Katie Howser is the absolute best! She supported me through my journey of providing 100% breastmilk…read morefor each of my four children for a full year. While I was fortunate to have an abundant supply, Katie was always incredibly supportive of whatever path I chose, including transitioning to formula if needed. Her care goes well beyond breastfeeding--she is there to support you with whatever you need. Whether it's teaching you how to swaddle, showing you how to safely bathe your baby, or simply holding your little one so you can take a well-deserved minute to breathe, she does it all. I would recommend Katie to anyone. She is a truly amazing lactation consultant!

Katie was absolutely AMAZING! I had a traumatic birth and my kid had tongue tie so she wouldn't…read morelatch and when she did it was super painful. My kid was assessed for a tongue tie a dozen times before we left the hospital and every single provider, including several different lactation consultants insisted that she did not have one. On day 1 with Katie she found it and helped us get it fixed. Katie saved us, there is no way that I would have made it as far as I did without her. Breastfeeding is "natural" but it's a horribly difficult and incredibly emotional journey. Katie was an angle. Her presence is so calming and reassuring that my baby always stoped crying in her arms, we called her the "baby whisperer". Katie is so knowledgeable and skilled I continue to recommend her to everyone I know.

It's rare that I'd describe a retail store as "life changing" but this little shop was. In my raw,…read morepostpartum days after an emergency c section and a ten day stay in a hospital, I was breastfeeding and desperate for clothes I didn't feel terrible in and that I could breastfeed easily in. I stopped here and not only did they provide a cozy, private place for me to breastfeed with a helpful Breast Friend pillow, they also had changing tables and a scale for me to use, which brought me peace of mind. Then the nice young lady working there (after giving me space and privacy to nurse) helped me find nursing bras that I love (bravado, sadly being discontinued) and I even found some great nursing shirts that I wear every day. Please support this wonderful women owned shop!

Healthy Horizons is a great place to get lactation help and they have such cute clothing as well…read more.... have to remember to stop here for the next baby shower! I am writing this review because Sheila Janakos doesn't just help new parents in her store/lactation support center but she is also a generous soul who helps the community. I have been on the board of a nonprofit for 32 years now called Nursing Mothers Counsel which provides free lactation support via phone with volunteers trained in lactation and counseling support. We are a great back up source for parents who may not need the expert support that Sheila and her IBCLC staff provide, or who are in need of support after business hours. We are so grateful to Healthy Horizons for donating 4 Medela Symphony Pumps to NMC for use as grant rentals for low income families we serve. This substantial donation will certainly help many low income families in the Bay Area and Santa Cruz County. Sheila has remained an affiliate member of our small non-profit and supported NMC with donations throughout her many years associated with our organization. Thank you so much Sheila and Healthy Horizons for your generosity and support!

Jenn made a huge impact on my breastfeeding journey with just one visit. I had been triple feeding…read morefor weeks and had contemplated giving up on breastfeeding. Pediatricians weren't able to give us a path off of supplementing and we had gotten a lot of overwhelming advice of various treatments to improve transfer. Jenn did a thoughtful evaluation and gave us a very straightforward and actionable plan to transition off of triple feeding. She really built up my confidence around breastfeeding and within two weeks we were exclusively nursing. She also checked in a few times in the following week to see how things were going. Overall a really positive experience!

Jenn was incredibly helpful to us in our journey--out of all of the guidance and help we have…read morereceived since our child's birth (which has been many), Jenn has been by far the most helpful and specifically instructive. Not only did she help address specific questions we had, but she also has a significant reservoir of knowledge based on her understanding of the most current academic literature. If you are looking for a warm, caring, and thoughtfully-informed (no hand wavy ambiguity!) consultant, she is worth every penny. Jenn has been a shared "secret" amongst our friends who have all had amazing experiences with her. This is her life's work and it shows!

