Leading Lactation Insights - January 2023

This month we are spotlighting Caroline Conneen, C-FNP, R.D., IBCLC

Megan Quinn

Caroline Conneen is an experienced nurse practitioner, dietitian, lactation consultant and author who, for over 25 years, has had the pleasure of advising new mothers, growing families, and breastfeeding babies. From Fredericksburg, Virginia, Caroline says she became involved in healthcare because she “always enjoys caring for others and is quite interested in nutrition.” While in college, she went on a mission trip to Haiti and shares that she was “amazed at the skills of the nurse practitioner role in the clinic.” Later, as a public health nutritionist promoting breastfeeding through the WIC program, Caroline became familiarized with the pediatric nurse practitioner role and knew that was what she was called to do. She returned to school and received a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and then a Master’s degree in Family Health Nursing so she could fulfill her dream.

Caroline shares that she decided to become an IBCLC after her own experience as a young mother. She says, “I remember the advice I received from my obstetrician. When he saw me on his rounds just before I was released from the hospital, he stated that I should not let this baby run my life and to just feed her every four hours for ten minutes. He meant well, but this turned out to be bad advice and it wasn’t until I was home for 24 hours that I noticed my newborn had not had a single wet diaper. I called the only pediatrician in our rural town and was informed they couldn’t help me because I wasn’t an established patient (important lesson: always select a pediatrician before your baby is born!). Fortunately, my maternal instincts took over and I decided to ignore my doctor’s advice and feed her whenever she wanted, for as long as she wanted. It worked! By the time she was four months old, she was thriving exclusively on breast milk.” This stressful experience as a new mom emphasized the importance of helping mothers receive sound guidance. As a result, Caroline further realized her passion for providing the right information and support to new parents to help them breastfeed successfully. She sums it up best: “Parents learn to be flexible and to love in a way they’ve never known before.”

Along with being a certified lactation consultant in private practice, Caroline leads a weekly parenting and breastfeeding support group for moms and babies through six months old. She also taught prenatal breastfeeding classes for nearly two decades at a community hospital and now works among a team of lactation consultants in a thriving postpartum unit. As a nurse practitioner in a pediatrician’s office, Caroline enjoys integrating her nutrition and lactation knowledge and skills into primary care.

Caroline has also written monthly breastfeeding columns for a parenting magazine and, because of her passion for teaching about breastfeeding and helping families get a great start, she won the Silver Publication Award. Her lactation consultant business, Mother’s Best, was recently named a Fred Parent favorite for the Fredericksburg, Virginia area and she has also spoken internationally on the power of skin-to-skin contact. Most recently, Caroline published a book, “Latching Well: Breastfeeding with an Integrative Approach”, that clearly teaches how to breastfeed with success and is available in print and audio formats.

Though Caroline shares that being a first-time book author had its learning curves, she says that “writing the book was fulfilling and a joy.” As a trove of valuable information for moms and babies, the book includes images, mothers’ experiences, key summary points, and integrated techniques gleaned from her decades of expertise in lactation, nutrition, and advanced practice nursing.

While her current hospital is not Baby-Friendly, it does offer free prenatal breastfeeding classes and provides each nursing mother individual and guided assistance within 24 hours of delivery and daily throughout her stay. Caroline shares that she would like to “find a way to offer more support and continued encouragement to breastfeeding mothers with babies in the NICU”, as meeting regularly with mothers who have varied times visiting their baby can make getting frequent, consistent lactation support more challenging.

In her free time, Caroline enjoys faith-filled activities, traveling, and spending time with her family, which includes her own three precious grandchildren. Thank you for all you do and for sharing your passion for supporting moms and babies throughout their breastfeeding journey!

Thank you to this issue's contributors!