Casey Wunderink
April 2022
Casey
Wunderink
,
BSN, RN, IBCLC
Birth Center
Trinity Health Saint Mary's Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids
,
MI
United States
Casey sympathized and always shared her personal life experience
I delivered my first baby this year and one of my long-standing goals was to breastfeed. At first, the journey was going well after birth. However, shortly after getting home, we began to notice some things that seemed "off." Baby would cry constantly, have excessive gas, seemed to struggle with a strong weight gain, and eventually my baby was refusing to breastfeed.
As a mother, I knew something seemed off. My mental health was waning as concern for baby grew. I wanted answers and someone to help me, because I just knew I didn't just have "a colic-y baby" despite hearing it numerous times. After several visits for weight checks, we ended up meeting Casey through a referral. During our initial meeting, her warm demeanor and kind nature instantly made my baby and I relax. She confirmed my suspicions that something seemed a bit off and was very diligent with scheduling ongoing, in-person, follow-up visits and monitoring results of baby's weight checks.
She called me every week during this very difficult time that was filled with lots of tears. Her plans to work through the issues were detailed and she always expressed patience with my many questions and worries. Throughout this entire process, Casey never forced me to continue with breastfeeding. She instead commended me on the great amount of work I was putting in and supported me with where I was at with baby, whether it be breast or bottle. She sympathized and always shared her personal life experience, which I greatly appreciated from one mom to another.
Casey did an oral exam and placed a pediatric dental referral and in doing so, ultimately led to finding that my baby had 3 moderate-severe ties in her mouth that required fixation. Finally! I received my answer and everything now made sense! I received my validation, which was one of the best moments for my post-partum mental health. My baby also could now get the nutrition she needed without the constant struggle at the breast or with the bottle. This fixation also likely could have prevented future issues with speech, dentition, and eating in the future for baby.
To say I am truly grateful and thankful for Casey just doesn’t do it justice. When no one else noticed, Casey did. Casey took the extra time to investigate. As a result, she has changed my life and baby’s life for the better. I can now say, baby is one happy eater and has jumped up several percentiles in weight.
As a mother, I knew something seemed off. My mental health was waning as concern for baby grew. I wanted answers and someone to help me, because I just knew I didn't just have "a colic-y baby" despite hearing it numerous times. After several visits for weight checks, we ended up meeting Casey through a referral. During our initial meeting, her warm demeanor and kind nature instantly made my baby and I relax. She confirmed my suspicions that something seemed a bit off and was very diligent with scheduling ongoing, in-person, follow-up visits and monitoring results of baby's weight checks.
She called me every week during this very difficult time that was filled with lots of tears. Her plans to work through the issues were detailed and she always expressed patience with my many questions and worries. Throughout this entire process, Casey never forced me to continue with breastfeeding. She instead commended me on the great amount of work I was putting in and supported me with where I was at with baby, whether it be breast or bottle. She sympathized and always shared her personal life experience, which I greatly appreciated from one mom to another.
Casey did an oral exam and placed a pediatric dental referral and in doing so, ultimately led to finding that my baby had 3 moderate-severe ties in her mouth that required fixation. Finally! I received my answer and everything now made sense! I received my validation, which was one of the best moments for my post-partum mental health. My baby also could now get the nutrition she needed without the constant struggle at the breast or with the bottle. This fixation also likely could have prevented future issues with speech, dentition, and eating in the future for baby.
To say I am truly grateful and thankful for Casey just doesn’t do it justice. When no one else noticed, Casey did. Casey took the extra time to investigate. As a result, she has changed my life and baby’s life for the better. I can now say, baby is one happy eater and has jumped up several percentiles in weight.