Grace is amazing. Referred to me by two new moms who also love Grace, she has been an incredible support to me--providing guidance and advice and comfort that everything I am experiencing is normal! She is knowledgeable and treats me as a whole person, taking into account our particular circumstances. Super responsive and helpful! She even took a call from me while on vacation. Highly recommend!
- Kristin K.
My daughter has a genetic condition that can affect weight gain, and when she started to lose weight at 8 months I was not sure what was happening. Grace helped me quickly identify that my milk supply had dropped and we made a plan to both get calories into my baby right away and to get my supply back up. Within a day I already had more milk and a much happier baby. She relieved so much stress with her skill and expertise. I'm also in healthcare and can be quite particular about interventions, supplements, and suggestions being evidence-based and safe. Grace was always spot on. Thank you Grace!
- Meg P.
- Kristin K.
My daughter has a genetic condition that can affect weight gain, and when she started to lose weight at 8 months I was not sure what was happening. Grace helped me quickly identify that my milk supply had dropped and we made a plan to both get calories into my baby right away and to get my supply back up. Within a day I already had more milk and a much happier baby. She relieved so much stress with her skill and expertise. I'm also in healthcare and can be quite particular about interventions, supplements, and suggestions being evidence-based and safe. Grace was always spot on. Thank you Grace!
- Meg P.
The only reason I’m still able to breastfeed my baby is because of Grace. Seriously, I owe it to her.
After two weeks of breastfeeding on cracked nipples, I was beginning to feel helpless. I was dealing with the physical pain of a newborn who wanted to feed constantly because of an improper latch and the emotional pain of not wanting him to come near my nipples because of how damaged they had become.
Grace, the third lactation consultant we saw, came into our home with confidence and kindness. There were a few things that set Grace apart from the other consultants we met. First, she was the only one who did a thorough evaluation including an assessment of my son’s mouth, body, feeding, etc. She also gave us advice using evidence based research to help us get on the right path.
We learned that our son had a severe tongue tie which prevented him from extending his tongue over his gums and led him to gnaw on my nipples. Grace helped me regain some sanity by letting me know that pumping and bottle feeding while giving my body time to heal was not going to cause nipple confusion. She also presented us with options: one for exclusive pumping and another that suggested a laser revision and body work to get us back to breastfeeding without pain.
We opted for laser revision and with Grace’s support, have been thrilled with the results. She not only guided us through that process but also made herself available to me when I got mastitis on Thanksgiving. I never expected Grace to be available during the holiday but once again, she was amazing! She patiently guided me on what I needed to do and reassured me that this was just another hurdle I’d get over. - S.R.
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Grace is for all intents and purposes the best at what she does. She brings zero agenda to the table and easily connects with families to learn their needs before making suggestions...this means care plans and goal setting is much more likely to be effective and positive—which overall will deepen satisfaction around infant feeding for all involved. She’s approachable, kind and realistic. I texted and called several times postpartum to check in with Grace who was always encouraging in just the way I needed at the time. We dealt with painful inflammation when my milk came in, jaundice and more jaundice, then a bleb and prep before going back to work. She is versed on the full spectrum of feeding concerns and gets at the heart of an issue quickly and simply. My breastfeeding journey has been richer because of her.
- Katherine K.
Grace is incredible at what she does. 4 days after giving birth, I was using formula to feed my son, breastfeeding wasn't working and I was making very little milk.... Grace came into our apartment like a superhero. She told us that our son had lost weight and put us on a feeding schedule (She saved us from what could have been a very serious complication). I had felt pressure from family about needing to pump every 2-3 hours to make enough milk and not give our son formula and Grace told me that what was important was my mental health and that I needed to sleep more then anything. She was right. With sleep, and a TON of vitamins and brewers yeast, I tripled my milk supply :) Now I have half a freezer full of breastmilk.
Grace has this confidence and knowledge that made me feel taken care of and trusting of her observations and advice. She knows everything about everything in terms of breastfeeding, babies health and milk production. I wish that all new mothers could have a lactation consultant like Grace. I think without her encouragement and advice I would not be as confident as I am today about my feeding choices for my son. She deserves 10 stars. - Sarah L.
