5 Comments

1. Working with Ellen for lactation support with my 3rd baby was one of the best decisions I have made!! Even though I had had two prior breastfeeding journeys, they both had their complications/challenges and I knew I wanted to have some support on-hand before my 3rd baby. Having a private, in-home lactation consultant was nothing short of amazing. Ellen even did a prenatal visit where she learned about my past breastfeeding experiences and challenges and listened to my goals and worries for this time around. In the past, I had only ever seen LC’s in a “hospital outpatient” relationship and while those providers were experienced and competent, the setup really lacked continuity of care that I think is really important in a breastfeeding journey.

   Ellen did wonders to soothe my instinct to pathologize every little thing, and also brought me up to speed on the new evidence-based guidance for flange sizes and mastitis/clogged duct protocol as a lot had changed from my 1st two babies. She helped me ID a tongue tie much earlier than my 2nd baby, and with her updated protocol recommendations, I can now say I have made it 6 months EBF with no mastitis (something that was not the case at ALL my 1st two times).

   I really enjoyed working with Ellen and always looked forward to her visits. Even though it was my 3rd baby, I know that I would not be having such a positive breastfeeding journey if not for Ellen. She helped remove a lot of the anxieties and frustrations I had. Learning how to do “laid back” breastfeeding from the comfort of my own bed/couch was an absolute game changer and my baby breastfed with Ellen’s support has had much better head/neck strength from the get-go from her nursing position. My body has been so much less sore/worn down from this position too. I wish I had discovered it years ago!

   If you are looking for lactation support – please consider working with Ellen beginning from late 3rd trimester – having that continuity of care from the first few days home from the hospital was an incredible gift. I can’t recommend her enough from my experience!

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2. I was disappointed by my experience with Ellen based on all the positive reviews I read here and elsewhere, so I wanted to give a review so others know what to expect. I reached out to Ellen after having seen multiple lactation consultants through my birthing hospital, the pediatrician’s office, and virtually through Maven. I wanted to see someone in-person to get help with a baby who was having issues latching. I also was hoping for help with tandem feeding and creating a maintainable schedule for feeding/pumping since I have twins, and an in-home visit seemed like the best way to get hands-on guidance.

   The most useful part of the session was having Ellen weigh the breastfeeding baby so that I could see how much she was eating, but this is easy to do with a baby scale. She suggested a feeding position for the baby that was already latching, which wasn’t very helpful since I already had success with other positions, but I did appreciate that she used pillows and seating from my house. 4-months in, I am still breastfeeding that baby but not with the position that Ellen suggested.

   My disappointment came with the other twin who had issues latching and was the main reason I reached out for help. She only tried to get him to latch twice during the entire session, and suggested interventions that I already knew about and had tried with no success (nipple shields, SNS, etc). I was looking for more guidance when it came to setting up a schedule for feeding/pumping as I was overwhelmed and exhausted, but her advice was vague not concrete and left me feeling just as confused as when she arrived.

   If you haven’t spoken to a lactation consultant before, Ellen could provide useful information, but if you have already done research online or spoken to someone from the hospital, her information was redundant. Lastly, I would not recommend her for anyone with twins since she was skeptical about getting them on the same feeding schedule which is contrary to general twin advice and a necessary part of getting sanity with twins. Her lack of knowledge on that basic first foundation shows her inexperience with twins.

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3. Ellen is fantastic! She met with me before I gave birth to help set a foundation for successful breastfeeding. She then helped me within days of giving birth and again to guide me on pumping. She is extremely responsive and equipped with many resources, videos, tips and tricks. I have already recommended her to friends!

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4. Ellen was very helpful with my micropreemie baby who I have been able to transition to only breastfeeding for. I had multiple experiences with lactation support in the hospital and met with Ellen at my pediatricians office twice after the baby was discharged from the nicu. She was empowering, encouraging and knowledgeable. I had done quite a bit of reading, and talked to several other people and had a good baseline knowledge I think for a first time mom. I still learned a good amount from Ellen, and most importantly her hands on support was reassuring at a very vulnerable time. We have been successful exclusively breast feeding now for 3 months when the odds were very much against us (given the medical complications of being a micropreemie) and Ellen was very helpful in realizing this.

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5. Ellen is amazing! Not only did Ellen offer incredible advice, she also set me up with invaluable resources that I still use today. She was both professional and warm, which is important when you need to get very open and intimate quickly. Her advice was clearly tailored to our situation and she continued to follow up and made herself available for questions. Before Ellen I wasn’t loving my nursing relationship, but now 7 months later and we are stronger than ever! Thanks Ellen!

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