About Me
ELLEN CHETWYND PHD MPH BSN IBCLC
LACTATION CONSULTANT: My clinical home is the Women's Birth and Wellness Center where MILC (Mother and Infant Lactation Center) provides full scope lactation care in an out-of-hospital birth setting. My practice is an integration of lactation consulting and cranio-sacral therapy and I specialize in breastfeeding pain and poor transfer. My approach accesses infant reflexes and learning, guiding babies to think their way to better nursing. I am happy to receive referrals specifically for difficult cases of pain and dysfunctional suck.
RESEARCHER: I work as a Research Scientist of Clinical Lactation at North Carolina State University focusing specifically on research that informs the clinical practice of lactation. My past publications span topics from induction of breast milk in non-puerpural mothers to breastfeeding pain, breastfeeding and metabolic health to the reimbursement of IBCLCs and the efficacy of breastfeeding support.
SPEAKER | EDUCATOR: I believe that as the field of lactation consulting grows, the evidence base for our practice and the knowledge we bring to the clinical setting must also expand. To meet this need, I co-founded Next Level Lactation, LLC, a source for workshops and webinars in advanced lactation topics. Whenever possible, I share what I know with other practitioners of lactation support. This includes coordinating a program for residents and medical and nursing students, as well as lecturing locally and nationally, in the University setting to student physicians, midwives, and lactation consultants and wherever interested practitioners congregate.
ADVOCATE: Integration of lactation consulting into the mainstream of health care is pivotal to providing access to high quality breastfeeding support. My efforts in this direction have led to leadership positions in North Carolina's Lactation Consultant Association and Breastfeeding Coalition, collaborations with IBLCE and USLCA, providing guidance to the North Carolina Division of Medical Assistance on their lactation policy, and acting as an expert witness, providing evidence on the field of lactation consulting.
EDUCATION
PhD, Maternal and Child Health
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2016
MPH, Maternal and Child Health
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2011
BS, Nursing
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1991
BA, Biology
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1988
Post-Doctoral Research, Nutrition
North Carolina State University, 2017