I scheduled a consultation with Brandi last week after feeling incredibly overwhelmed as a first…read moretime mom, less than two weeks into motherhood. Breastfeeding wasn't working for me and I had a sense that exclusive pumping would be a better fit, but I didn't know where to start. I wanted to consult with a LC but was very nervous that I would not be able to find an open minded LC able to work with me (many will push you directly towards feeding from the breast, vs pump). Enter Brandi - our session was extremely informative and dare I say cathartic. She really empathized with my journey and I've already put her guidance to use, increasing my output by 40% within the past week! I highly recommend Brandi.

I have had the pleasure of working side by side with Brandi Flores for the last 3 1/2 years in…read morepediatrics. You can see the compassion, knowledge and respect she has for her patients. She is very passionate about assisting mom and baby on how to breastfeed. She is an excellent advocate about educating others about how to breastfeed and you can see how she loves it. As a co-worker and friend, what you see, is her. She is loving, supportive and very true to herself. This is what she lives and breaths for. Helping mommies to feel confident and comfortable nursing their new born. Love you Brandi.

Serena's support was truly a vital blessing in an unbelievably challenging chapter. I had a…read morepremature baby who was struggling with feeding and weight gain. Nothing was working. I was triple feeding and burning the candle at both ends on top of the emotional strain of feeling like my body failed. Serena made me feel grounded and whole when everything felt chaotic and out of my control. She normalized some of the challenges that we were experiencing. She gave me really grounded advice that helped me set expectations. Including really thinking about risks and benefits when dealing with a baby who had oral aversion. Rather than focusing on every feed or every ounce on the scale, she helped me focus on the big picture of helping the baby feel safe and in control in his own body and developing a mother and infant bond that would support our long-term journey. Not only did she offer a calming presence, good advice, but she continued to be available and responsive weeks months, and even years down the road. She supported me with my second baby years later, and has continued to be a supportive, trusted person in my life. I call her my Milk Fairy GOdmother. She truly was a blessing.

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!

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.

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!

I honestly can't say enough good things about Katie. I worked with lactation consultants with my…read moreprevious baby, so I thought I knew what to expect--but Katie is in a completely different league. The depth of her knowledge, experience, and professionalism is unlike anything I've encountered. She helped me through literally every postpartum breastfeeding challenge I had. She recognized that my baby had reflux and a cow's milk protein allergy before our pediatrician did. She helped me finally get recurrent mastitis under control and, more importantly, taught me how to prevent it from happening again. She guided me through a difficult oversupply, improved my baby's latch, and always had practical, thoughtful solutions. What really sets Katie apart is that everything she recommends is evidence-based. When we discussed different treatment options for mastitis, she even sent me research articles explaining the reasoning behind her recommendations. I never felt like I was just getting generic advice--she took the time to educate me, answer every question, and make sure I understood the reasoning behind everything. Knowing she trained at Cleveland Clinic made so much sense after working with her. Her level of expertise is truly exceptional. I can say without hesitation that working with Katie was one of the best investments I made after having my baby. She is worth every single penny, and I recommend her to every expecting or new mom I know. If you're wondering whether to book with her, do it. I truly don't think you'll find anyone better.

Cherie is one of a kind: incredibly knowledgeable, skilled, encouraging, compassionate, and fun to…read morebe around. She helped us work through breastfeeding issues with both of our kids (tongue ties, lip ties, poor latches, mastitis, blocked ducts, you name it!) and I'm confident I wouldn't have been able to breastfeed if it weren't for her guidance. She is an expert in her field and you can trust her guidance 100%. She has medical training as a nurse practitioner, and is well respected by many of the pediatricians in the area. I never doubted that I was in excellent hands when working with her. She provided us with coaching that extended beyond breastfeeding to caring for our newborn more generally and supporting our older child welcome a younger sibling. She was an emotional support for me and I always looked forward to her visits. She was incredibly responsive via phone, email, and texts, even making herself available to us when she was on vacation. I can't recommend Cherie strongly enough -- whether you work with her 1on1, attend her parents groups, or both!!

We were referred to Cherie by a pediatrician who told us she would be a great resource for our…read morebaby's sleep issues. That alone says a lot about Cherie's knowledge and expertise. She coached us on how to help our 10 months-old son sleep through the night, she supported us during the time he had surgery, she coached us during our breastfeeding journey and helped us wean him when he was ready to move on, she helped us understand our son's behaviors and needs, and she was always listening to our doubts, fears and challenges with an understanding and supportive attitude. Her groups gave us the opportunity to bond with other parents and create a community that is so needed in this stage of life and so rare in this area.

