41 | Brenda Dalton-Lactation Consultant | Lactating after a Loss | Threads of Love
05/13/25 • 38 min
Today on the podcast, we’re honored to share the story of Brenda Dalton — a former NICU and OB nurse since 1982, who turned a deeply personal experience into a mission to serve others. After receiving poor medical advice about nursing her own child, Brenda realized something bigger: if someone with her background could be misinformed, what kind of support was the wider community missing?
That realization led her to become a certified lactation consultant. Now, she helps mothers understand their options — whether that’s when to start nursing, how to do it in a way that works for them, or even when and how to stop. Brenda empowers families with both knowledge and compassion — a voice so needed in this space.
She also provides support during heartbreaking moments, like when milk comes in after the loss of a child. Brenda gently helps mothers navigate what to do with that milk, and how to ease the physical and emotional pain that comes with it.
But her care doesn’t stop there. Brenda also sews handmade gowns for premature babies and those in the NICU through a national nonprofit called Threads of Love. Her heart was drawn to this work after witnessing how a grieving family was handed their baby’s belongings. She went home that day, sewed a beautiful fabric envelope, and gave those items back in a way that felt tender and dignified.
Brenda’s story is one of compassion, advocacy, and showing up for others in moments that matter most.
Brenda can be found here and her Threads of Love Chapter can be found here.
Useful Links mentioned in podcast:
Mothers' Milk Bank of Louisiana at Ochsner Baptist
Rapid Weaning helps reduce milk
LETS STAY CONNECTED:
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Give if you feel led. All donations will go to the Julianna Grace Ministry. Click on general then the Julianna Grace Ministry.
Today on the podcast, we’re honored to share the story of Brenda Dalton — a former NICU and OB nurse since 1982, who turned a deeply personal experience into a mission to serve others. After receiving poor medical advice about nursing her own child, Brenda realized something bigger: if someone with her background could be misinformed, what kind of support was the wider community missing?
That realization led her to become a certified lactation consultant. Now, she helps mothers understand their options — whether that’s when to start nursing, how to do it in a way that works for them, or even when and how to stop. Brenda empowers families with both knowledge and compassion — a voice so needed in this space.
She also provides support during heartbreaking moments, like when milk comes in after the loss of a child. Brenda gently helps mothers navigate what to do with that milk, and how to ease the physical and emotional pain that comes with it.
But her care doesn’t stop there. Brenda also sews handmade gowns for premature babies and those in the NICU through a national nonprofit called Threads of Love. Her heart was drawn to this work after witnessing how a grieving family was handed their baby’s belongings. She went home that day, sewed a beautiful fabric envelope, and gave those items back in a way that felt tender and dignified.
Brenda’s story is one of compassion, advocacy, and showing up for others in moments that matter most.
Brenda can be found here and her Threads of Love Chapter can be found here.
Useful Links mentioned in podcast:
Mothers' Milk Bank of Louisiana at Ochsner Baptist
Rapid Weaning helps reduce milk
LETS STAY CONNECTED:
Link Tree
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Website
Give if you feel led. All donations will go to the Julianna Grace Ministry. Click on general then the Julianna Grace Ministry.
Previous Episode
40 | Jennifer Campbell-Heart of Grace Ministry
September 2013, I received a phone call from a stranger, Jennifer Campbell. I was about to head to the hospital to deliver my baby who died. I didn't know what to expect and was completely terrified. Jennifer would give me information that forever held close to my heart. "Lisa you can do this and you will survive this." I remember her telling me over and over I could do this. She began preparing me on what to expect and how my baby may look. She told me the importance of carrying Julianna in my arms and taking pictures. I was beside myself and couldn't imagine everything she was telling me to expect. We both cried and she prayed right before we hung up. Jennifer would later send me a basket filled with books and letters from other mothers who also lost their babies. She is one of many reasons why I started the Julianna Grace Ministry.
Jennifer Campbell runs the Heart of Grace Ministry out of the First Baptist Church in Minden, Louisiana. Even though it is a quiet ministry, this ministry has reached so many who are grieving the loss of a baby. This ministry was born out of her own grief. She decided to break the silence in her own community. This was a topic she had to get out of the darkness. Listen in as Jennifer passionately tells her story of her own loss and how God led her to start a ministry that would change mine and so many others lives.
LETS STAY CONNECTED:
Link Tree
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Website
Give if you feel led. All donations will go to the Julianna Grace Ministry. Click on general then the Julianna Grace Ministry.
Next Episode
42 | Lindsey Wimmer-Founder and Executive Director of Star Legacy Foundation
In this episode, I had the incredible opportunity to sit down with Dr. Lindsey Wimmer, founder and executive director of the Star Legacy Foundation—a non‐profit on a mission to reduce pregnancy loss and neonatal death while elevating the standard of care for grieving families. With more than 20 chapters nationwide, the Foundation not only promotes, supports, and conducts groundbreaking research into stillbirth and perinatal loss, but also curates the world’s largest pregnancy registry—our Pregnancy Research Project—making vital data available to researchers who share their passion for prevention. This Foundation was born out of Dr. Wimmers own loss when her son Garrett was born still at term in 2004.
Dr. Wimmer walks us through how the Star Legacy Foundation equips healthcare organizations and expectant families with patient‐education materials to identify and manage risk, hosts multi‐day Summit for Perinatal Excellence that unite researchers, clinicians, advocates, and bereaved families around the latest evidence in prevention and care, and offers compassionate support services and resources for those navigating loss. They advocate at the state and federal levels, where they fight for legislation that bolsters stillbirth prevention and enhances perinatal bereavement care, as well as their speaker programs that bring awareness and emerging research to academic institutions, professional conferences, and public forums. Tune in to learn how one organization is transforming loss into hope and driving real change for families everywhere.
Sign up for the Summit for Perinatal Excellence 2025.
LETS STAY CONNECTED:
Link Tree
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Website
Give if you feel led. All donations will go to the Julianna Grace Ministry. Click on general then the Julianna Grace Ministry.
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