Meet SDBFC's Newest IBCLC - Aisha Lope de Haro-Salleh

We are so thrilled to introduce you to our newest lactation consultant (pending) at SDBFC! Aisha joined us on September 16, 2022 and will start seeing her own clients on October 31, 2022  Here is our interview with Aisha.  We can't wait for you all to meet her!

Aisha, tell us about yourself!

I was born in Brooklyn, NY to Puerto-Rican and Malaysian parents. My mother was in the Foreign Service so we moved around quite a bit to countries like the Dominican Republic, Canada, Mexico, and Nicaragua. As a teenager, we moved to Arlington, Va where I graduated from high school and then went onto college in upstate NY and graduated from Ithaca college. Upon graduating, I decided to follow in my parents’ footsteps and become a Peace Corps Volunteer. I served twice, once in Bangladesh and again in Togo, W. Africa where I ended up extending for a third year working on HIV/AIDS prevention and women empowerment programs. When I returned stateside, advocating for social justice issues really spoke to me, so I got involved with the labor movement. It’s where I fell in love with a San Diego native who convinced me to move out here in the summer of 2013. It turns out it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. By the fall of that year, we got married, bought a home in the quaint neighborhood of Rolando Village, and found out we were expecting our first child just a few months later. Fast forward to today, we have two amazing kids, our daughter Kai and our son Zehn who both attend the Language Academy, a Spanish and French immersion school in our neighborhood. Becoming a parent and starting a second career as a lactation consultant has truly been humbling and incredibly rewarding in all the ways. My gratitude is endless.

Check out Aisha’s bio page

What inspired you to become a lactation consultant?

As a new stay-at-home mom and San Diego transplant, I started a local moms’ group in our neighborhood as I was craving a sense of community for me and my daughter since all of my friends and family were back on the east coast and my husband’s family were all back in the midwest. There were about 6 of us new SAHMs that would meet at our local park every Wednesday morning and sit in the shade of a pepper tree and breastfeed our little ones as we shared stories that made us laugh and sometimes cry. Being a new breastfeeding family isn’t easy. Over time, our group grew and so did many of our families. So many stories were shared of feeling alone, embarrassed, insecure, or just disappointed in our bodies when trying to face and overcome our breastfeeding challenges. The one thing that helped to empower us most to continue on our breastfeeding journeys was the advice and compassion from a trained lactation consultant. Some of us met one in a hospital or at home. I met a few in a couple of support groups and they changed my life. It was through our shared stories and experiences that I knew becoming a lactation consultant was the work I was being called to do.

What are you most excited about working for the SDBFC?

It’s an honor to be working at the San Diego Breastfeeding Center. Working with a team of professional and skilled lactation consultants is pretty much a dream come true. Being able to provide lactation care for families from diverse cultures and backgrounds and varying socioeconomic circumstances makes the work that much more meaningful and rewarding. It’s important that our center welcomes everyone and that everyone feels welcomed.

What are your top 3 tips for a brand new chest/breastfeeding parent?

1. No one knows your baby better than you do. Trust yourself.

2. Try to silence the noise. There can be so much pressure from family, friends, or our community/social media that we often feel pulled in so many directions. It’s ok to do what feels right for YOU and your family. It will inspire others to do the same.

3. Yes, some people have a challenge-free breastfeeding experience- their baby has a beautiful latch and mom’s milk supply is plentiful. And then there are the rest of us. Seek help. Go to a breastfeeding support group or make an appointment with a lactation consultant. We can’t wait to meet you!

Welcome to the team, Aisha!

Meet SDBFC's Newest IBCLC - Meghan Seperack

We are so thrilled to introduce you to our newest lactation consultant at SDBFC! Meghan joined us on November 18th and started seeing her own clients on January 12th!  Here is our interview with Meghan  We can't wait for you all to meet her!

meghan, tell us about yourself!

I would describe myself as a fun-loving, hard-working, family-centered daughter, sister, wife, friend, and lactation consultant. My friends and family would describe me as a positive, outgoing, grounded, and dedicated person. I was born and raised in Northern California and vacationed in San Diego as a child. When it came to college, I chose San Diego to call my new home and I have been here ever since. I moved around the county from College Area to Pacific Beach, East Village to University City, Carmel Valley to Carlsbad, and I have enjoyed many outdoor activities that San Diego has to offer. When I am not working, you can find me with a book on the beach or at a park, walking local trails or hiking, celebrating birthdays and weddings, or visiting family. I am an expert party-planner, power-napper, travel companion, and manifester. I am proud to call San Diego home, where watching the tide roll in and out creates instant inner peace for me.

Check out Meghan’s bio page

What inspired you to become a lactation consultant?

In 2016, I was laid off from my first job out of college. I was working in advertising for a creative agency and formed great relationships with my coworkers, but I was lacking purpose in my day-to-day work. A month of unemployment turned into a month of reflection and personal development. I began a meditation practice and found it extremely helpful in gaining clarity around my priorities. I felt called to finding a career involving families and babies. Fast forward to 2020, after returning to the creative services world for another several years, staying open for life to unfold, I was introduced to the field of lactation consulting through an article about the benefits of breastmilk on the infant gut. The article lit a spark within me and further reading and conversations snowballed until I found myself on the path of transitioning my career. After completing pre-requisite college courses, I began full-time lactation education and training and embraced my new career with deep passion to support chest/breastfeeding parents and their partners to provide human milk to their babies and impact societal health from infancy. 

