Kathy saved my sanity shortly after my son (our first child) was born. We were having a multitude of issues breastfeeding, complicated further by a host of nurses and lactation consultants who had given us their various opinions and techniques. On the day of our first appointment with Kathy, we had been given the news that our son had a potential rare disorder and we would have to increase his feeding frequency until the results could be confirmed, which was expected to take a few weeks. We were already raw and exhausted from having to go back to the NICU only a couple of days after bringing our son home.
After a 4 day stay, we had only had a few more days at home when we were given this additional news. Kathy could tell right away that I was on the verge of losing my mind from frustration and exhaustion. She handled my sour attitude towards medical professionals without blinking an eye and managed to bond with me and gain my trust right away.
First, she helped my husband and me both take a moment to breathe and then she listened, really listened, to all that we had gone through. She didn't care that it didn't all pertain directly to breastfeeding. She knew that it all had an impact and it was important to understand where we were so she could offer the best solutions for us moving forward. She gave us permission to choose sanity and make choices for our family without guilt. She took the immense pressure that I felt from almost every other medical professional and blew it away. After building trust, she showed me tips and tricks for breastfeeding that helped us in a way no other nurse had been able to.
On our second visit to see her, Kathy again listened and cared about all that had been going on. She also managed to help my husband relax and open up, which was incredible given we are very different personalities and he can be tough to reach. Ultimately, breastfeeding didn't work out for us, but because of the courage and guilt release Kathy gave us, we were able to move on from breastfeeding. If Kathy hadn't come into our lives, I would have kept pumping my brains out for a tiny amount of milk and lost tons of precious hours bonding with my son. I would have barely been able to leave the house, which was leading to depression. I most likely would have experienced post-partum depression if Kathy had not helped me navigate the incredibly difficult first few weeks of parenthood. Now, months later, I still go back to things she said when I get stressed. She truly was a Godsend in our lives and I am so grateful for the time and effort she spent on us.