Rachael has been such a guiding light throughout my three pregnancies, all with different breastfeeding journeys. With my first she made me feel so comfortable even though I felt so lost. She is always responsive and encouraging. Now that I am on baby number three I decided to finally get fitted for a pump. I could not believe I had been using the wrong flange size for the last two pregnancies! I am so grateful for LCS and all the wisdom they have to offer! read more

Positives were Rachael was nice, friendly, and willing to drive all the way over to my house. It was nice that she was reachable through text, although, there was one time she did not get back to me for several days. What I didn't like was how it was made to seem that it was not normal for the baby to feed every hour to an hour and a half, breastfeed for short times, and breastfeed only on one breast right after birth, as well as making it seem that tongue tie was the problem for these issues. I was so worried because she informed me that tongue-tie could lead to speech problems later in life. She recommended to see one of the specialized dentists that would perform a surgery to improve the tongue tie. Our pediatrician reassured us that tongue tie was not an issue and that this was probably a way for the dentist and the Lactation consultant to earn money. Thankfully, we did not do any procedure for the tongue tie, and as she grew, her breastfeeding durations and length of time in between breast-feeding sessions improved. The last straw that I cannot forgive, is the recommendation for a smaller flange size. We had a virtual appointment where we reviewed how to use the spectra pump and she recommended a smaller flange size. I also had a Willow pump, but she didn't know how to use it. I looked it up myself and taught myself how to use the Willow pump. So I bought the recommended size 21 flange for the spectra pump. I tried it out and let the pump run for a couple of minutes or so. It felt a bit uncomfortable, but being new to pumping, I wasn't sure how it was supposed to feel. Another good tip I didn't receive, but would tell all new moms is that it may be a good idea to try the first time pumping with nipple balm or coconut oil to make it more comfortable. So after I tried that small flange size, it felt uncomfortable and painful breastfeeding. At first I would get twitches of pain randomly throughout the day. The pain gradually worsened, where the pain would shoot straight to my toes and I cringed in excruciating pain every time the baby latched and fed. Eventually a sore started showing up on my nipple and getting bigger and bigger, looking like the skin of my nipple was burned off. It was painful to have my clothes and just anything rub against the nipple. I never knew how easily my nipple would rub against things until now. I tried to rub my nipple in breastmilk after feeding, soak my nipple in salt water and in breastmilk multiple times a day and even took a break from breast-feeding and just pump instead, but nothing worked. So after a week and a half with no improvement, I made an appointment to see my OB/GYN doctor and she prescribed an all purpose nipple ointment. My insurance didn't cover it so I had to pay $55 out of pocket. Even using the ointment, my nipple was still having severe pain so I continued to pump instead of breast-feed. And all moms that pump know that pumping takes a lot of time and effort. When I went back to work, I had to wear a nipple cover to prevent my nipple wound from rubbing against my bra. After a month I was able to have her breastfeed again on that wounded nipple without cringing in pain. It took just about two months for my nipple wound to fully resolve. And now I have a scar on my nipple to remind me of the painful injury. I would recommend finding another lactation consultant that has more experience and knowledge. read more

Hands down the best postpartum support I've had! Rachael has been absolutely wonderful and essential to my breastfeeding/pumping success. During my first session with Rachael, she taught me several nursing positions, helped me properly latch baby on, identified a tongue tie, fit checked my pump flanges, and most importantly gave me the courage not to give up on nursing my baby. Thank you, Rachael! read more

There are no words to express how grateful I am that I had Rachael to help me learn how to properly breastfeed my daughter. She provided me with not only knowledge but also the emotional support that I needed to be successful. Without her I would, without a doubt, have given up already. But here we are, two months later, still breastfeeding! Update: breastfed my first baby for almost 11 months thanks to Rachael. Now here I am, almost two years later, and I had my second baby 8 weeks ago. I thought that one of the things that I knew for sure was how to breastfeed. I was surely mistaken. Rachael came to the rescue again. I really do not know what I would have done without her...Again. She gave me the knowledge and support that I needed when I wanted to give up this time because of a whole new set of issues, all completely different from last time. If it wasn't for her I would have probably given up 7 weeks ago. She's absolutely wonderful. read more

Of the things people warned me about or otherwise expressed concern over as the due date for my first baby rolled around, they never mentioned how difficult and painful breastfeeding could be. I was determined, but it was awful. I flinched every time my baby would go to latch and when he did, I often cried out in pain. When my son was about 3 weeks old and after an achy, tear filled night, while my husband looked on in pity and horror at my miserable breastfeeding experience, I called Rachel. She came over the same day I called. She spent time, gave attention, and provided some recommendations. She wasn't at all judgmental just patient and helpful. Rachel's help made things better very quickly. After a couple of follow ups at her very comfy welcoming office, breastfeeding became much smoother and happier. Now, at 10 months I love the breastfeeding relationship I've created with my son. Rachel played a remarkable role in my life and I will be forever grateful. read more