It’s Happy Mamas and Babies Guaranteed

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[00:00] SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Canada's podcast.
[00:05] SPEAKER_01: Hello, I'm Mario Toniguzi with Calgary's podcast on Canada's podcast network.
[00:10] SPEAKER_01: Joining me today is Leanne Jeppa, who is owner of Nourish lactation consulting.
[00:16] SPEAKER_01: Thanks for joining us today.
[00:18] SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for having me.
[00:20] SPEAKER_01: Well, let me just start by asking you what is Nourish lactation consulting and what do you
[00:26] SPEAKER_01: do?
[00:27] SPEAKER_01: Sure.
[00:28] SPEAKER_00: So, Nourish lactation is a company that provides in-home breastfeeding support and education for
[00:36] SPEAKER_00: mothers in Calgary and surrounding communities.
[00:39] SPEAKER_01: And how did you start with this?
[00:42] SPEAKER_00: Well, when I graduated from nursing school back in 2000, I began my career as a postpartum
[00:51] SPEAKER_00: nurse at the Rockview Hospital.
[00:52] SPEAKER_00: So, I had always really enjoyed working with moms and babies and being a postpartum nurse.
[00:58] SPEAKER_00: We spent a lot of our time helping new moms latch their babies and learn the art of breastfeeding.
[01:05] SPEAKER_00: And I've always also been a little bit entrepreneurial at heart.
[01:09] SPEAKER_00: So when I became a lactation consultant in 2007, my brain started thinking, hmm, maybe
[01:16] SPEAKER_00: we could pair breastfeeding support and a business together.
[01:22] SPEAKER_00: And based on my own experiences, breastfeeding my daughters, and I struggled a lot and
[01:27] SPEAKER_00: I had a cesarean section.
[01:29] SPEAKER_00: So it was difficult to get to a breastfeeding clinic after having surgery and manage caring
[01:35] SPEAKER_00: the baby.
[01:36] SPEAKER_00: And I really felt that there was a gap in care for providing women support in their home
[01:42] SPEAKER_00: to get their breastfeeding journey established.
[01:45] SPEAKER_00: So, in 2008, I founded NERSH and have been pretty darn busy with it ever since.
[01:52] SPEAKER_01: So, tell me just a little bit about, you know, the breastfeeding itself and the benefits
[01:59] SPEAKER_01: for mother and for child.
[02:02] SPEAKER_00: Sure.
[02:02] SPEAKER_00: I mean, there are so many I could probably have a whole show talking about all the benefits.
[02:07] SPEAKER_00: But we know for babies that, you know, human milk is perfectly designed and nutrition by
[02:14] SPEAKER_00: the mother and her milk is designed specifically for her infant.
[02:18] SPEAKER_00: And breast milk contains many antibodies and immune factors and proteins that are really
[02:24] SPEAKER_00: important for the health, growth and development of the infant.
[02:27] SPEAKER_00: And that's something that cannot be replicated in formula.
[02:32] SPEAKER_00: And breastfed babies typically have lower rates of many diseases and infections.
[02:37] SPEAKER_00: Typically, the GI type of infections are much lower, less diarrhea, less GI infections.
[02:45] SPEAKER_00: Breast fed babies also have lower rates of ear infections, asthma allergies, lower rates
[02:51] SPEAKER_00: of obesity or diabetes.
[02:53] SPEAKER_00: And it's really, really great for bonding between the mom and baby during that breastfeeding
[02:59] SPEAKER_00: connection.
[03:00] SPEAKER_00: And it's better for a baby's dental development when they latch more naturally to the breast
[03:05] SPEAKER_00: versus introducing an artificial nipple into their mouth.
[03:09] SPEAKER_00: And for the mother, there are also tons of benefits.
[03:13] SPEAKER_00: We know that breastfeeding does help to lower rates of breast and ovarian cancer.
[03:20] SPEAKER_00: And with each baby that a woman breast feeds, those rates do continue to drop.
[03:25] SPEAKER_00: And it's also really great for bonding due to this amazing hormone that I love so much
[03:29] SPEAKER_00: called oxytocin.
[03:30] SPEAKER_00: So when a baby is succulent, that oxytocin hormone is released from the mother's pituitary.
[03:37] SPEAKER_00: And it causes a really nice relaxation sensation for mom and baby.
[03:43] SPEAKER_00: And it also helps her uterus contract, which is one of the other benefits.
[03:48] SPEAKER_00: Usually, it takes about a week or so for that uterus to return to pre-pregnancy size.
[03:53] SPEAKER_00: And again, that oxytocin hormone is really protective against postpartum depression.
