This young mother called me at the urging of a friend who already knew and trusted me. Breastfeeding was very important to Marissa, but she didn’t know how she could go on with so much pain. Normally, I would have seen this mom and baby in person. She lives in another city, however, and she felt most comfortable working with me. I gave her guidance over the phone several times over the course of a few weeks. Since her baby was gaining weight and she had a great milk supply, she just needed some minor adjustments to make breastfeeding comfortable.

Here is a portion of her story:

After a few weeks of breastfeeding, I felt defeated. My nipples were cracked and bleeding. Each nursing was becoming more painful, and I was beginning to dread feeding my baby. After every feeding my son would spit up blood. I was beginning to accept this as my breastfeeding fate when I decided to call Renee. On the phone, she was able to describe in detail the way my son should be properly latching on. While we were talking, I could hold him in the positions she was describing to me, and a complete visual understanding of how to get him to latch on properly. She also recommended that I visit her blog and watch a video of a baby getting a good latch. Within a day or two my nipples were healing, nursing was no longer painful, and I was able to finally enjoy these beautiful moments with my son. 

Five months later, Marissa and her baby are still happily breastfeeding!

Note: Lactation help in person is optimal for helping mom and baby breastfeed. It is often necessary in order to complete an accurate assessment. If Marissa’s pain had not quickly resolved after our phone conversation, I would have recommended a lactation consultant in her area who could have helped her face to face.

You don’t have to live in Seattle to receive expert guidance from a lactation consultant. I am available for phone consultations and video consultations for breastfeeding folks anywhere. You may reach me at www.second9months.com.  Send me an email and I’ll call you the same day to set up a “meeting.”