Dear Grace,
You popped into my head today and I realized I’m not sure I ever fully expressed to you how much you helped me during those first few postpartum months, and how truly grateful I am for you. So now that I’m finally clearheaded and past the fog of the fourth trimester, I wanted to send you a note to thank you. After being diagnosed with preeclampsia at 37 weeks, having an emergency c-section, and then having my baby in the NICU for the entirety of my time in the hospital, I was fully traumatized. Coming home to a baby who was destroying my nipples and clearly not getting enough milk from my breasts alone was devastating. I asked my pediatrician, my OBGYN, my night nurse and my doula for help, and no one gave me any useful advice. Everyone kept telling me to pump between every single feed especially in the middle of the night, and to never skip a feed no matter what, but at that point I was so depressed and exhausted that doing that would have pushed me over the edge, no one seemed to care about what I needed as the mom. So I just simmered in guilt feeling like a terrible mom for not being willing to put in the hard work for my baby. I was truly at my wit’s end, but just our first five-minute phone call gave me so much hope. You were the first person who gave me permission to take care of myself, the first person who really heard me when I said I needed to sleep and couldn’t spend every moment that I wasn’t feeding attached to a pump. You were the first person who made me feel that supplementing was OK and that I wasn’t poisoning my baby by giving her a little formula. It sounds like such a small thing but it truly saved me. That alone was such an enormous act of kindness, but additionally, you were the only person who gave me really good advice when I was diagnosed with retained placenta and then placenta accreta. You were the first person who told me you’d heard of that before and that you knew I would be OK. Even my OBGYN didn’t know what placenta accreta was and wouldn’t give me any reassurances that I would get through it. You were so patient with me as I was having full-blown panic attacks and went way beyond the call of duty to be a true friend to me when I needed it the most. Today, Frank and I are doing great! When we met you Frank was in the 6th percentile for weight. Today, she’s in the 70th for weight and 97th for height! She’ll be 6 months in two weeks and she’s an amazing, chubby, happy baby who latches easily, drains my breast in five minutes, and tweaks my nose while she’s eating. We still supplement with a little formula when she needs it, and that has helped me get my life back which I think makes us all a lot happier than if I was still trying to force her to exclusively breastfeed. When I met you I couldn’t imagine breastfeeding beyond the first few months because it was such torture for me, now I love breastfeeding and I plan to continue until she won’t let me anymore. I truly believe that your knowledge, patience, and kindness saved me and my baby and set us on the right path so that we could finally be a happy family and I cannot thank you enough. I don’t think I’ve ever had any one person make such a huge difference in my life before and I am forever grateful to you for that. I hope you know how important the work you’re doing is and how much you’re making a difference in people’s lives. Thank you, thank you, thank you! - Elyssa H. |
Grace is amazing. I had had nursing issues since my son's birth which attributed to some weight loss. I had been exclusively pumping for the first five weeks of his life to ensure weight gain and was beginning to burn out. My pediatrician recommended a lactation consultant and I was referred to Grace through Boober. Grace came to work with us and it couldn't have been a better match. She is fantastic. She uses a holistic, non-judge mental, patient centered approach which makes the experience more collaborative and comfortable. She is incredibly knowledgeable about the science and complex factors that go into breastfeeding -which was mind blowing- but more importantly her communication, compassion, and decency that go along with all of it made for a perfect combination. She was able to present my family with several options in a treatment plan and put so much of my worry and sadness at ease. She normalized and acknowledged our situation which brought me great clarity on how to move forward with my breastfeeding journey. She reminded me about the many facets of motherhood and the strength and power all us women have. Thank you, Grace! - Amy T. |
I am so lucky to have found Grace. Many people may have knowledge, but, not everyone has the caring and supportive personality as Grace. She came to my home to find me in tears over the pain I was experiencing breastfeeding. After taking the time to speak with me and observe my daughter nurse Grace recommended CST therapy and finally laser surgery to correct my daughters lip, tongue and cheek tie. (I really appreciated that she recommended a non-invasive treatment option first.) Post surgery Grace taught me exercises to do with my daughter to prevent the ties from reattaching and how to teach my daughter to properly suck. It was a very challenging first month of motherhood and I don't know how I would have been able to breastfeed without Grace's support. My problems with breastfeeding did not end there... Six months later I developed mastitis and Grace again came to the rescue. Not only giving me directions on home care but which professionals to see. And when my daughter was eleven months old I grew a milk blister. Grace coached me through that as well. Each time I had a challenge in breastfeeding Grace was always available, almost immediately. And she always followed up with me to see how I was doing. - Jessica F. |
