Happy IBCLC Day! In celebration, I have a really special episode of the podcast for you.
I am so excited to share with you my conversation with my dear friend and fellow IBCLC, Adrienne Guirguis. I cannot begin to count up how much I have learned from Adrienne over the years.
She is everything you want your IBCLC to be: brilliant, compassionate, humble, confident, open-minded and accepting. She is a whiz at lactation triage on the hospital inpatient floor, patient and gentle with everyone who is in the room for a lactation consultation, and absolutely ravenous for new knowledge and information.
I would never hesitate to refer a client to her for any lactation issue, and I believe she represents the ideal in an IBCLC.
Let’s get to know Adrienne!
Adrienne Guirguis, a board certified lactation consultant, has over 25 years experience in helping breastfeeding infants and their families. She began her journey into the world of lactation after struggling to breastfeed her oldest son. She became an accredited La Leche League leader and was able to help babies breastfeed. Her experience with La Leche League led Adrienne to become a International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She has been board certified for 20 years and has experience with a wide range of problems that may be experienced by new families. Adrienne has worked in hospital for over 10 years and then worked in community health for many years. She is a clinical practitioner, working hands on with families to improve feeding outcomes.
Adrienne continues her lactation education, constantly attending conferences and courses to stay up-to-date on the information and skills needed to benefit those who most need breastfeeding help. She is a certified Specialist in Orofacial Myology.
In 2022 Adrienne completed the Holistic Integrative/Functional Lactation course, a year long program followed by a residency. This course has increased her skills to provide the best care for the families with whom she works.
Adrienne also is an educator, working within the community to teach others the skills necessary to become lactation counselors and eventually board certified lactation consultants. She is the President of the Central Valley Lactation Association, an official chapter of USLCA.
Adrienne joined me on the Evolve Lactation Podcast for a conversation where we take a look back over all of the settings in which she has practiced lactation care. The diversity of practice settings really sets her apart and gives her unique perspectives on how best to care for mothers and babies.
Over the span of more than 25 years, she has seen breastfeeding unfold over the hours, days, months, and years along the entire spectrum of infant and child development.
From teaching prenatal breastfeeding classes to private prenatal consultations, from seeing newborns nursing in the hospital to the community clinic to the home visit, and babies and toddlers of all ages in support groups, Adrienne has seen a lot in her lactation career.
One of her strengths is connecting with mothers and fathers, building relationships with them so that they can trust her with their lactation needs. Having a newborn brings the new parent into a vulnerable space, and Adrienne has a gift for engaging them in a way that brings them comfort and support so that they can enjoy their baby.
In fact, her connections with her clients are so strong and so important to the parents she serves that her private practice’s strongest referral source is word of mouth. People trust her with the lactation care of the people they love, and there is no greater testimonial than that.
In this episode, we take a ride in our time machine (because we’ve known each other and worked together for a LONG time!) and reflect on how lactation care has evolved over the years since we first met when she was my La Leche League Leader with my second and third daughters.
I love interviewing people on this podcast - even when I already know them, I learn a surprising amount about them by asking questions I’d never think to ask otherwise.
Come along with me and Adrienne for our conversation about our work, together and separate, as IBCLCs over the years!
If you’d like to learn more about (and from!) Adrienne, check out these links:
See Adrienne’s recent presentation at the 2023 GOLD Tongue Tie Symposium
The Power of the IBCLC in Multiple Practice Settings with Adrienne Guirguis, IBCLC, CSOM