I can't begin to describe what an incredible asset Kristi is to this hospital and to her patients. I'll start by explaining that I am a super anxious soul. Add growing a human life to the equation and I'm a ball of ever-worrying nerves. I shared with her early on one day at work when I was asking her a question about my pregnancy. She shared her cell number and told me "This is my passion. I love to help mommas- text me anytime."
Over the next several months, Kristi was my go-to when I had a silly question, a scare, or wanted advice. One day, I hadn't felt movement all day and I was so worried. My doctor was not on call. Kristi talked me through the whole scary afternoon. She gave excellent advice, and eventually, my little girl was bouncing around again. She never once made me feel silly for whatever it was I was asking.
Fast Forward to my delivery- I continued getting excellent advice from her. From laboring to paci use, to how to survive night #2; Kristi was always there for me. Let me add, she was never my nurse- never actually assigned to care for me- yet she invested so much into making sure I was confident and had a good experience. As if all of this isn't enough, her help after all of this is something I'll never forget.
I really wanted to be successful at breastfeeding and let me tell you- it was hard work; the hardest thing I've ever done! I cannot begin to tell you how valuable Kristi was to that success. I had a rough experience with a previous pregnancy, and my nerves got the best of me. When my milk still wasn't at 4 days post-partum, I was pretty much convinced this wasn't in the cards for me. I felt defeated, sad, guilty, and so stressed. She literally talked me off the ledge daily. She even made a house visit to come to help me with my positioning and latch when she sensed my anxiety was getting to be too much.
To this day, when I have trouble, my baby is having an off day and decides to strike, or some new breastfeeding behavior arises, Kristi is my go-to and every single time. She explains the behavior, gives me tips to help us navigate it, and tells me how proud she is of me. I am proud to say that my baby is a few days shy of 5 months and she has been exclusively breastfed all of those- a milestone I honestly never thought I'd make. Kristi is the reason I was successful. She is the reason that I am still successful today. She was made for this career and I can't imagine how many mommas and babies she has helped along the way. I simply can't thank her enough for making a huge difference in my momma journey!