Our founder.
Paola Vallarino, IEP CBS IBCLC
Paola is a lactation consultant with over 10 years of medical background and 3 years of clinical experience in Lactation Medicine. She is an Internationally Educated Physician, a Certified Breastfeeding Specialist and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, the gold standard certification for health professionals working with breastfeeding families. Paola continuously expands her knowledge through ongoing education to provide top-notch care.
As a Certified Low Milk Supply Specialist, she is skilled in addressing low milk supply and offers support for mothers relactating. Additionally, Paola is trained in pumping techniques and feeding gear to assist patients effectively with supplementing.
She has extensive clinical experience in helping babies with tongue and lip ties. For the last 3 years, she has worked closely with pediatric dentists and pediatricians, including Dr. Jack Newman at the International Breastfeeding Center in Toronto.
Paola completed specialized training in Oral Habilitation of the Breastfeeding Dyad and Infant Craniosacral Therapy, enhancing her skills in supporting breastfeeding mothers and their infants with customized care and expertise. She applies these techniques and expertise in her work, especially when assisting infants with oral dysfunction and complex feeding challenges.
She holds a Diploma in Child Nutrition and is currently taking a Diploma in Perinatal & Pediatric Clinical Nutrition, she provides families with advice on how to feed their babies when starting solids or supplementing.
She holds a Diploma in Child Nutrition and is working towards a Diploma in Perinatal & Pediatric Clinical Nutrition. With her expertise, she offers valuable guidance to families on introducing solid foods, supplementing and navigating selective feeding.
Paola is also a Certified Sleep & Wellbeing Specialist who helps families and babies improve their sleep using a holistic approach centered on fostering attachment and overall well-being.
She has a wealth of experience as an IBCLC mentor, dedicating years to helping students navigate the certification process. She offers invaluable guidance and shares her expertise by equipping them with hands-on lactation-specific clinical practice and overseeing their lactation-specific clinical practice.
As a mother herself, she had trouble breastfeeding which inspired her to focus on Lactation Medicine and Infant Feeding. She knows the challenges parents may encounter while feeding their babies and aims to empower them through evidence-based information and caring, non-judgemental support.
For Paola, every family is truly unique and special in their own way. Providing compassionate support to help them achieve their individual feeding goals is not just work but her topmost commitment.
“It was at that moment that everything clicked for me; the beauty of breastfeeding, and the crucial role of having a supportive and well-prepared network around us, instilling confidence in our parental journey, making us integral decision-makers in this crucial aspect of our baby's growth and development.”
Hi everyone! I’m Paola.
Becoming a mother and facing breastfeeding challenges with my son, coupled with my medical training, motivated me to pursue a career as a lactation consultant to support and guide families in embracing the beauty of breastfeeding.
During my pregnancy, I understood the value of breastfeeding. I prepared myself to ensure I was fully ready for when my baby arrived. I read all the books, I watched all the videos. Shortly after his birth, he latched onto my breast and breastfed consistently. This made me extremely happy!
Difficulties came a few days later. I faced cracked nipples, oversupply & a lot of pain. I went from being prepared to being vulnerable, without knowing anything about what I was doing. I tried everything: using lanolin thinking it would heal my sore nipples, washing them before and after feeds... Despite knowing better, I felt desperate and followed the pediatrician's advice to give formula and limit breastfeeding to 20 mins per breast. There I was, with my breasts full of milk, giving formula to my baby and going crazy watching the clock counting the minutes when I was breastfeeding. I was wondering how breastfeeding could be a beautiful experience if I was suffering.
My husband was very supportive and even though a lot of people were telling me to quit trying, one day I just decided to follow my instincts and knowledge. I said goodbye to the clock and rituals, I let go of non-sense routines and schedules, it was me and my baby learning together.
One week later, my nipples were healed, my baby was growing well and getting chubby, and I was so happy looking at his cute little face while breastfeeding instead of looking at the clock! It was at that moment that everything clicked for me; the beauty of breastfeeding, and the crucial role of having a supportive and well-prepared network around us, instilling confidence in our parental journey, making us integral decision-makers in this crucial aspect of our baby's growth and development.
After happily nursing my baby, I felt ready to support other moms. I began training to become a Lactation Consultant and Infant Feeding Specialist. I now hold top certifications in lactation and am committed to ongoing education to provide excellent care for my patients. My practice is currently focused solely on Lactation Medicine and Nutrition. As a lactation consultant in Toronto, I offer virtual, at-home, and in-clinic support. Being a licensed physician in Mexico, I continue to support my patients there through Telemedicine.
I founded Mamas Au Lait | Lactation with the aim of supporting mothers who, like me, often feel overwhelmed and lost in a sea of conflicting information when it comes to feeding their babies. My goal is to provide a reliable source of up-to-date, evidence-based guidance to empower mothers on their breastfeeding journey, from one mama to another.
