Hello! Thanks for stopping by!
My way of helping breastfeeding mothers is considering every mother and baby as a unique pair. As a Midwife I truly understand the significance of your personal journey of how you arrived together. Breastfeeding is not a “one size fits all” experience, and there is no one-way that is right for every combination.
Every mother I meet desires comfortable, confident breastfeeding for herself and her baby. I will listen, I will watch, I will guide, and I will support you as you progress towards achieving your own breastfeeding and mothering goals, whatever they may be. And enjoy your baby!
Lois Wattis
Why Work With Lois
When Experience Matters
With over 20 years experience, Lois Wattis is a highly regarded breastfeeding expert, considered one of the most experienced International Board-Certified Lactation
Consultants practicing in Australia.
A High Success Rate
With an incredibly high success rate, Lois helps mothers and babies get the best possible start in their breastfeeding journey, often called upon to help where others have failed.
Tongue Tie Expertise
Considered a thought leader on the issue of Ankyloglossia, Lois has advanced clinical skills for assessment and treatment of tongue tie in infants.
Clinical Expertise
As a Clinical Midwife Lactation
Consultant Lois has extensive experience caring for mothers and infants in acute settings across Neonatal Special Care and Paediatric units, Maternity Postnatal and Home Visiting services. Lois is a Member and Fellow of the Australian College of Midwives and has represented ACM on national multidisciplinary panels and as a clinical educator.
A Trusted Mentor
Lois has presented breastfeeding educational webinars for the Australian College of Midwives, Lactation Consultants of Australia and New Zealand, and Speech Pathology Australia in recent years. Lois held a key educational role educating midwives, medical staff, nursing and midwifery students about lactation and breastfeeding issues for over 14 years.
Published Internationally
Lois has appeared as a lactation expert on national television and authored numerous articles and professional guidelines that have been published in parenting magazines and midwifery journals in Australia, NZ and the UK.
Qualifications & Experience (The Detail)
Lois has acquired broad midwifery experience as an independently practising midwife (IPM) and hospital Midwife, and worked in a specialist Lactation Consultancy role at Sunshine Coast University Hospital for 14 years. Lois has provided private Lactation Consultancy services (IBCLC) on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland since 2005.
Lois attained a Bachelor of Nursing Degree (Edith Cowan University, Perth WA)and Post Graduate Diploma in Clinica Nursing, Midwifery (Curtin University, Perth WA) – gaining high distinctions in both courses.
She also served as a volunteer St Johns Ambulance Officer for several years while studying nursing. Lois’s nursing experience includes surgical, medical and emergency nursing.
Lois gained her midwifery experience at King Edward Memorial Hospital – Perth, and Rockingham Kwinana District Hospital, and Peel Health Campus, WA.
Lois became accredited as Independent Practising Midwife by the Australian College of Midwives in 2002. In 2004 she became accredited as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.
At the International Congress of Midwives in Brisbane in 2005 Lois was inducted as a Fellow of the Australian College of Midwives (FACM) which was awarded in recognition of her services to women and midwifery in Australia.
After working initially in the hospital maternity system Lois was contracted by the Health Department of WA to work with the Community Midwifery Program based in Fremantle, WA. The Community Midwifery Program Midwives provide women with continuous primary care with the choice of home birth, or birth in hospital if necessary. After completing a 9 month transition program from hospital to homebirth midwifery, Lois practised as a Community Midwife in Western Australia for over four years. Here she provided primary midwifery care and conducted home births primarily in the Peel Region, but also caring for women in areas further south to Bunbury and east to Collie, Dwellingup and Beverley.
Lois’s practise in the Peel Region assisted the formation of the community Peel Pregnancy Resources & Midwifery Support Group (PR&MS). She also contributed to the development of the document “Implementing the National Maternity Action Plan in WA” (NMAP) which laid the foundation for the midwifery care reforms which parents and midwives across Australia now enjoy a decade later.
In 2005 Lois left WA to work as a Midwife at Selangor Private Hospital on the Sunshine Coast Qld. In 2007 she began working in a specialised Lactation Consultant role at Nambour General Hospital, and have also continued to provide private Lactation Consultant services to parents on the Sunshine Coast and Gympie.
What is a Board Certified Lactation Consultant?
IBCLC® lactation consultants are recognised throughout the world as holding the premier global credential in the lactation care profession.
They are;
- Knowledgeable about up-to-date evidence-based practices in lactation as demonstrated through a rigorous exam process and re-certification at 5-year intervals.
- Focused on preventative care.
- Experienced in a wide variety of complex breastfeeding situations.
- Competent to assist mothers with establishing and maintaining breastfeeding, even in difficult and high-risk circumstances.
- Sensitive to the needs of both mothers and children as they work to help mothers meet their breastfeeding goals.
- Ethical in their practice, held accountable to Standards of Practice and a Code of Ethics, and working within a defined Scope of Practice.
This information has been lovingly quoted from LCANZ (Lactation Consultants of Australia and New Zealand) website.
Do you have any testimonials?
Sorry, you won’t find testimonials on my website or social media pages.
This is because it is against the Law for registered health practitioners and services to advertise by using testimonials. This law applies to all health professionals registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) – so Nurses, Midwives, Doctors, Dentists, Chiropractors, Osteopaths, Occupational Therapists, Optometrists, Podiatrists, Psychologists, pharmacists etc.
Surprised? Maybe you have seen Testimonials on other Health Practitioners’ websites and Social Media pages – contravening the National Law – and perhaps even chosen their care on the basis of Testimonials.
What about Lactation Consultants? Well, some IBCLC’s are Health Professionals, and some are not . Non-Health Professional IBCLCs have gained sufficient breastfeeding experience hours via community support organisations to sit the IBCLCE Exam and gained accreditation. As non-health professionals they are not required to comply with the National law regarding Testimonials. These differences can be confusing for mothers seeking a Lactation Consultant to help with breastfeeding problems. I comply with the National Law regarding Testimonials and all other legal and ethical aspects of my professional practice.
For more information visit:
www.ahpra.gov.au/Publications/Advertising-resources/Check-and-correct/Testimonial-tool.aspx
https://www.midwives.org.au/resources/social-media-midwives-and-midwifery-students-2014