See what Moms have to say about Jaye...


Stacey and Justin

 My 3rd son was born five weeks prematurely on November 26, 2007. He was only over 4 pounds, but healthy and thriving. He appeared to be nursing well in the hospital. I had nursed two other babies (one being a preemie) before, and it seemed like it was going great. When Justin was around four weeks old, he just stopped wanting to nurse. He was fussy and cranky all the time (hungry!), and I tried and tried in vain to get him to latch on. I started to contact lactation consultants. My need was urgent, and none of them seemed to understand that I needed help NOW—not in 3 days or next Tuesday or in a group session. No one could see me right away. Then I called Jaye.

When I started to tell Jaye about my situation, I burst into tears. She was unwavering in her support during that first conversation, which lasted over an hour. She listened and gave me the advice I so needed at that point: stop nursing and start pumping. So that’s what I did. My milk supply had dwindled significantly at that point, so I needed to pump and bottle feed. I was so relieved to have a much needed break from the frustration. 

The weeks that followed were difficult. I was pumping around the clock, trying to nurse and bottle feed. It was exhausting, and there were many days when I didn’t think I could keep it up. I called Jaye frequently during that time, and she was always, always available to talk, to listen, and to offer words of encouragement and practical advice. I was also so grateful for her extensive knowledge about all things nursing and baby related. When I encountered problems (sore nipples, colicky baby, etc), she offered lots of suggestions for how to remedy the situation. 

During my meetings with Jaye, she weighed Justin, watched us nurse, and evaluated his suck on several occasions. He had various issues which were inhibiting his ability to nurse. He had what Jaye called a “disorganized suck,” as well as a minor tongue tie. Being a preemie, he was also just sleepy and still had catching up to do. Jaye recommended some different therapies and tongue exercises. We were using a special bottle that forced him to work a little harder, which helped with his transition back to the breast. She encouraged me to have his tongue tie evaluated. The doctor performed a minor procedure to fix this problem. Still, after eight weeks of pumping and working on all of this, I was discouraged. He was clearly not getting enough milk from the breast.

At that point, Jaye suggested that we have a marathon nursing weekend. I stayed in for 48 hours and did not offer him a bottle at all. I just nursed and nursed on demand. And at the end of the weekend, he had it! By nine weeks he was nursing exclusively. By ten weeks, I was no longer pumping at all. I never thought we’d reach that point, but we did it!

I really believe it is because of Jaye’s support and extensive knowledge that I am able to nurse Justin. She always put “feeding the baby” as the top priority, and keeping that in mind took a lot of pressure off of me, especially on the hardest days. I did whatever I had to do to feed him (sometimes with formula supplements) and I followed Jaye’s advice every step of the way. She always believed we could do it, which the only thing keeping me going at times. I can’t say enough about Jaye or begin to express my gratitude. She truly changed the course of Justin’s infancy for our family and helped me to give him the greatest gift.

_________________________________________________________



Kathleen and Noah

When my son was born in December, 2004, the well-meaning nurses at the hospital showed me how to breastfeed him.  But
each nurse showed me a different way, often conflicting with the way the previous nurse just taught me! Once I arrived home after being in the hospital for 2 days, I was experiencing discomfort and pain before, during and after breastfeeding, and even noticed blisters on my nipples. By the next day my milk came in and I was in even more pain. I became engorged even as I tried to feed my son because I was so physically uncomfortable nursing him. I was in tears at this point and I felt like a failure at what is supposed to be such a natural thing for a woman to do. I even considered simply giving up breastfeeding altogether even though prior to my son’s birth I had been completely committed and determined to breastfeed him.

I figured my next step was to get help, so that evening I found Jaye’s phone number in some literature I had received from the hospital about breastfeeding resources, called her and was ELATED to find out that she made house calls. She calmed me down and gave me detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to make it through the night until her visit the next morning. I followed her directions and survived, and when she came over the next day and we started talking I finally started to relax and gain confidence in my ability to breastfeed my son.

With just a few minor adjustments to our positioning and my son’s latch, as well as a lot of comforting, guidance, knowledge and validation from Jaye, I immediately began to recover from what I had been going through the past several days. My son is now almost 8 months old and I’m still breastfeeding him. Even after my initial consultation with Jaye, she continues to make herself available via telephone for the myriad of breastfeeding questions I have as well as challenges that I’ve encountered over the weeks and months. My meeting and subsequent conversations with Jaye have been more valuable than any book or class about breastfeeding that I’ve taken. Her caring demeanor and demonstration of her mastery of breastfeeding and lactation continues to inspire me to continue breastfeeding my son.

Kathleen Barnes, mother of Noah 



Look at that milky face!  Now THAT is  happy baby!

_______________________________________________________

Catherine and Isabel

When Isabel was born over 6 weeks early, every expectation I had about babies was replaced with questions and uncertainty. When would she come home? Will she develop normally? Would I still be able to breastfeed? The more I learned about preemies and their risk factors, the more it became apparent that I wanted to make every effort to breastfeed. With Jaye’s help, Isabel and I were able to become a full-time breastfeeding couple despite the obstacles we faced.

