Why I called a lactation consultant.

I had preemie twins that spent time in the NICU.  This gave us a late start to breastfeeding and when we all got home we were having difficulty.  I was struggling with latching and had a lot of discomfort when nursing the twins. 

What I got from my visit with LEIF Therapies 

Mimi was very accessible and easy to work with. I was a first time mom and couldn’t tell what wasn’t working, but knew I needed help in order to continue breastfeeding. Mimi came over right away and assessed the situation. It was comforting to have someone come in with calm, confident presence to give me the tips and the encouragement I needed. Mimi took her time with each baby, examining their mouths and their latch, as well as my positioning.  She weighed them before and after feeding to see how much milk they had taken at my breast. She showed me the breast sandwich technique and showed my husband and I how to pace feed with the bottle. I pumped to boost my supply and brought the babies to the breast before each bottle feeding. 

When the babies were around 9 months old, we were separated for a few days while I was at a work conference.  When I returned home, my daughter refused to nurse. I texted Mimi right away and she encouraged me to keep feeding my son, offer my daughter the breast, and pump a bit to keep up my supply until and if she decided to return to the breast.  After a few days, she was back at it. 

Where my breastfeeding journey led us

The first 4 months were a mixture of pumping for bottle feeding and breastfeeding with a nipple shield. As the babies gained weight and strength they stopped nursing with the shield and the latch was stronger and much more comfortable for me. We all got the hang of breastfeeding full-time just in time for me to return to work. Despite pumping 5x a day while working full-time, my supply took a dip and we supplemented when needed during the hours I was at work, but breastfed whenever I was with the babies. The babies were introduced solids around 6 months old.  

I am so grateful for the support Mimi provided to our family in the early days and still continues to provide to us. My babies are 17 months old and still nurse regularly. Mimi is not only a knowledgeable professional, but a caring professional who is truly invested in her clients and their families.