When I called Heejin, I had already given birth 1.5 months before and been advised by two other lactation consultants. First, when I was in the postnatal care center, I wasn't producing any milk and even after five days, I could only express a few drops. In addition, breastfeeding was extremely difficult. My nipples would always hurt when my baby latched on, but I would fight through the pain and let her nurse anyway hoping to increase my milk supply. Unfortunately, my milk supply wasn't increasing during this time and the lactation consultant advised me that I wouldn't be able to breastfeed and would have to raise my baby on formula. Needless to say, I wasn't thrilled. Not giving up hope, I kept trying to nurse my baby through the nipple and breast pain and after a week, my milk supply finally came in. I continued to breastfeed or pump, preferring to pump because of the pain, and finally went home from the postnatal care center after two weeks with painful nipples and breasts.

At home, I continued trying to nurse my baby but I was in so much pain that I hired another lactation consultant. The second consultant came twice and guided me through the latch, but it would never work after the consultant left. Also, she gave me breast massages and expressed the milk from my engorged breasts because I was risking milk stasis which could result in mastitis. This was a complete waste of milk! Rather than using my baby to relieve the pain from the engorgement, she expressed it and it went to waste instead. The worst part is, the latch was never fixed so I continued to have nipple and breast pain (stinging, soreness, aching). Finally after some in depth research, I found www.beautifulmom.net and decided to call Heejin. I thought to myself that if she couldn't help me, I would give up on breastfeeding.

When Heejin arrived for our first meeting, she was professional and had a lot of information. She was upfront and honest, telling me that if I wanted this to work, I would have to practice and it would take a lot of practice to get the latch right. Additionally, she told me she doesn't perform breast massages and express milk because both can be relieved by the baby through nursing. She also brought a stuffed breast (like a stuffed doll that looks like a breast) and showed me what needs to happen in order to have a comfortable latch. When we picked up my daughter Victoria and tried Heejin's latching technique, it worked. It didn't hurt and I could immediately feel the relief in my breasts. But, I was also scared because, as I mentioned earlier, I always did well with the latch when the consultant was right next to me, but always failed once the consultant left. When Heejin left telling me to practice, I was scared, but she assured me that even if I get the latch right 50% of the time, it was a good sign. I breastfed for the remaining of the day and was successful about 70% of the time. I continued to breastfeed the next day and was successful 80% of the time. 

Heejin came back two days later for a follow up and we practiced breastfeeding again. It was getting easier and easier and I wasn't having any pain! She also informed me about breast illnesses that could happen and their symptoms. And she also talked to me about oversupply, rapid growth, weaning etc. She had a lot of information that she went through with me to make sure I was armed with as much information as I needed to successfully raise my baby. 

Currently, I'm still breastfeeding and successful with the latch 99% of the time. I'm not scared of nursing my baby anymore because the pain is gone now. I also practice different positions Heejin showed me to be prepared should I need to breastfeed when I don't have my nursing cushion. Without Heejin's help, I'm absolutely certain that I would have given up on breastfeeding. Compared to other lactation consultants, some people may think that the consulting fee is a bit high, but in all honesty, I think Heejin should charge more for her services. I wasted money on TWO consultants for a total of five consultations and went through 1.5 months of pain and agony. Heejin is worth more than the consulting fee she charges and best of all, she truly cares about her clients. She still calls me and texts me to see how I'm doing. I highly recommend her to anyone who is going through breastfeeding issues.