Jennifer Abdul-Rahman, IBCLC | Nest Collaborative

Jennifer Abdul-Rahman

IBCLC

Year of Certification

2018

Special Interests

Tongue/Lip ties,
Prenatal education,
breastfeeding after cesarean

Language Spoken

English

BOOK NOW

Please share anything you'd like from your own personal breastfeeding experience.

I breastfed all three of my children after cesarean section. With my last child, I was able to do immediate skin-to-skin in the OR with a dropped drape, and he breastfed in the OR. All three of my children have tongue ties; two did not have a release and went through extensive therapy when they were older. My last child did have a release while I was still breastfeeding him. I incorporated traditional Islamic practices after delivery with all of them in the hospital.

What excites you most about being an IBCLC?

Learning about others' cultural and traditional practices surrounding birth and breastfeeding.

In what types of settings have you supported patients in lactation?

Hospital, Level II NICU, antepartum, L&D, OR, Private Practice, Community Support

What makes up your family (people & pets)?

Husband, 3 boys, and a cat.

What do you enjoy doing while not at work?

Writing poetry, attending conferences, reading, gardening, learning languages, homeschooling my 3 kids, hiking, going to the beach, string art, traveling, thinking about traveling, planning trips

Please share any additional education or certifications you have.

What state do you reside in?

Pennsylvania

When did you know you wanted to become an IBCLC?

After the birth of my first two children.

Why did you become an IBCLC?

I realized how little support I had, and I wanted to help other parents so they didn't have to struggle the way I did. I also realized that there needed to be policy changes in many areas to support parents and breastfeeding better. I wanted to be in a position to make that happen.

When I did my capstone project for my BSN, I wanted to work with a breastfeeding support group for my volunteer hours. The objective was to work with a vulnerable population. I had to present to the board of my college why this volunteer opportunity qualified because they did not believe that breastfeeding women were a vulnerable population. After compiling all the research and presenting it before the board, they agreed that breastfeeding women did qualify as a vulnerable population, and I was the first student at that college to work with this organization. This was also the point that I realized there was so much more work to be done in educating the general population and the healthcare community about the importance of breastfeeding.

What do you wish you could tell every parent (that they would actually do) and why?

Trust your baby and trust your body.