Meet Jen Wasson, RN, BSN, IBCLC! She’s one of our awesome Embrace Pregnancy spea…

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Meet Jen Wasson, RN, BSN, IBCLC! She’s one of our awesome Embrace Pregnancy speakers: I grew up in Michigan & have been a nurse for 21 years. I spent my early nursing years in adult ICU; open heart surgery, SICU & Cardiac Cath Lab. My life was forever changed with the birth of my daughter, Grace. Rather than returning to adult nursing after my maternity leave, I returned as a Neonatal ICU (NICU) nurse & have never looked back!

As an exclusively breastfeeding mom, returning to work was very difficult for me. I had no breastfeeding education, no breastfeeding support & no lactation consultant. I read everything I could on breastfeeding & Grace and I learned what worked best for us. I pumped, mostly at night, so Grace could be fed by my mom while I was at work. While at work, I pumped when I could, often only twice in a 12-hour shift. Once, while at a mandatory training, I had to pump in the restroom while standing in the corner, my back to the women coming & going, because my cord wouldn’t stretch from inside a stall to the outlet. No pumping room was provided to me.

We managed to breastfeed for 1 entire year, despite 2 cases of the worst mastitis my OB at the time had ever seen. I also had a supply that equaled Grace’s demand & had to breastfeed & pump frequently to ensure Grace gained weight well. If only I knew then what I know now… Having to struggle to make my breastfeeding successful, I understand and appreciate the challenges moms face. Having lost 3 babies myself, I have incredible respect for moms who suffer & grieve a loss. There is no greater pain than that of losing a child. I stand in awe of those moms that, after losing a child, choose to pump & donate their milk to help another mom & her baby.

I see, on a daily basis, the growing need for in home breastfeeding education & support. Many moms are not receiving strong breastfeeding support while in the hospital. They are often discharged home with few, if any, resources and they oftentimes face new or further challenges once home. I became inspired by my 2 best friends to become an IBCLC. With their support & encouragement, as well as my husband’s, I studied hard, passed my boards & started my journey in private practice with my best friend & partner, Kelli Knight.

I loved every minute of breastfeeding my daughter; not only because breastfeeding was the single most important thing I could do for Grace, providing her life long benefits, but also because of the incredible love & bond we share that was strengthened through our breastfeeding experience. It was something only I could provide for my child and I was determined that we would make it. I also felt that if I failed, if our breastfeeding was not successful, I would fail my daughter. I know many moms that have this same belief. This makes breastfeeding very emotional & very personal. I have since learned that ANY amount of a mom’s breastmilk is a good thing, providing benefits to their child. My goal is to help moms reach their breastfeeding goals, whatever those goals are, and to ensure they see themselves as the beautiful, amazing & strong empowered women they are!

It is my passion to support moms in reaching their breastfeeding goals. To empower them & build their confidence so they have the best breastfeeding experience they can. My goal is to educate, assist and support all families. I am here to help make your newborn period & breastfeeding a healthy, beautiful & rewarding experience.

~Jennifer Wasson RN, BSN, IBCLC

Services:
• Prenatal Breastfeeding Assessments
• Prenatal Breastfeeding Bootcamp class – group & private
• Prenatal Newborn Education class -group & private
• Lactation consults – both in home & in office (Tomball)
• Infant CPR Classes – group & private
• Postpartum Doula services – daytime only
• Neonatal Resuscitation Classes (NRP) – scheduled upon request
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