Who is Mandi Lynn?

Hello,
My Name is Mandi Lynn.  For the last 7 years I have been working as an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant for the Hutt Valley District Health Board.  In that time we were able to raise our breastfeeding rates from the low 50's to 79% exclusive, and over 90% of the mothers left hospital breastfeeding.  I developed a Lactation Consultant Training Program which had attendees from all over New Zealand, and then was asked by the Ministry of Health to consult on the development of their new breastfeeding DVD.

It has been a very exciting few years, but the time eventually came where I needed to spend more time with my family on our farm.  But to give up mothers and babies is unthinkable, so my happy medium is to run my classes and lactation consulting from my home on The Blueberry Farm.

On our farm there is an award-winning portrait studio that specializes in expectant families.  I have won two national awards from the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers for my maternity photography. I was pretty chuffed about that really, because my photography came as a spin-off when I needied to provide beautiful illustrations for my breastfeeding book in progress.

I believe in giving back.  I know that there are lots of gaps in the acute breastfeeding services for families with limited resources.  I am hoping to bridge a gap by providing low-cost antenatal breastfeeding classes that will then subsidize acute care for those with no money to afford a lactation consultant.

I am an American by birth and a Kiwi by choice.  If you want to read the article about my adventures on the farm in New Zealand Life and Leisure, you can link to it here.