Kellie is passionate about providing holistic care, with the aim of supporting optimal health & wellbeing for families.
She has had over 20 years of clinical experience as a Nurse & Midwife, caring for families from pregnancy through birth & beyond.
In 2004, Kellie gained her first of 3 certifications as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) It has been since then, that Kellie has been predominantly working in the area of early parenting & infant feeding support.
Following this, she played a key role in the establishment of inpatient Breastfeeding Support Services at the Royal Women’s Hospital. It was here, where she was first trained to assess & support families affected by tongue ties & other complex feeding issues.
Kellie has also worked at the Mercy Hospital for Women as an IBCLC & Midwife in similar roles to those held at the Royal Women's Hospital.
In her commitment with providing evidence based care, Kellie attends approximately 80 hours or more of professional development each year.
She has strong networks with colleagues from a variety of Paediatric modalities such as Chiropractic, Osteopathy, Physiotherapy & Myotherapy.
Kellie strongly believes in maintaining these strong networks to ensure her patients are referred to the most caring, gentle & knowledgeable of complementary health practitioners.
Kellie has also successfully completed several university based courses in Family & Child Health. This has enabled her to gain experience & further develop her knowledge about family/child development, health & wellbeing.
This is what has led Kellie to her strong focus on infant & maternal mental health, wellbeing, sleep & settling support for under 3's.
Kellie has a special interest Infant Myofunctional Oral Therapy. In early 2016, she Kellie became the first IBCLC in Victoria to have completed the Integrated Treatment of Feeding, Speech & Mouth Function in Paediatrics Intensive with world renowned Speech Language Pathologist & Infant Feeding Therapist, Diane Bahr.
This enables the assessment & application of gentle & non-invasive therapies involved in complex infant feeding issues such as Fussy feeding, Upper Lip & Tongue Ties, Colic & Reflux.
Kellie Provides
Clinic based consultations at via Milk early parenting support at Kiddies Infant Care in Essendon
Skype & FaceTime Consultations throughout Australia
Secondary consultation & infant feeding support for families attending tongue/lip tie assessment at Coburg Dental Group with Dr. Jeffrey Kestenberg, Dr. Matthew Siebel & Oral Myologists, Mandy, Vicky,Kate & my IBCLC colleague, Aimee Carroll-Kierce
Kellie has had advanced training & ongoing experience with
Complex breastfeeding & bottle-feeding issues Non invasive management of lip & tongue ties Pre /post frenectomy assessment & rehabilitation Colic, reflux, fussy feeding, gassy babies Low breastmilk supply Oversupply of breastmilk Mastitis, blocked ducts Painful latch, sore nipples/breasts & infections of the nipple/breast Gentle sleep and settling solutions for under 3’s Family & Child Health Infant and Maternal Mental Health & Wellbeing
Professional Qualifications
Bachelor of Health Sciences (Nursing) Victoria University, 1994 Post Graduate Diploma in Midwifery, Latrobe University, 1995 IBCLC (certified in 2004/2009/2014) Childbirth Educator, Royal Women’s Hospital, 2000
Professional Registrations
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency Nursing & Midwifery Board of Australia International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners AHPRA NMW0001051055 / NMW0001051056 IBCLC L-33579
Professional Memberships
Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation Lactation Consultant’s Association of Australia & New Zealand International Lactation Consultants Association
