Latching with Love

I was referred to Wendy through a friend and decided to hire her as my lactation consultant as a last effort to resolve the issues I was having before giving up breastfeeding with my 2 week old. I assumed she would be knowledgeable but I never expected to be absolutely blown away by her knowledge and expertise. She made me feel comfortable immediately upon greeting her at my doorstep. Wendy exceeded my expectations and helped me with my latch issues, pumping issues, endless questions about breastfeeding and baby. If I wouldn’t have hired her, I wouldn’t have continued to breastfeed my baby girl. She is the most inspiring and helpful professional I could have ever imagined. She is the only reason I continued to breastfeed (as it was the most challenging thing for me as a new mom). Also, her «Boobie Bars» significantly increased my milk supply and I am able to pump 2 full feedings in 10 minutes (one from each breast) to store milk for when I return to work. Wendy is a life saver!

Nurse Wendy is not only the best lactation consultant I have met (and I have met quite a few) but one of the kindest and most generous professionals in the healthcare field I have encountered. She was referred to me by a close friend after a scary incident with my newborn left me afraid to breast feed and my baby in the NICU. Not only did she generously take the time to text/​talk with me to help me advocate for my breastfeeding relationship in the NICU (without ever having met me before), but she also cleared her schedule to meet with me the day after my son was discharged to help get us on the right track. Wendy’s kind counsel gave me the confidence I needed to continue breastfeeding and to be a little less fearful in those first few days of my son’s infancy. I cannot express how much this meant to me. I have used her advice on countless occasions since and it was worth every penny I paid her for it. Oh yes, and her Boobie Bars ® are delicious and work wonders for boosting supply!

If you’re having breastfeeding problems, you need to see Wendy. It’s that simple. I’m a bit of a boob expert after working with several lactation consultants in at the hospital and the NICU, attending several other breastfeeding support groups, and even having another lactation consultant come to my house. Heck, I started going to La Leche meetings before I even had my baby because I was so committed to breastfeeding. When I had problems with a fast letdown and oversupply (yes, it really can be troublesome), Wendy was the answer. Wendy has tremendous experience with every possible problem that can arise with breastfeeding. She is so compassionate and so helpful, gentle with your baby, and very available by phone when you need some extra help. My daughter is 2.5yo and is still nursing. My goal was 2 years and I know I couldn’t have done this without Wendy’s help. I’ve referred several friends to Wendy and they all love her too. Thank you Wendy for your endless help and thank you from Brooklyn for all of her mommy milk :-)

