Lactation Consultant

Mary Lynne Biener

IBCLC

Before co-founding The Breastfeeding Collective, Mary Lynne has had a long and varied career providing counselling and support to diverse communities, dating back to the mid-90s. Prior to her studies in lactation at the International Breastfeeding Centre in 2009, Mary Lynne had worked in various counselling roles at The Assaulted Women’s Helpline, The Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Rape, and the Psychiatric Dis/Abilities Program at York University. Mary Lynne became an IBCLC in 2011 and has since become a staff Lactation Consultant, Clinical Practice Co-Coordinator, student mentor, and faculty at the Newman Breastfeeding Clinic/Centre for Breastfeeding Education. She was also part of the research team for the groundbreaking study entitled “Transmasculine individuals’ experiences with lactation, chestfeeding, and gender identity: a qualitative study”, published in 2016 in BMC Pregnancy.

Mary Lynne is passionate about providing excellent care. Her definition of success is that the people she serves feel heard, supported, and come away from the session with information and options tailored to their individual needs.

Aside from all this, Mary Lynne has an eclectic bunch of interests that include her motorcycle, gardening, rock and roll, and an ever-growing collection of pastimes and amusements that have nothing to do with breastfeeding.  She has a really cool and funny kid named Grace and has been married to a drummer named John for over a decade.