Empathic and Compassionate International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in Somerset | Steph Richards

About Me

I’m an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant from Somerset and Mummy to the 2 beautiful children who kickstarted my passion for breastfeeding and breastfeeding support

I have always been passionate about child development, having worked in early years for over 20 years. After my own wild and bumpy start to breastfeeding in 2018, I became a bit of a breastfeeding enthusiast. In 2020, my youngest arrived and I began my tandem feeding journey, which certainly kicked things up a notch. Stuck at home, during the pandemic I decided it was the perfect time to dive into my breastfeeding support adventure, so I trained with the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers (ABM) as a Peer Supporter. Not long after, I started a local support group in Surrey (my stomping grounds back then) and jumped headfirst into Breastfeeding Counsellor training. I became a Breastfeeding Counsellor during the winter of 2021. By 2022, I had earned a Breastfeeding Diploma from the Centre for Breastfeeding Research and Education (which consisted of 95 hours of lactation education).In 2024 I had supported families for more more than 1000 hours and was able to sit the IBCLC exam. Whilst studying for the exam I assisted with setting up a local feeding group in Taunton.

Since my training kick-off in 2020, I’ve enjoyed juggling a bunch of volunteer roles: answering calls and messages on the National Breastfeeding Helpline (NBH), moderating bustling breastfeeding Facebook communities, supporting families on postnatal wards at a local hospital, and offering community breast and chest feeding support. And that’s not all: I’ve also been mentoring many amazing Peer Supporters and Breastfeeding Counsellors on their own supporting journeys.

In my free time, I love nurturing the veggies at the allotment, giving my backyard flowers a stylish trim, and diving into an ever-changing array of crafty escapades!