I first met Nurse Wendy through her weekly lactation support group, Milk and Cookies. I went on the suggestion of a friend, and as soon as I walked in, I was so happy I did.
Like many new moms, I went through some bf issues in the first couple weeks of having my little girl. I had a horrible experience with the lactation consultant who came to my room in the hospital, after giving birth, so I was very weary of the whole idea. The woman in the hospital was loud, overbearing, grabby, and basically rocked my confidence in breast feeding and left me in tears.
Wendy is the complete opposite. She is warm, friendly, kind, nurturing, available, and patient with answering all of a new mom’s many questions. I also feel like she really «gets» babies and has compassion for their feelings and everything their going through.
After weighing my little one, she expressed concern that she hadn’t gained nearly enough weight in the 3 weeks since her birth. She came over to talk to me while I fed her and offered some very helpful tips. She also identified the baby as being tongue tied, something I didn’t know anything about. As a result of her not being able to nurse effectively and efficiently, I wasn’t producing enough milk. Wendy recommended a specialist (Dr. Pransky, who is kind and wonderful as well) to perform a small procedure to cut the tongue tie so that baby could nurse more efficiently. I was able to get an appointment with Dr. P within 2 days and Wendy offered to be there, but since everything was happening so fast and I wasn’t sure what to expect, I didn’t take her up on her initial offer. Because my little one’s tongue tie was not an obvious one and because I didn’t have much pain or obvious physical symptoms, Dr. Pransky suggested waiting another week. He also brought in another lactation nurse who was working with him that day to get her opinion. She was a very nice woman, but I was rather shocked by her suggestion. She told me that my baby was starving, that she was «just surviving, not thriving,» and that I should get her on formula supplementation immediately, start pumping at least 12 times per day to get my milk production up, and only bottle feed her for the next 2 – 3 weeks. Whaaat? I didn’t understand how someone who is supposed to be an advocate of bf was telling me to bottle feed my baby. I was so confused and sad. The last thing I wanted was to give my baby formula and I worried that if I took her off breast feeding, she wouldn’t want to go back, but at the same time, I was willing to do whatever it took for my little one’s health. I left there confused and in tears, knowing that bf is the healthiest thing and formulas are filled with junk.
I trusted my intuition and called Wendy to tell her what had happened. She was totally reassuring and offered to come to my house that afternoon for a private consultation. The minute she walked in, I felt better about everything. She suggested an herbal formula and pumping after each feeding for several days to increase my milk production. She also told me to take care of myself and make sure I was getting enough rest. She really helped boost my breast feeding confidence and made me feel much less stressed. The following week, my little one had gained a good amount of weight (almost 6 ounces) and things were much better. Still, we went back to see Dr. Pransky and had the tongue tie removed. Wendy attended that appointment, helped hold and soothe Evvy during the procedure, and was there for us 100%. It wasn’t easy, but now that all is said and done, Evvy is healthy, happy and definitely thriving, at 3 months old.
I still go to milk and cookies every Wednesday to see Wendy and get Evvy’s weight checked, and every so often, I call or text Wendy with a question or two. She’s always responsive and helpful and I’m so thankful I met her!
Thank you for all your help and kindness Wendy!

«Nurse Wendy» was highly recommended to my husband and I from a good family friend who LOVED Wendy during their early breast feeding days. I hesitated when calling a lactation consultant because I had to admit to myself that I wasn’t successful breast feeding on my own, but I desperately wanted it to work out. My daughter was a 36 week preemie and struggled with sucking and breathing (simultaneously) and had a tough time latching. I emailed Wendy a brief over-​view of my issues and she responded within 3 hours and came over the next day (on a weekend). She clearly outlined her hourly rate and was very transparent with costs. She arrived promptly on time and literally walked into a screaming hungry baby. She immediately started her magic. She has a wonderfully calming demeanor and gave me invaluable advice about what to expect and handful of strategies for success. She helped my daughter wean off the nipple shield and introduced me to S&S and finger feeding (both strategies neither of the lactation specialists shared with me during our 10 day NICU stay at Radys). This helped my daughter learn to suck properly and we found success within a week. Four weeks later my daughter no longer needed any supplemental bottle feeds and I was able to exclusively breast fed. I am still breast feeding at 7 months with no looking back!!! I continue to find support from Wendy through her amazing support group on Wednesdays in Carlsbad Village. Without her continued support and encouragement I probably would have given up a long time ago. Being able to share experiences with other moms at her group and the weekly weights are so helpful. Wendy cares SO much about her Mommas and babies. On a side note — we were having a constipation emergency when my daughter was 7 weeks old and I didn’t know who else to call, so I called Wendy after hours and she went out of her way to come over and help me. Wendy is simply amazing and so so good at what she does. There are not enough people in this world like Wendy; those who truly care about their patients, love their work, and are excellent at what they do. Thank you Wendy for being so wonderful for me and my daughter. Will be using Wendy again when we decide to have baby #2!

