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"The time we spent with Deb this evening was so very very helpful in getting back on our feet after Jonah’s birth, and Kate and Jonah and I are so much happier and confident for the time spent together this evening. We’ll definitely pass along your service contact info to our friends that are expecting!

There really aren’t words to describe the positive feelings after tonight’s visit. It just meant so much to hear words of wisdom and experience for what’s been the most scary and uncertain aspect of the pregnancy."  - Ben F.
 

"Your help was absolutely wonderful. I work with so many women with the same problem and I had tried EVERYTHING I could think of. Nothing was helping and my milk supply was just getting worse. You guys really helped me put things into perspective. Once we got the sleeping and nursing issues resolved, and the extra advice on how to pump, and the continuing of all the other things I was doing, I went from pumping 3 oz in a day's time to 9-10 while I was at work. I nursed her through the entire mess and within about 2 wks we were back to exclusively breastfeeding again. Those 2 wks were really rough, but in the end she really only got supplemented with formula a handful of times in those 2 wks. I was really surprised that with the right combination of things I learned from you that my milk came right back. The human body really never ceases to amaze me. I also got tons of support from the Local La Leche League. What I think I really needed more than anything was people to talk with, experts who know how all this is supposed to work. Ava is still breastfeed SEVERAL times a day and night. She is 13 months now and really loves to nurse still. We are so glad that our nursing relationship has lasted into her 1st year and I look forward to continuing it as long as we both see fit. Thanks again for all your help!" - Lisa Przybysz, DC, Family Chiropractic of Fairfax

"I began breastfeeding Imogen hours after she was born, and she continues to nurse 2-4 times a day... In the early days, breastfeeding allowed both Imogen and I to transition more gently from the pregnancy, when we shared one space, to life after her birth, when we became two separate beings... It also facilitated my coming to terms with being a new mom... I was able to accept more easily that life had changed with the arrival of my daughter... to slow down and to shift into a new daily rhythm with baby... Today, breastfeeding is pretty effortless... For Imogen, nursing, at this stage, is a way to recharge: to enjoy a moment of tranquility with Mom... It has been a rewarding experience, to say the least... Breastfeeding helped Imogen and I to build a close relationship from the beginning of her life..." - Imogen (22 mo) and Pamela (Her Mom)

"Thank you so much to Kimberly and everyone at Northern Virginia Lactation Consultants! I had always planned to breastfeed my son, and when I started to have difficulty I was so disappointed and worried my son wasn't getting enough to eat. My husband and I were so impressed that you were able to see us right away when we called. Kimberly was so supportive and reassuring that I immediately felt better, and after following her advice we were back on track in just days! Kimberly has stayed in touch to make sure things are gong well, and our son is happy. healthy, and gaining plenty of weight. We are so grateful that you enabled us to make breastfeeding a success!" - Allison and Tim

"When my daughter and I were released from the hospital we were exhausted and frustrated! We had varying levels of success with breastfeeding. The consultants were trying to be helpful in the hospital but they were limited on their time. Once home, my beautiful little girl screamed at every feeding. I felt like a failure as a mother and my husband didn’t know what to do. Luckily my pediatrician had given me the name and number of the Northern VA Lactation Center. The woman that answered the phone was so kind…I was given an appointment that day! We met with Josie and our lives changed for the better! She listened to me, dried my tears and calmed my fears. She helped me to understand my baby’s cues and showed me how to help my daughter on. For the first time I could differentiate the difference between effective feeding and pacification sucking. I learned how to make the feedings more efficient and comfortable. I love that I can go to the Center for free weight checks and have taken advantage of their free call in policy on many occasions!"

-Jody S.
 

"Josie is an awesome lactation consultant. She is highly professional, organized, and compassionate. She is supportive and has wonderful suggestions for every stage of the breastfeeding process. Were it not for her excellent advice and vast knowledge of breastfeeding, I would have had a much harder time nursing my little boy. I would highly recommend NVLC to any woman at any stage of the breastfeeding relationship."

-Kemi Jadryev
 

"Before I got to NVLC, my baby was losing weight and I was exhausted. Exhausted the way only a new mother who has an impossibly low milk supply and a hungry baby can be exhausted, as I was feeding my daughter every 1-2 hours every day and night. I was also sore. My nipples were cracked and bleeding, my back hurt from hunching over the baby while I tried to feed her, and my C-section incision site hurt every single time I stood up. The doctors had kept telling me not to worry, that sometimes it takes a week for your milk to come in, that I should just keep feeding the baby and pumping. When after a week I was still getting only one drop of milk every eleven pumps, I called my doctor, and they referred me to NVLC.

Luckily, I was able to get an appointment with Kimberly the same day I called, and my husband and I brought our baby in for a consult. Kimberly weighed the baby before and after a feeding. In 20 minutes of feeding, the baby had only gotten 0.3 of an ounce of breast milk. It was no wonder she was losing weight. During our consult, Kimberly was able to quickly assess the situation by taking my medical history and observing a feeding, make a detailed plan, and give me some tips on positioning the baby and myself during a feeding so that my nipples would heal and my back would be much more comfortable. "The top priority is that the baby gets fed," she told us. Even though this should have been a no-brainer, I finally felt like I wasn't such a bad mom for having to supplement with formula. All the books I had read had cautioned against supplementing because it causes a low milk supply, but in my case, a low milk supply led to supplementing. Kimberly gave me her cell phone number, and we were able to rent a much more efficient pump than what I had been using at home. "Call me in a couple of days," Kimberly told us.

If Kimberly hadn't kept having us call every few days to follow up and tweak our plan, I probably would have given up after about a week. Breastfeeding is not easy, and it's especially hard if you are having to breastfeed the baby, supplement with a bottle after the feeding, and then pump after the bottle feeding and repeat all of this eight times a day. Every time I felt like giving up, I knew I just had to make it for another day or two before I would talk to Kimberly again. Women need support while they are learning the ropes of breastfeeding, and that's the most important thing that Kimberly and NVLC have provided me with since I first came into their office. It was truly almost like having a new best friend. We tried everything and left no stone unturned. I tried fenugreek and Mother's Milk tea. At Kimberly's request, I had my doctor test my blood to see if perhaps a thyroid problem or an iron deficiency might be the reason for my low milk supply. For all our efforts, my milk supply increased only modestly, but we know we at least did everything we could.

I made it to my personal goal of 6 weeks of pumping, which is when the milk supply is as established as it's going to get, and is also when the baby's own immune system starts to kick in. It was too time-consuming pumping so much for so little milk, and I needed an easier routine, so Kimberly introduced me to the SNS, which is a device that allows you to breastfeed your baby and supplement with formula simultaneously. This ended up being the answer for me. There are many benefits to breastfeeding other than just the milk. The SNS allows my daughter to receive the small amount of milk I make and all of the other benefits (such as certain muscle development and bonding), and I don't have to pump or bottle-feed. I even brought it with me to her 4 month vaccination appointment because I read that sucking and the sweetness of milk (or formula) helps relieve pain in babies, and she instantly stopped crying when she began sucking on my breast after her shots.

NVLC and Kimberly have been such a huge help to my family and me. I would strongly recommend them to any new mother who is having a less-than-perfect experience breastfeeding for any reason. Breastfeeding is really good for babies, but it can be really challenging, and words can't express how important the support was that was provided to me by NVLC. To this day, I still take my daughter in every couple of weeks for the free weight checks to see how big she is getting! My baby is now happy and healthy and so am I."

-- Elizabeth D., Fairfax, VA