Marma Conversations: Therese Dansby, BSN, RN, IBCLC, postpartum doula
Therese Dansby, BSN, RN, IBCLC, + postpartum doula will join the Marma Community on Tuesday, November 14th for a live interview at 8pm. We’ll dive into all things breastfeeding, being a mother of 3, the Milk + Motherhood Podcast and her online course to support healthy lactation.
You can check out her online course + use code MARMA10 for a 10% discount. This is a must-have course for all women! It’s conveniently formatted within an app so you can learn one-handed or during those middle-of-the-night nursing sessions.
We asked Therese a few questions to learn a little more about her before our chat.
Share with us a little about your journey into motherhood.
I was a NICU nurse for 8 years before having my first child, so I really thought the transition to motherhood would be simple. It proved to be anything but. Sure, the tasks of motherhood seem simple from the outside, but simply hearing my own baby cry affected my brain and body so differently than any other baby-caring experiences I'd had. Despite doing everything "right" and vigilantly feeding my baby every 3 hours, I was surprised when he wasn't back to birth weight at 2 weeks. This sparked both a personal journey of tapping into my own intuition instead of what the textbooks said, but it also triggered a major career change and I quickly jumped into IBCLC training when my first baby was just 6 months old.
If you had 1 piece of advice for a new mother, what would it be?
Find a community of mom friends, even if you don't parent exactly the same way. Having support and role models to look up to and moms with younger kids to pass on what you learned the hard way is truly invaluable. We weren't meant to do this alone.
What do you love most about your job?
I have the incredible honor of preparing mothers for their infant feeding journey, which can last much longer than pregnancy and birth do.
What food did you crave when you were pregnant?
Thai peanut noddles!
What was your favorite item you brought to your birth?
Birth was so different than I expected x 3! I appreciated having my own snacks and drinks, and I did briefly listen to my playlists before things got intense.
What is a go-to meal that you’re making right now?
Last week we got home later than usual, so I threw together a can of Muir Glen organic chili starter, a pound of ground beef, and a box of pasta. Everyone loved it and I think this will become a winter staple!
How can people find + connect with you?
My podcast is on all platforms as Milk + Motherhood
Instagram @happy.mama.healthy.baby
My courses and consults can be found at happymamahealthybaby.co
