I gave birth to my daughter, and Mindy was the lactation consultant who helped me navigate the newness of breastfeeding. After visiting my room, she left her info for the mom's group she runs, as well as for a Facebook support group.

We were discharged and had our first night at home, which was tough. I messaged the Facebook group at 5 am about how things were going, and Mindy replied around 6 am. Her response gave me peace of mind and assured me I was doing things correctly. Later that day, we had our first pediatrician appointment. The appointment went horribly. As a first-time mom, I was told that I left the hospital too soon, my baby had lost too much weight, was showing signs of jaundice, I was breastfeeding all wrong, and my baby wasn't getting proper care. The doctor wanted me to introduce the formula within 72 hours of being born.

I was mentally spiraling and thought I was already failing less than 24 hours of being home. I then began trying to contact Mindy. After a couple of hours, I got a text from Mindy asking what was happening. I cried while explaining the entire thing to her. She gave me so much validation, advice, reassurance, and helped me navigate the situation. She gave me so much relief that everything happening with my baby was normal and that I was doing everything correctly. She offered to see me the following day to help assess things further. Not only was she so helpful over the phone, but she gave me her personal number and allowed me to text her questions and concerns while we found a new pediatrician.

She made such a massive impact in my first couple of weeks as a new mom, and I know she's been a pillar of support for so many others. She truly cares about the moms and babies that she works with and fosters that in the mom support group that she runs as well. I feel like I owe her so much because of how much she helped me when she did not have to go outside of her working hours to do so. She is truly amazing.

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This is Mindy's 2nd DAISY Award!