Vanessa, Zara'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
"After pumping exclusively for a year for my first son, when I got pregnant with my second son, I told myself that he was going to be on the breast. I was not going
to express my milk. I read books and took a refresher course on breastfeeding before I had the baby and at the hospital. When this baby boy was born, he was
very hungry and my nipples were sore, red, and bleeding. The day after leaving the hospital, I went
to see a lactation consultant. She helped me put my baby on the breast correctly and showed me the football hold. That worked great. He was breastfeeding and my nipples were not hurting anymore.
Two weeks later, my baby, Colin, was screaming and he was not able to feed. My pediatrician gave me Ana's number. At that time, it just seemed easier to put the baby on formula and not have to pay for another lactation consultant. But I called Ana and made an appointment. I was determined to keep Colin on the breast. I met with Ana and we talked and she helped me understand that it wasn't Colin's fault that he would scream and pop on and off the breast. I had a lot of milk and it came out with such a force that poor Colin couldn't handle it. Ana worked with me to find different holding positions which would help Colin nurse better. We also worked on a variety of things to make my breast milk flow slower, so Colin could nurse and not choke. If it wasn't for Ana, I would not have continued breast feeding Colin.
I breast fed him for 10 months and the first 6 months were tough. I thought about giving up so many times, but just knowing that I had someone out there that would talk to me and support me, made me continue. The last 4 months got a lot better since he was getting older and was able to control the flow. I miss our special time together. As hard as it was, breastfeeding was very fulfilling and I am very grateful to Ana that she was able to help me."
Lourdes, Colin's mom
"My daughter spent her first two weeks of life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. and this presented many obstacles to breastfeeding. As a result, there were many stops and starts and more failures than successes when it came to initiating our breastfeeding relationship.
We persevered, but just as we really started getting comfortable with breastfeeding, we were presented with a whole host of other challenges that made me question whether or not I could continue to nurse
my daughter. We dealt with everything from thrush, mastitis, reflux, food allergies, improper latching and inconsistent sleeping patterns. 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