We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Petra Saidi. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Petra below.

Petra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the story behind how you got your first job in field that you currently practice in.

Thank you for taking the time to chat with me. It’s such an honor to be here! I am so grateful to share my story with you and maybe even inspire YOU on your own journey. Ever since I was little, I’ve loved to play and spend time with babies and little kids. I wasn’t exactly sure what my career would be, but I knew it would involve little humans. After moving to Kansas City in my early 20’s from the Czech republic, I started nursing school where I was able to experience several clinical settings. 1 thing was very clear to me – I need to be helping children. As I was getting closer to finishing nursing school, I was facing the decision to choose a specialty and place for my future work. I immediately knew that the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is a site where I wanted to be. Many of my career advisors suggested applying at units that weren’t in such a high demand and offer positions to a new grad more easily. I was not ready to budge. The stars aligned and one month later I started working in the NICU at a local hospital for the next 10 years. As time went by – during those years I was blessed with 2 children to become a mom. Being a mom and nurse at the same time changed my view 180 degrees! Many times I had to ease up my mind and anxious feelings by simply taking a second to breathe. Not every fever means meningitis, not every cough means pneumonia.. Being a parent and healthcare provider has some benefits but it also made me always think about the worst case scenarios. I learned, became more relaxed and now know how to distinguish between normal behavior and something more serious, needing attention from another provider. I am still learning and there is always something new that surprises me and makes me curious!! I breastfed both of my children for about 2 years. I faced many obstacles then, searching for support and answers. Sometimes I was able to find help, but not always. I remember how devastated I was when my son started biting me when he was around 8 months. I was so sore, and did not know how to heal myself. I reached out to a lactation consultant and her suggestion was to start weaning because he was getting close to the 1 year mark! She did not ask me what my goal was, she was not able to observe the feeding or talk to me about our history. I had to find out by myself what the problem was – he had thrush. After that experience, I began dreaming about providing support to moms that are in the same shoes as I was. I started thinking about changing my career and pursuing the lactation consultant path.
Much to my surprise, I discovered that becoming an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant is not an easy task. I would say it was even harder than nursing school. Mainly because there are not available classes or courses in our area that will award the certification; It is earned by clinical work experience.
Prospective IBCLCs have 3 options. The 1st path is awarded to clinical professionals that are working directly with breastfeeding parents- 1000 clinical hours must be obtained within 5 years prior to taking the board exam. In the 2nd path, candidates must be enrolled in a program with 300 clinical hours. The last path is working and being directly supervised by IBCLC for 500 hours. As a NICU nurse working nights I didn’t meet the strict requirements for path 1. My only possibility was to find a mentor who would teach me the beauty of the lactation world. As I was exploring and searching for classes and teachers, the universe opened a huge opportunity. The lactation department at the hospital I was working at was offering a scholarship for aspiring IBCLC. I applied and was accepted. Experienced lactation consultant, Beverly Rush, took me under her wing and for the next 2 years was sharing all her wisdoms with me. I will be forever grateful to her. It would not be possible without her patience, extra time, and big loving heart. In 2017 I met all the requirements and was ready to take the board exam! Time went by, 3 years forward I was working on a mother/baby unit as a lactation consultant and supporting parents in early days postpartum. On the side, I was also offering home visits for families that were looking for support past the hospital setting.

Petra, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi, I am Petra. I am a registered nurse and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). I was born and raised in the heart of Europe, the Czech Republic. I moved to Kansas City in 2000. My passion for breastfeeding began with my 2 children whom I was able to breastfeed for about two years. I truly believe that every mother and baby deserves access to quality lactation support. I strive to provide personalized care to each of my clients, taking into consideration their individual needs and circumstances. My goal is to provide compassionate and professional lactation support to new mothers and their families. I believe in empowering women to make informed decisions about their breastfeeding journey. I offer a wide range of services to support breastfeeding/pumping mothers, from one-on-one consultations to group classes and workshops.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Since passing the board exam I was really enjoying the work as an IBCLC at the hospital Besides working with newborns I was also assisting moms after they were discharge. The hospital was offering free breastfeeding support group, where I learned to navigate many issues breastfeeding moms were facing. Life was great, until 2020 happened, hospitals started shutting breastfeeding support group doors, not many providers were offering in person consults. It was a scary time but hey, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” That was absolutely that time of my life. I continued to offer home visits. Towards the end of that year, I knew I was needed somewhere else. I saw the demand for home and virtual visits outside of the typical healthcare structure. Weighing all my options carefully, I resigned from my secure and stable job and dove into the independent private lactation consultant practice. I had to learn completely new territory of networking, marketing, social media, bookkeeping and all the goodies small business ownership brings. The phone started ringing, the schedule was filling in and satisfied clients were spreading the word. I would not say that the beginning was easy, but with all the support from my family and friends I was able to overcome the challenges and speed bumps.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I would say the best way for me was and still is word of mouth. When you save a breastfeeding journey, the family remembers you forever. Of course other practitioners’ referrals, google search and online testimonials are a big part of my clientele. It took some time to build the trust and find the like-minded holistic providers, but definitely worth the patience. ( I did not want to collaborate with someone who is not supporting parents for their best possible outcome. ) I am very grateful for the collaboration of doctors, pediatricians, midwives, doulas, chiropractors, therapists etc. Being a parent takes a village. I’m very blessed to be part of the village!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.midwestlactation.com
• Instagram: midwest_lactation