more challenging to build rapport and trust which is so important in this relationship. I am currently learning Spanish on my own and on the job everyday and keep an open mind in order to provide the support these families deserve. Though language is a huge factor, it is not the only barrier that these families are facing.
I think we are heading toward the right direction, even though there is still a lot of work to be done. This is not just an opportunity for me, but also my responsibility, to take part in the work of paving the road to health equity for everyone.
Your experience as a Pathway 2 student
Becoming qualified for the Pathway 2 program at UCSD was like reaching a destination for me. I was very excited. I had a great experience, though I was intimidated initially. Not so far into the program, I realized I was only at the beginning of the journey. The lectures were always inspiring and bright, and gave me a lot of hope. The research papers, books, videos, interviews and additional resources were extremely helpful besides the textbooks and lectures. I learned how to select a reliable source of information for my own learning experience as well as resources for families.
The weekly simulation offered an opportunity for the class to investigate and discuss different clinical scenarios more deeply with the guidance of the clinical instructor. The opportunity for me to be placed in-person with a preceptor was definitely golden given that we were in a pandemic.
The program helped me gain confidence about myself and what I could offer, prepared me for the exam and also to become an IBCLC full of hope and aspiration.
How you became involved with the AANHPI Lactation Collaborative of California
I met Tonya Lang from La Leche League where we both serve as Board members of the LLL of Northern California, Hawaii, and Northern Nevada Area. I worked with her on a few LLL projects, I learned about her work outside of LLL, I watched her presentations, read about her, and had always admired her from a distance. As soon as I passed the IBCLC exam and felt more “qualified” to speak with Tonya, I called her up and expressed my thoughts, excitement and hope about being a part of the Asian, South Asian, Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Task Force (ASAP!) which she was a Co-founder and Chair of. After our first conversation where Tonya - full of passion and energy, so bright and personable- explained the task force, its mission and projects at that time, I realized I could have called Tonya a lot sooner! From there, I joined the meetings and took on the work of translating ASAP! Social Media Toolkit into Vietnamese and design graphics for this toolkit for Instagram posting: https://acphd.org/acbreastfeeds/asap/. Tonya then introduced me to the AANHPI Lactation Collaborative of California where she is one of the founding members. Her mentorship is valuable, her dedication and devotion are an inspiration. And I always make myself available to contribute to the Collaborative’s projects and mission.
Any information you want to share about AANHPI Lactation Collaborative of California’s vision/goals/projects
The Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Lactation Collaborative’s mission is to mobilize AANHPI communities, mainstream reproductive health organizations, and public health systems through advocacy, capacity building, and policy work for systemic change to uplift AANHPI communities and protect our right to thrive. The collaborative envisions all the diverse AANHPI communities can thrive in a just and equitable world where all of our communities are seen, heard, represented, understood, and included.
Project
The AANHPI Lactation Collaborative of California is conducting a nationwide landscape analysis of lactation resources available to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. As part of this project, the collaborative conducts a survey of professionals who identify as AANHPI or work primarily with AANHPI communities to determine what lactation resources are available for them. We seek to compile and create a resource directory to share publicly on the AANHPI Lactation Collaborative website.
If you provide support for birthing and lactating AANHPI families, we invite you to complete this survey and share it with your colleagues.
Uyen Tran, Alumni
