Hi, I'm Thaisa!
I am originally from Brazil, where I graduated (BSc.) as a dietitian. In 2007, my partner and I moved to the United States, where I did my PhD and a post-doc in Nutritional Sciences.
I have always loved working with children, but in graduate school I got involved in understanding how nutrition and outside factors during gestation could influence the babies' health, both in the short as well as in the long-term. I was then curious about maternal health, nutrition, and body composition and its effect on fetuses and babies' health. After a long run in the research world, I missed the daily interaction with my patients. So, I came back to focusing on childhood nutrition and maternal nutrition. Newborn and infant nutrition - breastfeeding and lactation! - was then a natural progression. I became a CLC in 2016, studied a lot more, completed several lactation-specific courses, 500 supervised hours with amazing lactation consultants in the US (mostly NYC), and 2019 I became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).
In my practice, I noticed first-time parents’ needs were different from experienced families. I often dedicated more hours to these new parents and became their source of general newborn information. I helped families struggling with lactation and newborn weight and nursing, but I also worked a lot with these parents on understanding normal newborn and infant behavior, guided these parents on issues they needed to contact the pediatrician ASAP or soon, answered questions the pediatrician didn't have time to fully address regarding baby sleep and weight gain patterns, sleep and feeding routines, growth spurs, reflux, etc.
I loved working with these first-time and immigrant families, who had little support from their families around that, and needed guidance, but couldn't/shouldn't see the pediatrician daily. I spent countless hours emailing, texting, and on calls with these families, until they felt ready.
I worked with my patients from pregnancy or newborn stage to introducing solids and addressing allergies fears, going back to work, night weaning, and milk feeding cessation. For most, that was a 1 to 1.5y relationship.
I am an energetic, yet non-judgemental person, and would love to work with you and help you achieve YOUR infant feeding goals.