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.

Janet L. was incredibly warm, kind, and compassionate when she helped us over the first couple of…read moremonths of our daughter's life! She blended into our new family seamlessly and was so helpful as we got used to life as a family of three. My husband had some tricky tech requests and she was super willing to work with us to get all the systems set up. She was beyond accomodating and was able to either wake me right before a feed or just handle the night feeds with pumped milk, depending on the night/timing. She was wonderful and helped us so much - would recommend her to anyone looking for a night doula!

We had two amazing doulas for our second daughter, both covered through my Carrot benefit at work,…read moreRhona at night and Julie during the day. Rhona was our overnight doula for both of our girls, and honestly I don't know how I would've gotten through those first months without her. With my first, she helped me figure out breastfeeding, kept me going on the hard nights, and taught me how to pump so I could actually get some sleep. With our second we had jaundice and an unplanned trip back to the hospital and Rhona was such a calm, steady presence for me while I got through it. Rhona is just so good at what she does, and clearly cares a lot about the families she works with. Julie was equally wonderful during the day. She's sincere, honest, and has this calming way about her. She normalized so much of what I was feeling and hyped me up until I actually felt ready to handle life with two kids. Genuinely fun to have around too, even on the rough days. We're so grateful for both of them and would recommend them without hesitation.

I sought help from Kelly as a last resort after a month of baby struggling to get back to birth…read moreweight. I was prescribed triple feeding which was totally unsustainable. She helped tremendously and gave us so much confidence as parents. She was so patient and knowledgeable, and professional. We got the latch down and were able to drop the triple feeding routine. Here we are almost a year later still nursing and growing right on track!

Kelly is the best lactation consultant any mama could ask for!!! A week into my breast feeding…read morejourney with my first baby I was ready to give up. (We saw a horrible lactation consultant at Kaiser who made me feel like I was starving my baby and tried to move us to formula immediately.) Thankfully we found Kelly on Yelp and she was able to see us the next day. She listened to my concerns/frustrations with breastfeeding, then watched me nurse my baby and gave such compassionate guidance. She gave me so much confidence!!! Fast forward to today, my baby girl is 9 months old and I am still exclusively breastfeeding!!! Breastfeeding is so much harder than anyone ever told me it was going to be. My recommendation for any first time mama would be to make an appointment with Kelly and get all the support you didn't even know you would need, it makes a world of a difference!

Ellen was caring, effective, and helped us overcome challenges to reach our breastfeeding goals.read more

Working with Ellen for lactation support with my 3rd baby was one of the best decisions I have…read moremade!! Even though I had had two prior breastfeeding journeys, they both had their complications/challenges and I knew I wanted to have some support on-hand before my 3rd baby. Having a private, in-home lactation consultant was nothing short of amazing. Ellen even did a prenatal visit where she learned about my past breastfeeding experiences and challenges and listened to my goals and worries for this time around. In the past, I had only ever seen LC's in a "hospital outpatient" relationship and while those providers were experienced and competent, the setup really lacked continuity of care that I think is really important in a breastfeeding journey. Ellen did wonders to soothe my instinct to pathologize every little thing, and also brought me up to speed on the new evidence-based guidance for flange sizes and mastitis/clogged duct protocol as a lot had changed from my 1st two babies. She helped me ID a tongue tie much earlier than my 2nd baby, and with her updated protocol recommendations, I can now say I have made it 6 months EBF with no mastitis (something that was not the case at ALL my 1st two times). I really enjoyed working with Ellen and always looked forward to her visits. Even though it was my 3rd baby, I know that I would not be having such a positive breastfeeding journey if not for Ellen. She helped remove a lot of the anxieties and frustrations I had. Learning how to do "laid back" breastfeeding from the comfort of my own bed/couch was an absolute game changer and my baby breastfed with Ellen's support has had much better head/neck strength from the get-go from her nursing position. My body has been so much less sore/worn down from this position too. I wish I had discovered it years ago! If you are looking for lactation support - please consider working with Ellen beginning from late 3rd trimester - having that continuity of care from the first few days home from the hospital was an incredible gift. I can't recommend her enough from my experience!