Today’s interview is with Dr. Kathleen McCue, FNP-BC, IBCLC-RLC, owner of Metropolitan Breastfeeding, formerly known as Bethesda Breastfeeding, located at Bethesda, Maryland.
Dr. Kathleen McCue worked as an RN for years, but as they say, you cannot hide passion and this is exactly what her true passion is for over 30 years now! As an RN she was drawn to helping moms and babies get the best start in breastfeeding. She believes it is something that many women do not realize they need help with until it’s too late. Kathleen knew and was determined to help these women, and so this is when she got involved with this business.
As a lactation consultant for 30 years, she has seen them all. Her depth and breadth of experience is what makes her unique and somewhat separates her from the others in the same field. As a consultant, the job is all about how to help these families achieve their goals and to assist families pre and post natally to achieve their breastfeeding goals – whatever they may be – utilizing evidence based practices.
As a consultant, Kathleen tells us that her greatest achievement is working with moms to induce lactation or producing milk without pregnancy and birth. This include moms who are part of a same-sex couple or a mom who is adopting and wants to breastfeed. Breast feeding indeed is a beautiful thing and the commitment that this parents are providing for their child is awe-inspiring.
We asked Kathleen what are the biggest mistakes she sees parents make and how they should fix them and she answered “Waiting to ask for help.” She explained that when a baby is born, you have a limited window of time to get things off to a great start, and waiting until you are facing too many issues can be demoralizing for moms. Her advise, "know your resources before your baby comes and be prepared! You absolutely want to have a lactation consultant in your back pocket ready to go so that when you hit a road block you are ready to get through."
We also asked her to share her best breastfeeding tip and jokingly, she answered “Call an IBCLC!” Well kidding aside, she shared “never underestimate the importance of a good latch and trusting your instincts. You aren’t going to spoil your baby by feeding often – that’s how you signal your body to produce the right amount of milk!”
Finally, Kathleen concluded that being a lactation consultant is more than just being really interested in breastfeeding. To become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, you must go through specialized training and intensive hours in internship before taking a board exam. IBCLCs are the gold-standard in care when it comes to breastfeeding!
Kathleen recently rebranded from Bethesda Breastfeeding to Metropolitan Breastfeeding to accurately reflect their service area due to their expansion. Currently they are now able to help moms all over Maryland, DC and Northern Virginia plus they have opened their 2nd location in Frederick, Maryland.
For more information on Metropolitan Breastfeeding, you may visit their website at metropolitanbreastfeeding.com, call them at (303) 943-9293 or email them at [email protected]
