I was lucky to have a pretty easy pregnancy and delivery, but because my husband could not take…read moretime off and my mom could only stay for a week after the birth of our baby, I knew I needed some extra help. Regula came recommended from a friend, and with her background in the medical field and lactation support I knew she had the "resume" background I was looking for. I kept thinking that I didn't need someone *so* qualified (given things being so "textbook" for me), however she had a significant role in three important ways: 1) guiding me through my baby not gaining weight, and being able to keep breastfeeding; 2) helping me identify that my baby had a milk protein allergy, and 3) supporting me in the most nonjudgemental way and making sure I got some sleep
1- baby weight gain: my daughter lost some weight (common) but was not gaining it back as quickly as the pediatricians wanted - I doing what I thought I was supposed to, but it wasn't working, I felt like a failure (complete breakdown in the pediatrician's office), and was about to start using formula (which is TOTALLY OK, and honestly I was just so exhausted and I hated the feeling of working so hard without my baby gaining) -- because of her background she was able to see that I wasn't keeping my child at a single breast for long enough at a time (my baby often fell asleep nursing) which meant she wasn't getting enough hind milk (the fatty part) - it wasn't so out of balance that there were other warning signs, so I don't think the pediatrician realized that was happening. As soon as I followed Regula's direction, my baby gained ounces each day and had a double chin within a couple of weeks with all of her weight gain.
2- identifying protein allergy: my baby had a good amount of gas and it caused a good amount of crying (poor thing was so uncomfortable) - she repeatedly told me that I should try to eliminate dairy and see how that went, but I kept eating yogurt, cheese, cookies made with butter... by the second month we had stronger, more obvious signs that led us back to the pediatrician, and after consulting with a pediatric GI specialist I finally followed the advice I had in the beginning - she had a dairy protein (whey/casein) allergy. After me eliminating from my diet after a few days baby no longer cried at night, no spit up, no blow outs, minimal gas... Regula knew what to advise me to eat and avoid, and helped me consider the dairy allergy as a possibility even before the doctor.
3- support and sleep: I knew that with someone as experienced as Regula I could hand over my new baby (and I was a major germ freak and totally not trusting of others to take my baby... at first) and get some sleep - I would not have slept much at all had she not been able to easily take my baby, and keep her happy and entertained, and even would help get her to sleep as well! Beyond that, as other reviewers have mentioned, she has no agenda - she pushes no philosophy, and she talked me through all kinds of new mom things with a great ear and lots of kindness and compassion. My mom was helpful, but she was not able to stay with me for long, and it was so nice to have someone (who also helped fix me snacks, tidied the kitchen, helped with the baby's laundry) to be with me when my mom couldn't.
Additionally, had I really listened to her about the sleep feeding my baby might now (at 13 months) be a better sleeper -- please follow ALL of her advice!!! it'll help in the long run!
Even if you think you have all your ducks in a row and have a great support network, it was a great decision to have Regula as an expert in our corner.