[03:58] SPEAKER_00: Because it's considered the love hormone or the bonding hormone,
[04:02] SPEAKER_00: it can really help protect a mom from developing those postpartum blues.
[04:07] SPEAKER_01: How is the concept of breastfeeding in society today?
[04:13] SPEAKER_01: How is that evolved?
[04:15] SPEAKER_01: Do you see it more acceptable, I guess, these days than in the past?
[04:22] SPEAKER_01: Or maybe your thoughts on that?
[04:24] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think it is definitely more accepted to see a woman breastfeeding in public.
[04:33] SPEAKER_00: I think we've come a long way, but we still have a ways to go.
[04:37] SPEAKER_00: I think Calgary is pretty progressive in the sense that,
[04:41] SPEAKER_00: there's lots of young families, women are aware of the value and the importance of breastfeeding.
[04:47] SPEAKER_00: And when we see a mom breastfeeding in public, I don't think there's as much stigma attached to that,
[04:52] SPEAKER_00: as perhaps there was in the past.
[04:55] SPEAKER_00: But I still do hear stories from my clients who tell me they were out at a restaurant or out at a
[05:00] SPEAKER_00: mall and they sat down to feed their baby and they were kind of getting weird glances and people
[05:06] SPEAKER_00: making faces at them. So I think we've come a long way, but there's still a ways for us to go.
[05:12] SPEAKER_01: Why do you think that that was out there and still out there?
[05:16] SPEAKER_01: That kind of...
[05:18] SPEAKER_00: Well, I think that...
[05:20] SPEAKER_00: I think still in general, the breast can be seen as a very sexualized part of a woman's body
[05:27] SPEAKER_00: and aren't naturally thought of as nurturing, as being able to nourish the baby.
[05:34] SPEAKER_00: And breastfeeding is really the most natural thing in the world that a woman can do for her infant.
[05:40] SPEAKER_00: And there really is no reason why she should feel ashamed or feel that she needs to go hide in a
[05:45] SPEAKER_00: bathroom or hide in a corner in order to provide food and nourishment for her infant.
[05:53] SPEAKER_01: Okay. Now, you mentioned being an entrepreneur. Let me ask you just your thoughts on entrepreneurship.
[06:01] SPEAKER_01: And first of all, what do you like about being an entrepreneur?
[06:06] SPEAKER_00: Well, I like the fact that I can use my creativity and merge that with my passion,
[06:13] SPEAKER_00: which is helping women and supporting women. And I guess even as a young girl, I was always
[06:20] SPEAKER_00: thinking of ways to make a little bit of extra money on this side. I used to do a lot of babysitting.
[06:25] SPEAKER_00: You know, I really loved working with children and infants. And I just think that there are a lot
[06:31] SPEAKER_00: of opportunities for women and women in healthcare to merge sort of the business world and the
[06:38] SPEAKER_00: healthcare world together in order to better support our community.
[06:43] SPEAKER_01: What was the biggest challenge for you setting up a business and being an entrepreneur?
[06:50] SPEAKER_00: Well, I think it was just kind of getting my name out there, just, you know, the advertising
[06:55] SPEAKER_00: and the marketing, you know, was also a little bit tricky and still can be because, you know,
[07:01] SPEAKER_00: the service that I provide is private. So the client does need to pay out of pocket.
[07:06] SPEAKER_00: There are lactation consultants and lactation clinics available through the public healthcare system
[07:13] SPEAKER_00: that don't cost anything. But there is often a weight. It can, you know, it can be too long sometimes
[07:19] SPEAKER_00: for a new mom to have to wait when she's already challenged to feed her baby or experiencing
[07:24] SPEAKER_00: really sore damaged, you know, nipples to tell a new mom, you got to wait for a week or two weeks
[07:30] SPEAKER_00: to get support. So there is sort of that there is available in the public system. But if you
[07:36] SPEAKER_00: hire me within the private system, I can usually get out to see a mom within one to three days
[07:43] SPEAKER_00: of receiving a call. But working in a public healthcare system where private is still a little
[07:50] SPEAKER_00: bit on the background or I'd say that's been a little bit of a challenge. But it's also really nice
[07:55] SPEAKER_00: that because I'm a registered nurse in addition to being an international board certified lactation
[08:02] SPEAKER_00: consultant, a lot of insurance companies will cover out of hospital nursing services. So a lot of
[08:08] SPEAKER_00: my clients are able to expense my visit through their insurance plan because I am also a registered
[08:15] SPEAKER_01: nurse, which is a nice little bonus for them. So when you, you know, set up the business and
[08:21] SPEAKER_01: and and kind of developed it and and nurtured the business, were you there any role models that
[08:30] SPEAKER_01: you looked at in terms of, you know, being a business person or was any books you read or anybody
[08:39] SPEAKER_01: mentors or people gave you advice at that rang with you? To be honest, not really. I think I was
[08:46] SPEAKER_00: a little bit of a one woman show. I was, I think the first person, the first registered nurse
[08:52] SPEAKER_00: lactation consultant in Calgary to open this type of business. So I didn't really have anybody that
[09:00] SPEAKER_00: I could ask advice from or lean on. I kind of had to figure it out on my own as I went along.
