About Heather

Heather McFadden is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and proud member of the New York Lactation Consultant's Association (NYLCA). She has a published article in the Clinical Lactation Journal, has been consulted by Parents Magazine and Today's Parent, and was a guest speaker at the NYC Breastfeeding Leadership Council Conference of 2019. She is also an active leader with La Leche League in Harlem.

Heather moved to New York City to pursue a career in theater and dance. After a successful career performing on Broadway, she decided to seek a vocation more conducive to raising a family. Breastfeeding was a challenge with both of her children. With the help of a skilled lactation consultant and La Leche League she was able to overcome the difficulties and continued breastfeeding beyond her original goals. Her experience was life changing. As more of her friends began having children and sought her advice regarding breastfeeding, Heather noticed a growing passion. She loved helping new moms and babies. She began attending conferences, workshops and courses and eventually pursued the mentoring pathway to become an IBCLC. She completed her internship from The Breastfeeding Center of Manhattan at Beth Israel Hospital where she assisted moms and babies in the mother/baby unit and NICU.

Heather has a private practice offering home visits, support groups, and prenatal breastfeeding classes. She serves Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and the greater New York City area.

What does IBCLC mean?

IBCLC stands for International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. In order to obtain the IBCLC credential a candidate must complete educational requirements in the Health Sciences, Human Lactation, and Breastfeeding. These courses include Anatomy and Physiology, Psychology, Sociology, Nutrition, Infant and Child Development, and Introduction to Research to name a few. In addition to the educational requirements, candidates are expected to accrue a minimum of 1000 clinical hours where they are directly supervised by experienced IBCLC's. Upon completion of their education and clinical experience they must pass the IBCLC exam set by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE).