We had the good fortune of connecting with Michelle Fassell, Ibclc and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michelle, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
My balance with work and life has changed over the years. I think of each as a season. It can be hard to think about “balancing” all the priorities in our lives within one day or even one week. I have found that the balance shifts from day to day, week to week and year to year. The only constant is how much your life changes when you have a baby and how it continues to change through each stage. I always encourage my clients to try their best, trust their intuition and know they are providing all their baby (or child) needs.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
While my primary role now is to provide lactation and feeding support to families with new babies, I am also building a community. My real mission is to work together with parents, pediatricians, OBGYNs, doulas and others to help families feel like they are succeeding at parenting and they are supported! Is that easy? No, LOL, I am still in the process of building it. My greatest challenge is showing families they need more support – it extends beyond just feeding your child. I want all new families to feel that they can overcome any obstacle that they face.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My clients tell me it’s so important to keep their babies busy and have fun activities to do at the same time! Where do they go to have fun in the Houston area? –
*Our baby/parent infant massage classes and Story Time Socials! Our classes and events are weekly and we love seeing the families connect and grow together.
*Prelude Music classes in central Houston offer family singing classes from newborn all the way to 9 years old!
*The Houston Zoo and Children’s museum are top hits for the families with older babies, toddler, and preschoolers.
*The best family-friendly restaurants near our Bellaire office are the ‘401 Table and Little Matt’s. Their food and atmosphere is top notch and Little Matt’s also has arcade games!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I was inspired to switch careers and turn to something I love by my La Leche League Group here in Houston. I remember our parent and baby peer-to-peer lactation support meetings always full of families interested in nursing their babies. I learned so much from those families that have helped shape me as a Lactation Consultant. A shoutout goes to Melissa, Meghan, Tara, and Kelsey, who mentored and supported me through the LLL years!

Website: https://yourmilkstory.com/

Instagram: @yourmilkstory

Facebook: @yourmilkstory

Image Credits
Bhavin Misra

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutHTX is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.