[09:07] SPEAKER_00: But I, you know, I have a very supportive family. I have, you know, family members that are also
[09:12] SPEAKER_00: in business and in healthcare. So I was able to get some some good advice for them, you know,
[09:17] SPEAKER_00: in terms of developing advertising campaigns and having a strong SEO and and honestly, the
[09:25] SPEAKER_00: business really built itself based on on referrals, which I believe is the best way to to generate
[09:31] SPEAKER_01: more business is word-of-mouth. Yeah. If you had somebody come to you that was interested in being
[09:38] SPEAKER_01: an entrepreneur. What advice would you give them? Well, I would give them the advice to
[09:47] SPEAKER_00: set a goal, you know, kind of have a vision. Have a vision of what you want your business to look
[09:53] SPEAKER_00: like and think about where you are today and what steps you need to take in order to get to that
[10:00] SPEAKER_00: goal. Because I truly believe if you put it out there, if you have a vision, if you have,
[10:06] SPEAKER_00: you know, a realistic goal and a good plan to execute it, you, there's nothing that can stop you
[10:14] SPEAKER_01: if you're determined. Interesting. So tell me this a little bit about yourself. Why did you get
[10:23] SPEAKER_00: into this whole area of healthcare initially? Sure. Like I said, I've always I've always loved
[10:30] SPEAKER_00: babies. I've always loved helping people when I was, you know, in high school and it was kind of
[10:36] SPEAKER_00: deciding, do I want to maybe go the medical school route or nursing school route. I liked the fact
[10:42] SPEAKER_00: that with nursing school, I could just go right into it and then within four years have a degree
[10:47] SPEAKER_00: and have a career. And I've never kind of looked back since. I've always worked in the maternal
[10:54] SPEAKER_00: child world and throughout my career, I've had three, three of my own children. I have a 19-year-old,
[11:01] SPEAKER_00: a 16-year-old, and a 12-year-old, all girls. And they all gave me challenges with breastfeeding.
[11:07] SPEAKER_00: And of course, you know, when you're when you're the nurse, when you're the teacher, it's always so
[11:12] SPEAKER_00: much easier to help and support somebody else. But when you're going through it yourself, you're like,
[11:16] SPEAKER_00: ah, what's going on here? I don't know what to do. Yeah, no doubt. Yeah. And was there any back,
[11:26] SPEAKER_01: you know, when you look back at, you know, did you grow up being breastfed? And was that just a
[11:33] SPEAKER_00: natural progression? Yes, I know my mom told me that she struggled a lot. I mean, I was born in
[11:41] SPEAKER_00: the late 70s and back then there really was not a whole lot of support in the community for breastfeeding
[11:49] SPEAKER_00: women. I know my mom reached out to La Leshleek, which is a breastfeeding support group. And they're still
[11:55] SPEAKER_00: around and they are fantastic. And I would I honestly think if my mom hadn't reached out to them, she
[12:02] SPEAKER_00: probably would have would have quit breastfeeding me. And I think I was breastfed, I think she said
[12:08] SPEAKER_00: for about a year, which I think back in those days was was was was pretty pretty good. I think a
[12:16] SPEAKER_00: lot of women were still choose formula as the primary way of feeding their babies just yet because
[12:22] SPEAKER_00: there was not that support that's available now for women. Okay, super. What else do you do?
[12:28] SPEAKER_00: Leah. I'm a very busy gal. So I also continue to work within the hospital system. So I do still support
[12:42] SPEAKER_00: breastfeeding women within one of the local hospitals here in Calgary. And then Nourish is my business
[12:48] SPEAKER_00: baby on the side, which honestly does take up almost another full-time job. And I'm also really
[12:54] SPEAKER_00: invested in the community. So I I also am the founder of the mama market. So I run a market that is
[13:02] SPEAKER_00: kind of mother focused twice a year out of the Calgary Jewish Center. We run a market in the in the fall.