Caroline is amazing. There aren't enough words to express or quantify how she has helped us. We met…read morewith her before our baby was born to get advice on breastfeeding after delivery and talk about our questions and concerns. She then came to our house several times after our baby was born. We had a very difficult birth, with several serious complications for both my baby and me, resulting in a week in the NICU for my baby and an extra week in the hospital, including readmission, for myself. We received some lactation support in the hospital, but it paled in comparison to the care and support we received with Caroline. Her advice not only covered breastfeeding, but also in recovering from the physical and emotional trauma of our birth. She also helped me navigate my seemingly low supply and was the only provider to listen to us when we were concerned about our baby's low-ish weight gain. After charting his weight, confirming my output, and checking our baby, she identified that the issue wasn't about supply; our baby had tongue-tie. Even our pediatrician didn't check for this and didn't seem to bat an eye when our baby's weigh was almost the same between two visits that were several weeks apart. After meeting with a specialist and resolving the tongue-tie, our little guy was able to nurse much more efficiently and his weight got back on track.

I am sure I *could* have gotten along without Caroline, but thank goodness I didn't have to…read more Caroline is amazing. She's one of the best teachers I've ever met--gently guiding and encouraging you to find your own best answers with unparalleled patience and good cheer. I didn't think I'd need a lactation consultant but hired her as a postpartum doula--I knew a lot of new moms who had trouble with breastfeeding, though, and I am so so glad that I was lucky enough to have Caroline around from the very beginning. With her help I got breastfeeding going smoothly and experienced very little trouble. You'd think breastfeeding is the most 'natural' thing in the world, and it is! But having a friend there to help you over the bumps in the beginning is invaluable. I also joined the new mamas group and loved every minute of it. Whatever reason you have for seeking Caroline's services, you will not regret coming to her. Do it now! You'll only regret any delay once you've worked with her.

Tanya helped me several times through my BF journey. She is kind, warm, patient and truly cares…read moreabout moms and babies! Her passion for helping is evident! I experienced difficulty with my supply in the first few months and attended at BF group led by Tanya. Before the group even started I received support from her on the phone and individual attention that helped me and my baby establish a BF relationship and boost my supply. Fast forward to 10 months later my baby went on nursing strike! In a panic I called Tanya. She talked me through steps to get the baby back to BF which were successful. I highly recommend the support either in home, group or via phone. I don't think I would have been able to reach my BF goals without her help!

My chiropractor had mentioned my son was tongue tied early on, but after several doctors deemed our…read morechild not tongue tied, I just assumed he wasn't and somewhat brushed my chiropractor off which in hindsight was not smart. But... after 3 awful months of plugged ducts, mastitis, multiple visits to a lactation center trying to get our latch right, I went to the Pomegranate Center and joined Tanya's Breastfeeding Support Class. Tanya was patient, caring, and really listened to our experience up until that point. She then watched me nurse for a while and then stopped us to check his tongue because she suspected he was tongue tied based on his latch. She noticed my son had a posterior tongue tie which was very difficult to diagnosis. Tanya was so kind and answered all my questions and concerns around moving forward with the procedure. We ended up going with Dr. Yazdi in Castro Valley (bit of a drive) but was a wonderful doctor. After the procedure, we had a home visit where she followed up on our son's procedure, taught us exercises to do, and answer any follow up questions we had. She also had us nurse again and gave any follow up tips, etc. after procedure. I went on to nurse until my son was 18 months! I'm so grateful to Tanya. Highly recommend.

I've felt very cared for by everyone I've encountered here throughout pregnancy and postpartum, but…read morewanted to especially highlight Ocean Berg. In just a couple lactation consultancy appointments, we've made so many breakthroughs in feeding with Ocean. I love how she attentively watches our baby for cues before trying to come up with a solution. She is super encouraging and strikes the right balance between being a great listener and getting right to the action, which makes for very productive sessions where we get a lot of practice in. We had also attended her childbirth class when I was pregnant, which I had found pretty educational. For example, she had made us feel very comfortable with fentanyl as a painkiller during labor, which turned out to be extra important for me since the anesthesiologist wasn't available to give an epidural before my baby came out so I had to rely on fentanyl during labor. My main complaint is that introductions took quite a while because every couple in attendance answers 5 or so questions, and it was hard to schedule the class online and also reschedule it when the dates changed. Lastly, I love that Newborn Connections has Saturday lactation consultant appointments available. And also the appointments end up very affordable after being billed to my insurance!

