Mihoko

Aloha! My name is Mihoko Yacavone and I am an International Board Certified

Lactation Consultant and a Registered Dietitian. I was born in Japan but our family

moved a lot and I spent my younger days living in California, Singapore and Japan. Yes,

it was definitely tough at times having to move every 4 years but living in different parts

of the world has shaped my interest in continued learning and the importance of

respecting people, their value systems, and embracing cultural differences. I suppose, in

addition to the natural beauty of Hawaii, the diversity and cohesiveness of cultures is one

of the reasons that initially drew me to the islands and has kept me here on Oahu for over

20 years!

My interest in breastfeeding was found when I was a student, studying Nutrition. After all, we cannot discuss infant nutrition without mentioning breastmilk! The more I learned, the more I continued to be in awe at how breastmilk is perfectly made with the precise nutritional needs of a newborn baby and all the health benefits afforded to baby and mom. With this in mind, I knew I wanted to be involved in supporting breastfeeding and I have been doing exactly that for the past 13 years in a clinical/community setting.

As a dietitian, I was fascinated because of the nutritional & health benefits but my

passion to become a lactation consultant grew after having my 2 daughters. . . To be honest, I was feeling pretty confident that I would be able to breastfeed my baby when I first became pregnant...However, that quickly changed when my daughter arrived prematurely with jaundice and a tongue tie.

After going through cracked/bleeding nipples, clogged ducts, thrush and all sorts of other things, I was able to breastfeed my baby and that was all because of the support I had from family, friends and colleagues. It was evidence based information, various techniques, and above all, the genuine compassion that I received from my breastfeeding ohana that helped me get through my challenges. It was a tremendously empowering experience and that is what I strive to provide to all my clients.

Seeing hundreds of newborn babies and parents, I have come to realize that each

mom/dad is an expert of their own body and their baby's needs. Therefore, I am

committed to listening to the challenges and needs of my clients so that they can achieve their personal feeding goals by providing evidence based information and unbiased support. I strive to have tools that suit each family’s needs, whether its evidence base information and techniques (trust me on this, I have a master’s degree in Nutritional Science, enjoy biochemistry, and love to understand how things work so that I may also explain these things to my clients). I am also passionate about offering/teaching different breast massage techniques and answering any nutrition questions!

It is an honor to support families as they embark on their breastfeeding journey and there may be challenges you experience on your journey as well; but, rest assured, I am here to guide you and support you through the process so that you have confidence in your technique, feel empowered with an understanding of the issues and how to resolve them, and experience the wonderful gift of reastfeeding and the benefits to you and your baby that will last a lifetime.