After the birth of my first child, I came home from the hospital with only a breastfeeding class under my belt. The class makes it sound so easy, but in reality, I had so many questions. The first week, I found out I was under-nourishing my daughter and she was becoming dehydrated. Then with the pediatrician's suggestion started supplementing with formula. What I didn't realize was that I was now overfeeding my daughter. I needed to get back to be able to feed her from my own milk and I didn't know how.

I called Lactation Associates and Kathy Lipke was the consultant that returned my call and came to my house shortly after. She immediately made me feel confident by the questions she asked and how she went about the consultation. She didn't have a “one answer fits all” recommendation, but she took the time to understand me, my daughter and specific situation. She ended our meeting by giving me customized, detailed instructions for the next week. She checked back in with me by phone and email often to ensure things were going smoothly. She was able to listen and tweak the program as she heard how things were progressing.

Kathy was encouraging, available, knowledgeable and truly made my first 2 months of breastfeeding more successful. I have many friends with infants that I've tried to ask for advice on breastfeeding, but their advice worked for their child. Kathy and her colleagues have many years of experience with hundreds of infants and were able to draw on that information to meet my specific needs.

Not sure if I would have been able to continue breastfeeding without her help.

Judy was a godsend to me and my husband in the first few weeks after our daughter was born. She helped us figure out what our goals were and then she helped us achieve our goals. She never tried to push her own agenda, which was so important to us and exactly what we needed at that time.

In addition to being sweet, supportive, practical, and extremely available (she checked in with us every day in the beginning) she is very knowledgeable, and totally non-judgmental.

She helped me survive engorgement when my milk was first coming in and gave me wonderful tips about how to increase, and then maintain, my milk supply.

I honestly don't know how we would have survived those first few weeks without Judy's guidance. I highly recommend her and will be calling her immediately when I have my next child.

Liz is fabulous! Lactation Partners transformed one of the most difficult situations I've ever encountered into one of the most rewarding experiences of my early motherhood.

Three months ago, I became a mom for the first time. Inexplicably, my son kept losing weight in the hospital. Several pediatricians and three hospital-based lactation consultants were mystified. My husband and I were exhausted and desperate. We were on Day 5 of almost no sleep, despite round the clock help from our supportive family members.

Our pediatrician referred us to Lactation Partners. I called — and literally overnight — our lives changed for the better.

I connected with Judy immediately. She listened to me, asked excellent questions, and gave me some wonderful advice to survive the night, and set us up with Liz Sjoblom to advance our agenda — so to speak — the very next day.

When Liz arrived, she was everything that we needed: kind, compassionate, nurturing, supportive, thoughtful, and brilliant. She diagnosed immediately what everyone else had missed: our son was tongue-tied. Then, because we were so defeated already, she coached us through talking to our pediatrician's office and the ENT to get our son treated ASAP. She was available by phone and email for follow-up consultations, holding our hand for the next four weeks on a regular basis until she felt confident that we felt confident that we were feeding well.

Without exaggeration, Liz's insights and nurturing support were miraculous. My family and I felt that she had waved a magic wand over us, and transformed what was an incredibly stressful, depressing, anxious situation into the bonding bliss that you read about, and hope for with your child.

And, thanks to Liz and Lactation Partners, I now feel confident, well-informed, and recommend her and the practice to every new mom I know.

I had the pleasure of working with Joan Kessler, one of the lactation consultants with Lactation Partners. The first week of breast feeding after the birth of my daughter proved challenging, to say the least. After a doctor at Prentice Hospital gave me their card I decided to see what this “lactation consultant” was all about.

Well let me say, Joan Kessler exceeded my expectations. She came over and spent almost 2 hours with me helping with everything from determining how much milk my daughter was taking in from my breasts, to creating a detailed plan to help me successfully breast feed my little one. It didn't end there. Joan continued to email, text and call me with support and also in response to my many daily questions.

She is patient, empathetic and knowledgeable, the exact combination you want in this situation. I give Joan my complete endorsement as a lactation consultant. She is absolutely amazing and 7 weeks later I continue tapping into her expertise.

