Pat Shelly is the founder and director of The Breastfeeding Center for Greater Washington, a non-profit organization in Northwest Washington, DC, and leading breastfeeding activist.
An International Board Certified
Lactation
Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process naturally occurs with all sexually mature female mammals, although it may predate mammals. The pr ...
Consultant,
ASPO Certified Lamaze Instructor, Certified
Infant Massage
Infant massage is a type of complementary and alternative treatment that uses massage therapy for babies. Evidence is insufficient to support its use in either full term or preterm babies to achieve physical growth.
History
Ayurvedic medicine in ...
Instructor, and
Registered Nurse, Shelly has over 25 years of experience in women's and children's health. Her background includes work in military hospitals, Inova Alexandria Hospital,
Columbia Hospital for Women
The Columbia Hospital for Women was a hospital located in Washington, D.C. Originally opening in 1866 as a health-care facility for wives and widows of Civil War soldiers, it moved in 1870 from Thomas Circle to its later location at 2425 L Street ...
, corporate and community outreach, home visits, and private practice.
Known in the community as "The Breast Whisperer" and "The Mary Poppins of Breastfeeding," she has appeared in local and national news programs, radio, and newspapers, including the Fox News Channel, The Washington Post, NBC 4 and the WashingtonPost.com's "Smart Living" section.
On May 3, 2008 on FNC's
Fox and Friends
''Fox & Friends'' is an American daily morning news and talk program that airs on Fox News. It premiered on February 1, 1998, and is currently hosted by Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade on weekdays. Will Cain, Rachel Campos- ...
, Shelly emphasized the keys to successful
breastfeeding
Breastfeeding, or nursing, is the process by which human breast milk is fed to a child. Breast milk may be from the breast, or may be expressed by hand or pumped and fed to the infant. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that bre ...
as "early, effective and frequent" sessions and frequent skin-to-skin contact between the mother and baby. In response to Time Magazine's controversial cover photo of a woman breastfeeding an older toddler, Shelly stated "there's more danger in standing on a stool like that, than there is in breastfeeding a three year old."
Shelly is an active member of the Lactation Consultant Association of Greater Washington.
She received her BSN from
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private university, private, Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-centu ...
and a master's degree in health care management.
See also
Breastfeeding Center for Greater Washington*
List of breastfeeding activists
The international breastfeeding community includes people who actively promote breastfeeding, teach breastfeeding, research breastfeeding and related health issues, and who write about breastfeeding and the ways it influences mothering, parenting ...
References
External links
See Pat Shelly give advice on breastfeeding on Fox and Friends (YouTube)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shelly, Pat
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Breastfeeding activists
American nurses
American women nurses
DePaul University alumni
American health activists
21st-century American women