Las Cruces
Las Cruces meetings are held the second Friday of the month from 8am to 9:30am. Please contact lascruces@breastfeedingnm.org for details.
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Co-Chairs: Dr. Martha Morales and Melissa Marie Lopez
Treasurer/Secretary: Cristina Apodaca
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Dr. Martha Morales, PhD, RN, LCCE, FACCE
I was born and raised in El Paso, Tx., attended Ysleta High School and obtained my Bachelors in Nursing at Texas Women's University in Denton, TX. I have a daughter who is a mental health therapist in Deming and a son who owns the Pilates center in Austin. My 9 grandchildren came from my son and daughter-in-law and 6 were home births; all are home schooled!
My nursing career began in 1969 and lasted 50 years with official retirement occuring in 2019. Public Health/Community Health nursing was my area of expertise which I enjoyed tremendously! In 1974, I obtained my certificate as a Family Nurse Practitioner from the San Antonio Health Sciences Center. I achieved the Master of Science in Nursing at UTEP in 1990 and the position of Chief Nursing Officer within the health district. Following my time at the health district, I established my private practice offering Lamaze classes. In 2014 I received my Ph.D. from NMSU.
My breastfeeding experience began with my daughter. We breastfed her for four and half months; I dried up due to working evenings and nights in the NICU and having to supplement formula.
I learned early on that my clients/patients do not seek my services because of my person; they come to us because they have a need to find an answer for a question, problem, situation and/or crisis. As a professional nurse, that is the resource I strive to provide.
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Melissa Marie Lopez
Melissa Marie Lopez was born and raised in the Mesilla Valley (San Ysidro/Las
Cruces, NM) to self-employed parents, living next to her grandparents on
Lopez Chile Farm. After pursing formal education and career in government,
Melissa found herself in a position of burn out, poor health, and a longing to
pursue something different. Initially the founder of Reclaim Wellness from
2016-2020, Melissa sought to bring wellness to the community from Soil to
Soul. During this time, she was sought after for her work in Transpersonal
Hypnotherapy (specializing in trauma and emotional release), Reiki, and as a
Full Spectrum Doula. Pivoting during the pandemic, Melissa was selected as
the Executive Director of the New Mexico Doula Association and began
working in state-level advocacy. Recently, Melissa returned to the family farm
with the intention of creating a safe place for full spectrum reproductive
healthcare for all people and a gathering place for community.
Check out our photos from World Breastfeeding Month!