What are you most excited about working for the SDBFC?

I am delighted to be a member of the San Diego Breastfeeding Center and honored to work alongside Robin Kaplan, and the entire team of skilled consultants. I am grateful for the continued education that SDBFC provides for our team to stay up to date on the latest research in the field and to bring expanded knowledge to our clients, such as plant medicine for milk supply and postpartum support. Behind the scenes of SDBFC is a team of passionate consultants working together to bring the best support possible to the families in our care.

I am looking forward to serving families in my local community and surrounding areas in North County with home visits. I have heard from many mothers how having a consultant come to their home creates ease and comfort. They’ve shared that it increases their confidence after having their questions answered, their baby’s weight and milk transfer assessed, and having an action plan to move forward with. I’m excited to be an integral part of that journey and continue to support and work through chest/breastfeeding challenges. 

What are your top 3 tips for a brand new chest/breastfeeding parent?

There are three things to keep top-of-mind for a new chest/breastfeeding parent. 

1. Your why. If you have chosen to chest/breastfeed, what were the reasons why? Maybe it was something your doctor said, or your sister-in-law told you, like how breastmilk protects babies from infection and disease. What have you discovered that cemented your desire to chest/breastfeed? What fun facts get you excited about breastmilk?

2. Your resources. As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a baby, so it is helpful to identify your inner circle of support. Who will be your cheerleader, your helper with laundry and meals, your listening ear? If feeding challenges arise, what providers can you lean on for chest/breastfeeding support? Along with identifying your people resources, having prenatal education resources can play a significant role in the first few days and weeks of lactation. Aiming for skin-to-skin time and frequent nipple stimulation in the early days will lay the foundation for long-term lactation.

3. Yourself! In the first few months, you and your partner may feel like you are in survival mode. What supportive practices have you leaned on in past challenging times? What affirmations would you say to your best friend, and can you say those to yourself? That could sound like, you’ve got this. You are the best mom for this baby. Tomorrow is a new day. You are doing a great job. Check in and give yourself some big loving because a healthy mom is of utmost importance.

Welcome to the team, Meghan!

Meet SDBFC's Newest IBCLC - Heather Sherman

We are so thrilled to introduce you to our newest lactation consultant (pending) at SDBFC! Heather joined us on November 18th and started seeing her own clients on December 27th!  Here is our interview with Heather.  We can't wait for you all to meet her!

Heather, tell us about yourself!

I'm originally from upstate New York. After meeting my husband in 2004 I married into Navy life. We moved around the country quite a bit and have lived in Philadelphia, Central Pennsylvania, Northern Virginia, Virginia Beach, Monterey, and Memphis. In 2019 we moved to San Diego and it immediately became home. I have three sons who keep me very busy. But, I also love to paddleboard, sew clothing, knit all the things, read fiction, watch movies with my family, go to baseball games, and walk my dog on the beach.

Check out Heather’s bio page

What inspired you to become a lactation consultant?

I felt disempowered and out of touch with my body after a traumatic birth experience with my first son. In many ways I felt my body had failed me because the birth hadn't turned out how I had expected. I immediately turned my focus to the breastfeeding relationship and put a lot of energy into working through my initial difficulties. Breastfeeding helped me restore my faith in my body and bond with my son after birth trauma. With my next son I had a home birth attended by an amazing midwife, which really completed my healing. For me these experiences underscored the importance of a great support system and how healthcare providers can make a huge difference in parents' experience during the perinatal period. After becoming a parent I spent a lot of my free time connecting with and supporting other parents, both casually and in support groups, and learning as much as I could about birth and lactation.

What are you most excited about working for the SDBFC?

I am so grateful to work alongside and learn from the incredibly talented IBCLCs at SDBFC. It is so exciting to join a team that provides the kind of compassionate, inclusive, and quality care that makes a positive impact on so many families in our community.

What are your top 3 tips for a brand new chest/breastfeeding parent?

1. 1Take a chest/breastfeeding class while you or your partner is still pregnant or schedule a prenatal lactation consultation. It is so helpful to learn the basics of good positioning and latch before giving birth. Getting this information early on helps set realistic expectations about what your first few days and weeks with your baby will be like. Bring your partner or major support person! It is important that partners and major support people also learn chest/breastfeeding basics and understand how they can be helpful and supportive when you are chest/breastfeeding.

   2. Identify your personal support team and cheerleaders. Meeting your chest/breastfeeding goals can be impacted by the support you get, or don't get, from your partner, family, social circle, and healthcare providers. Keep your cheerleaders close and set loving boundaries with well-meaning folks who may not understand or support your goals. Choose OBGYNs, midwives, pediatricians, and lactation consultants who respect your choices and make you feel heard and supported.

   3. Be prepared to be flexible. Sometimes we get very attached to how we think things "should" be. It is wonderful when things work exactly how we hoped. But, if you hit a bump in the road you can still have a positive feeding relationship with your baby. Work with your lactation consultant to explore all of your options and choose the one that feels best for you and your family.

Welcome to the team, Heather!