Provider Spotlight: Linda Hanna, RNC, MSN/Ed., IBCLC

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[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]It gives me the greatest joy to share a little about myself, about my passion for my life’s work, and to introduce you to my family and my team.

I knew at a young age, probably around twelve years old, that I should be working with babies and also with people who needed to be helped. The field of nursing was very attractive to me as it allowed me to fulfill both of those goals. My education at SUNY Stonybrook on Long Island, NY, provided me with the bachelor’s degree in Nursing that I needed to start my career. I always wanted to live in California, so I asked my aunt and uncle if I could live with them for a short time until I found housing and a job, and they said, “Come on out here!” and I did. That was in 1978 and I’ve never looked back.

I have had an amazing career as a registered nurse, and have worked in some of the best hospitals in Los Angeles and surrounding communities. Early in my career as a Labor and Delivery Nurse, I realized that understanding the breastfeeding piece of childbirth was going to be essential to my work and I began the educational track that allowed me to become a Lactation Consultant. I’ve now been doing this work for over thirty years. I continue to maintain my International Board Certification and additional certifications in Lactation, as well as my advanced credentials in Nursing, including my Master’s Degree in Nursing and Education.

 

My work in various hospitals allowed me to develop, design and institute breastfeeding programs that provided both outpatient education and counseling, as well as inpatient support for all new mothers and infants including neonatal care prior to their discharge to home. All of these programs continue to provide guidance and care to new families, long after my departure from those hospitals.

Over the years, I have also owned and operated multiple businesses focused on pregnancy, postpartum care and breastfeeding mothers. Currently, I own and operate My Nursing Coach, a mobile breastfeeding center. My staff and I provide one-on-one care in the home to breastfeeding mothers. We maintain contact with physician providers as well as other health care providers to ensure each mom receives the most up-to-date and comprehensive evidence-based care available today.

 

My postpartum healthcare practice is not just a labor of love, it is also a family business. My family supports me in the day-to-day operations of the business and in 2015, at my daughter’s suggestion, I turned my decades of intellectual property into Mahmee.com, an online resource for ongoing postpartum support from birth to birthday.

It gives me the greatest joy to watch my two children, Melissa and Jacob, navigate along the path of entrepreneurial living while building their own businesses. I am very proud of both of their accomplishments.

Recently, I lost my dear husband, very unexpectedly, who guided most of the mission of both My Nursing Coach and Mahmee. He embodied the most entrepreneurial spirit of all of us and his energy lives on in our hearts and minds. I am reminded every time I get into my truck that without him I would not be able to live my passion: caring for new mommies and babies.