Caroline McGrillen
March 2025
Caroline
McGrillen
,
RN
Family Birth Center
Sutter Health Mills Peninsula Medical Center
Burlingame
,
CA
United States
She was direct without being judgmental, and at all times, I could feel her desire to support me and my baby in learning this very new, very challenging skill of breastfeeding.
Caroline, also known as Mammary Poppins, completely changed the trajectory of our newborn's life. In the first two days of our baby's life, we noticed some sleep twitching that didn't seem normal, but the nurses we asked about it said it could be a normal nervous system "booting up" effect and not to be concerned. Caroline saw us on the morning we expected to be discharged, and within a minute of observing our baby, she noticed the sleep twitching as well and asked me more questions about our baby's feeding progress and other aspects. She flagged it to our nurse as well as the pediatrician that day, and they quickly checked our baby's blood sugar levels. While they weren't in the dangerously low range, they were on the lower end. Because of this, we found out that she was not feeding enough and that we needed to supplement with some formula while we worked on breastfeeding and waited for my milk to come in. In the same consult, Caroline taught us better ways to help the baby latch, how to listen for the very subtle sound of swallowing, how to check for signs that our baby was full or done feeding, how to keep her engaged and not falling asleep during a feed, how to check for milk transfer, and so much more. She was direct without being judgmental, and at all times, I could sense her genuine desire to support me and my baby in learning this new and challenging skill of breastfeeding. She took the time to demonstrate and have me practice in front of her, so she could refine and critique me. Just a day later, we felt significantly more confident in our breastfeeding technique, and she stopped by our room in the NICU to observe us and cheer us on again. My husband and I can't thank Caroline enough for advocating for our baby and providing critical support during the first few days of our baby's life, while we were still in the hospital, aka the best place to receive help. I don't want to think about how much worse things could have gotten if we had brought her home without Caroline's consult. Thank you, thank you, thank you!