"I met Ana after the birth of my daughter, Naya. Breastfeeding was something I was determined to do, and I thought it would be easy. Well, it wasn't. My daughter immediately had difficulty latching on, and was found to have a very mild case of tongue tie. We went to see Ana the day after we came home from the hospital after 4 days of struggling to get Naya to latch on. Ana had a very calm and caring manner about her. She could see right away that Naya was having difficulty and recommended a nipple shield. This was
a life saver; Naya began nursing with the nipple shield and within a few weeks had "learned" how to nurse.
I began weaning her from the shield and a month after we saw Ana she was nursing on her own like a champ!! Naya is now 7 months old and still breastfeeding, I can not thank Ana enough. The bond that I have developed with her is something that is invaluable. My baby is growing and developing perfectly, and she has NEVER been sick!"
Elizabeth, Naya's mom
"I went to see Ana when my baby was just five days
old. She was having difficulty latching and had already lost a little over ten percent of her birth weight. I was determined to exclusively breastfeed and knew that without help that would not be possible. Not only did Ana help us with the actual latching process, but
she provided support that was necessary to make it through those first few weeks. She was so patient
with us and spent nearly two and a half hours with us that first session. It was the best $90 I have ever spent. Now when I am in the store I look at the formulas and think how expensive not seeking help early on could have been. Breastfeeding has provided me with the opportunity to bond with my baby and provide her
with the best nutrition. Now at 11 weeks it has become second nature (I can even do it asleep) and I am so
glad Ana encouraged me not to give up."
Jackie, Alissandra's mom
"I
was determined
to breastfeed my baby once she was born, but from the beginning I had a
really hard time with the whole experience. I was on the verge of
giving up, but when I met Ana from Loving Start Lactation Services three
weeks after my baby was born, Ana gave me
the confidence and support I needed to continue. Now my
baby is growing strong and most importantly, she is very healthy."
Vanessa, Zara's mom
"Visiting Ana made me feel more at ease with my breastfeeding journey. Although I didn't have any breastfeeding challenges, such as poor latch-on or
low milk supply, I did have many questions and uncertainties. Ana answered all my questions,
from "Which medications are compatible with breastfeeding?" to "Is my baby drinking enough milk?" Our consult was so in depth, I left her office feeling extremely re-assured and breastfeeding saavy. Most importantly, Ana has always provided continued support."
Lizzette, Nicolas' mom
"Ana helped me with painful latching with my second child. I thought by the second one I would be an expert, but I was mistaken! Ana is really great at what she
does and is patient. She is always willing to help out and is always just a phone call or email away. Ana
also supported me with questions regarding pumping when I returned to work. Considering the benefits of breastmilk and costs of formula, her fee is very minimal."
Heather, Alex's mom
"My daughter spent her first two weeks of life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. and this presented many obstacles to breastfeeding. Even though I was
determined to nurse my daughter, I was starting to believe that
breastfeeding was not in the cards for my daughter and me. After consulting with numerous doctors and specialists who all suggested that I might want to reconsider my decision to breastfeed and move to formula, I decided that it was time to seek out a lactation consultant.
Ana quickly put to rest many of my fears and
gave me the confidence to continue nursing and overcome all of our breastfeeding issues. By no means was it an overnight process, but through Ana's tireless support and expertise, my daughter is now
ten months old and is still happily breastfed.
Not only did Ana meet with my daughter, my husband and me to help us through our issues, but she took
the extra time speaking with me over the phone
and exchanging emails to assist us through our apprehension with continuing to nurse. More importantly, Ana was the emotional support that
my new family and I needed in order for us to succeed with breastfeeding. The knowledge and strength that
I have gained from Ana will be something that I will
forever be grateful for.."
Chun, Chloe's mom
"Seeing Ana was
one of the smartest decisions I've made as a breatfeeding mother. I
thought I was doing everything just fine, but as my baby's supposed
reflux kept getting worse, I was getting desperate. My daughter's
pediatrician wanted me to turn to formula
to try and solve the problem.
Luckily, I followed my gut and turned to Ana for help with breastfeeding
before considering formula. She amazed me with feeding positions and
techniques that helped to regulate my
fast milk flow, which turned out
to be the reason behind my daughter's reflux-like symptoms. Now I feel
like a breastfeeding pro. Baby Gracen would have been on a very costly
formula right now and missing out on all the nutritional wonders and
powerful bonding of breastfeeding. Ana is a wonderful teacher and a
dedicated and trustworthy professional."
Keissa, Gracen's mom
"I had always planned to breastfeed my son, and when I started to have difficulty, I was so disappointed and worried. I was so grateful that Ana was able to see us right away. She listened to me, dried my tears and calmed my fears. She observed me nurse, and helped me establish a successful plan to get me back on track after she found his tongue tie. She was so supportive and reassuring that I immediately felt better. Ana has stayed in touch to make sure things are gong well. I am so grateful that she enabled me to make breastfeeding a success! Although I hired her as a lactation consultant, Ana helped me in so many
other ways and most importantly helped me in my transition to motherhood. I would highly recommend Ana to any breastfeeding Mom."
Darra, Benjamin's mom
"Before I had my baby, I read books about everything from labor pains to the best way to breastfeed. I had a specific idea in mind of what life would be like once our bundle of joy arrived and joined our family. As wonderful as it was once my daughter did join us, it was quite different from what I expected, and quite
an adjustment.
I was not able to meet with a lactation consultant in the hospital, so I did the best I could, following the nurses' guidelines and advice, but I was still having problems. I contacted Ana when my baby was one week old, and without once meeting me, Ana stayed on the phone with me until I was thoroughly informed and all my fears were eliminated providing a sense of comfort in an otherwise new and scary process. We then met at her office and she took her time with me and my baby, providing accurate information in a comfortable setting.
Since those first hectic and intense days of my daughter's life, Ana has been there for me to guide
me through the obstacles I have faced along the way. It was worth every penny for her services, and I fear that without her, I would have given up on my hopes of providing my child the best start I could give her, by breastfeeding her. I would whole-heartedly recommend Ana to any mother who feels she needs assistance in any aspect of breastfeeding, including the process of establishing a healthy attitude towards nourishing her child in the best way possible, the way that nature intended."
Kristin, Nyla's mom
"I am a first-time mom who wanted to breastfeed.
My baby decided that she was bored of staying in my belly and came 17 days before her due date. I tried to breastfeed her in vain, but ended up giving her a bottle.
I continued trying to breastfeed her at the hospital with the help of the lactation nurses, but nothing seemed to work. She developed jaundice on the second day and the doctor advised me to get the jaundice down first then to think about breastfeeding. I took the doctor's advise and got her bilirubin under control; along with that, I had got another problem in hand: a child who would only take a bottle, not my breast. I had to spend hours pumping and storing milk for my baby to ensure that my milk supply matched her needs.
A month and half later, I got Ana's number through Google. The minute I spoke with her, I knew she knew what she was talking about...I met her on my birthday and she gave me the best gift I could ask for: a baby that took the breast immediately, with a nipple shield, initially. A week later, I weaned her off the nipple shield...
Qualities of Ana that stood out to me are:
Patience
She listens to you; no cutting you off in the middle of your thought process.
Asks you a lot of questions to get to the root of the problem.
Follows up even on weekends to see how you are doing with the baby.