JoEllen Noble, IBCLC
Personal
I am a mother of three boys, two surviving. I was unsure about breastfeeding when I was pregnant with L#1 and did not prepare myself for it. This was in 2007. Once I gave birth and saw his face I decided to give it a shot. We had a rough start and had to work through painful feedings and cracked nipples, but once we hit 6-7 weeks it became so easy! I ended up nursing L#1 until he self-weaned just a few days after turning 2 years old. The struggles I went through to be successful with breastfeeding started with a breastfeeding un-friendly hospital environment and led me to think about becoming a lactation consultant.
I gave birth to L#2 in 2011 in a planned, home-waterbirth attended by midwives and supported by my OBs. It was an incredible experience for our family, but a few days after his birth we had to rush L#2 to the hospital. He was transported to CCHMC and diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS)- a severe congenital heart defect. Basically our little L#2 was born with half a heart! I pumped around the clock to supply my baby with my milk. It was exhausting, but worth it. L#2 passed away when he was three months and one day old. After he passed, I shared my milk with other families whose babies were in need of donor human milk.
While L#2 was in the CICU, I sat for the IBLCE. A month of so after he died, I received my results for the exam and found that I had qualified as an IBCLC. Because L#2's critical congenital heart defect (CCHD) was a surprise to us, I became involved with pulse ox advocacy. Ohio law now includes pulse ox screenings for all newborns.
In 2012 I gave birth to L#3 in a Baby Friendly hospital and was attended by a nurse-midwife. It was a fantastic hospital birthing and breastfeeding experience. L#3 was immediately placed skin-to-skin and remained there nursing for his first 2 hours! During the first two weeks we worked through some tender latching because of his lip tie, but nursing L#3 has been a wonderful breastfeeding experience! He is still enjoying "boops" as a toddler!
Professional
Work Experience
WIC Breastfeeding Coordinator; November 2011- Present
- Duties include:
- Providing clinical breastfeeding help to WIC participants with problems consisting of: addressing the problem or referring it, developing a referral system, conducting home visits, and setting up breastfeeding support hotline;
- Providing health promotion and education to clients and families in a variety of settings: health fairs, homes, classrooms, and other sites as requested;
- Managing the pump program consisting of: ordering pumps, tracking inventory, training staff, issuing pumps, cleaning loaner pumps;
- Developing and providing breastfeeding training for staff;
- Maintaining a breastfeeding-friendly clinic environment (posters, bulletin boards, pamphlets, DVDs, web training);
- Infant feeding class development;
- Breastfeeding data analysis;
- Creating PowerPoint presentations or teaching materials as needed;
- Demonstrating research abilities to identify best practices or evidenced based recommendations;
- Breastfeeding peer helper mentoring/supervising;
- Breastfeeding outreach/coordination with physicians, hospitals, and community services;
- Attending/chairing coalitions.
WIC Breastfeeding Peer Helper; October 2008- November 2011
- Duties include:
Education
Union Institute & University, Cincinnati, Ohio. 2008-09.
- Concentration: Maternal/Child Health: Lactation Consulting
- Earned 20 credit hours in coursework including, but not limited to: Foundations of Maternal/Child Health, Introduction to Nutrition, and Infant/Childhood Growth and Development. Maintained a GPA of 4.0.
- Concentration: Early Childhood Education
- Earned 76 credit hours in coursework including, but not limited to: Principles of Biology, Educational Psychology, Sociology, and Observation and Assessment of Children. Average GPA of 3.82. Member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
Professional Development
- Breastfeeding and Oral Issues- Identification, Intervention, & Referral. November 2013.
- The diagnosis of tongue and lip-ties in newborns and infants; Treatment and post-surgical care of lip-ties and tongue-ties; Occupational and craniosacral therapies to support the breastfeeding infant.
- Advanced Clinical Concepts in Lactation Course (ACCLC). September 2013.
- Topics include recent breastfeeding initiatives, working with millennial moms, biological nurturing, obesity, feeding toddlers, differential lactation diagnosis and treatment of sore nipples and failure to thrive, what moms really want, and ethical issues.
- Certified as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). October 2011.
- Certified as a Lactation Counselor (CLC). October 2009.
- Noble, JoEllen. “Breastfeeding A Baby With CHD.” HeartDefectInfo.com. Congenital Heart Defect Info. 18 August 2013. http://heartdefectinfo.com/breastfeeding-a-baby-with-chd/
- Noble, JoEllen. “Establishing A Milk Supply For A Hospitalized Infant.” Heartwaves Blog. Heartwaves.org. 10 February 2012. http://www.heartwaves.org/congenital-heart-defect-information/?Tag=Establishing+a+Milk+Supply+for+a+Hospitalized+Infa
- Noble, JoEllen. “The Power of Loving Touch.” Heartwaves Blog. Heartwaves.org. 6 March 2012. http://www.heartwaves.org/congenital-heart-defect-information/?Tag=Kangaroo+Care
- Noble, JoEllen. “Human Milk For Heart Babies.” Heartwaves Blog. Heartwaves.org. 16 May 2012. http://www.heartwaves.org/congenital-heart-defect-information/?Tag=Human+Milk+For+Heart+Babies
- Noble, JoEllen. “Helpful Advice on Lactation and the Grieving Mother.” Heartwaves Blog. Heartwaves.org. 18 July 2012. http://www.heartwaves.org/congenital-heart-defect-information/?Tag=Helpful+Advice+on+Lactation+and+the+Grieving+Mothe
