December 2022
Brittney
Ritchey
,
RN, IBCLC
Obstetrics
UPMC Western Maryland
Cumberland
,
MD
United States

 

 

 

In my exhaustion and desperation feeling so alone, Brittney said to me "We will get through this together. I'm here for you, I won't leave you to figure this out on your own."
As a first-time mom, I knew I wanted to breastfeed my baby before he was born. Our journey would look very different if it wasn't for the guidance and support from Brittney. My son was born via emergency c-section and it took much longer for my milk to come in. Brittney made time for me during my hospital stay my first day, visiting me in the PP unit at the end of her shift at 11 pm, and every day following until our discharge. We came home and my son was still not gaining weight as he should be. I felt lost in my BF journey and reached out to Brittney again as an outpatient. I brought my son in to meet with her and she evaluated us. Brittney referred us to a pediatric dentist to have my son assessed for oral ties, turns out he did have significant tongue and lip ties. We had his ties revised and we continued to meet with Brittney weekly until my son exceeded his birth weight. 6 weeks into my BF journey and my son was displaying signs of food intolerances. We met with Brittney again for resources and support. She has far exceeded my expectations for a Lactation Consultant/RN. I truly believe we would not have made it this far without her. In my exhaustion and desperation feeling so alone, Brittney said to me "We will get through this together. I'm here for you, I won't leave you to figure this out on your own." Here we are 11 weeks later and experiencing a successful, exclusive breastfeeding journey.