(1) Lactation Consulting. Christen Chang is an amazing lactation consultant. She's super patient,…read moresuper gentle, super knowledgeable, and super caring and empathetic. We met with her several times in the first two months of our journey with breastfeeding. The initial first few visits were to learn the ropes, and the second month's visits were to troubleshoot challenges that arose. Christen is so great, no amount of praise or explanation could do justice to just how truly excellent she is. (2) Classes. We also took first aid, child birth prep, and breastfeeding classes with Newborn Connection. The sign up process and web interface is unintuitive, but the classes themselves were helpful, fun to do with partner, and a good opportunity to meet other expectant couples in the same phase of life as you. (3) Rentals. Lastly, we rented a hospital grade breast pump here. If your insurance covers it, or if you can afford it, it's great to have because it's much more effective than retail breast pumps. If you plan on pumping for more than 24 months (i.e., 2+ babies for 12+ months), buying hospital grade might be cheaper than renting hospital grade.

I am so glad I made an appointment with Tracey! I booked an appointment as soon as I knew my…read moreinduction date and she helped me get off to a great start with my breastfeeding journey. She checks in and follows up and is there to answer any additional questions. She was very caring and knowledgeable!Definitely helpful, especially with a premie who needed to be fed constantly. I've already recommended her to all my friends who are pregnant!

Right when Tracey walked into our house, we felt a wave of warmth and comfort. The breastfeeding…read morejourney is challenging for every Mom and for my wife, Tracey helped change the breastfeeding trajectory for our daughter. What we loved about Tracey 1. She took the time to listen to us and we had her undivided attention for the whole time she was here. She provided solutions and we were able to put them in practice almost immediately 2. She made both of us feel confident. Not only a clear plan for my wife, but also what things I can do to support and effective strategies that I've been using every day since she was here 3. She created a custom plan that she sends over the same day. It's customized based on the things we discussed and a great reference point 4. Extremely responsive. We have been texting her afterwards and she gets back to us extremely quickly. Overall, couldn't recommend Tracey enough. We are very happy that she came to help us and recommend her to anyone going through the breastfeeding journey!

It is no wonder Serena has 5 star ratings. Our 8 wk old baby started showing slow weight gain and…read moreas a first time parent, I was so worried and overwhelmed. From our first call, Serena was kind, thorough and asked all the right questions. She made time to come over within days, immediately pinpointed the issue, and created a clear feeding plan that gave me so much relief. She even reached out to our pediatrician right after and they called me the same day to schedule a weight check by end of the week! Serena's care doesn't stop at your session -- she checks in often and is always available by text, making me feel completely supported and never alone. She's warm, friendly, non-judgmental and turned a scary situation into something manageable. We're still working with her but I couldn't wait to share. Even though we're not out of the woods yet, I feel a million times better knowing Serena is by our side. If you're considering working with her, don't hesitate -- she's a gem!

Serena truly is a gem of an IBCLC! Not only is she kind, patient, and understanding but she is also…read moresomeone who guides gently and uses positive language which is immensely helpful for someone like me who is dealing with a low milk supply. She helped me with my first baby 8 years ago and I knew I had to reach out to her asap when I found out that I was pregnant with my 2nd. I knew my breastfeeding journey needed to be established right away and it required Serena and her knowledge of low milk supply. She did a house call about a week postpartum and did a weighted feed and assessed baby for ties which he does have. She was able to ease my mind and helped guide me on what to do and how to get my supply up. I've been able to message her with my many questions and she has been so responsive and so kind. She has made the journey great so far despite me not making a full supply (I make about half of baby's needs). If you want an amazing ibclc who wants to see you and baby succeed then look no further!

Sarah provided me with compassionate and expert support in my journey feeding my kiddo. I greatly…read moreappreciated her warm, non-judgmental approach and her wise advice. She was able to meet with me on short notice, followed up via text to check in on me after our first appointment, and has fielded several questions via email, even while she was traveling. I am very grateful for her support and would highly recommend her!

At 5 days postpartum, I was feeling incredibly stressed and overwhelmed, but Sarah came to our home…read moreimmediately to help. She spent several hours with my husband and me, teaching us everything from the basics of breastfeeding and milk supply to the specifics of breast anatomy. Her calm demeanor was exactly what we needed; she completely eased my anxiety and gave us the confidence we were lacking. This was truly the most helpful support we've received since coming home from the hospital. If you are looking for an expert who is both knowledgeable and deeply compassionate, look no further.