I chose Wendy because on occasion she works at a hospital with a friend. This friend has never had a consult with Wendy.
Wendy arrived at my home a bit late and normally that is no big deal, but she did not take that into consideration when she charged for every minute she was in my home. It was $ 109 for the first 60 minutes and then she charged me for every minute thereafter, for a total of $ 139. She told me I could text her for free over the next couple of days and after that a conversation would be charged by the minute. I remember thinking, well, she is certainly a business woman, but she respects her time and probably works hard, so that’s fair…
Wendy diagnosed my 11 week old with a tongue tie. She was sure all of our feeding problems would be taken care of by clipping it. She helped us get in to see the doctor at Rady’s that she trusted. She told me in person that she likes to be at these appointments for her clients. Once I told her the appointment day she texted that she would let me know if she could get away from her out of town guest to be there. On the big day I never heard from her. When I arrived at the office I looked at the door every time it opened thinking she might show up. She did not.
She had told me it was a simple procedure and maybe so, but when you are a new mom and you are asked to help hold down your little one while they are injecting her with long needles, making her scream and bleed and cutting her, well it was rough on both of us! Luckily the doctor grabbed another lactation consultant who was there with another family to be in the room with us during the procedure. Her name was Annie and she was amazing. She hugged me when I got teary, she helped me console my daughter, she helped me get her to latch right after and she told me how to care for the wound. She did everything Wendy should have done.
We got home and I was surprised to still have heard nothing from Wendy. Something like, «I’m sorry I could not make it, but tell me how it went. How is she doing? How are you?» would have been excellent. My daughter starting trying to suck her thumb and she made herself bleed all over, so I texted Wendy asking for support. She did text back, but she did not apologize for not making it and it was too hard to have a back and forth over texting with what I was dealing with.
The next day my daughter was eating very little and I was so worried. I texted her and asked for some guidance and she never wrote back. I told her my daughter was not eating much and she never wrote back! I still cannot believe that.
I do know she went on vacation, however, she never said she would be unreachable during a certain time period. Alternatively, she could have called me before she left and checked in to see how we were doing, but she did not. Either way, I don’t think a new client should be taken on right before vacation if she can’t be supported properly.
There are plenty of lactation consultants out there who are concerned, supportive and empathetic, so please do your research. That is the kind of treatment you deserve.
— — — — — — — — — — -
It has since been determined that a tongue tie was not the cause of my daughter’s slow weight gain. Wendy’s diagnosis was incorrect. This entire experience with Wendy has been disappointing and unprofessional. She did not help us at all, in fact her advice led us to go through a painful and unnecessary procedure.

I seeked out Nurse Wendy’s services when my little boy was 7 weeks old. I had been struggling with forming a good breastfeeding relationship with him and had turned to formula several times. I wasn’t sure I had enough milk for him and was stuck having to use a breast shield each time I nursed. I was really struggling and debating if I wanted to continue trying. Literally after spending 5 minutes with Wendy, I knew that my prayers had been answered. She showed me how to nurse without the shield which was causing me so much grief. She taught me how to get a better latch and she also taught me an easier position to hold my baby in while nursing. She always assured me that I had a HUGE milk supply and gave me the confidence I needed to continue nursing my son. After meeting her that day, I didn’t use the shield again and am proud to say I am still nursing my son who is approaching one.
Nurse Wendy makes you feel comfortable from the first moment she meets you. She truly cares about you and your baby. Her passion shines through her and I am beyond thankful for her coming into mine and my son’s life. I look forward to seeking Wendy’s help once I have more babies!

I could nearly cry writing this review because of how thankful I am for Nurse Wendy’s help. I sought out Wendy’s services when my baby girl was almost 3 months old. We had a very rocky start with breast feeding as she was tongue tied and was not gaining weight. I had worked with another lactation consultant when my daughter was 2 weeks old, but I always felt very pressured and judged. I so badly wanted to have a wonderful breastfeeding experience. I tried everything under the sun to increase my milk supply, and with Wendy’s help we went from supplementing 12oz of formula a day to 3oz, and she gave me the knowledge to have the breastfeeding experience I hoped for. My daughter is 14 months and still nursing. Wendy is doing the job she was meant to do, she is an angel on earth. I only wish I had found her sooner!

Wendy is very Knowledgeable, supportive and personable! She’s really good at educating you to what to look for when breastfeeding. I called her with nursing questions and she was SO helpful over the phone. You can tell that she really cares and wants to help you anyway she can! If you have any nursing questions, just give her a call! You’ll be so glad you did!!!