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Pat Shelly, Pat Shelly, what is she the breast whisperer?
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Anonymous
Ditto this. I didn't like her but if i have problems again with my second child, you better believe I will call Pat in a second! I saw 4 other LC's and Pat knows her stuff like nobody else! |
Anonymous
| The LCs at Sibley were useless - my son would latch when they were in the room and then immediately fall asleep and unlatch when they left the room. At GUH the LCs were better, but I really knew what I was doing with #2. In both cases there was judgement to me - for my second, I was able to blow it off. Never went to Pat, but have heard about her for seven years. |
Anonymous
| When I had issues BF, the LCs at Washington Hospital Center were no help at all ("Call your pediatrician." Um, thanks?), LLL folks were nice enough on the surface, but gave anyone the side-eye who wanted to bottle feed, much less *GASP* supplement. Left that meeting feeling worse. Pat and the BF Center were awesome. I wouldn't still be BFing at 13 months without them. Like others pointed out, I wasn't going to look for a new BFF. But for knowledge about breastfeeding and all it entails, Pat is second to none. |
Anonymous
| The LC at GW was nowhere to be found after my daughter's birth. When we brought my daughter home, it was obvious that she wasn't getting any milk. Pat Shelly drove out to our house, last minute, around 5 or 6 pm on a Friday, and basically saved our bacon, bf-ing wise. As others have mentioned, her first concern was feeding the baby. My daughter was screaming her head off, so we fed her formula at Pat's suggestion / insistence. She got me going with a pump, gave us suggestions to get my supply up, showed me how to use a nipple shield, etc. She came back every couple of days to check on us. Within a week, my daughter was bf'ing exclusively, and she bf'ed for a good, long time. I credit Pat with making it work. I agree with a PP who said I didn't need a new BFF, I needed a great LC. |
Anonymous
| 9:17 again. I was a big hormonal mess the first time Pat came over. I was beating myself up over not being able to BF, and I was crying my eyes out. I felt horrible for having to feed my daughter formula when I had intended to bf (like I said, big hormonal mess of a first-time mom - I really had no perspective on the situation at all, and no, I don't judge other moms who use formula by choice or necessity). Pat said kindly, "your daughter knows you love her", which was exactly what I needed to hear. I still get teary thinking about it. |
Anonymous
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The Sibley LC were useless to me as well. They kept repeating to fix the latch, but there was nothing wrong with the latch. My baby cried from hunger, and I cried from pain. Pat Shelly gave me a nipple shield, and all was good. She was wonderful! Four years later, I still feel the need to chime in.
On the other hand, she thought there was a frenulum issue, and there was not. |
Anonymous
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I have always used Margaret at the breastfeeding center. She's so warm, patient, compassionate and knows her shit. I've called her at random times during the course of my nursing and she has always called me back on her time and free of charge. Even on nights and weekends.
The woman is amazing. When my LO turns one I plan on making a donation to the BFC in Margaret's honor. I honestly do not know how I would have been able to make it this far BF without her help. |
Anonymous
| I liked Kathy McCue. Found her through my pediatrician (Childrens first pediatrics). |
Anonymous
Agreed. I attribute all of my BFing problems to the nurses and LCs at Sibley. They actually told me that I had to supplement when my LO was 24hrs old (if that) and never bothered to check if I was engorged (I was). It wasn't until I finally saw an LC a few weeks later that I realized that the problem was never my supply but rather the baby's latch. I was never able to get my supply up after that and still have to suplement at 8mo. Foolish me for listening to the nurses and LCs at Sibley. I learned my lesson. |
Anonymous
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We had Margaret from the Breastfeeding center come out and help us too when we were having issues feeding. She was pretty good. I've had limited interaction w/ Pat Shelley at some of the classes - some of her responses seemed more of a "well what do *you* think" sort of response instead of answering direct questions, but on the other hand, sometimes in BFing, it does depend on the mom and what she thinks is right.
I am very glad that the center exists though! They are a great place to get supplies when you're in a bind! |
Anonymous
| Pat is just the best. I actually really like her personality and I love that when you see Pat, it is about you, not her. So many LCs, and I love them dearly, feel the need to tell you about their life. When you are paying a consultant for their time, the meeting had better be all about you, your questions, and your baby. Pat helped me tremendously. My baby did have a frenulum issue that no other LC else had spotted. Once it was fixed, the latch pain went away and my DC had a growth spurt, jumping up in the percentiles. And it's her vision and hard work that created the BF Center, an institution that has helped countless women. So yeah, I think Pat is pretty great! |
Anonymous
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I never used Pat Shelly -- I used the two LCs at my pediatrician's office (Reston Town Center Pediatrics) and they were awesome -- awesome! But I will say that I don't look for a best friend in an LC, just someone who can help me to figure out how to make something really hard work. I delivered at GWU and found their LCs to be utterly useless and I had a very hard time BFing -- my DD had congenital torticollis so bad that she practically could not latch on one side.
I think you have to find who will work for you and go from there. |
Anonymous
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I saw Margaret Wells and thought she was great. Like a PP said, she took my calls even two months after the visit and returned my message once on the weekend. She got us latched on right, got my over supply under control, diagnosed my thrush. DD is still nursing at 20 months. I also think I owe my bf relationship to her. About the frenulum... when I saw her when DD was 5 days old, she thought DD had a short frenulum but simply said the latch would get better when her mouth grew and she got more experienced at bf. Never mentioned cutting it, but instead showed me how to better help her latch.
I may make a donation to the center in her honor too. Thx for the idea! |
Anonymous
My feelings exactly. She helped me with an issue, but was very standoffish. |
Anonymous
| Pat also helped me in the dark early days of breastfeeding. She is not warm and cuddly, but does her job extremely well. Getting a home visit from her is well worth it. And I agree that the LCs at Sibley are useless. It's like they just read about breastfeeding in a textbook, and couldn't help with any deviations from that. Pat has seen it all and can steer you in the right direction. I feel blessed we have her in DC. |