Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mariana Bigio. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Mariana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’re complete cheeseballs and so we love asking folks to share the most heartwarming moment from their career – do you have a touching moment you can share with us?
I have witnessed many heartwarming stories. Families that experience severe low milk supply; others struggling with babies with oral restrictions. Babies with special needs and premature infants. Families grieving the loss of a newborn. Some seeking to wean; others looking desperate to achieve their breastfeeding dream. I have so many cases in my mind, and I treasure them with pride and admiration for these families.
This time I’d like to share the story of a family that recently touched my heart.
Baby Henry was born at 29 weeks, weighing only 3 lbs. 3 oz. He spent one month and a half at the NICU, and most of that time using a nasogastric tube to eat.
The first time I saw them, the baby was 2.5 months, feeding exclusively from the bottle with breast milk mixed with fortifiers. The mother was pumping every 3 hours. Baby’s body was rigid and arched back every time she tried to latch him on. We managed to latch him on in this first session for some time, but the sucking was weak and not nutritive enough. He transferred half an ounce.
This lovely couple, Daniella and Alejandro, were sent home with a care plan that included a triple feeding care every 3 hours, meaning nursing + pumping + bottle feeding at every feeding, seeking to improve the latch by giving the baby more opportunities at the breast, but at the same time, continuing keeping mom’s supply up, and baby’s daily milk intake. But that wasn’t enough; baby Henry needed the intervention of other professionals to continue improving. I put them in contact with a pediatric chiropractor to help him release the body rigidness. It’s important to point out that babies presenting body tensions are generally fussy at the breast because they can’t find a comfortable position, which was a big part of the problem.
I saw this family almost weekly for the next six weeks. Henry seemed more comfortable at the breast each session, and Daniella reported less fighting and arching back before latching. She kept going on with the plan with the invaluable help of her husband, who was there for every session. Every time, we checked milk transfer by weighing him before and right after the feeding, watching a noticeable improvement. After the third session, the parents decided to stop the supplementation and adventure into exclusive breastfeeding, as we kept monitoring his weight gain. At that time, Daniella was experiencing some pain in her right breast, which she was having more difficulty latching him on.
We worked hard to adjust the position, the latch, and the sucking at each session. A good latch is as essential as a comfortable mother and baby.
The last time I saw them, Henry was almost four months; mom was not in pain anymore, and he was breastfeeding exclusively from both sides. In that feeding, he transferred 5.7 oz. I was finally thrilled to discharge this baby and his family from my care.
Not every family is willing to sacrifice their time and sleep to breastfeed. From the first time I saw them, I knew that it would take time to meet their goals. But their persistence revealed their genuine desire to make it happen, which is very inspiring!
There’re no black or whites in the lactation world, and every family has its own goals. I’m there to help them to meet them. In this case, the purpose of this family was simply to breastfeed their child without the need for supplementation. And they made it!
Note: The whole story and details are a true case, shared with the parents’ permission, except for the names that were changed to protect their identities.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Mariana Bigio, and I’m an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant IBCLC. My job consists of supporting breastfeeding families by providing lactation education, guidance and addressing their breastfeeding challenges.
You may ask, how did I get there?
I was born and raised in Venezuela, and as was expected from most of my generation, I pursued a conventional higher degree. I went to Law School, and I got my law degree there. When I got married, my husband and I decided it was time to look for an adventure and open new horizons. We moved to Israel, a place where we had always wanted to live. We spent four years there, where I did an M.A. in Conflict Resolution. After our first child was born, we decided to move to Florida for work reasons.
I began to explore the lactation world when I became a mom for the first time. I just fell in love with the topic and decided to take it to the next level. I trained and worked for three years in the Mother-Baby unit at the Memorial Regional Hospital, gaining clinical experience. I got my certification as a Certified Lactation Educator by the Childbirth and Postpartum Association, and after that, I finally took the Board to become an IBCLC.
After a few years of working in the hospital setting, I decided it was time to go private. As much as I loved the work at the hospital, being able to witness that first latch, I needed to provide families a more integral service without any restrains in time or resources. Mamalactea was born then.
Mamalactea is the name I chose for my business, a figure that englobes all my values and vision on how lactation care should be oriented. Such lactation services include 101 lactation consultations for families, breastfeeding classes for expectant parents, and I’m proud to host a breastfeeding and postpartum support group.
I truly believe that for parents to make the right choice for their families, they must understand their alternatives. Therefore, I’m committed to delivering them evidence-based information on feeding alternatives and what are the most recent scientific discoveries. I dedicate significant time to educational opportunities to increase my knowledge and skills. I enjoy writing on my blog and social media to deliver families the most current information and lactation trends and create visual resources to complement their educational experience.
A few years ago, I was honored to be invited to be part of a pediatric practice (one of the pioneers in Florida to provide lactation support) in which I deliver most of my services. We work as a team of healthcare professionals and practice frequent communication with primary care physicians and other medical specialties.
Proper lactation care should involve other professionals in child care and postpartum. I believe that a breastfeeding dyad should be assessed integrally. We cannot see any more breastfeeding challenges as an isolated problem; they reflect dysfunction in other body parts that may involve other disciplines. Having a multidisciplinary team has always been one of the core values of my practice. I have put a great effort into creating a team of healthcare professionals to address lactation challenges from different perspectives. This team continues to grow and improves, and it’s open to new and exciting cases every day.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Most people would say that the Pandemic brought them huge challenges to face. In my case, my whole work was put on hold. Most of my services were in-person, and I was hesitant to change that. I felt I couldn’t help a family the way I wanted if I weren’t physically present.
On top of that, I was locked at home with my two young children, facing a new and scary reality. But nothing brings you more down to Earth than the feeling of helping somebody else.
One good day a doula friend asked me if I could help a client of her. This family was Venezuelan -like me- living on another continent, with minimal resources, and they were really in need of help. I accepted meeting with them virtually to give them a few tips. They were very nice and receptive and were so grateful for my advice.
I kept meeting with them weekly. Every time I saw them, they were improving. They were making their best effort to make breastfeeding work, which kept me fully motivated.
After they overcame their challenges, I realized that I could still make a difference even if I couldn’t be physically present.
There were so many families in need at the beginning of the Pandemic; mothers felt isolated, with minimal support and with not many choices, they were willing to do their best. So I did too.
This experience made me realize that support can come in different ways, and what matters most is a well knowledgeable intention from the giver and an open heart and mind from the recipient.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
EMPATHY. When I see a family for the first time, my top priority is connecting with them and listening to their story. The postpartum is a very emotional stage. Many parents come to me desperate for help, sometimes hopeless. My job is to make them feel in a safe environment where they can share their experience without being judged.
COMPASSION is a big part of the puzzle. When a parent knocks at my door is because they need help, but that help can have many different shapes. I don’t have a personal agenda; my goal is to help them meet theirs.
STAY PRESENT. A text, a phone call, or a follow-up visit are all ways to continue supporting families in their journeys. Often, one session is not enough to solve a problem. Sometimes, it’s necessary for a few more visits, but more than that, I try to be available for them for questions or simply to tell me how good they are.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mamalactea.com
- Instagram: @mamalactea
- Facebook: Mamalactea
Image Credits
Yair Rosemberg Anabella Padula Yaffa Schmulson