Here are a few helpful things we suggest to bring to your appointment

What to bring to your appointment:

•  Bring yourself and your baby, wear comfortable, lightweight clothing and easy to slip off shoes.
•  It’s best if your baby is neither starving nor stuffed. Arrange the earlier feedings so that baby is
  likely to be hungry soon after you arrive.
  
•  Your significant other/mom/sister/friend are welcome as well.
  
•  If you are having difficulty making all the milk your baby needs, bring some expressed milk or
  whatever else you are feeding the baby.
  
•  If you are having difficulty pumping, or it is uncomfortable, bring your breastpump and kit.
  
  

   Our office spaces are limited, please avoid bringing

•  Don’t bother dragging pillows, I have a variety of them if we need one, and often I teach moms
  how to comfortably hold their baby to feed without a pillow.
  
•  If you need to bring a stroller, let me know in advance and I can meet you at the ramp (side) door,
  so you don’t need to struggle it up and down the entrance steps

After my baby was born, he latched on right away. Things were good the next couple of times after that as well. Turns out, things aren’t always as easy as they seem. The latching became troublesome and thanks to the referral from my midwife, I found Autumn. She was at my house two days after my baby was born. Right away I was able to rent a professional hospital-grade pump. She showed me some tricks using a nipple shield and a small tube with a syringe and how to feed the baby pumped milk from a small silicone cup. She also referred me to a local pediatric chiropractor who was able to loosen my baby’s tight neck and that’s when his tongue and lip tie were discovered. I had only learned about such a thing a couple of months earlier. My baby boy had the problems fixed with a laser. All the while I was still meeting with Autumn. She had me take videos and showed me stretches to perform in his mouth. It was hard to keep going, as the pain seemed unbearable. I even saw a meme that had four squares that read: pregnancy, labor, breastfeeding, or sleepless nights, which is the worst? For me, I would have to say breastfeeding because the pain lasted weeks for me while labor was over in 14 hours (and I had a home birth!). Autumn helped me push through it although many people told me they would’ve given up by then. It is not in my nature to give up and I’m so glad I am still at it today because I am now feeding my baby what’s best for him without any pain. I love the bonding I get to have with my baby while breastfeeding him. Thank you, Autumn! You helped change my life for the better!

Stephanie