* Name: Shari Hicks
* Job title: Clinical coordinator of obstetrics education and lactation
* Location: Parkridge East Hospital
* First job: Day care worker at Cumberland Presbyterian, in the baby room. "I've always loved babies."
* Favorite part of job: "Definitely working with a new mom. They're just so hungry for information and for knowledge. They want to do it right. They're just little sponges. They just want you to tell them the right thing to do. It's so much more than just feeding. They want to know how to do everything about mothering. That's why I love (lactation) support group so much, because we get to follow those babies beyond Day 3. It's nice to form those relationships."
* Special rewards: "Just seeing the first-time mom have the confidence in herself, and you know you helped her gain the confidence to feed her baby." The rewards go beyond individual mother-child relationships, Ms. Hicks said. Breast feeding has both economic and environmental benefits as well as personal ones. "I feel like it's more than just one mom and one baby."
* Best advice: "There's a sign in my office that says love what you do." She tries to impress that upon her own children, ages 11 and 14. "I wouldn't want to go every day to a job that's a grind to me. I would do what I do for free. I'm just fortunate enough that they pay me." And then, she said, persevere in what you love.
* Making a career of it: "There are many pathways." One needs to already be licensed in a health-related field, whether doctor, nurse, dietitian or other, Ms. Hick said, in order to become a board-certified lactation consultant. Practice hours are required, followed by an examination that certifies one for five years. Then, Ms. Hicks said, one must either retest every five years or pursue continuing education. A lactation consultant must test for recertification every 10 years.