I was having trouble breastfeeding — almost at the point of giving up. I called Lactation Partners and saw Kathy Lipke. She was wonderful — she came by the same day I called, and in the hour long appointment — she helped me with positioning, and gave me the instruction, but more importantly, the confidence I needed to move forward.

I highly recommend giving them a call if you are having trouble!

Thanks to Judy's patience, devotion, and expertise, my daughter and I are still enjoying the benefits of breastfeeding after her first birthday! As a first time mom, I tried to learn as much as possible about breastfeeding by reading and attending classes before she was born. However, that didn't prepare me for some of the challenges I faced once she arrived. It was so nice to know I could contact Judy anytime to help us through the trials of an over-active letdown and over-production when we were first getting established. Since then my daughter and I have had a wonderful experience and enjoyed many sweet, cuddling moments nursing. As an exclusively breastfed baby she thrived, and continues to be 90th percentile in weight and height! We truly owe all our thanks to Judy and are so grateful for the assistance and caring she provided. Thank you, Judy!

I've been nursing for six months and plan to continue for a year. I wouldn't have made it two weeks without Liz and Lactation Partners.

Within 12 hours of my desperate message left at 10:00pm, Kathy called me back and gave me expert advice to get us through until the next morning when our consultant would arrive. Liz came to our house, weighed my little one before and after she nursed so we knew how much milk she consumed. It was so reassuring to know that my daughter was getting the nourishment she needed! Throughout the next four weeks, Liz visited three more times for weight checks to make sure my little one was staying on track. She answered countless texts and emails almost immediately and put my worrying mind at ease.

With being the first one in my family who nursed and not having any friends who have breastfed, I felt completely alone until Liz came along. She was a true lactation partner and we couldn't have done it without her.

After nursing my son for an entire year with no difficulty, I figured everything would work out the same way with my second child. Then I delivered my daughter five weeks early and with her early delivery came some preemie feeding difficulties. She was losing weight and having trouble eating efficiently. Fortunately, when she was four days old, we met Joan from Lactation Partners.

Joan helped us create a feeding plan and before long my daughter was back on track and gaining weight. For the first six weeks, Joan was regularly in touch as my daughter and I continued to work through issues and find a breastfeeding path that worked for us. She was so available and helpful and we can never thank her enough for all of her help. Not only did she provide feeding specifics and advice but she was an excellent counselor as well, providing emotional support that I really needed to get through this difficult time. As I continue to breastfeed my daughter, I know that if a question comes up, Joan is still available to help.

I seriously do not know how I would have made it through this breastfeeding experience without Joan's assistance. She is so smart, dedicated and helpful and you can really tell that she cares about her clients and their babies. I would recommend her to friends and family who may need her services without any question.

I called Lactation partners hurting and teary-eyed and feeling helpless. Kathy was wonderful, had a very long conversation with me and gave a ton of advice that proved super helpful.

The next day Judy talked to me with some more good advice. It ended up solving my problem within a couple of days. They were just wonderful and genuinely motivated to help.

Their good vibes are contagious. You won't regret calling.

The day after we came home from the hospital, Judy came over. I was having trouble with latching, and my daughter had lost more than 10% of her birth weight. My milk supply hadn't fully come in yet, and I didn't know what to do. Judy showed me and my husband how to supplement while continuing to nurse so our daughter would start gaining weight. She also put together a plan to help me increase my milk supply. After the initial visit, Judy kept in touch and continued to support and encourage me for as long as I needed help. By the time my daughter was 10 weeks old, I had enough milk to stop supplementing. I truly don't know what we would have done without Judy's assistance.

Kathy is warm and nurturing to both mother and child. She empathizes with your roll as a new mother and ALL the challenges it presents. You will receive all the support possible in her personal quest to enable you to be successful at breastfeeding.

Judy's help, support, understanding, and patience were an invaluable resource and comfort to me as my baby and I tried to learn this new skill. She listens with care and concern and helps you navigate this process in the way that is best for you and your baby.