Heidi Cochran, FNP-C, IBCLC

Heidi was raised in Saluda, SC. The daughter of a large animal veterinarian, she often tagged along on calls with her father which piqued an early interest in anatomy, physiology, and the medical field. She graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in nursing from University of South Carolina-Upstate and gained invaluable experience in the first ten years of her career as a bedside nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Prisma Health-Richland. Heidi later transferred to the newborn nursery and cross trained on the postpartum unit. By happenstance, she found herself assisting with the implementation of couplet care at the hospital, breastfeeding policy development, and team training that led to the hospital earning Baby-Friendly USA designation. In 2012, Heidi trained with The Healthy Children Project and became a certified lactation counselor. Two years later she earned her IBCLC (International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant).

Heidi joined the SouthernMed Pediatrics team as a lactation consultant in 2018. Her desire to better serve the mother-baby dyad led to her returning to school to pursue her degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner. In 2025 she graduated with high honors from South University. In August 2025, Heidi took on an expanded role at SouthernMED to provide care as a pediatric provider as well as a lactation consultant.

Heidi and her husband, Jarrett, have four sons and are currently raising their family on the same farm on which Heidi grew up. Much of their spare time is happily spent on the sidelines of a baseball field cheering on their boys. They are members of Mt. Horeb Methodist Church, where Heidi enjoys serving in the children's ministry.