The beginning of my RMT career was a slow start, after being discouraged in high school, taking a detour into Architectural Technology, and swiftly rounding the corner to becoming part of a health care professional team.

Career focus has evolved from wanting to work with athletes and being lucky to get an opportunity to treat trainers for triathlons but you discover quickly, you have to work just as hard on their recovery as they do in training. Transitioning into more family centred care, while getting experience with desk sitting warriors stuck in the t-rex position. Now my practice combines desk warriors with a focus on pre and postnatal care, helping to support everyone in the family unit.

Now I feel as though my career path may be coming to another fork. Since becoming a mother, having my early days of breastfeeding surrounded by trauma and abuse, instead of support and the ability to seek help, so I wasn’t made to feel like a failure, I’ve realized that I want to become that for someone. Because despite all of the struggles I have had, It’s been a 3 year and counting breastfeeding journey for my son and me.

FUN FACT: The average weaning age used to be SEVEN, before big formula companies came and brainwashed families.

Even Funner Fact: It’s no one’s business when a feeding pair ends their relationship.

So where does this fork lead? For now, it started with becoming a Breastfeeding Buddies with the Region of Waterloo, studying to become a Lactation Educator, and then eventually turning into an IBCLC aka Lactation Consultant. These turns and forks are long and at times slow-moving, but it’s happening.

Breastfeeding Buddies is a FREE service through the Region of Waterloo, of trained peer volunteers with diverse lived lactation experience (breastfeeding/chestfeeding/pumping). All BFBs have successfully completed an 18-hour course, recognized by WHO, as well as having a minimum of 6 months lactation experience. (breastfeeding/chestfeeding/pumping) Buddies provide evidence-based information and empathetic support when you need it.

You can sign up for a Breastfeeding buddy match at: https://www.breastfeedingbuddies.com/neve-home/about-services/peer-support/ or via their main page form. You are also welcome to contact me via sololactation@gmail.com for support in regards to feeding, or any motherly worries. This pandemic has taken away that village that was supposed to help you raise your little ones, so we should try to be that for each other.

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They also offer some programming, if you don’t have a specific question or concern and just want to join an information session.

Latch & Learn; meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 10 am, it’s a space to connect, ask questions, and learn from the experiences of others.
Topics covered:

  • Person to Parent: adjusting to the birth of your new self and baby.
  • Latching Isn’t Easy: helping to improve your latch, and position, and where to get help for any possible issues.
  • It’s All About Milk Supply: EVERY Lactation parent worries that their baby isn’t getting enough, we have a session for that, and it’s this one.
  • My Friend the Moon, Nighttime Feeding: The benefits of those nighttime feeds.
  • Coping with Crying: Learning how to cope with what your baby is communicating to you.

Check the Dates to Sign up for a session that Applies:

https://www.breastfeedingbuddies.com/neve-home/about-services/baby-me-drop-in/

Beyond the Basics: used to be a topic in rotation of Latch & Learn, but it’s become such high demand, it’s its own session, meeting Thursday 2 pm.
Supporting you with answers and connecting you with others who have reached that 1-year mark, concerns you may have returning to work, and how introducing solids may affect your supply.

Sign up here for the (convenient) virtual session:

https://www.breastfeedingbuddies.com/beyond-the-basics/#LLreg

Me? Breastfeed; is a prenatal workshop, that meets (virtually) two Wednesdays per month, in the evening at 7pm. In-person is going to be starting up again, at an Early ON set, so you will have to check for updates on this if you wish to attend an in-person session.
Topics include What to Expect in the first 7 days, Position to set you and baby up for the best feeding experience (spoiler alert: its Laidback position), how to hand express that Liquid Gold aka Colostrum, learning what Colostrum is, Skin to Skin tips, and where to get community help. It’s recommended to attend a workshop in your final trimester, but nothing is stopping you to attend sooner if you just like having all the information.

To sign up for the virtual workshop: (Next is March 9th)

https://www.breastfeedingbuddies.com/neve-home/about-services/me-breastfeed-workshop/#m eBform

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My goal is to complete my lactation educator’s program by sometime in March, and figure out how that will fit in at the clinic, eventually beginning studies to become a Lactation Consultant. I will continue to be an RMT at Encompass, providing cupping, pain management, tension relief, relaxation and a chance to lay on your stomach (for those that are pregnant and don’t get that opportunity anymore.)

Erica Pisciotto, RMT