meet rachel hodge
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)
Tell us about you – who is your family, where do you live?
I am a mum to four awesome kids and wife of almost twenty years to the patient and adventure loving Matt. We have two girls and two boys ranging in age from sixteen down to four years old; so on one hand we are teaching a child how to drive and another how to write her name. We live on the south side of Brisbane with our dog, four guinea pigs and lots and lots of books.
What got you into your current role as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant?
I originally trained as a childcare worker so always knew I wanted to have something to do with children. However, when I had my first child in 2006 I decided to stay home indefinitely with her. Our breastfeeding journey was rocky, to say the least, and completely not how I expected such a "natural" mothering experience to be! She and I were stubborn and kept going despite the hurdles and obstacles we faced. It was around the time that she turned one that I decided to train as a counsellor with the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) after receiving some amazing support from lovely ABA volunteers. I have been involved with ABA as a volunteer for the past 13 plus years now and love to help mothers and families who are seeking to breastfeed with support like I did. However, it was when my third child was about two that I decided to pursue my qualification as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. I wanted to learn more, to be able to help more families and mother-baby dyads to succeed at breastfeeding!
Why are you passionate about working with mothers and children?
Motherhood is a massive task (a bit like running a marathon of sorts) and we need a support village. I would like to believe that I can be a small part of that supportive village for other mothers by providing some knowledgeable guidance and help to keep going; strategies to overcome the breastfeeding hurdles and encouragement to become secure in their abilities to mother responsively to their child with peace and confidence.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I love to read mystery stories and interesting biographies, fact check tv shows and movies that are based on true stories, swim, eat chocolate and go down rabbit trails learning about a new and interesting topic. I am also a pianist and can happily wile away the time chatting with my family and playing board games.
What is your one piece of advice for first time mothers?
You are the person who knows your child the best. Others may have experience with caring for children but no one knows your child as well as you do. By all means seek help and support but at the end of the day make a decision with regards to how you parent that works for you and your unique child and family situation.