About Me
My name is Nicole Letizia, and I'm a Rockland County transplant from Queens, New York!
My passion for breastfeeding began in 2014 after I birthed my son, Sebastien (pictured with a beautiful latch at 7 days old). As of April 27, 2019 (my son's 5th birthday), my son and I are officially weaned from breastfeeding. It was a long, beautiful, challenging road, but I'm grateful we made it as far as we did! We celebrated our breastfeeding relationship and weaning with a special cake.
After experiencing challenges over the first few months, including mastitis, I turned to mom groups on Facebook for breastfeeding advice, and I began to educate myself on certain topics. All the new information excited me, and I wanted to share it with all the other moms online!
As I crossed over from breastfeeding an infant into toddlerhood, I realized that this was more than just a lifestyle commitment for a few years. I was truly dedicated to learning and helping others on their nursing journeys.
In 2016, I wanted to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). I applied and was accepted to UI&U for their Maternal Infant Health: Human Lactation program, but due to financial constraints, amongst other issues, I had to find a new route to achieve my goal.
In February 2017, my mother blessed me by paying for my Lactation Counselor Training Course (LCTC) with the Healthy Children Project, which allowed me to achieve my Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) designation!
In the summer of 2018, I applied to pursue IBCLC Pathway 3. My application was accepted, and I began immersing myself as much as possible in volunteering and working with my Mentor.
On January 7, 2020, my new nursling, Sulliven (pictured below, latched at & days old), blessed my family! As with nature and biology, our journey is very different! This time around, I experienced difficult latching, a hyperactive supply, an overactive letdown, and fast weight gain with my mini, plus a few other issues.
As of December 5, 2021, a lot has changed. My family looks immensely different because of divorce, but now there are no more constraints, and I finally got to pursue my original Pathway 2 dream. I was accepted for a second time into Union Institute & University's Maternal Child Health: Human Lactation program and began my education on January 3, 2022!
I am so excited to announce that I received my Bachelor of Science degree in the mail on February 21st, 2024! Yesterday, April 20th, 2024, I sat my IBLCE boards and hope to have an additional announcement in 10-12 weeks!