[13:10] SPEAKER_00: And then we run another one. Sorry, we run one in spring. And then we want run one in December. So
[13:16] SPEAKER_00: I've you know been able to network with a lot of other professions, you know, healthcare related
[13:21] SPEAKER_00: professions. So I like to kind of bring everybody together and showcase their business in a market
[13:26] SPEAKER_00: setting. And then I'm also the founder of the community magazine, which is a magazine where we
[13:32] SPEAKER_00: highlight and feature women within our community. And we showcase their professions, their passions,
[13:37] SPEAKER_00: their careers, and just do a little bit more networking and get to know each other. All the amazing
[13:43] SPEAKER_00: things that some of the women do within our community. Plus I have three kids. And I have a very
[13:49] SPEAKER_00: strong network of friends and a very great family. So between nourish and the hospital and
[13:54] SPEAKER_00: community and the mama market, I'm a pretty busy gal most weeks. We get time to sit back and just
[14:00] SPEAKER_00: relax. Occasionally, I like to I like to go to hot yoga. That's kind of my time, my downtime,
[14:06] SPEAKER_00: my relaxation time. And that kind of keeps me grounded and centered. Yeah. It's you know, when
[14:13] SPEAKER_01: when you talk about a lot of these activities and again, you know, the being an entrepreneur too,
[14:19] SPEAKER_01: it's in many ways it's a 24 or 7 job. You're always you're always on call doing stuff for your
[14:27] SPEAKER_01: business or just thinking about your business, right? And where do you get ideas from?
[14:34] SPEAKER_01: Where there's any particular like for example, I tend to get my ideas when I go for for my daily walk
[14:42] SPEAKER_01: and go out for a walk for about an hour and which I'm going to be going out soon. And just
[14:51] SPEAKER_01: things pop into my head. You know, without consciously thinking about I should be thinking about
[14:58] SPEAKER_00: work. What about yourself? That you know, just touch going back to that hot yoga. I got to say when
[15:04] SPEAKER_00: I'm just lying down still sort of alone with my thoughts, even though we're supposed to have no
[15:10] SPEAKER_00: thoughts when we're relaxing on the floor. That's often when I get inspired. That's often when
[15:15] SPEAKER_00: something will pop into my head and be like, hmm, maybe we should try this or how about we run
[15:21] SPEAKER_00: with this? And so that's often when I get those really inspiring ideas is when I am alone with
[15:28] SPEAKER_01: with my own thought. Yeah, exactly. And I guess breastfeeding is like that as well, right? In the sense
[15:34] SPEAKER_01: that it's a it's a very calming, you know, focused period of time where you're not doing anything
[15:42] SPEAKER_00: but one thing, right? And that that that is true. It's that really a special time that a mom can
[15:50] SPEAKER_00: just hold her baby's skin to skin, you know, gaze into her baby's eyes. And as baby gazes back at her,
[15:56] SPEAKER_00: it's a really, really special bonding relationship. And then going back to that lovely hormone of
[16:02] SPEAKER_00: oxytocin that bonding that love hormone that often does make moms really relaxed and really
[16:09] SPEAKER_00: almost sometimes drowsy, which is so nice for a new mom who's often exhausted, almost 24,
[16:15] SPEAKER_00: seven just to have that time to sit and relax and to be with her baby. Yeah, super. So Leon, how can
[16:22] SPEAKER_01: people get a hold of you if they want to reach out? Sure. So they can visit the nourish website. They
[16:29] SPEAKER_00: can find me at www.nourishconsulting.net. And there is a book a consult page. They can fill out an
[16:38] SPEAKER_00: online request. I usually get back to moms within an hour or so and then we'll set up a home visit
[16:45] SPEAKER_00: at their convenience. I always try to work, you know, my schedule around the baby's feeding schedule
[16:51] SPEAKER_00: to make sure that, you know, it works for the family when I come. And I'm also, I do offer like
[16:57] SPEAKER_00: complimentary text, phone, and email support to all my clients after the initial consult. I do
[17:04] SPEAKER_00: value, okay, understand that it can be challenging. Sometimes when a mom has a quick question or
[17:11] SPEAKER_00: isn't sure what's going on. So I do always try to make myself available by text, phone, or email
[17:15] SPEAKER_00: if a mom wants to just shoot me a quick text or has a question. I'm always happy to troubleshoot with
[17:20] SPEAKER_00: them as needed to help their journey be as successful as possible. All right, super. Well, thanks,
[17:26] SPEAKER_01: Leon, for joining us today. You're welcome, Mario. Thanks so much for having me. All right, super. That
[17:32] SPEAKER_01: was Leon Jeppa, who is owner and founder of nourish lactation consulting in Calgary on Mario
[17:39] SPEAKER_01: Toneguze with Calgary's podcast on Canada's podcast network. Thanks for joining us today.