At first, I followed the hospital’s directions, pumping every 3 hours for the 10 days Isabel was in the hospital, while she was fed either formula or breastmilk from a bottle. When Isabel came home, we had an exhausting routine of nursing, supplementing with a bottle, and pumping at every feeding. My pediatrician also recommended finding a lactation consultant to help with the transition from bottle to breast. I called the one recommended by the pediatrician, and she never returned my call. I called another one recommended by the hospital, and she was out of the country. Frustrated, I thought perhaps I didn’t need one after all, since I was receiving visits from a home care nurse.

When Isabel was about 3 weeks old, the home care nurse told me she was ready to breastfeed full time, without supplementation, and I should stop pumping. However, within the week, Isabel had not gained any weight, my milk supply had crashed, and I had a very unhappy, unhealthy baby. It was clear that I had received bad advice, and Isabel was not ready to be on the breast full time. It was also clear that I desperately needed a lactation consultant.

Frustrated, exhausted, angry, and depressed, I again tried the LC recommended by the pediatrician, and again received no response. I decided to search the internet for an LC, and I found Jaye’s name. I called her immediately and was surprised when she answered my call. After explaining my situation, Jaye answered some immediate questions and offered support and encouragement in that very first phone call. We set up an appointment for her to come over the next morning. Jaye’s availability was and continues to be a valuable part of her service.

Jaye helped me to set up a system of pre- and post- weighs at each nursing to determine how much milk Isabel was taking in, and how much we needed to supplement. Jaye also helped with latch and positioning issues as well as increasing my milk supply and helping me take care of myself. Within about 2 weeks, and with careful evaluation, Isabel was ready to be a full time breastfeeding baby.

However, we still had adjustments to make, and I was still a nervous mommy.  Fortunately, Jaye was available with every question I had, even the ones I had at 9:00 at night, on a Sunday. Jaye was available for me to rush over to her house in a panic when I thought Isabel was not eating well and something was terribly wrong (she had gas).

Now, at five months, Isabel has been a full-time breastfed baby for several months. She is a healthy 5-month old in weight and development, despite her early arrival. Isabel clearly enjoys breastfeeding, since she smiles all the time and fusses very little! I still call Jaye every now and then with questions, and I enjoy the continuous support I receive from Jaye at her weekly moms’ group meetings.

Jaye’s concern for Isabel, availability, support, and encouragement were so important in the early weeks of Isabel’s life. I was full of doubt and frustration, exhausted, and overwhelmed by this tiny baby. Jaye helped us not only to establish a healthy breastfeeding routine, but by offering invaluable support and encouragement through an extremely difficult time.

Catherine, Isabel’s mommy

___________________________________________________________

Crystelle and Connor

When I was first pregnant with my fifth child I took the fact that I would breastfeed the baby for granted. At the end of my pregnancy I started looking around for a place to rent a breast pump once I returned to work, and that is when I first made contact with Jaye. I was impressed with the fact that she took the time to answer a few of my questions on the phone and decided that I would go back to her for the breast pump once the baby was born.

My son Conner came into the world at a hefty 8lbs 11 ounces and all seemed good, at first anyway. We tried to nurse in the delivery room, but he wasn’t able to latch properly. I chalked it up to me being a bit rusty. The nurses sent in some hospital lactation consultants, and they tried to help me with positioning and what not. Conner had a few bouts of hypoglycemia and I was strong armed by the nurse to give him a bottle until my milk came in.

I called Jaye once I arrived home and she came that day to my home. It was so heartbreaking to be feeding my son formula and I was feeling like such a failure. Jaye’s confident reassurance and guidance made me believe that we would be able to transition Conner back onto the breast. I had to use a nipple shield for a few weeks, but at least he was getting breast milk finally and not the formula.

When Conner was about 7 weeks old he started experiencing dehydration and profound lethargy. Once again I called upon Jaye for assistance, and as before she came to our home. She did a suck evaluation on Conner and urged me to seek an appointment with a neurologist for our son. I had taken my son to the pediatrician’s office and also to the hospital’s lactation station and nobody knew what was going on with him. I wasn’t wild about Jaye’s suggestion and all that it might mean, so I actually consulted with two other LC’s to get the answers that I wanted. None came!

Finally, I took my son to the neurologist and was told that he had cerebral palsy. They put my baby in the hospital and told me it would be necessary to perform surgery to put in a gastrostomy tube to feeding him by. Conner’s suck wasn’t strong enough to get the milk from the breast, and his swallow was so impaired that it wasn’t safe to give him a bottle as he would aspirate the milk into his lungs. I was devastated by what this would mean for Conner and also the loss of being able to nurse my little boy. Jaye insisted that all was not lost and I should not give up hope.

Jaye and I worked together for months. She made herself available to me by phone whenever I needed advice or reassurance. With her help I was able to nurse the “baby who wouldn’t be able to nurse”. In fact, today at 18 months Conner is still nursing and thriving as a result. He is also walking and talking and catching up with his peers. Jaye’s assessment of my baby’s issues was right on target, and her devotion to her mommies is awesome.

Thank you Jaye for helping me to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can’t thank you enough for helping me to nurse my baby!

Crystelle Berginc

_________________________________________________________________________________________